A Toothy Eggsperiment

Type of resource: Blog

Web address https://luvprek.blogspot.com/2011/02/toothy-eggsperiment.html

Language: English

Description

Experiment investigating how things we eat and drink affect our teeth.

Scientific concept introduced

Tea/Coffee and soft drinks stain our teeth.

Creative and critical thinking

Critical Thinking:
– Prediction
– Analysis
– Inference

Creative Thinking:
– Imagining
– Curiosity

Mathematical reasoning

– Measuring

– Shape

Scientific thinking

– Questioning
– Measuring
– Observing
– Predicting
– Analysing
– Drawing connections
– Recording

Learning how to learn

– Being organised
– Taking turns in groups
– Active listening
– Fun in learning

Additional

– Oral language – listening and following instructions
– Literacy – vocabulary development
– Cooking skill of pouring
– Collaborative skills of sharing and turn taking
– Hand-eye coordination

A Toothy Eggsperiment

Overall aims

● to enable pupils to investigate how things we drink affect our teeth
● to develop pupils’ skills in listening and following instructions
● to develop pupils’ cooking skill of pouring
● to develop pupils’ skills in observing and predicting
● to develop pupils’ skills in turn-taking
● to develop pupils’ skills in recording

Vocabulary – keywords should be understood

Egg, boiled egg, shell, yolk, egg white, oval, hard, smooth, crack, dark soda (cola),
tea/coffee, stain, toothbrush, toothpaste

Expected learning outcomes (operational aims)

The child will be enabled to:
– follow instructions for the experiment
– identify the different parts of an egg
– describe the effects on a boiled egg soaked overnight in dark soda or tea/coffee
– identify healthy ways of looking after our teeth
– practice pouring
– make observations about changes during the experiment
– work together in small groups
– graphically record their results

STEM skills – to which the learning unit is related to

CORE STEM SKILLS

● Asking questions
● Observing
● Predicting
● Imagining
● Curiosity
● Measuring
● Shape
● Analysing the results
● Drawing connections
● Recording

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

● Being organised
● Active listening
● Fun in learning
● Oral language
● Literacy – vocabulary development
● Cooking skill of pouring
● Collaborative skills
● Hand-eye coordination
● Fine motor skills

Teaching methodologies/activity outline

Teacher Note: For this experiment you will need to prepare by boiling the eggs and
making a pot of tea or coffee (leaving it to cool down). Give yourself 2 days for this
experiment, as you will need to leave the experiment overnight.

Introduction:

1. Draw an egg on the board. Ask pupils to indicate which part is the shell and
which is the yolk. Label the picture accordingly.
2. Ask if any pupils know what an egg white is. Crack an egg and separate the egg
and yolk, collecting them in different bowls. Show pupils, asking them to
describe the difference between the yolk and egg white.
3. Then ask pupils what happens when we boil an egg – eliciting that it gets harder
inside and outside. Explain that today they’re going to look at what happens to a
boiled egg when we place it in dark soda and tea/coffee.

Activity:

(Ask pupils to work in 4 groups. Remind pupils to take turns.)

Materials: (per group)
– 2 boiled eggs
– A cup of Dark soda like cola
– A cup of Tea or coffee (cooled down)
– 2 clear plastic cups
– 2 bowls
– 2 Tablespoons
– A toothbrush
– Toothpaste

Instructions:

Part 1 (Day 1)
1. Ask pupils to look and feel the eggs.

Sample questions: What shape is the egg? (Oval), What colour is the
egg? What does the shell of the egg feel like? (Smooth, hard).

2. Ask pupils in their groups, to place each egg into one of the clear plastic cups.
3. Then ask them to pour soda over one egg, till it covers the egg.
4. Next ask pupils to pour tea/coffee over the second egg, till it’s also covered.
5. Ask pupils to predict what they think might happen to each egg.
6. Then leave the experiment overnight. However, throughout the school day, ask
pupils to observe any changes they see. (Pupils will observe some staining
throughout the day but there will be a much deeper stain the next morning.)

Part 2 (Day 2)

7. The next day ask pupils, to examine the eggs – instruct pupils to carefully lift
each egg out with a tablespoon and to place each in a small bowl.
Sample questions: Does each egg look the same as it did at the
beginning of the experiment? What has changed? What colour is the
shell now? What has happened to the shell?

Result

Both eggs should take on a deep yellow brown coloured stain. The eggs in the
dark soda should have a slightly darker stain.

8. Ask pupils to talk about how the dark soda and tea/coffee affected the egg
shells and how they think these drinks might affect our teeth. Ask pupils to
suggest non-staining, healthier drinks (i.e. milk and water).
9. Ask pupils to think how we might get rid of these stains on the egg shell (By
Brushing). Test it out – Give each group a brush and toothpaste and ask pupils
to take turns brushing the egg shells.

10. Pupils will see that brushing with toothpaste helps to remove stains from egg
shells (and similarly our teeth).
11. Discuss and elicit from pupils that it’s important to brush our teeth regularly to
keep them clean and healthy. Also discuss how it’s important not to drink
unhealthy drinks like soda too much but instead to drink water and milk.

Conclusion:

Ask pupils to record the experiment by drawing the 3 main steps of the experiment,
showing the results and labelling each step.
Step 1 – Add dark soda and tea/coffee to boiled eggs
Step 2 – The result after the eggs were left overnight
Step 3 – Brushing of the egg shell and its effect

Assessment of learning

Pupil observation sheet, pupil’s graphic recording of the experiment

Equipment and materials to be used in learning unit (tools, ingredients etc)

An egg and 2 bowls for demonstration purposes.
A sheet of paper per pupils to graphically record the experiment

Materials: (per group)
– 2 boiled eggs
– A cup of Dark soda like cola
– A cup of Tea or coffee (cooled down)
– 2 clear plastic cups
– 2 bowls
– 2 Tablespoons
– A toothbrush
– Toothpaste