NAMES:_________________________________
The Journey of Food!
Your task is to tell the story of food as it passes through the body.
You are to create story as if you are a piece of food that has just been eaten by a human. You should
describe each of the sections of the digestive system and explain what happens to you (the piece of
food) in each of these sections. Be creative!!
You can tell this story in whichever style you wish.
 Creative writing
 Powerpoint Show
 Photostory
 Comic Book
 Movie
 Interactive Flash animation
 Flow Chart
 ?
The following information will help you with the task. There are also many clips on the
digestive system in the following folder:
student_resources\SCIENCE\resources\clips\digestive_system
Section 1: The mouth (mechanical and chemical digestion)
In humans, digestion begins in the mouth where food is mechanically broken down by the teeth as
they chew. Saliva is secreted in large amounts (1-1.5 litres/day) by three pairs of salivary glands and
is mixed with the chewed food by the tongue. Saliva contains digestive enzymes, which helps in the
breakdown of food. It also contains mucous, which helps soften the food into a ball of chewed and
moistened food which helps with swallowing.
Section 2: The oesophagus (no digestion)
After being swallowed the chewed food is pushed down the oesophagus (O-SOF-E-GUS) to the
stomach through the use of muscles in the oesophagus. It takes only about seven seconds for food
to pass through the oesophagus and no digestion takes place.
Section 3: The stomach (mechanical and chemical digestion)
The stomach is a small, 'J'-shaped pouch with walls made of thick, elastic muscles, which stores and
helps break down food. Stomach churning has the effect of assisting the breaking up of the food,
which began in the mouth.
Food enters the stomach where it is further broken apart and mixed with gastric acid. The acid itself
does not break down food, but it provides a suitable pH (acidity) for the reaction of the digestive
enzymes and kills many microorganisms that are ingested with the food. Pepsin and other digestive
enzymes work in the stomach to chemically break down the food into small molecules.
Food in the stomach is in semi-liquid form, which when completed is known as chyme.
NAMES:_________________________________
Section 4: The small intestine (chemical digestion and absorption)
After being processed in the stomach, food is passed to the small intestine.
The small intestine in an adult human measures on average about 5 meters, with a normal range of
3 - 7 meters. It is approximately 2.5-3 cm in diameter.
Most of digestion and absorption occurs here after the broken down food (chyme) enters the
duodenum.
The small intestine is where most chemical digestion takes place. Most of the digestive enzymes that
act in the small intestine are made by the pancreas and enter the small intestine via the pancreatic
duct. Bile created in the liver is also secreted into the small intestine by the gall bladder. This bile
helps to break down fat for absorption.
Broken down food molecules are now able to pass into the blood vessels in the wall of the intestine
through the process of diffusion. Small, finger-like structures called villi, each of which is covered
with even smaller hair-like structures called microvilli improve the absorption of nutrients. They do
this by increasing the surface area of the intestine and enhancing speed at which nutrients are
absorbed. Blood containing the absorbed nutrients is carried away from the small intestine and goes
to the liver for filtering, removal of toxins, and nutrient processing.
Section 5: The large intestine (absorption)
After the food has been passed through the small intestine, the food enters the large intestine. Its
function is to absorb water from the remaining food matter, and then to pass useless waste material
from the body.
In humans, the large intestine is roughly 1.5 meters long, with three parts: the cecum at the junction
with the small intestine, the colon, and the rectum. The large intestine absorbs water and stores
faeces until it can be ejected from the body.
Food products that cannot be absorbed into the body, are mixed with other waste products from
the body and become hard and form concentrated faeces. The faeces is stored in the rectum for a
certain period until it is eliminated from the body due to the contraction and relaxation through the
anus. The exit of this waste material is regulated by the anal sphincter.
Your story should included the following:
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A clear description of the overall path of the piece of food from mouth to anus.
A clear description of what is happening to the piece of food in each of the 5 organs
outlined above. (MOUTH, OESOPHAGUS, STOMACH, SMALL INTESTINE, LARGE INTESTINE)
Your description must include how the LIVER, PANCREAS, and GALL BLADDER play a part in
digestion.
Your story should include some visuals to help explain the journey.
Your story should use as many scientific terms as possible.
In order to achieve beyond the expected level, you need to explain how the digestive system
is related to at least one other body system.
NAMES:_________________________________
NAMES:_________________________________
Assessment Rubric
Emerging
Building
At Expected
Beyond
Expected
Well Beyond
Expected
Organisation
Was on task
very little of the
time. Played
little part in the
group.
Was on task
some of the
time. Played
some part in the
group.
Was on task most
of the time.
Played an equal
part in the group.
Was on task all of
the time. Played a
key part in the
group.
Was on task all of the
time. Significant work
done outside of class.
Took the lead in the
group.
Research
Very little
research was
done in
preparing the
product.
Some research
was done in
preparing the
product.
A reasonable
amount of
research was
done in preparing
the product.
A significant
amount of
research was
done in preparing
the product.
Content
The product
satisfactorily
covered some
parts of the
digestive
system.
The product
communicates
some of the
message with
limited use of
scientific terms
and visuals.
The product
satisfactorily
covered most
parts of the
digestive
system.
The product
communicates
the message
with some use
of scientific
terms and
visuals.
The product
satisfactorily
covered all parts
of the digestive
system.
The product
covered all parts
of the digestive
system in high
detail.
The product
effectively
communicates
the message with
appropriate
scientific terms
and visuals.
The product very
effectively
communicates
the message with
high-level use of
scientific terms
and visuals.
The product
contains no
original
material.
The product
contains a small
amount of
original
material.
The product
contains a
reasonable
amount of
original material.
The product
contains a
significant
amount of
original material.
A significant amount
of research beyond
the recommended
sources was done in
preparing the
product.
The product covered
all parts of the
digestive system in
high detail, and
included reference to
other body systems.
The product clearly
and concisely
communicates the
message with highlevel use of scientific
terms and detailed
visual
representations.
The product contains
all original material.
Communication
Originality
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