Engage: Did You Know?
Did You Know...
- Burping is a way to expel air from your stomach. The more air in your stomach, the larger the burp!
- Our bodies do not digest cellulose. Corn kernels, which contain cellulose, are expelled undigested.
- If you eat a food containing large amounts of food coloring, your poop will be a different color!
- Your mouth produces about one liter of saliva per day.
- Peristalsis, not gravity, helps move food through the digestive tract.
- Heartburn occurs when acid from the stomach moves up into the esophagus.
Explore: Exploring the Digestive System
- What is the digestive system?
- What does it do?
- Where is it located in the body?
- What organs form the digestive system?
These are common questions asked about the digestive system.
Click on the picture below to explore the digestive system. Record your findings in your science journal. The Digestive System Notes handout is provided in the Related Items if needed.
Upon completion of the activity, close the window and return to this page.
Explain 1: Fact—Food is Energy
Our cells need energy to survive. This energy comes from the food we eat. The food must be broken down into a form that is usable by our cells. Our digestive system has two main functions—digestion and absorption.
The blood transports these nutrients from the small intestine to the body’s cells. Transportation of these nutrients from the digestive tract to the body’s cells is a function of the circulatory system.
Water, vitamins, and salts are absorbed as the leftover materials move through the large intestine. Undigested food materials gradually solidify to form feces or poop.
Main Functions of the Digestive System
Explain 2: Understanding the Digestive System
Complete the activity to review your knowledge of the digestive system. Identify the organs of the digestive system, and then sort the digestion functions of each organ. Use your science journal or the Digestive System Notes handout if needed to complete the activity. Find additional resources about the digestive system in Related Items.
Elaborate 1: Fact or Fiction?
In Engage, you read several digestive system facts. In your science journal, list three interesting things you learned about the digestive system.
Click on Fact or Fiction, and check your knowledge of the digestive system. Use your science journal or the Digestive System Notes handout if needed. Upon competition, close the window to return to this page.
Click on Related Items if you need additional information or would like to review information on the digestive system.
Click on Related Items if you need additional information or would like to review information on the digestive system.
Elaborate 2: Be on the Lookout!
Did you find the lookout words?
Use the following table to help find information about these words.
Evaluate: Assess Your Knowledge
Complete the following activity to assess your knowledge on the digestive system. To retake the quiz, reload the page and then select No when the Resume Quiz dialog box appears.
Teacher Notes
In this lesson, students will explore the functions of the digestive system TEKS 7(12)(B). Brief integration of TEKS 7(6)(C), breaking down of larger molecules into smaller molecules, is included in the lesson. The lesson may be completed individually or in small groups and used as a first time teach or for remediation. Some students may believe digestion occurs only in the stomach. Chemical and physical digestion begins in the mouth and continues in the stomach and small intestine.
| Lesson Stage | Activities and Notes |
| Engage |
Students read fun, gross, or interesting facts about the digestive system. Students are introduced to several unfamiliar words and encouraged to “be on the lookout” for those words during the lesson. Throughout the lesson, students should record how these terms relate to the digestive system and create a memory clue of their choice. Students will need to have an understanding of the terms in Evaluate. Students may also include unfamiliar terms in their lists. A student handout, Be On The Lookout, is available in Related Items. |
| Explore |
Students explore the digestive system and record their findings in their science journals or on the Digestive System Notes handout located Related Items. |
|
Explain |
In Explain 1, students continue their study of the functions of the digestive system and how food moves through it. Students should add any additional information to their science journal or handout. Some students may believe digestion occurs only in the stomach. Chemical and physical digestion begins in the mouth and continues in the stomach and small intestine. In Explain 2, students participate in an interactive activity where they check their understanding about the digestive system. Reference resources are available in Related Items if needed. Remind students that expelling the undigested wastes from the body is part of the digestive system, not the excretory system, and the transportation of nutrients from the small intestine to cells is a function of the circulatory system. |
| Elaborate |
In Elaborate 1, students record several interesting digestive system facts in their journals. As a follow-up class activity, students could write three facts and an additional fiction statement in a random order on an index card. This card would be shared with another student who would determine which statements were facts and which statement was fiction. Students then complete a fact or fiction activity. Encourage students to review their answers at the completion of the activity. in Elaborate 2, students are given an opportunity to revisit Be On the Lookout! words. Clues are provided if students did not find information during the lesson. A key is provided in Related Items. |
| Evaluate |
Students evaluate their learning in a sequencing and multiple choice assessment. |
