Content Area
Resource Anthology
THE
DIGESTIVE
SYSTEM
Robert A. Jackson
Stevenson University
2015
Contents
I.
Reflective
Introduction 3
II.
Poems 4
III.
Books 10
IV.
Informational
Articles 13
V.
Websites 17
VI.
Multimedia 20
I.
Reflective Introduction
The
Digestive System, also commonly referred to as the Gastrointestinal Tract, is
one of the main eleven human body/organ systems. The Digestive System consists
of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and rectum.
Some accessory organs included in the digestive system are the pancreas, liver,
and gall bladder.
The Digestive System is one of my favorite organ systems
to teach to student because of many modes of engagement teachers can utilize,
with this topic, to help their students gain knowledge in the subject area. Not
only this, but there are multitudes of real world applications related to the
learnings of the Digestive System. For instance, proper dieting and eating
habits, knowing which food molecules get broken down in which digestive system
organ, and even learning about diagnostic/clinical digestive system disorders.
Within this anthology lie many creative ways for students
to hone their scientific-literacy skills in order to provide and fun, yet engaging,
way for students to learn and gain knowledge about the Digestive System.
II. Poems
The
Digestive System Poem by Mr. R.
Source: Mr. R. (2014). “Digestive System
Poem.” Mr. R.’s World of Math and Science.
I think there'd be,
A lot of congestion,
If my body didn't,
Engage in digestion...(CHANGE?)
A series of tubes,
Like plumbers have pipe,
Lets my food move,
All day and all night!
Shove food in my mouth,
Chew with my teeth,
Add some saliva,
The juice it secretes...
It's swallowing time!
Down the esophagus!
Gets to the stomach,
Let's stay on top of this...
The stomach is churning,
Breaks up the food,
Adding enzymes and acids,
And sounding quite rude…
The food will move on,
Peristalsis will push,
The food will move on,
As it turns into mush...
Small intestine comes next,
Next organ for fun,
Nutrients absorbed,
And it’s almost all done...
Large intestine absorbs!
Removes excess water,
Before food's back out,
Just like they oughta…
Yes, there would be,
A lot of congestion,
If my body didn't,
Engage in digestion...
A lot of congestion,
If my body didn't,
Engage in digestion...(CHANGE?)
A series of tubes,
Like plumbers have pipe,
Lets my food move,
All day and all night!
Shove food in my mouth,
Chew with my teeth,
Add some saliva,
The juice it secretes...
It's swallowing time!
Down the esophagus!
Gets to the stomach,
Let's stay on top of this...
The stomach is churning,
Breaks up the food,
Adding enzymes and acids,
And sounding quite rude…
The food will move on,
Peristalsis will push,
The food will move on,
As it turns into mush...
Small intestine comes next,
Next organ for fun,
Nutrients absorbed,
And it’s almost all done...
Large intestine absorbs!
Removes excess water,
Before food's back out,
Just like they oughta…
Yes, there would be,
A lot of congestion,
If my body didn't,
Engage in digestion...
Summary
In this poem, Mr.
R. (nom de plume), through graphic imagery and details, illustrates the anatomy
of the digestive system and how food travels through the entire digestive
tract, starting at the mouth and ending at the anus. Food must travel through
the mouth and be chewed and further broken down with salivary amylase. From the
mouth, the food travels down the esophagus and into the stomach, where
hydrochloric acid further breaks down proteins of the food. The remainder of
the food then travels throughout the small intestine through an involuntary
process of waves of contractions, known as peristalsis. Nutrients and minerals
of the food are absorbed in the small intestine. Then the food travels to the
large intestine where excess water is then absorbed. Once finish, the remains
are excreted through the rectum/anus.
Teaching Idea:
Transmediation of Major Organs with Graphic Organizers
Transmediation is a process where students take ideas from a pre-existing
work or medium (like the poem above) and change its representation to another
type of work or medium. Taking Mr. R.’s “The Digestive System Poem,” as the
original medium, students will take the ideas/statements made in the poem and
correctly place them into the appropriate locations on a provided graphic
organizer. This graphic organizer will be a map of the digestive system in the
human body. There will be blank lines provided next to each organ, for students
to explain where each process mention in the poem is occurring. For example, on
the lines next to the small intestine in the graphic organizer, students should
write “Peristalsis will push, the food will move on,” and “small intestine
comes next, nutrients absorbed,” which are lines directly taken from the poem.
This assignment would be done as an activity post-reading.
The
Digestive System Song by Mr. R.
Source: Mr. R. (2014). “ The Digestive
System Song.” Mr. R.’s World of Math and Science.
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
This might just,
Answer your question,
It breaks down food,
To give me nutrition!
It’s got my stomach,
Swirling and swishin,’
Swallow, swallow, swish, swish, glubity-glub-glub,
Squeeze, squeeze, churny-churn, dubity-dub-dub,
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
Digestion, digestion, digestion...
This might just,
Answer your question,
It breaks down food,
To give me nutrition!
It’s got my stomach,
Swirling and swishin,’
Swallow, swallow, swish, swish, glubity-glub-glub,
Squeeze, squeeze, churny-churn, dubity-dub-dub,
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
Digestion, digestion, digestion...
My mouth comes first
Food is chew, chew, chewed!
It's swallowing time!
For the food, food, food!
Down to the stomach,
Where it can’t be viewed,
Adds digestive juices,
And it’s sometimes sounding rude...
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
This might just,
Answer your question,
It breaks down food,
To give me nutrition!
It’s got my stomach,
Swirling and swishin’
Swallow, swallow, swish, swish, glubity-glub-glub,
Squeeze, squeeze, churny churn, dubity-dub-dub,
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
Digestion, digestion, digestion...
Food is chew, chew, chewed!
It's swallowing time!
For the food, food, food!
Down to the stomach,
Where it can’t be viewed,
Adds digestive juices,
And it’s sometimes sounding rude...
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
This might just,
Answer your question,
It breaks down food,
To give me nutrition!
It’s got my stomach,
Swirling and swishin’
Swallow, swallow, swish, swish, glubity-glub-glub,
Squeeze, squeeze, churny churn, dubity-dub-dub,
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
Digestion, digestion, digestion...
What comes after stomach?
Small intestine!
Absorbing nutrients,
It continues digestion,
It’s really, very long
Not so really, really small,
More than 20 feet in length
Could play basketball!
Small intestine!
Absorbing nutrients,
It continues digestion,
It’s really, very long
Not so really, really small,
More than 20 feet in length
Could play basketball!
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
This might just,
Answer your question,
It breaks down food,
To give me nutrition!
It’s got my stomach,
Swirling and swishin’
Swallow, swallow, swish, swish, glubity-glub-glub,
Squeeze, squeeze, churny churn, dubity-dub-dub,
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
Digestion, digestion, digestion...
This might just,
Answer your question,
It breaks down food,
To give me nutrition!
It’s got my stomach,
Swirling and swishin’
Swallow, swallow, swish, swish, glubity-glub-glub,
Squeeze, squeeze, churny churn, dubity-dub-dub,
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
Digestion, digestion, digestion...
Large intestine’s last,
Absorbing water,
Then the food is heading out,
out like food oughta’…
See, it has to go back out,
To the land and the sea,
While nutrients are left,
Inside of me...
Absorbing water,
Then the food is heading out,
out like food oughta’…
See, it has to go back out,
To the land and the sea,
While nutrients are left,
Inside of me...
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
This might just,
Answer your question,
It breaks down food,
To give me nutrition!
It’s got my stomach,
Swirling and swishin’
Swallow, swallow, swish, swish, glubity-glub-glub,
Squeeze, squeeze, churny churn, dubity-dub-dub,
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
Digestion, digestion, digestion...
This might just,
Answer your question,
It breaks down food,
To give me nutrition!
It’s got my stomach,
Swirling and swishin’
Swallow, swallow, swish, swish, glubity-glub-glub,
Squeeze, squeeze, churny churn, dubity-dub-dub,
Digestion, digestion, digestion,
Digestion, digestion, digestion...
Summary
In this lyrical/song, Mr R. provides
a creative summary of food digestion in the human body. He uses a plethora of onomatopoeia
in order to describe the sounds associated with digestion. Also, he continues
to discuss the gastrointestinal tract and how food journeys through the
digestive system, in the order of the organs it passes through.
Teaching Idea: Oral Lyrical/Song Piece
Creating songs, such as this, allows for students to
express their knowledge of the topic
through the creation of their own song/lyrical piece. I will have
students form small groups in order to develop their own song/lyrical piece
about the digestive system to be presented to the rest of the class. As the
teacher, I would reward them for their courageous efforts in presenting to the
class, and I will also evaluate and critique their work using a rubric.
Poem
on the Digestive System by Joy Belle.
Source: Belle, Joy. (2013). “Poem on the
Digestive System” Google BlogSpot.
When looking
at the digestive system,
You'll find saliva right there at the start,
Then chew and swallow all your food,
So the oesophagus can do its part.
Following on from that is the stomach,
With strong muscles and gastric juice,
After that comes the small intestine,
Have you ever wondered, "what's its use?"
Working with the gallbladder,
As well as the pancreas and liver,
It separates all the bits of food,
Until it runs just like a river.
Then comes the large intestine,
Where the colon is as well,
The colon takes the bits it needs,
And leaves the leftovers to expel.
They head over to the rectum,
Until it is time for them to go,
Then right out through the anus,
And that's all you need to know!
You'll find saliva right there at the start,
Then chew and swallow all your food,
So the oesophagus can do its part.
Following on from that is the stomach,
With strong muscles and gastric juice,
After that comes the small intestine,
Have you ever wondered, "what's its use?"
Working with the gallbladder,
As well as the pancreas and liver,
It separates all the bits of food,
Until it runs just like a river.
Then comes the large intestine,
Where the colon is as well,
The colon takes the bits it needs,
And leaves the leftovers to expel.
They head over to the rectum,
Until it is time for them to go,
Then right out through the anus,
And that's all you need to know!
Summary
In this poem, Joy Belle
demonstrates the anatomy and physiology of the digestive system and how food
travels through the entire digestive tract, starting at the mouth and ending at
the anus. Unlike the first poem, Joy includes digestive accessory organs and
their functions, which are the pancreas, gall bladder, and live.
Teaching Idea: Transmediation of Accessory Organs with Graphic
Organizers
Transmediation is a process where
students take ideas from a pre-existing work or medium (like the poem above or
the first poem) and change its representation to another type of work or
medium. Students previously used “The Digestive System Poem,” as their original
medium, and took the ideas/statements made in the poem and correctly placed
them into the appropriate locations on a provided graphic organizer. This
graphic organizer served as a map of the digestive system in the human body.
There are blank lines provided next to each organ, where the students explained
where each process mention in the poem is occurring. For example, on the lines
next to the small intestine in the graphic organizer, students wrote “Peristalsis
will push, the food will move on,” and “small intestine comes next, nutrients
absorbed,” which are lines directly taken from the first poem. In continuum
with this previous assignment, I will now have the students fill out the blank
lines on the accessory organs, which are the pancreas, gall bladder, and liver.
This will fully complete their graphic organizer which can be used as a study
tool for upcoming assessments.
III. Books
The
Digestive System
Source: Frost, Helen. (2000). “Human
Body Systems: The Digestive System.” Capstone Press.
Summary
Frost’s book is a great overview of the Digestive System. There are full-page
color illustrations accompanied by short, simple texts that introduce and
explain the Digestive System. The book was designed to support national science
standards and the texts introduce subject-specific words that are defined in
the glossaries. Illustrations feature photographs of ethnically diverse smiling
children, and contain a few uncluttered diagrams with boxed legends or labels
that will assist students in grasping the concepts and identifying the parts of
the system under consideration.
Teaching Idea: Research
on Specific Digestive Organ
I will have my students assigned to research a specific digestive organ.
They are to perform in depth research to tell me the structure and functions of
their specific organ. This resource provides a great amount of detailed information
on each specific digestive organ that students can utilize as a resource/reference
for their research projects.
Digestive
Health Now: The Four Week Plan to Heal Heartburn, Ulcers, Colitis, IBS and More
Source: Gaeddert, Andrew. (2002). “Digestive
Health Now: The Four Week Plan to Heal
Heartburn, Ulcers, Colitis, IBS and More.” North
Atlantic Books.
Summary
Gaeddert’s book shows case studies that illustrate how the
author's clients were able to reduce or eliminate their digestive problems,
enjoy greater energy, and reduce discomfort. Gaeddert explores food
sensitivities, developing tolerance for certain foods, and preventing food
reactions. Useful appendices address obstacles to health, reducing fat intake,
digestive-friendly grains, and food families.
Teaching Idea: Evaluative Learning – Digestive Disorder Graphic
Organizer
In this book,
student will learn of various gastrointestinal problems/disorders. It is
important for them to understand the description of each, methods of
prevention, where in the digestive system the disorder takes place/disrupts,
and treatment options. The information in the book addresses all of these. I
will provide students with a graphic organizer. I will provide them with the
diseases/disorders I want them to know, and then they will fill in the boxes
giving a description of each, methods of prevention, where in the digestive
system the disorder takes place/disrupts, and treatment options, as previously mentioned.
The
Vitamin Book
Source: Silverman, Harold. (1999). “The
Vitamin Book.” Bantam Publishing.
Summary
This book provides detailed
descriptions of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and electrolytes, including
daily requirements, dosages, therapeutic uses, and more. Students will learn
what vitamins, minerals, and herbals are, where and how they work in your body,
when you need them, what they can do for you, how much to take, and how to
select a vitamin, mineral, herbal, or combination preparation from the dizzying
variety that are available in health food stores, pharmacies, and vitamin
shops, as well as on the internet.
Teaching Idea: Pre-Reading Activity – Activating Prior
Knowledge – Group Switch.
In relation to vitamins, minerals, protein,
lipids, and carbohydrates, I will have five students serve as a “host/writer”
for five stations around the room: vitamins, minerals, protein, lipids, and
carbohydrates. The host will have a blank sheet of paper and remain at their
designated station throughout the entire activity. I will have the remaining
students form five groups. Each group will rotate to each station providing
background information on what they know about the five topics to the host, who
will write that information down. Each new group will provide new information
to the host as they rotate. Once completed, the hosts will share aloud the
information the class provided to them, and we will discuss the accuracy of
this information, before proceeding to the reading.
IV. Informational Articles
Artificial Sweeteners May Evict Good Gut Microbes
Source: Ornes, Stephen.
(2014). “Artificial Sweeteners May Evict Good Guy Microbes.”
Science News for
Students.
Summary
This article provides information
about two perspectives on the health risks and benefits associated with the use
of artificial sweeteners in drinks. It elaborates on the pros and cons of
artificial sweeteners, and discusses research done on the topic. The Scientific
Methods in incorporated into this article.
Teaching Idea: Post-Reading Activity – Discussion Web
I will explain
to the students the process of evaluating as a reading comprehension strategy,
which involves making judgments and taking a standpoint, while reading. I then
go on to explain how discussion webs focus on question or statements that have
pro and con perspectives, which can lead to debates and, ultimately the class
coming together with a consensus on the issue.
In order
to further set the purpose for reading, I further end the discussion with
addressing the importance of being able to know the Scientific Method for real
world applications. Using the scientific method regularly will teach the
students to look at all evidence before making a statement of fact, which makes
it an integral part of science education. If we want our students to be
prepared for higher education science, they must be comfortable with this most
fundamental process.
In
guiding the students, I have them work with a partner to add two or more facts
to each column of “pros” and “cons.” Once they have listed as many facts as
they could find, they are to discuss it openly with one another and then reach
an agreement on their position about the topic. A class discussion is then held
with each group sharing their thoughts and standpoint, to engage the students.
Once done, a majority consensus will be reached to show the class’ perspective
and standpoint on the topic. I then ask students to provide a rationale for the
class’s side and to record it on their graphic organizer/discussion web.
For Better Weight Control, Fiber Up!
Source: Stevens, Alison.
(2014). “For Better Weight Control, Fiber Up!”
Science News for Students.
Web-site: https://student.societyforscience.org/article/better-weight-control-fiber?mode=topic&context=39
Summary
This informational article shows the
research behind fibers being a healthy choice, in foods, to help control body weight.
The article elaborates on the microbiology behind the breakdown of fibers in
the human body, which ties into previous information learned on the Digestive
System. It also discusses differences between fermentable fibers and
non-fermentable fibers.
Teaching Idea: Evaluative Questions –
Reading Food Content/Ingredients
Students have a homework assignment to bring in a box of
any type of food, that has a nutritional content/ingredients on the box. During
the lesson, students will learn the components of nutritional content (calories
per serving, serving size, grams of fat, sodium, carbohydrates, protein, etc).
I will then provide students with a paper full of questions to evaluate their
understanding of the nutritional content label on foods. This is great for
students to utilize out of the classroom, in that now they now how to read the
contents of food and it can assist them in making healthy comparisons and choices
among different foods to eat. “Calorie Counts.”
Safe Handling
Source: Meat Safety.
(2015). “Safe Handling.” American Meat Institute. FSIS.
Summary
This informational article discusses
the proper handling of meat products. Cross-contamination has been known to be
a great problem. Proper handling and care in the kitchen is necessary to
prevent contamination and bacterial growth and problems related to meat. The
article provides safety tips and procedures for handling meat products in the kitchen
when preparing to cook.
Teaching Idea: Transferral of Knowledge
Students will have read this article and understand the
importance and safety behind handling meat products. In this activity, they
will creating their own sets of procedures for taking a meat product out of the
refrigerator up until the point of cooking the meat and disposing of the
left-over wastes. This activity evaluates student comprehension and
understanding of the article and promotes skills in re-creating ones
thoughts/ideas, into their own words to be discussed.
V. Websites
The Digestive System – Food is the Body’s Fuel Source
Source: Durani, Yamini.
(2012). “The Digestive System – Food is the Body’s Fuel Source.”
Summary
This source discusses the anatomy of
the digestive system and how food passes through the body. The article includes
advanced scientific vocabulary terms for students to learn, related to the
digestive system. The website goes on the elaborate facts of each digestive
organ and various disorders/diseases that are related to those specific organs.
Teaching Idea: Sequential Map / Flow Chart
It is imperative for students to understand
the “flow” of the digestive system and how food travels through it. I will
provide students with a black sequential map / flow chart and they are to write
the organs in the order in which food passes through them in the digestive
system. This type of graphic organizer provides a visual image for students to
use in aiding them in remembering the order of the digestive organs in the
gastrointestinal tract.
Diabetes
Source: “Diabetes.”
(2014). Government of South Australia.
Summary
This informational website talks
about one of the most commonly heard of diseases/disorders in the United
States, Diabetes. The source provides information on Diabetes, giving a
description of the disease, similarities and differences between Type I and
Type II Diabetes, what components of the digestive system/organs have an impact
on the disease, and how Diabetes in managed.
Teaching Idea: Creative Brochure
It is important for students to
understand healthy habits and practices that can reduce the chances of
developing detrimental diseases/disorders. For this activity, I will have
students create a colorful brochure providing information on Diabetes. A key
aspect of this brochure will be discussing healthy practices that people who
have Diabetes can utilize to manage the disease, and for people who do not have
the disease, but can use these ideas as preventative measures.
There are plenty of
real-world applications related to this activity that make it engaging for
students.
My Plate Food Guide
Source: Gavin, Mary.
(2014). “My Plate Food Guide.” The Nemours Foundation.
Summary
This website discusses the five main
food groups that is incorporated by the nationally accepted graphic “My Plate.” The plate graphic, with its
different food groups, is a reminder of what, and how much, we should be
putting on our plates to stay healthy. The source further discusses information
on the five food groups and examples of foods that fall into each category.
Teaching Idea: My Own My Plate
Using the MyPlate graphic, I will have students use this
as a graphic organizer, and they will write foods they enjoy or typically eat
and place these foods in their specific locations, as to which food groups that
food belongs in. After this initial portion of the activity, we will see which
food groups students are lacking in, meaning they should eat more foods that
are commonly found in their “lacking” food group. They can then apply this
knowledge to their general eating habits.
VI. Multimedia
How the Digestive System Works
Source: Kids Health
Videos (2014). “How the Digestive System Works.” YouTube.
Summary
This video discusses many facts of
the digestive system, and the path food takes when entering and leaving the
body through the gastrointestinal tract. This is done in the form of a clever
cartoon story, which makes it engaging for students to pay attention and learn
of the components of the Digestive System.
Teaching Idea: Children’s Story/Book
The students just watched a cartoon
video which involved a creative story full of characters and a story-line about
how food journeys through the Digestive System. Now they will create their own
digestive story and do so in the form of a children’s book they can be creative
and artistic with.
The Magic School Bus: Digestion
Source: “Magic School
Bus; For Lunch.” (2014). YouTube
Summary
This video is from an episode of the
scholastic cartoon series “The Magic School.” This episode gives a thorough
account of the human Digestive System. The students and their teacher travel
through the digestive tract of one of their classmates and watch as the lunch
he ate that day is broken down in his body.
Teaching Idea: Concept/Idea – Chemical Breakdown
In the video, students learned of different chemicals/enzymes
in the Digestive System, like bicarbonate, hydrochloric acid, pepsinogen,
salivary amylase. They will be given a graphic organizer with a list of
different enzymes/chemicals involved in the Digestive system. They are to
provide me with the function of each and to tell me the types of food molecules
that will be broken down by those specific enzymes/chemicals.
