Title: “Why Do I Brush My Teeth?”

Author: Angela Royston

Date of Publication: August 1st, 2016

Publisher: My Body Books, QEB Publishing

• Description and Reason for Choosing:
  • This book takes children on an educational journey about the importance of brushing teeth. There are several sections within the books which outline various dental health topics from “Types of Teeth,” to “What Causes Tooth Decay.” This is the best non-fiction book about dental health to use in a classroom because each page provides informative facts about the teeth that are inside each and every person’s mouth. This book would be an excellent follow-up read to “I Love To Brush My Teeth,” by Shelley Admont because it would bring up the importance of reading both fiction and nonfiction books. After reading both this book and the book involving the fictional bunny named Jimmy, the class could engage in a discussion about similarities and differences between fiction and nonfiction. The class could also talk about if the main ideas behind both the fiction and nonfiction books are similar.

• Quotes from the Book:
  • “Why do I have teeth? Teeth are what we use to bite into our food. We also chew food with our teeth so we can swallow it easily. Brushing teeth regularly keeps our teeth clean and strong.”
  • “Strong teeth can bite through tough foods such as crusty bread.”
  • “Teeth help you to make the sounds ‘f’ and ‘th’.”

• Comparison to other books:
  • “Visiting the Dentist” by Charlotte Guillain was the only other non-fiction children’s book we were able to find. While it provides a lot of information about dental health, the only topic it covers is about visiting the dentist. The book that we chose: Why Do I Brush My Teeth? By Angela Royston is much more extensive in its review of dental health, the importance of brushing one’s teeth and the many purposes behind the teeth in our mouths.
  • Most other books about dental health that can be brought into a classroom are fictional.

• Core Integration for 2nd Graders:
  • A great way to integrate this into the classroom would be to bring it into an English Language Arts lesson, after also reading the book “I Love to Brush My Teeth,” by Shelley Admont. The students would engage in a discussion after being read both texts to determine the similar ideas found in both books. The similar idea would be that both of the books describe in different ways the importance of brushing one’s teeth. This lesson would engage students in topics about dental health while also developing their skills as critical thinkers.

• Health Learning Objective:
  • Students will be able to understand the importance of brushing their teeth daily through class discussion.

• Common Core Standards for 2nd Graders:
• • • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.9:  Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.6: Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

   

• NHES Standards Applicable:
  • NHES 1: “Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to
    enhance health.”
    • PHW1.2.1 “Identify the proper steps for daily brushing and flossing teeth.”
      • HBO 1: “Brush and Floss Teeth daily.”
      • HBO 2: “Practice appropriate hygiene habits.”
  • • PHW1.2.2 “State why hygiene is important to good health.”
      • HBO 1: “Brush and Floss Teeth daily.”
      • HBO 2: “Practice appropriate hygiene habits.”
    • PHW1.2.10 “Describe what it means to be healthy.”
      • HBO 6: “Practice behaviors that prevent infectious diseases.”
    • PHW1.2.11 “Identify different ways that disease-causing germs are transmitted.”
      • HBO 6: “Practice behaviors that prevent infectious diseases.”
    • PHW1.2.12 “Identify ways to prevent the spread of germs that cause common infectious diseases.”
      • HBO 6: “Practice behaviors that prevent infectious diseases.”