الأسبوع 4 · الفصل 3 «الهضم»: 3-1 أين يذهب الطعام، 3-2 وظيفة اللعاب · 3 دروس
1
The path food takes through the body
Science P6: Term 1, Chapter 3, pp. 24–29
GoalDescribe digestion and put the parts of the digestive tract in order.
New words
digestion · breaking food down so the body can absorb itdigestive tract · the long tube food travels through, from the mouth to the anusfood pipe · the tube that takes food from the mouth to the stomach
Explanation
Food is too big for the body to use as it is. Digestion breaks it into small pieces and changes it so that the body can absorb it. Digestion starts in the mouth, where the teeth cut and grind the food. Then the food is swallowed and goes down the food pipe to the stomach, then the small intestine, then the large intestine, and the leftovers leave through the anus. This long tube is called the digestive tract. The muscles of the food pipe squeeze and push the food along, so food reaches your stomach even if you lie down. When you swallow, a small flap closes the windpipe, so food does not go into the lungs. You can find your stomach with your hand: it is on the left side, below your ribs.
Salma eats a piece of flatbread with beans. Her teeth cut it into smaller pieces. This is the first step of digestion, but the bread has not yet been changed into a form the body can absorb.
Our digestive tract is a long tube, several metres long, folded neatly inside the abdomen. Other animals have tracts too, and a cow’s is much longer because grass is hard to digest.
Hana draws the route of a sandwich on a long strip of paper. She writes the parts in order and measures that the strip is longer than her arm. She says: the tract is a long tube.
Class activity
Route strip. With a grown-up, fold a long strip of paper into six boxes and write the parts of the digestive tract in order. Then use a hand to find where your stomach is. Do not press hard.
Practice
1
What is digestion?
Breaking food into small pieces and changing it so the body can absorb it.
2
Which part comes after the stomach?
The small intestine.
3
Why can you swallow food while lying down?
The muscles of the food pipe push the food along.
4
Put the parts in order: stomach, mouth, large intestine, food pipe. Say the letters.
