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Dental Health

Third graders learn how to take care of their teeth — brushing the right way for two minutes, twice a day — to keep their smile healthy and prevent cavities.

Grade 3Hygiene35 minutes1 class periodSHAPE / Skills-BasedExplicit teaching4 StandardsSHAPE
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain dental health.
  • ✓Order the brushing steps.
  • ✓Brush for two minutes.
  • ✓Care for your teeth.
Essential Question

Your teeth have to last your whole life — so taking care of them matters! How do you brush your teeth the right way?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Brushing Steps

Project this and have children put the tooth-brushing steps in order.

🪥 Put the brushing steps in order!Try it
Tap the first step!
The Lesson · Health & PE Flow (Warm-Up · Learn · Practice · Apply · Cool-Down)

35 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — A Smile for Life

4 min

Your teeth last your whole life — how do you keep them healthy?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a healthy smile.
  • Ask how to care for teeth.
  • Get ready.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Think.
  • Get ready.
2

Learn — Dental Health

9 min

Children learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show the brushing steps.
  • Note two minutes, twice a day.
  • Note flossing too.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Learn it.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Order the Steps

10 min

Children practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to Order the Brushing Steps.
  • Order them.
  • Pretend to brush.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order them.
  • Brush.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

8 min

Children apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Plan when you’ll brush.
  • Explain two minutes.
  • Say why it helps.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Plan it.
  • Explain.
  • Say why.
5

Cool-Down — Cool-Down

4 min

Children close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a brushing step.
  • Say why we brush.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say why.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to SHAPE America National Health Education & Physical Education Standards.

SHAPE
HE.1

Comprehend concepts of dental health.

SHAPE
HE.7

Practice tooth-brushing habits.

SHAPE
HE.5

Make healthy hygiene choices.

SHAPE
HE.3

Access healthy-habit information.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Brushing step cards.
  • Sentence frame: “First ___, then ___.”
  • Use a toothbrush model.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with brush and rinse.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Pretend-brush.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add flossing.
  • Explain cavities.
  • Make a brushing chart.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🪥A toothbrush model
  • 💻Order the Brushing Steps
  • ⏱️A two-minute timer
  • 🖍️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

teethwhat you chew withbrushto clean your teethtoothpastehelps clean teethcavitya hole from not brushingflossstring to clean between teethdentista tooth doctorhealthystrong and wellsmileshows your teeth
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How long should you brush your teeth?
Two whole minutes.
QUESTION 2
How often should you brush?
Twice a day.
QUESTION 3
Why do we take care of our teeth?
To keep them healthy and prevent cavities.

Cool-Down: brush right.

Have children brush for two full minutes tonight, using a timer. A printable dental sheet is in the PE & Health library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Dental HealthFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Dental HealthQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Dental HealthPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: brush, cavity, dentist, floss, healthy, smile, teeth, toothpaste
  1. a hole from not brushing
  2. helps clean teeth
  3. shows your teeth
  4. a tooth doctor
  5. strong and well
  6. what you chew with
  7. string to clean between teeth
  8. to clean your teeth

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How long should you brush your teeth?
  2. How often should you brush?
  3. Why do we take care of our teeth?
Answer key — Part A: 1) cavity · 2) toothpaste · 3) smile · 4) dentist · 5) healthy · 6) teeth · 7) floss · 8) brush
Part B: 1) Two whole minutes. 2) Twice a day. 3) To keep them healthy and prevent cavities.