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Introduction and Overview:
The topic for this unit is The Digestive System. This specific unit has been
designed to accommodate a second grade classroom. It consists of six lesson plans
detailing the functions of the various parts of the digestive system. It begins with a
general introduction to the digestive system as a whole and the role it plays in the human
body. The conclusion of the unit involves a series of assessments covering the topics that
the students explored throughout the various lessons. This unit covers six 45 minute
sessions during a time period of no more than three weeks.
Rational and Purpose:
The purpose of this unit is to introduce the components of the digestive system to
second grade students. This unit will help students build a knowledge structure of the
digestive system which will assist them in their later studies.
This unit covers MEGOSE standard LO III.2.4. This is the first year that a study
of the digestive system is being required for the second grade class. The unit has
been formatted to accommodate young students. Simple concepts and definitions
will assist the student in a general understanding of the digestive system.
This unit answers many questions that younger students may have about how their
body works. Through this unit, students are challenged to think critically about
common bodily functions and why they are necessary.
This unit reflects a “hands-on, minds-on” approach to teaching. Students will
engage in various activities reinforcing the information they receive about how
the digestive system works.
Broad Goals:
The main goal for this unit is that students will learn the body parts and functions
of the digestive system through a variety of engaging activities.
MEGOSE LO III.2.4- Elementary students will study the interrelations of body
systems. Students should begin to recognize levels of biological organization in
multi-cellular organisms. The idea of cooperation is stressed. In humans for
example, students will understand that a variety of generalized functions are
carried out by organ systems.
Knapp Charter Academy Academic Program: Science Objectives
The science curriculum focuses on the Hirsch Core Knowledge Sequence with
supplemental material as necessary. Science includes the study of life science,
earth science and physical science, with a strong emphasis on hands-on,
experimental science activities. This year is the first year that the digestive
system is included in these objectives.
Specific Student Goals:
Students will understand the process of digestion begins in the mouth.
Students will be able to describe the function of the teeth.
Students will understand that different teeth have different jobs in the digestion
process.
Students will be able to describe the function of the tongue, saliva glands, and
taste buds.
Students will discover the sweet, sour, salty and bitter regions of the tongue
Students will be able to describe and define the function and location of the
esophagus, stomach, and liver.
Students will be able to feel and hear their esophagi at work.
Students will mimic some of the functions of the esophagus and stomach.
Students will be able to describe and define the function and location of the small
intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus.
Students will measure the approximate lengths of the small and large intestines.
Students will list and describe the journey of a piece of food through the digestive
system.
Content Analysis:
1. Lesson One- Teeth
 Students will understand the process of digestion begins in the mouth.
 Students will be able to describe the function of the teeth.
 Students will understand that different teeth have different jobs in the
digestion process.
2. Lesson Two- Tongue
 Students will be able to describe the function of the tongue, saliva glands, and
taste buds.
 Students will discover the sweet, sour, salty and bitter regions of the tongue
3. Lesson Three- Esophagus, Stomach and Liver
 Students will be able to describe and define the function and location of the
esophagus, stomach, and liver.
 Students will be able to feel and hear their esophagi at work.
 Students will mimic some of the functions of the esophagus and stomach.
4. Lesson Four- Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Rectum and Anus
 Students will be able to describe and define the function and location of the
small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus.
 Students will measure the approximate lengths of the small and large
intestines.
 Students will list and describe the journey of a piece of food through the
digestive system.
5. Lesson Five- Review of the entire digestive system
 Students will be able to explain how each part of the digestive system helps
the body digest food.
 Students will be able to identify the different parts of the digestive system
during our experiment.
6. Lesson Six- Digestion Jeopardy
 Students will recall information about the digestive system and answer
questions during Digestion Jeopardy.
 Students will write a paragraph about their favorite part of the digestive
system and back it up with three reasons.
Cross Curriculum:
1. Language Arts: Read the book, The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body.
Had students write their own book about the digestive system. Had class write a “Big
Book” on the tongue. Had students do a journal on teeth.
2. Art: Had students draw picture of the tongue, esophagus and liver.
Instructional Strategies and Activities:
A. The Laffy Taffy activity.
1. The teacher will give each student a piece of Laffy Taffy. The students will
partially bite down into the Laffy Taffy and will be able to see and observe the
impression his or her teeth make in the candy.
2. Students will discuss what they observe.
B. The Animal Cookie Activity
1. The teacher hands out three animal cookies for each student.
2. The teacher gives the following instructions:
a. I want everyone to take a cookie, and bite off half of the cookie and eat it.
Then I want you to describe what kinds of teeth you used, and what their
functions were.Give students time to do this.
b. Who can tell me what teeth you used to bite off half of the
cookie? (Incisors or Canine)
c. Who can tell me what happened after you bit off half of the
cookie? What teeth did you use? What did those teeth do to
the cookie? Based on our activity, How do you think teeth help in the digestion
process?
C. The Teeth Scavenger Hunt
1. Divide students into groups of four.
2. Give each group a worksheet.
3. Give students the following instructions: We are going to do a teeth scavenger
hunt. I am going to give each member of your group a crayon.
i. If you have a red crayon, you are going to be in charge of finding
the INCISORS.
ii. If you have a blue crayon, you are going to be in charge of finding
the CANINE teeth.
iii. If you have a green crayon, you are going to be in charge of finding
the PREMOLARS.
iv. If you have a yellow crayon, you are going to be in charge of
finding the MOLARS.
4. If I have a red crayon, I am in charge of finding the incisors for my group. I
will do this by looking in another person’s mouth to find their incisors. When I
find them, I will color in the incisors on the group’s worksheet. The person with
the blue crayon will find the canine teeth for the worksheet. The person with the
green crayon will find the premolars for the worksheet. The person with the
yellow crayon will find the molars for the worksheet.
5. On each handout, you will need to label and color each tooth.
D. Guided Discovery- The Different Sections of the Tongue

Students will work in pairs. Each pair will receive individual “My Tongue”
mouth worksheets, four crayons, four toothpicks, and four individual cups
containing appropriate amounts of the following: sugar, salt, lemon juice and
unsweetened powdered chocolate. Each pair of students will share a mirror.

Students will be given the following instructions:
1. There are different areas of the tongue that are more sensitive to certain
tastes. For example, the tip of the tongue is going to “taste” sweet better
than the back of the tongue.
2. Your job is going to be to find what areas of the tongue are more sensitive
than other areas.
3. Using the mirror, take a toothpick and dip it into one of the four cups.
Place that certain taste on different areas of the tongue. See if you can tell
which area tastes that substance better than other areas.
4. Color the area on your worksheet where you think that taste is most
specific.
5. Repeat this with the three other tastes.

The teacher will walk around to observe and assist the different groups. Allow
the students to explore on their own, but provide them with encouragement and
guidance when necessary.

After the students have finished their tasting and their worksheets, regroup for a
discussion time. Ask students to share their results. Write their discoveries and
the correct answers in THE TONGUE BOOK.
E. The Makeshift Esophagus Activity
 Have students place one hand over their throats and swallow. They are feeling
their esophagi at work.
 Divide class into pairs and give each pair of students a 24” length of aquarium
tubing, 2 small funnels, 2 cups of water, and 2 crackers. Let students take turns
eating a cracker and taking a drink of water with the funnel held to their throat,
while the other student places the other funnel to their ear and listens to his
partner’s esophagus at work. Next, give each group a stalking with the toe
removed and a medium sized ball. Have students take turns working the ball
inside the stalking from one end to the other. This is how the esophagus moves
food. Give students a hand out to record their findings.
F. The Stomach Activity
 Give each student a balloon. Explain that the stomach is like a balloon, because it
is very small when it is empty but can stretch to hold food.
 Have students blow up their balloons to the size they believe the stomach can
stretch to. When they are finished, ask them to note the various sizes, then show
them a 2-liter bottle and explain that the stomach can stretch to hold two liters of
food.
 Place some hamburger in a transparent, airtight container. Allow students to
observe the hamburger and record their observations on a hand out, labeled
“Chewed Food.” Add meat tenderizer to the hamburger and allow it to set out in
the sealed container for 2-3 days. Let the students observe the changes and also
record these on the other half of their handouts. This experiment shows how the
stomach’s digestive juices mix with the liver’s bile salts to break down food.
 To wrap up, give students a craft handout of the body and have them draw the
parts of the digestive system, which have already been discussed.
G. The Small Intestine Activity
 Ask for three volunteers. Have one of the volunteers hold a bowl. Have the other
two each hold one end of a square piece of nylon over the bowl. The nylon is
supposed to be the small intestine wall. Pour some Kool-Aid onto the nylon. The
Kool-Aid is supposed to be the useful fully digested food. This useful food is
absorbed into the bloodstream through the small intestine’s walls. Next pour some
sugar onto the nylon. The sugar is supposed to be the waste material. The waste
material is not absorbed into the blood stream, but remains inside the small
intestine and is passed on to the large intestine.
 Divide class into groups of four. Give each group a 16ft long piece of string, a 5ft
long piece of string (different color than the 16ft string), a ruler, and four
handouts. Have groups measure the lengths of string (tell them which color is
which part –small intestine=16ft, large intestine=5ft) and record this information.
H. The Sponge Large Intestine Activity
 Regroup students into pairs. Give each pair one bowl and two sponges. In this
example, the bowl is the waste material, the water is the liquid it is mixed with,
and the sponge is the large intestine. Ask the students to act out the function of the
large intestine by soaking up the water with their sponges.
 Give each student a blank book and drawing utensils to create their own story
about the journey taken by a piece of food through their digestive systems.
I. The Cookie in a Bag Activity
 First get a Ziploc bag and place five cookies into the bag. This is like placing the
food into our mouths. Next start breaking the cookies in the bag just like the teeth
break up our food.
 Add enough water into the bag that it will make the cookie particles wet. This
represents the saliva. The saliva helps get the food down the esophagus. After it
travels down the esophagus it enters in to the stomach. The stomach mixes and
mashes the food even more to make it into a thick soup. Start turning the bag
around and around mixing the cookie and water until it becomes soupy looking.
 Next the food travels into the small intestine where the villi soak up some of the
food particles into the bloodstream to make energy for our bodies. Take a sponge
and soak up some of the water.
 The remaining food and water goes into the large intestine where the remaining
water is absorbed and the remaining food is sent to the rectum to be discarded
from the body. Take the sponge and soak up the remaining water.
 The students should be able to explain the different functions of the organs as you
do this experiment. Let them answer question and discuss what the sponge might
represent, etc…
Individual Learning Strategies:
These activities incorporate a wide amount of learning styles. They include
writing, reading, hands-on, art, and discussion. There are a variety of visuals, and many
opportunities for students to ask questions. Some of the lessons include group activities
and there is also individual student work. The teacher will be available for assistance
when necessary and will strive to meet the needs of the individual learners.
Methods of Evaluation:
Formative:
3. Lesson 1 - Teeth: Students will be required to fill out an in class handout and will
also be required to write a journal entry on what they learned about teeth.
4. Lesson 2 - Tongue: Students will be required to do a guided discover worksheet.
They will be assessed on their participation in the guided discovery and on the
results of the worksheet.
5. Lesson 3 - Esophagus, Stomach and Liver: Students will draw pictures of and
label the esophagus, stomach and liver. Students will be expected to describe the
functions of each when asked.
6. Lesson 4 - Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Rectum and Anus: Students will
design their own story about the digestive system. Their story must include each
part and its proper functions.
Summative:
7. Lesson 5 - Oral Review of the Entire Digestive System: The students will create
a concept map of information from the previous lessons. They will be assessed
on participation.
6. Lesson 6 - Digestion Jeopardy - The students will be asked various questions
about the digestive system and will be assessed on participation and their answers.
They will be given a worksheet titled: “My Favorite Digestive Organ.” They will
be required to complete the worksheet and will be assessed on the accuracy of
their information.
Resources:
Taliaferro, M. (1999). Tour the Digestive System. Retrieved on October 2002 from
http://www.cstone.net/users/core/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/299digest.pdf.
The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body, Joanna Cole. ISBN 0-590-4127-5
Scholastic, Inc.
Tooth Shape Book: http://www.abcteach.com/teeth/toothshapline.htm
The Incredible Human Body. Scholastic, Inc. 555 Broadway New York, NY 10012.
Body Systems and OrgansI, Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc. Greensboro, NC
27425.
What Happens to a Hamburger? Paul Showers. ISBN 0-06-445013-9 Harper Trophy
Publishing.
Daily Lesson Plans:
See the following pages!
Lesson 1: Introduction to the Digestive System
Teeth
I. Subject/Topic: Teeth- The beginning of the Digestive System
II. Rational/Purpose: The teeth are the beginning of the digestive system. In order for
the student to understand how the digestive system works, they must understand the
function of the teeth.
III. Objectives:
Students will understand the process of digestion begins in the mouth.
Students will be able to describe the function of the teeth.
Students will understand that different teeth have different jobs in the digestion
process.
IV. Content:
A. Introduction to the Digestive System (5-7 mins)
1. The teacher will start a discussion on the digestive system: I need everyone to
close you eyes. When I say “digestive system” what comes to your mind?
Just think for a moment. Okay, you can open your eyes.
2. The teacher will get feedback on what the students think of “digestive system.”
If the students are struggling, the teacher will suggest they look up the definition
in a dictionary.
3. The teacher will write “digestive system” on the board. The teacher will
write the students responses on the board around the words “digestive system.”
4. Be sure to include the following words for today’s discussion:
Food
Mouth
Teeth
Tongue
The purpose of your digestive system is to turn food into
something useful for your body.
B. The Beginning of the Digestive System: The Teeth! (5-7 mins)
1. The teacher will ask: Where do you think digestion begins? Answer: The
process of digestion begins in the mouth.
2. The teacher will say: I need a few people to tell me what they had for lunch.
The teacher will write down the responses. Then the teacher will pick one food
and write: How to eat ___________!
3. The teacher will ask: When you had your pizza for lunch, did you just
swallow it whole? What was the first thing you did? Students will respond.
4. The teacher will focus in on the teeth being the beginning of the digestion
process.
C. The Teeth Lesson (10 mins)
1. Today, we are going to talk about teeth. Teeth are the very beginning part of
digestion.
2. You all have four main types of teeth. (Teeth Poster)
i. Incisors- Cutting teeth
ii. Canine- Tearing teeth
iii. Premolars- Grinding and Mashing teeth
iv. Molars- Grinding and Crushing teeth
3. The Laffy Taffy activity.
i. The teacher will give each student a piece of Laffy Taffy. The students
will partially bite down into the Laffy Taffy and will be able to see and
observe the impression his or her teeth make in the candy.
ii. Students will discuss what they observe.
4. The Animal Cookie Activity
i. The teacher hands out three animal cookies for each student.
ii. The teacher gives the following instructions:
a. I want everyone to take a cookie, and bite off half of the
cookie and eat it. Then I want you to describe what kinds of
teeth you used, and what their functions were.
Give students time to do this.
b. Who can tell me what teeth you used to bite off half of the
cookie? (Incisors or Canine)
c. Who can tell me what happened after you bit off half of the
cookie? What teeth did you use? What did those teeth do to
the cookie?
5. Based on our activity, How do you think teeth help in the digestion
process?
D. The Teeth Scavenger Hunt
1. Divide students into groups of four.
2. Give each group a worksheet.
3. Give students the following instructions: We are going to do a teeth
scavenger hunt. I am going to give each member of your group a crayon.
i. If you have a red crayon, you are going to be in charge of finding
the INCISORS.
ii. If you have a blue crayon, you are going to be in charge of finding
the CANINE teeth.
iii. If you have a green crayon, you are going to be in charge of
finding the PREMOLARS.
iv. If you have a yellow crayon, you are going to be in charge of
finding the MOLARS.
4. If I have a red crayon, I am in charge of finding the incisors for my group. I
will do this by looking in another person’s mouth to find their incisors. When I
find them, I will color in the incisors on the group’s worksheet. The person with
the blue crayon will find the canine teeth for the worksheet. The person with the
green crayon will find the premolars for the worksheet. The person with the
yellow crayon will find the molars for the worksheet.
5. On each handout, you will need to label and color each tooth.
V. Strategies and Activities:
The student will engage in observation, discussion and activity to explore the content.
The student will participate in the “Animal Cookie Activity,” and the “Teeth Scavenger
Hunt.” The student will listen to an excerpt from the book, Look! My Tooth is Loose!.
All of these activities will assist the student in meeting the objectives of this lesson.
VI. Materials:
Teeth visual- a poster of the teeth to assist students in learning
Three Animal Cookies and a Laffy Taffy for each student.
Teeth Scavenger Hunt worksheet for each student
Look! My Tooth is Loose! by Patricia Brennan Demuth.
Four Crayons for each student.
VII. Plans for Individual Differences:
This plan may be adapted in many ways to meet the individual need of each student if
necessary. If the class as a whole is less focused and unable to handle the activity of The
Teeth Scavenger Hunt, that part of the lesson may be done by having the teachers guide
the students through the activity, step by step. Students will work in pairs for most of the
lesson, and the teacher may want to pair up struggling students with stronger students.
The teacher will be responsible for making other adjustments based on the needs of the
students. It’s a flexible lesson and may be adjusted as necessary.
VIII. Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated on their Teeth Scavenger Hunt, their teeth homework and their
class participation. A rubric may be used to evaluate students progress if necessary. It
could model the following:
4
3
2
1
The Four Kinds of
Teeth
The student is able
to accurately name
the four kinds of
teeth.
The student is able
to accurately name
three of the four
kinds of teeth.
The student is able
to accurately name
two of the four
kinds of teeth
The student is not
able to name any of
the four kinds of
teeth.
Function of the
teeth.
The student is able
to identify the
different functions
of the teeth (bite,
tear, grind)
The student is able
to identify a few of
the different
functions of the
teeth.
The student is able
to identify one of
the functions of the
teeth
The student is not
able to identify any
of the functions of
the teeth.
Participation
The student
participates in both
discussion and in
activities.
The student
participates in the
activities but not in
the discussion.
The student
The student does
participates in the
not participate in
discussion but not in the discussion or in
the activities.
activities.
IX. Lesson Critique:
An analysis of the lesson will include considering the results of the class on their
assessment. Students will also be able to discuss their favorite and least favorite parts of
the activity. The teacher will consider evaluation and discussion and will make the
necessary changes.
Lesson 2: The Digestive System
Tongue
I. Subject/Topic: Tongue- The Beginning of the Digestive System Part 2
II. Rational/Purpose: While exploring the beginning components of the digestive
system, the students will learn that the tongue has a major function in digestion.
III. Objectives:
Students will be able to describe the function of the tongue, saliva glands, and taste
buds.
Students will discover the sweet, sour, salty and bitter regions of the tongue.
IV. Content:
Anticipatory Set:
For the anticipatory set, the teacher will introduce the following idea to the students:
Before the lesson, the teacher will have constructed a four page book. The cover
of the book will read, “THE TONGUE BOOK.” The first page of the book will have a
picture of a magnifying glass with plenty of room to write. The second page of the book
will have a picture of the tongue with four specific highlighted areas, marking the four
tasting regions. The last page will read, “WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED.”
The teacher will inform the students that the book is incomplete. The information
needed for the tongue book has not been written. The teacher will ask the students for
their help.
PART 1: AN OBSERVATION OF THE TONGUE
The students will work in pairs. Each pair will receive the “My Tongue” exploration
worksheet and a mirror.
The teacher will give the following instructions: We are going to do an observation.
Who knows what an observation is? (Students volunteer answers, teacher may assist
students in defining if needed) Today we are going to do an observation on the
tongue. I would like you to look at your own tongue and to look at your partners
tongue. Please fill out the worksheet with your description of the tongue. Things you
may want to write down may include: color, shape, size, texture, etc.
The students will take turns observing their own and each others tongues and writing
down their observations.
After a sufficient amount of time, the teacher will lead a group discussion on what
was discovered. The students will volunteer their information and the teacher will
write down their observations on the magnifying page of THE TONGUE BOOK.
PART 2: EXPLORING TASTE
The teacher will lead a discussion on taste. The teacher will ask students what taste
is. The teacher will explain that taste is how we experience the flavor of food. We
taste by taking food into our mouths. The teacher will explain that there are four
different tastes: sweet, sour, bitter and salty. The teacher will write these words on
the board and ask students to think of food examples of each.
To further explore taste, the students will engage in a guided discovery activity
involving taste.
Taste- A Guided Discovery
Students will work in pairs. Each pair will receive individual “My Tongue” mouth
worksheets, four crayons, four toothpicks, and four individual cups containing
appropriate amounts of the following: sugar, salt, lemon juice and unsweetened
powdered chocolate. Each pair of students will share a mirror.
Students will be given the following instructions:
1. There are different areas of the tongue that are more sensitive to certain tastes. For
example, the tip of the tongue is going to “taste” sweet better than the back of the
tongue.
2. Your job is going to be to find what areas of the tongue are more sensitive than other
areas.
3. Using the mirror, take a toothpick and dip it into one of the four cups. Place that
certain taste on different areas of the tongue. See if you can tell which area tastes that
substance better than other areas.
4. Color the area on your worksheet where you think that taste is most specific.
5. Repeat this with the three other tastes.
The teacher will walk around to observe and assist the different groups. Allow the
students to explore on their own, but provide them with encouragement and guidance
when necessary.
After the students have finished their tasting and their worksheets, regroup for a
discussion time. Ask students to share their results. Write their discoveries and the
correct answers in THE TONGUE BOOK.
Closing
In closing, allow students to share other discoveries that they may have made. Write
down these discoveries in THE TONGUE BOOK on the page that reads “WHAT WE
HAVE LEARNED.”
The teacher will thank the students for their participation. THE TONGUE BOOK will be
available for students to read in the class library.
V. Strategies and Activities:
To reach objectives, the teacher will implement the “Exploring Taste” activity, and the
“Taste- A Guided Discovery” activity. Through participating in these activities, the
students will understand and meet the objectives for this lesson. These activities are
located in the “Content” area of this lesson plan.
VI. Materials:
The Tongue Book
“My Tongue” worksheet, mirrors
For twenty-five students: 100 Paper cups, unsweetened powdered chocolate (Hershey’s
Cocoa), sugar, salt, lemon juice, toothpicks, “My Tongue” mouth worksheet.
VII. Plans for Individual Differences:
This plan may be adapted in many ways to meet the individual need of each student if
necessary. If the class as a whole is less focused and unable to handle the activity of
guided discovery, that part of the lesson may be done by having the teachers guide the
students through the activity, step by step. Students will work in pairs for most of the
lesson, and the teacher may want to pair up struggling students with stronger students.
The teacher will be responsible for making other adjustments based on the needs of the
students. It’s a flexible lesson and may be adjusted as necessary.
VIII. Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated on their two tongue worksheets and their class participation. A
rubric may be used to evaluate student’s progress if necessary. It could model the
following:
4
3
2
1
The Function of the
tongue
The student is able
to accurately
describe the main
functions of the
tongue.
The student is able
to describe some
functions of the
tongue, but not all.
The student is able
to list a few
functions of the
tongue, but cannot
describe them.
The student is not
able to list or
describe any
functions of the
tongue.
The Taste Buds
The student is able
to identify the four
different tastes and
understand that
there are four
regions on the
tongue where these
tastes are more
sensitive.
The student is able
to identify three of
the four different
tastes and
understand that
there are different
regions on the
tongue where the
tastes are sensitive.
The student is able
to identify one or
two of the different
tastes but does not
understand the
different regions on
tongue.
The student is not
able to identify any
of the tastes and
does not
comprehend
different taste
regions.
Participation
The student
participates in both
discussion and in
activities.
The student
participates in the
activities but not in
the discussion.
The student
The student does
participates in the
not participate in
discussion but not in the discussion or in
the activities.
activities.
IX. Lesson Critique:
An analysis of the lesson will include considering the results of the class on their
assessment. Students will also be able to discuss their favorite and least favorite parts of
the activity. The teacher will consider evaluation and discussion and will make the
necessary changes.
NAME:
DATE:
My Tongue
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Lesson 3: The Esophagus, Stomach, and Liver
Purpose
To help the students gain a basic understanding of what happens to the food they
chew up and swallow. The food does not just disappear. Students must discover what
happens to the food, what parts of their bodies are involved, the digestive process, and
how the body uses food for energy.
Objectives
 Students will be able to describe and define the function and location of the
esophagus, stomach, and liver.
 Students will be able to feel and hear their esophagi at work.
 Students will mimic some of the functions of the esophagus and stomach.
Content
1. Introduce the subject with open-ended questions. Where does the food go after
you have chewed it in your mouth? (Esophagus) The esophagus is a tube that
is located in the throat.
2. What do you think the esophagus does with the food? Where is it pushing the
down to? (Stomach).
3. The stomach is very small when it is empty. How big to you think the stomach
can stretch to? It can hold up to two liters of food!
4. What does the stomach do to food? The stomach uses digestive juices to break
down the food into smaller pieces. The liver aids this process by sending bile
salts, which are very strong particles that help break down the food.
Activities
Have students place one hand over their throats and swallow. They are feeling
their esophagi at work.
Divide class into pairs and give each pair of students a 24” length of aquarium
tubing, 2 small funnels, 2 cups of water, and 2 crackers. Let students take
turns eating a cracker and taking a drink of water with the funnel held to their
throat, while the other student places the other funnel to their ear and listens to
his partner’s esophagus at work. Next, give each group a stalking with the toe
removed and a medium sized ball. Have students take turns working the ball
inside the stalking from one end to the other. This is how the esophagus
moves food. Give students a hand out to record their findings.
Give each student a balloon. Explain that the stomach is like a balloon, because it
is very small when it is empty but can stretch to hold food. Have students
blow up their balloons to the size they believe the stomach can stretch to.
When they are finished, ask them to note the various sizes, then show them a
2-liter bottle and explain that the stomach can stretch to hold two liters of
food.
Place some hamburger in a transparent, airtight container. Allow students to
observe the hamburger and record their observations on a hand out, labeled
“Chewed Food.” Add meat tenderizer to the hamburger and allow it to set out
in the sealed container for 2-3 days. Let the students observe the changes and
also record these on the other half of their handouts. This experiment shows
how the stomach’s digestive juices mix with the liver’s bile salts to break
down food.
To wrap up, give students a craft handout of the body and have them draw the
parts of the digestive system, which have already been discussed.
Materials
Per student: balloon, cup of water, cracker, hand out, craft hand out, assorted
colors of crayons.
Per 2 students: a 24” length of aquarium tubing, 2 small funnels that fit into
tubing ends, one stalking with the toe removed, and one medium sized ball.
Per class: one transparent and airtight container, hamburger, meat tenderizer,
pictures of esophagus, stomach, and liver.
Individual Differences
Each activity is followed by an oral test and allowing for students to ask
questions. There are many different learning techniques used, including written, oral, art
drawing, and task completion assessments.
Evaluation
1. The students will be assessed with handouts asking questions about the nature,
location, and function of the esophagus, stomach, and liver. Check the
handouts to make sure the student is able to express his understanding of each
in writing.
2. The students will be asked as a group about their findings during the various
experiments. This is an oral assessment of their knowledge about the functions
of the esophagus, stomach, and liver.
3. The students will be given a craft handout in the shape of a human body. They
will be instructed to draw the teeth, tongue, esophagus, stomach, and liver in
the proper places in the body. Each student will be asked to give a brief
description of his drawing.
The lesson went fairly well. Next time, I would exclude the use of balloons with
this young group, as they proved to be more distracting than enlightening. This group of
second graders seemed amazingly fast to pick up on the process of digestion and its
various components. I was surprised by the enthusiasm and creativity they expressed,
during the activities. I really enjoyed teaching this class and would definitely look
forward to possibly doing this lesson again, in the future.
Lesson 4: The Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Rectum, and Anus
Purpose
To help the students gain a basic understanding of what happens to the broken
down food particles after they leave the stomach, and what happens to the food that the
body does not need. Students must discover what happens to those food particles, what
parts of their bodies make up the rest of the digestive system, and how the body uses the
food and expels the waste.
Objectives
 Students will be able to describe and define the function and location of the
small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus.
 Students will measure the approximate lengths of the small and large
intestines.
 Students will list and describe the journey of a piece of food through the
digestive system.
Content
5. Review the functions of the esophagus, stomach, and liver. What happens to
the food next? (Small and Large Intestines) Show picture of the small and
large intestines. Ask the students to guess which is which. The food goes first
to the small intestine, where the useful food finishes digestion and is absorbed
into the bloodstream through the small intestine’s walls. The food the body
cannot use is called “waste material” and is passed on to the large intestine.
6. How long are the small and large intestines? Which one do you think will be
longer? The small intestine is approximately 16ft long, while the large
intestine is approximately 5ft long.
7. Do you remember what happens to the food in the small intestine? What do
you think happens to the “waste material” that goes on to the large intestine?
The large intestine removes most of the liquid that is mixed with the waste
material, much like a sponge.
8. Where does the waste material go now? It is stored at the end of the large
intestine, a place called the rectum. When the rectum is filled with waste
material, it is pushed out of the body through a passage that opens to the
outside of the body, called the anus. Show pictures of the rectum and the
anus.
9. Review all of the parts of the digestive system and their functions, writing
each part on the board after a student has identified it.
Activities
Ask for three volunteers. Have one of the volunteers hold a bowl. Have the other
two each hold one end of a square piece of nylon over the bowl. The nylon is
supposed to be the small intestine wall. Pour some coolaid onto the nylon. The
coolaid is supposed to be the useful fully digested food. This useful food is
absorbed into the bloodstream through the small intestine’s walls. Next pour
some sugar onto the nylon. The sugar is supposed to be the waste material.
The waste material is not absorbed into the blood stream, but remains inside
the small intestine and is passed on to the large intestine.
Divide class into groups of four. Give each group a 16ft long piece of string, a 5ft
long piece of string (different color than the 16ft string), a ruler, and four
handouts. Have groups measure the lengths of string (tell them which color is
which part –small intestine=16ft, large intestine=5ft) and record this
information.
Regroup students into pairs. Give each pair one bowl and two sponges. In this
example, the bowl is the waste material, the water is the liquid it is mixed
with, and the sponge is the large intestine. Ask the students to act out the
function of the large intestine by soaking up the water with their sponges.
Give each student a blank book and drawing utensils to create their own story
about the journey taken by a piece of food through their digestive systems.
Materials
Per student: a sponge, a handout, and a blank book.
Per 2 students: one bowl of water.
Per 4 students: one ruler and two pieces of string (one 16ft long and one 5ft long).
Per class: pictures of the small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus; a bowl,
a cup of coolage, and a square piece of nylon.
Individual Differences
There is group work as well as individual projects in this lesson. The activities
involve hands on work, written portions, and drawing pictures of the various parts of the
digestive system. This variety should allow each student to learn through his preferred
style.
Evaluation
4. The students will be assessed with handouts asking questions about the nature,
location, and function of the small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus.
Check the handouts to make sure the student is able to express his
understanding of each in writing.
5. The students will be asked as a group about their findings during the various
experiments. This is an oral assessment of their knowledge about the structure
and functions of the small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus.
6. The students will be given a blank booklet, in which they should write a story
about the journey of a piece of food through the digestive system. Their story
should include all the parts of the digestive system and pictures to accompany
each part.
This lesson was a little crazy. I taught it on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving,
as the last activity of the school day. The students were obviously distracted and anxious
to be leaving for vacation. Overall the activities were performed and seemed to be
understandable to the students. I ran out of time near the end, however, while trying to
keep the students’ attention to explain the book activity.
Lesson 5 – Review of the Digestive System
Subject/Topic: The entire digestive system
Rationale/Purpose:
The students have learned about the individual parts of the digestive system for
the past four days. This lesson will put the parts/organs together and show students how
they all work together to digest the food we eat.
Objectives:
 TLW explain how each part of the digestive system helps the body digest food.
 TLW be able to identify the different parts of the digestive system during our
experiment.
Content:
 Review – I will begin the class by asking the students to describe the functions of
the different organs of the digestive system to me. I will write these on the board
so that everyone can see them.

Once we have reviewed, discussed and went over the different parts of the
digestive system we will do a class experiment.

First get a Ziploc bag and place five cookies into the bag. This is like placing the
food into our mouths. Next start breaking the cookies in the bag just like the teeth
break up our food.

Add enough water into the bag that it will make the cookie particles wet. This
represents the saliva. The saliva helps get the food down the esophagus. After it
travels down the esophagus it enters in to the stomach. The stomach mixes and
mashes the food even more to make it into a thick soup. Start turning the bag
around and around mixing the cookie and water until it becomes soupy looking.

Next the food travels into the small intestine where the villi soak up some of the
food particles into the bloodstream to make energy for our bodies. Take a sponge
and soak up some of the water.

The remaining food and water goes into the large intestine where the remaining
water is absorbed and the remaining food is sent to the rectum to be discarded
from the body. Take the sponge and soak up the remaining water.

The students should be able to explain the different functions of the organs as you
do this experiment. Let them answer question and discuss what the sponge might
represent, etc…

Once the experiment is done read “The Magic School Bus inside the Human
Body” to the students. This is a great book that takes the students through the
entire digestive system. I skipped the other parts of the book that did not deal
with the digestive system.
Strategies and Activities:
 The students will list the different functions of the digestive organs on the board
as a review.

We will perform a whole class experiment using cookies, water and a sponge.

The class will listen to a book about the digestive system to reinforce the
information they have already learned.
Material:
 Ziploc baggie
 Cookies (5)
 Sponge
 Book “The Magic School Bus inside the Human Body”
Individual Differences:
This lesson involves mainly whole group activities as we review the digestive
system. The students are able to share what they have learned with me and the rest of the
students. I did not call on students who did not have their hands up in order to not put
anyone on the spot. In order to meet individual needs I would let them do the experiment
in small groups so that they could experience it for themselves.
Evaluation:
The evaluation process of this lesson was mainly observation. I listened to the
student’s description the digestive organs. They were very accurate and showed that the
students were paying attention to the previous lessons. I also kept track of who was
always volunteering and who never raised their hand.
Lesson Critique:
I think I would do the cookie experiment in small groups giving the students the
chance to experience the digestive system for themselves rather than a whole group
lesson.
Lesson 6 – Digestion Jeopardy
Subject/Topic: Review of the entire digestive system
Rationale/Purpose:
This is the culminating activity for the digestion unit. It will be the final
evaluation of the students knowledge on the digestive system. The students will be able
to put their knowledge of each organ together to see how our bodies work when digesting
food.
Objectives:
 TLW recall information about the digestive system and answer questions during
Digestion Jeopardy.
 TLW write a paragraph about their favorite part of the digestive system and back
it up with three reasons.
Content:
 I will break up the class into two teams and we will play digestion jeopardy.

First explain the rules and give the directions for how this game is played (it is
different from the real T.V. game).

Two students, one from each team, will come up to the front and will be asked a
question taken from the Jeopardy board. The first one to hit the buzzer will have
a chance to answer. If they get it correct their team will get the number of points
it says on the board. If the answer is incorrect the other team member will have a
chance. If both team members do not know the answer the teams together will
have a chance to discuss the question and come up with an answer.

We will play until the Jeopardy board is cleared. I will give candy to everyone
for a job well done.

After Jeopardy I will hand out “My favorite Digestive Part” worksheet to the
students and they will have to fill it out on their own as they eat their candy.
Strategies/Activities:
 Digestion Jeopardy – The students will play a different version of the game
Jeopardy to review and test their knowledge of the digestive system.

“My Favorite Digestive Part” worksheet – The students will be asked to pick their
favorite part of the digestive system and write a paragraph as to why they think it
is important and cool. This will help me check their individual knowledge on one
of the digestion organs.
Materials:
 Jeopardy board with questions



Buzzer (I took it from the game Taboo)
Candy
Worksheets
Individual Differences:
This lesson includes a group review and an individual review for the students.
The student’s individual needs should be met and the objectives will be met through these
activities.
Evaluation:
Jeopardy will be evaluated by participation, which all but one participated and by
observation of the right answers. Most of the answers were answered correctly, only two
the students did not know so we talked about the right answer for a few minutes. The
worksheets will be evaluated on the supporting facts they give for their favorite digestive
organ.
Lesson Critique:
Depending on the age of the children the questions will vary in degrees of
difficulty but in general students love to play games like these. I would recommend
giving a reward to all of the students or their will be hurt feelings. It is also important to
encourage the students to participate and encourage the students who might give the
wrong answer so that no one is hurt.
Name_______________________________
My Favorite Digestive Organ
Directions: What do you think the most important part of your digestion system is ?
Write a short essay explaining why.
My ____________________
My ____________________ is the most important part of my digestion system. There
are three reasons why I think my _________________________________ is so special.
First it is important because________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________.
Another reason is ________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________.
Finally it is so important because ___________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________.
Draw a picture of your most important digestive organ:
Unit Evaluation:
As a whole, this unit was a success! The students were well behaved and seemed to
enjoy the activities and content. Ms. Martin was extremely helpful and full of praise. As
a group we feel this unit was well thought out and presented.
Modifications: Due to scheduling conflicts the unit was spread out over a period of three
weeks. In other circumstances, if possible it would have been nice to do this unit closer
together.
Questions or Concerns:
Considerations should be made depending on where this unit is taught. The students at
Knapp Charter Academy were well behaved and attentive. They had little to no difficulty
in grasping the tasks and information they received. In a different setting however,
adjustments in this unit plan might need to be made to accommodate the maturity of the
learners.