The heart of this module is the set of six lessons that follows. These lessons are the vehicles that we hope will carry important concepts related to oral health to your students. To review the concepts in detail, refer to the chart Conceptual Flow of the Lessons.

Format of the Lessons

As you scan the lessons, you will find that each contains several major features.

At a Glance gives the teacher a convenient overview of the lesson.

• The Overview provides a short summary of student activities.
• Purpose states the central idea(s) the lesson is designed to convey.
• Objectives lists two to six specific understandings or abilities students should have after completing the lesson.

Background Information provides the teacher with the science content that underlies the key concepts of the lessons. The information provided here is designed to enhance the teacher’s understanding of the content so that the teacher can more accurately facilitate class discussions, answer student questions, and provide additional examples.

In Advance provides instructions for collecting and preparing the materials required to complete the activities in the lesson.

• Activities that include the Web site tells the teacher which of the lesson’s activities make use of segments on the Web site.
• Photocopies lists the paper copies or transparencies that need to be made from masters.
• Materials lists all the materials needed for each of the activities in the lesson. View a complete materials list for the entire module.
• Preparation outlines the things the teacher needs to do to be ready to teach each of the activities in the lesson.

Procedure outlines the steps in each activity in the lesson. It provides implementation suggestions and answers to questions. Wrap-up offers suggestions for using the Mouth Journals as opportunities for assessment. Lesson 2 has Extension Activities that enrich the students’ experience with the module through additional games.

Within the procedures, annotations provide additional commentary.

• Tip from the field test includes actual field-test teachers’ suggestions for teaching strategies, class management, and module implementation.
• Assessment provides the teacher with strategies for assessing student progress throughout the module, and is identified by an assessment icon (see the following section).
• Icons identify specific annotations:

identifies teaching strategies that address specific science content standards as defined by the National Science Education Standards.

identifies when to use the Web site as part of the teaching strategies. An annotation instructs the teacher how to find the appropriate segment on the Web site. Information about using the Web site can be found in Using the Web site. A print-based alternative is provided in each lesson for all Web-based activities in case a computer with Internet access is not available.

identifies when assessment is embedded in the module’s structure. An annotation suggests strategies for assessment.

There are three Take-home Activities included in the module as part of Lessons 2, 3, and 5. These activities are designed to engage children and their parents in oral health concepts at home. The handouts for the take-home activities are located in the Masters section. A certificate at the end of each handout provides evidence for the teacher of parent-child interaction.

“The most gratifying part for me has been the POSITIVE feedback from parents as well as from the kids...we have just finished conferences and almost every parent commented that their child has come home and told them daily what we are doing and learning. Some families still have the egg experiment from one of the take-home activities going on their own!”
—Field-test Teacher

The Masters required to teach the lessons are located in the Teacher’s Guide Masters section.

Timeline for Teaching the Module

The Open Wide and Trek Inside module is designed to be taught every day for a period of approximately three weeks. Field-test teachers found that if they scheduled science lessons every day while they were teaching the module, students remained engaged and their understanding of the concepts that link the activities together steadily grew.

Suggested Timeline

Timeline	Activity
3 weeks ahead	Reserve computers • Check Internet access
1 week ahead	Copy masters • Make transparencies • Gather materials
Lesson 1
Day 1	Activity 1: Helping Exee (the Extraterrestrial) Learn about Mouths
Day 2	Activity 2: Mouth Mirrors
Day 3	Activity 3: Food for Thought Wrap-up
Lesson 2
Day 4	Activity 1: Mouth Trek
Day 5	Activity 2: Cut, Tear, and Grind
Day 6	Complete Activity 2 Take-home Activity
	Tooth Record
Day 7	Activity 3: Graphing and Record Keeping
Day 8 (optional)	Extension Activities (optional)
	Funny ABCs Matching Game
	Wrap-up
Lesson 3
Day 9	Activity 1: The Apple Investigation Take-home Activity
	So You Want to Be an Eggs-pert Scientist!
	Wrap-up
Lesson 4
Day 10	Activity 1: What Lives in Warm, Wet Places?
Day 11	Activity 2: Animals Do More than Eat and Drink
Day 12	Complete Activity 2 Wrap-up
Lesson 5
Day 13	Activity 1: Let’s Pretend—A Dramatization
Day 14	Wrap-up Take-home Activity
	Brushing to the Beat!
Lesson 3
Day 15	Activity 2: Completing the Apple Investigation Wrap-up (for Lesson 3)
Lesson 6
Day 16	Activity 1: Exee Goes Home Wrap-up

The preceding timeline outlines the optimal plan for completing the six lessons in this module. The plan assumes you will teach the activities on consecutive days, spending approximately 20 to 30 minutes on science activities each day. If your class requires more time for laboratory procedures, discussion of ideas raised in this module, or completing activities on the Web site, adjust your timeline accordingly.

The following is a complete list of supplies needed for this module. Quantities are based on a class of 30 students.

Master List of Materials

Lesson Number	1			2						3			4		5			6
Activity Number	1	2	3	1	2	TH*	3	E1†	E2†	1	2	TH*	1	2	1	2	TH*	1
Supply Description
Apple (preferably Red Delicious)									10
Assorted materials for student investigations (see Lesson)
Balance (simple)
Bicycle helmet or umbrella
Black construction paper															1
Computers with Internet access
Construction paper (any color)															2			60
Crayons or markers (non-toxic)
Crackers			60		30
Drawing paper													30
Egg
Flip chart paper
Glue
Hand lens										10	10
Magazines (old with pictures of food)
Mouth Journal
Mirror (small)
Napkin			30
Overhead projector
Pads of sticky notes (any color)
Pencil (sharpened)										10	30
Plastic cup
Plastic wrap
Popsicle stick
Scissors
Sharp knife
Skein of red yarn
Small whiskbroom with handle
Thermometers
Thick paper or card stock
Tissues or paper towels						30		30
Transparencies
White construction paper															1
White vinegar
*Take-home activity. †Extension activity.