Prepare apple
slices before class - enough for one per student
Instructions:
1.
Explain that you will be studying
teeth today, and the different jobs different teeth
have when it comes to eating.
2.
Have students get into small groups
or with a partner.
3.
Have students look at each other's
teeth (showing mutual respect and without touching each
other) and write their observations in their science
journals.
What do the teeth you can see look like?
Which teeth do the biting and tearing of food?
Which ones grind up the food?
4.
Hand out the teeth chart diagram
(master 2) "Teeth at Work" and have the students read
the handout and identify the different teeth they observed
in their science journals.
5.
Give students a chance to share
with their partners or whole class what they have discovered.
6.
Now instruct them that you are
about to conduct an experiment that will only work if
everyone follows directions exactly.
7.
Tell them that they are going to
eat an apple slice, but they are to do it very carefully
and notice which teeth are doing the work. No one is
to start eating before the experiment officially starts.
8.
Hand out the apple slices and
instruct no one to eat them until the experiment starts.
Remind them to pay attention to what happens to the
apple once they start eating it!
9.
Have the students close their eyes
and keep them closed throughout the experiment.
10.
Have the students bite the apple
slice in half and notice which teeth do the biting.
Which teeth get involved next? What is the tongue doing?
Which teeth are the ones to finish chewing? How big
do the apple pieces feel at the beginning of the experiment
and at the end? Where does the apple go?
11.
Keeping their eyes closed, once
they have completely swallowed the first bite, instruct
them to put the second half of the apple slice into
their mouths and go through the process again.
12.
Now have the students record their
observation in their science journals and compare their
experiment to the teeth chart handout.
Extentions:
Have students
create mouth models using teeth and gums cut of construction
paper. They can use these models to demonstrate to a different
class the jobs various teeth play in the mouths when chewing.
They can also demonstrate the proper care of teeth with brushing
twice a day and flossing.
