4/21/2020 0 Comments Digestive System Distance LearningMany of the articles I have been seeing have debated whether to try to teach the kids new information during our time away or to just review. My thought is, why not do both? At the beginning of the school year, we go over biochemistry, which includes the biomolecules, their functions, nutrition and enzymes. No matter how interesting I make it, it still is a very difficult unit for them to grasp. We cover human body systems at the end of year, so I thought the digestive system would be a great way to spiral back to this unit. Next year, I may even throw this into the biochemistry unit towards the end to cap it off. You could even add this onto a unit on cellular respiration and begin with the digestive system and how molecules are broken down, and then focus on glucose and how it is broken down and absorbed by the body, and then go even more molecular and focus on the cellular processes. Like my other human body systems distance learning activities, I tried to make it easy enough for the kids to follow along on their own, while providing short chunks of information with activities to go along with it. So here we go: This set of activities follows the flow of food from the beginning of the digestive system to the end. At each stop, the kids learn information and preform a short activity to go with that organ. Using the 5E model: Engage The Mouth: Students learn about the mouth's purpose in the digestive system, while also reviewing the concept of monomers and polymers. Students preform a demonstration and then describe how salivary amylase helps us break down food. Explore: The Esophagus: Students describe how peristalsis works in the esophagus to bring food to the stomach even if they were upside down. Explain: The stomach: The function of the stomach and its relation to the pH scale is explored. My kids don't seem to come to me with the knowledge of what pH is, so I give a simple and brief explanation, along with describing where stomach acid falls. Students then look at a graph describing the activity levels of enzymes at different pH levels. Using what they have just learned, student need to analyze why certain enzymes work best at certain pH levels. This really works on the student's ability to interpret graphs. It is explained how to read the graph and some support is included on the graph as well for students who struggle. Elaborate: The small intestine: The function of the small intestine is described, with a focus on the enzymes found in the small intestine, specifically, how carbohydrates are broken down. Students read a brief case study on lactose intolerance and must explain the reasoning behind the person's symptoms. The large intestine, rectum and anus: The one perk of distance learning, is that I don't have to talk about the anus in front of thirty, 14 year old (just kidding, we are science teachers, we could care less right??). This gives a brief overview of the function along with the role bacteria play in the gut. I focus on this because one of the Texas TEKS is that bacteria can be beneficial and it is a common misconception that all bacteria are "bad." Kids use the link (click on the word link, it is embedded) and summarize 3 of the beneficial functions bacteria have in the gut. The helper organs: We can't forget all of the supporting actors in this process. I find that there are so many pieces to the digestive system, that many kids get overwhelmed, so I way try to keep it REALLY simple. Students click on the link for a short article which describes the function of the 3 accessory organs, and then match the description with the corresponding organ. I will be using this through google classroom and have my kids "write" in the answers using Kami, Dochub, or they can print it out and write directly on it. They just then attach their files to me on the assignment and that's it. If you have other annotation extensions, please let us know in the comments. We love to hear from other teachers! Thanks y'all and keep chugging. If you would like the purchase the lesson, please see TpT.
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