Activity Overview
At the beginning of a unit on the digestive system, it's important for students to have a foundation of which organs are involved and their function. In this activity, students will label a model of the digestive system. They should include a description of what happens at each stage in the process along with the label. To scaffold this activity, consider providing a list of organs and having students place arrows pointing toward the correct organ.
Digestive System Diagram Example
| Stage | Description |
|---|---|
| Mouth | Food enters the alimentary canal through the mouth. It is chewed by teeth which break food down into smaller pieces. The food is mixed with saliva that contains enzymes. |
| Esophagus | The fibromuscular tube connecting the mouth to the stomach is called the esophagus. Food is pushed down using a wave-like muscular motion called peristalsis. |
| Stomach | The stomach is the muscular organ where food is mixed with gastric juices. Gastric juice has a low pH, meaning it is acidic, and is used to help digest food and kill potentially harmful bacteria. |
| Liver | In the digestive system, the liver produces bile which helps with the digestion of fats and oils. |
| Gallbladder | The gallbladder is where bile is stored and concentrated. |
| Pancreas | The pancreas is where biological catalysts called enzymes are produced. Digestive enzymes speed up the breaking down of large nutrient molecules. |
| Small Intestines | The small intestines are made up of three parts: the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum. Here, food is mixed with digestive enzymes and bile. The enzymes speed up the digestion process. Nutrients are then absorbed into the bloodstream. |
| Large Intestines | The large intestines are made up of two parts: the colon and the rectum. In the colon, water is reabsorbed from the food. Feces are stored in the rectum until they are ready to be passed. |
| Anus | Feces leave the alimentary canal through the anus. |
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a labeled model of the digestive system. Identify the main parts and describe their function.
- Click "Start Assignment".
- Search for "digestive system". Pull down the diagram into the cell.
- Label the parts of the digestive system using Textables and arrows.
- Describe the function of the different parts of the digestive system.
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient | Emerging | Beginning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labels | All the labels are correct. | Most of the labels are correct. | Some of the labels are correct. |
| Functions | All the functions are correct with no grammar or spelling mistakes. | Most of the functions are correct with some grammar and spelling mistakes. | Some of the functions are correct with many grammar and spelling mistakes. |
| Evidence of Effort | Work is well written and carefully thought out. | Work shows some evidence of effort. | Work shows little evidence of any effort. |
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Digestive System
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