C A S A

THE NUTRITIONAL FUNCTION

THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

THE DIGESTIVE PROCESS

The start of the process - the mouth: The digestive process begins in the mouth. Food is partly broken down by the process of chewing and by the chemical action of salivary enzymes (these enzymes are produced by the salivary glands and break down starches into smaller molecules). On the way to the stomach: the esophagus - After being chewed and swallowed, the food enters the esophagus. The esophagus is a long tube that runs from the mouth to the stomach. It uses rhythmic, wave-like muscle movements (called peristalsis) to force food from the throat into the stomach. This muscle movement gives us the ability to eat or drink even when we're upside-down. In the stomach - The stomach is a large, sack-like organ that churns the food and bathes it in a very strong acid (gastric acid). Food in the stomach that is partly digested and mixed with stomach acids is called chyme. In the small intestine - After being in the stomach, food enters the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. In the duodenum, bile (produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder), pancreatic enzymes, and other digestive enzymes produced by the inner wall of the small intestine help in the breakdown of food. It then enters the jejunum and then the ileum (the final part of the small intestine). Most digested molecules of food, as well as water and minerals, are absorbed through the small intestine. In the large intestine - After passing through the small intestine, food passes into the large intestine. In the large intestine, some of the water and electrolytes (chemicals like sodium) are removed from the food. Many microbes in the large intestine help in the digestion process. The first part of the large intestine is called the cecum (the appendix is connected to the cecum). Food then travels upward in the ascending colon. The food travels across the abdomen in the transverse colon, and goes back down the other side of the body in the descending colon. The end of the process - Solid waste is then stored in the rectum until it is excreted via the anus.
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ACTIVITIES
NAME: A-.. B-.. C-.. D-.. E-.. F-.. G-.. H-..

1-What are the organs which form the digestive tube? ... ... 2-Which are the associated glands? ... 3-Write down the parts of the small intestine and those of the large intestine
SMALL INTESTINE LARGE INTESTINE

4-What are the openings to the stomach? Which organs do they join with? ... 5-Explain the difference between chemical and mechanical digestion. ... 6-Show where mechanical digestion, chemical digestion and both of these occur:
MECHANICAL DIGESTION MOUTH ESOPHAGUS STOMACH SMALL INTESTINE LARGE INTESTINE CHEMICAL DIGESTION

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7-Why do the inner walls of the jejunum and the ileum have so many folds? ... 8-What happens when, during the forming of faeces, less water than normal is recovered?. ... And what happens when more than usual is recovered?........................................................................................

http://www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp (You can see the video : DIGESTIVE TRAC)

Chain of Events

The burger contains a buttered bread bun, a meat patty and some cheese. Write a paragraph using the chain words in order to describe what occurs at each step.

Mouth Pharynx Esophagus Stomach Small Intestine Large Intestine Rectum

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Find the digestive system words below in the grid to the left.
3 4 5

10

11

12

13

14

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Across 2. A long folded tube inside the body attached to the stomach where nutrients in the food are absorbed. 6. A part of your throat that acts like a gateway sending air into the lungs and food down into the stomach. 7. The place where waste is stored before it leaves the body. 8. The part of the food that is not digested. 11. The tube that connects the stomach to the mouth. 12. A verb that means to push food through your pharynx. 14. Crush food with your teeth. 15. Muscle in your mouth that is used for pushing food around.

Down 1. After being swallowed, food goes to this place where it is mixed with acid. 3. The tube after the small intestine where liquid is absorbed. 4. These are used to chew food. 5. The good things in food. 9. A slippery liquid that makes food easy to swallow and helps to break the food down. 10. The process of breaking down food for use as energy and building materials for your body. 13. This produces juices (called bile) that go into the small intestine and help digest the food.

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