THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM PROJECT
OBJECTIVES
Students will do the following:
 Research one common problem of the digestive system, such as
constipation, gas, lactose intolerance, or ulcers
 Create a PowerPoint presentation, that describes the problem, its causes,
symptoms, and possible treatments
PROCEDURE
1. Review the major organs of the digestive system and the function of each and
produce a report. Make sure you cover at least the following parts of the digestive
tract: esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and colon. You will
find a good overview at:
Discovery Health: Healthy Digestion
<http://health.discovery.com/centers/digestive/digestion.html>
2. Make a list of some of the problems of the digestive system (see below), and
link each condition with the appropriate part of the digestive tract.
nausea
constipation
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
lactose intolerance
diarrhea
acid indigestion (heartburn)
ulcer
colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer
3. Present one digestive problem. Your PowerPoint presentation should describe
the problem, its causes, symptoms, and possible treatments. In addition, the
presentation should be written and designed for a specific audience, such as kids,
teens, young adults, middle-age adults, or older adults. Your presentation should
include age-appropriate illustrations (images with labels) or diagrams to help
explain the digestive problem.
The following Web sites will help you in your research:
Discovery Health: Digestive Conditions
<http://health.discovery.com/centers/digestive/conditions.html>
GERD <http://www.gerd.com/>
KidsHealth: Lactose Intolerance
<http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/digestive/lactose_intoleran
ce.html>
KidsHealth: Ulcers
<http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/digestive/ulcers.html>
Discovery Kids: Your Gross and Cool Body
<http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/flash/body/index.html>
What to hand in (via email):
1. Word document (Font: Normal, Arial. Size: 12):
a. The report plus a comprehensive list of possible pathologies
b. A list of any additional websites that you found useful (For each
Web site you should note the name, URL, and a list of interesting
facts about it)
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c. A list of the medical words with their definitions
d. A list of the academic words with their definitions
2. PowerPoint presentation
Format of your Word Document:
Last name/first name/student number/email: 1. ___________________
2. ____________________
Collaborative Report: (essay, max 2000/4000 words)
Websites consulted (list of additional websites)
List of Medical words (max 20)
Format:
Example in context
TERM
catheter
…
Word
class
informati
on
…
hemodialysis
…the victim can be
saved by regular
use of a renal
hemodialysis
machine.
noun
…
…
…
List of Academic words (max 10)
Format:
Example
in Word
class
TERM
context
information
approach
….
…
formula
…Coca-Cola’s
patented
formula.
noun
…
…
….
Dictionary
definition
Greek
translation
…
…
A
treatment
used
to
cleanse
the
blood
of
patients
whose kidneys
are defective
…
Dictionary
definition
…
A list of the
substances
used to make
a medicine
…
αιμοκάθαρση
…
Greek
translation
…
συνταγή,
τύπος
…
EXTENSION
You will get extra credit for submitting articles you have found on the Internet
related to your topic. These should be submitted along with their sources, a fiveto-eight-sentence summary on the article, and a three-to-five-sentence personal
reflection on why you chose the article you did and further presented to the class.
A possible starting point is the Discovery Health Web site <http://health.discove
ry.com/> or the NBC portal at <http://www.msnbc.com/news/HEALTH_Fro
nt.asp?0dm=B---H&ta=y>. These sites offer daily highlights related to health
issues.
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