Educational Resources

Oral Health Education Program Teachers Guide for Grades 2-3

For children ages 3-4

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  • Welcome

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    Dear Teacher,

    Welcome to Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures! You are now part of a 21-year legacy that brings positive oral health messages to children across the world — in classrooms just like yours.

    A Global Partnership

    Each year, Colgate-Palmolive Company’s award-winning Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® (BSBF) global oral health education program reaches over 50 million school children and their families … in 30 languages and 80 countries. It’s teachers like you who have made this self-esteem-based program an international success!

    Colgate recognizes that fostering partnerships between governments, health and educational organizations, professional associations, and health care providers strengthens the impact of the BSBF initiative around the world. The BSBF program was developed with an International Advisory Board of educational, dental and multicultural experts, and tested with children and teachers in real classrooms. Together with classroom educators like you, it’s a true partnership in support of children’s health!

    BSBF: Empowerment for the Future

    Bright Smiles, Bright Futures gives teachers, children and families around the world the tools they need to make good oral health a permanent part of their lives. With the focus on prevention, the program builds self-esteem and teaches good oral health practices to create lifelong habits. And most importantly, BSBF inspires kids to take control of their own oral health. Its messages of empowerment enable children to not only understand “what” to do to take care of their teeth and gums, but the “why” behind the messages. In this way, BSBF equips them to become lifelong Tooth Defenders.

    Welcome to BSBF. We applaud your commitment to helping your students’ bright smiles last a lifetime.

    Marsha Butler, Signature

    Marsha Butler, DDS
    BSBF Global Oral Health Initiative
    Colgate-Palmolive Company

     

    Thank You to Our Advisor

    Alice M. Horowitz, PhD
    School of Public Health
    University of Maryland, USA

    Colleen Winney
    Education Program Consultant Scientific Affairs
    Colgate-Palmolive Company Australia

    Lisa Papagiannoulis
    Professor and Head Department of Paediatric Dentistry
    Dental School, University of Athens Greece

    Bright Smiles Bright Futures illustration
  • About the Program

    Since 1991, Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures (BSBF) has made it easy for teachers like you to integrate oral health in your classroom. Now, the newest program in the BSBF series wraps the tried-and-true appeal of superheroes and special powers into a program that is sure to excite your students!

    This engaging, activity-based program fits into your existing curriculum, so you don’t need to add a new unit to your busy day. Its standards-based approach helps make it easy to cover core learning objectives, and it’s also flexible, so you can adapt it to your own classroom needs. And best of all, your students will love it!

    • The multimedia components feature Dr. Rabbit and Dr. Brushwell — two cartoon dentists who have mentored a group of children to become Tooth Defender “superheroes.” Together, the team undertakes a mission to protect Tooth City from the sticky, sugary villain: Placulus!

    • The easy-to-use materials were developed with teachers and oral health experts from around the world. In addition to fitting into your curriculum, the developmentally appropriate components are designed to challenge children to take responsibility for their own oral health.

    • Family involvement is an important part of the BSBF methodology. You’ll find ideas for getting parents and other family members involved with the topic of oral health included throughout the guide.

    Now, take a look at the materials – then invite your students to team up with Dr. Rabbit and the Tooth Defenders and become superheroes in protecting their own bright smiles!

    tooth defenders

    Components At-a-Glance

    Teacher’s Guide with Classroom Activities

    Dr. Rabbit and the Tooth Defenders: Teachers Guide for Grades 2-3

    Tooth Defenders: How It All Began

    dr rabbit and the tooth defenders how It all began

    Be a Tooth Defender! How to Brush Poster

    Know How to Brush Poster

    Meet the Tooth Defenders

    Meet the Tooth Defenders video

    Bright Smiles Key Messages

    • Brush with fluoride toothpaste twice a day, especially after eating breakfast and before bedtime

    • Floss daily

    • Use fluoride rinse

    • Limit the number of times you eat sweet and sticky snacks

    • Visit the dentist regularly

    • Oral health is an important part of overall health

    Prepare the Lesson Key:

     

    BSBF Icon Time

    Time required for activity
     
     

    BSBF Icon Time

    Supplies Needed
     
     

    BSBF Icon Time

    Pre-lesson to-dos
     
     

  • Fostering Family Involvement

    Good oral health is an integral part of a child’s overall health.

    Remind parents and caregivers that by modeling proper tooth brushing and encouraging children to take care of their teeth at home, they are helping their child develop healthy habits they can practice forever!

    Bright Smiles, Bright Futures is most successful when educators, dental professionals and families work together to promote positive and lasting oral health habits starting at a young age.

    Parents play a key role in their child’s oral health. As you take your students on the journey toward becoming tooth defenders, you are in an ideal position to foster at-home involvement for your students and their families!

    The Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures integrated program gives you the information, materials and ideas to foster family involvement and extend the lessons you’re covering in class.

    • Utilize the Home Connections tips sprinkled throughout this guide. They offer easy ideas for sending oral health messages home and promoting family engagement.

    • The Family Take-home gives parents the oral health nuts-and-bolts they need to easily integrate oral health strategies into their daily family routines. Distribute the take-home as a program kickoff, at an inclass event, or to wrap up the unit.

    • The 28-Day Oral Health Tracking Chart is a great at-home reminder that defending teeth is something to be done every day. Have additional copies available for those families who want to continue tracking beyond the 4-week period. Remind parents that if a child has a dental checkup scheduled during the tracking period, the child can take it along to the dental appointment to share – perhaps the dental professional can even autograph the chart!

    • The Tooth Defenders’ Pledge/ Certificate starts as an in-class activity … and concludes with a meaningful reminder that children will be proud to take home and share! Encourage parents to post it at home as a reminder of the importance of good oral health habits for everyone!

    • Encourage parents to join Bright Smiles, Bright Futures on Facebook! www.facebook.com/colgate

     

    Remember: you are ensuring that children’s smiles can last a lifetime!

     

    bsbf logo

     

    HOME CONNECTIONS
    TIPS
     

    bsbf guide calendar.jpg
    bsbf guide calendar.jpg
  • Tooth Defender Training At-A-Glance

    LESSON COMPONENTS
    TOOTH DEFENDERS’ LEARNING OBJECTIVES GRADE 2-3 GLOBAL EDUCATION STANDARDS

    1: Tooth Defender Training Starts with a Smile!

    SH: Sharing Bright Smiles 

    • Share existing knowledge of oral health
    • Explore the connections between oral health and well-being

    Language Arts

    • Choose appropriate words to express and describe ideas while speaking and writing
    • Ask and answer questions to explore a topic and gather more information on a topic

    Visual Art

    • Use diverse materials, in combination with writing, to express ideas visually and creatively

    2: Dr. Rabbit and the Tooth Defenders

    Video: Dr. Rabbit and the Tooth Defenders

    Video Scene-byScene Guide (See page 7)

    SH: Tooth City Scavenger Hunt 

    • Define and utilize new (and key) oral health vocabulary: toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, fluoride rinse, plaque
    • Identify and describe oral health strategies

    Language Arts

    • Acquire, define and use new and varied vocabulary correctly while speaking and writing
    • Determine main ideas and describe supporting details of information presented in diverse media, visually and orally
    • Ask and answer questions to explore a topic, gather more information to demonstrate understanding of an idea, event, or concept
    • Report on a story with appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details

    3: YOU too, can be a Tooth Defender!

    SH: Bright Smiles Supply Kit

    • Explain the connection between healthy behaviors and being a superhero
    • Demonstrate an understanding of how to use oral health tools
    • Creatively identify and summarize oral health practices

    Language Arts

    • Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events
    • Tell and dramatically express a story with descriptive details speaking clearly at an understandable pace, using dialogue to express the thoughts, feelings and responses of characters
    • Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners

    Visual Art

    • Use diverse materials, in combination with writing, to express ideas visually and creatively

    4: Know the Enemy: The Science of Placulus

    SH: Placulus, The Villian of Tooth City

    • Understand and explain what causes tooth decay
    • Use scientific discovery to draw conclusions based on observation and analysis
    • Make dietary choices that keep teeth healthy

    Language Arts

    • Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events
    • Tell and dramatically express a story with descriptive details speaking clearly at an understandable pace, using dialogue to express the thoughts, feelings and responses of characters

    Science

    • Demonstrate ability and understanding of how and why to conduct scientific inquiry; carry out investigations in collaboration with other students
    • Understand and describe the change of properties in matter

    Math

    • Generate and represent data by measuring lengths of an object using appropriate tools; compare and interpret two sets of data

    5: Practice Your Powers: Brush Like A Tooth Defender

    • Poster: Tooth Defenders

    SH: Training for a Superhero Smile

    • Practice proper brushing and flossing to get rid of plaque and keep teeth healthy
    • Practice oral health care by tracking brushing for 28 days
    • Share oral health strategies with families

    Language Arts

    • Engage effectively in collaborative discussions with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly
    • Write routinely over extended time frames for discipline-specific tasks and purpose

    Math

    • Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract • Generate measurement – tell and write time rounding to the nearest five minutes using a.m. and p.m.
    • Conduct basic mathematical calculations of addition and subtraction

    Physical Education

    • Apply movement concepts to learning and development

    6: Meet a Tooth Defender: Spotlight on Dr. Rabbit

    • Storybook: Tooth Defenders: How It All Began
    • Explain how dental professionals help us to care for our teeth
    • Synthesize oral health practices by creating an original story
    • Practice daily tooth care with the whole family by completing an oral health tracking chart

    Language Arts

    • Determine, describe and explain main ideas and concepts presented orally or through other media
    • Report on a story with appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details
    • Write narrative text to express real or imagined experiences or events using appropriate vocabulary, descriptive details, and clear event sequences
    • Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly

    Visual Art

    • Use diverse materials to express ideas visually and creatively

    7: Bright Smiles, Bright Futures: Today and Forever!

    • Poster: Tooth Defenders

    SH: Tooth Defender Certificate

    • Summarize key oral health strategies from the Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program
    • Communicate knowledge and learnings in a variety of ways
    • Develop a project to teach others about oral health practices 

    Language Arts

    • Engage effectively in collaborative discussions with diverse partners, responding to questions, and expressing ideas, feelings and thoughts clearly
    • Present and communicate information, findings, and supporting evidence following a line of reasoning, and utilizing organization, development, and style that are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
    • Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly

    Visual Art

    • Use diverse materials, in combination with writing, to express ideas visually and creatively

     

    LESSON COMPONENTS
    TOOTH DEFENDERS’ LEARNING OBJECTIVES GRADE 2-3 GLOBAL EDUCATION STANDARDS

    1: Tooth Defender Training Starts with a Smile!

    SH: Sharing Bright Smiles 

    • Share existing knowledge of oral health
    • Explore the connections between oral health and well-being

    Language Arts

    • Choose appropriate words to express and describe ideas while speaking and writing
    • Ask and answer questions to explore a topic and gather more information on a topic

    Visual Art

    • Use diverse materials, in combination with writing, to express ideas visually and creatively

    2: Dr. Rabbit and the Tooth Defenders

    Video: Dr. Rabbit and the Tooth Defenders

    Video Scene-byScene Guide (See page 7)

    SH: Tooth City Scavenger Hunt 

    • Define and utilize new (and key) oral health vocabulary: toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, fluoride rinse, plaque
    • Identify and describe oral health strategies

    Language Arts

    • Acquire, define and use new and varied vocabulary correctly while speaking and writing
    • Determine main ideas and describe supporting details of information presented in diverse media, visually and orally
    • Ask and answer questions to explore a topic, gather more information to demonstrate understanding of an idea, event, or concept
    • Report on a story with appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details

    3: YOU too, can be a Tooth Defender!

    SH: Bright Smiles Supply Kit

    • Explain the connection between healthy behaviors and being a superhero
    • Demonstrate an understanding of how to use oral health tools
    • Creatively identify and summarize oral health practices

    Language Arts

    • Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events
    • Tell and dramatically express a story with descriptive details speaking clearly at an understandable pace, using dialogue to express the thoughts, feelings and responses of characters
    • Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners

    Visual Art

    • Use diverse materials, in combination with writing, to express ideas visually and creatively

    4: Know the Enemy: The Science of Placulus

    SH: Placulus, The Villian of Tooth City

    • Understand and explain what causes tooth decay
    • Use scientific discovery to draw conclusions based on observation and analysis
    • Make dietary choices that keep teeth healthy

    Language Arts

    • Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events
    • Tell and dramatically express a story with descriptive details speaking clearly at an understandable pace, using dialogue to express the thoughts, feelings and responses of characters

    Science

    • Demonstrate ability and understanding of how and why to conduct scientific inquiry; carry out investigations in collaboration with other students
    • Understand and describe the change of properties in matter

    Math

    • Generate and represent data by measuring lengths of an object using appropriate tools; compare and interpret two sets of data

    5: Practice Your Powers: Brush Like A Tooth Defender

    • Poster: Tooth Defenders

    SH: Training for a Superhero Smile

    • Practice proper brushing and flossing to get rid of plaque and keep teeth healthy
    • Practice oral health care by tracking brushing for 28 days
    • Share oral health strategies with families

    Language Arts

    • Engage effectively in collaborative discussions with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly
    • Write routinely over extended time frames for discipline-specific tasks and purpose

    Math

    • Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract • Generate measurement – tell and write time rounding to the nearest five minutes using a.m. and p.m.
    • Conduct basic mathematical calculations of addition and subtraction

    Physical Education

    • Apply movement concepts to learning and development

    6: Meet a Tooth Defender: Spotlight on Dr. Rabbit

    • Storybook: Tooth Defenders: How It All Began
    • Explain how dental professionals help us to care for our teeth
    • Synthesize oral health practices by creating an original story
    • Practice daily tooth care with the whole family by completing an oral health tracking chart

    Language Arts

    • Determine, describe and explain main ideas and concepts presented orally or through other media
    • Report on a story with appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details
    • Write narrative text to express real or imagined experiences or events using appropriate vocabulary, descriptive details, and clear event sequences
    • Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly

    Visual Art

    • Use diverse materials to express ideas visually and creatively

    7: Bright Smiles, Bright Futures: Today and Forever!

    • Poster: Tooth Defenders

    SH: Tooth Defender Certificate

    • Summarize key oral health strategies from the Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program
    • Communicate knowledge and learnings in a variety of ways
    • Develop a project to teach others about oral health practices 

    Language Arts

    • Engage effectively in collaborative discussions with diverse partners, responding to questions, and expressing ideas, feelings and thoughts clearly
    • Present and communicate information, findings, and supporting evidence following a line of reasoning, and utilizing organization, development, and style that are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
    • Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly

    Visual Art

    • Use diverse materials, in combination with writing, to express ideas visually and creatively
  • Printouts

BSBF Icon Time
BSBF Icon Time