Teacher sheet · Ages 6–7 · about 45–50 minutes
Where does my food go?
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/digestion/ages-6-7/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/digestion/ages-6-7/print/
Learning aims
- Name the main parts of the digestive system in order.
- Know that teeth and the stomach break food down.
- Know that nutrients pass into the blood and the large intestine absorbs water.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: where do you think your lunch goes? |
| 10 min | Read the text; trace the journey on a body outline. |
| 15 min | Stomach-in-a-bag experiment. |
| 5 min | Game: Where does it happen? |
| 5 min | Quiz and worksheet. |
Materials for the experiment
- A strong zip-lock bag per group
- A few plain crackers or rice cakes (check for allergies)
- A small cup of water
- An old pair of clean tights or a stocking
- A bowl or tray
- Paper towels
Safety: Do not eat the crackers. Check for food allergies first (use rice cakes if wheat is a problem). An adult does any cutting. Wash hands afterwards and wipe up spills.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Food goes straight from the mouth to the tummy and stays there. | Food travels through the stomach and a long small and large intestine. |
| The stomach is where all the goodness goes into the blood. | Most nutrients pass into the blood from the small intestine. |
| Food falls down by itself. | Muscles squeeze food along the food pipe and intestines. |
Worksheet answers
- Drawing showing mouth, food pipe, stomach, small intestine, large intestine (and anus) in order.
- Chew food into small pieces.
- A mush.
- In the small intestine.
Quiz answers
- Where does digestion start? In your mouth. Digestion starts in the mouth when you chew.[1]
- What do your teeth do to food? Chew it into small pieces. Teeth break food into smaller pieces.[2]
- Where does food go after you swallow? Down the food pipe to the stomach. Muscles squeeze food down the food pipe to the stomach.[1]
- What does your stomach make? Acid and juices. Stomach glands make acid and juices that break down food.[1]
- What does the large intestine soak up? Water. The large intestine absorbs water.[1]
Going further
Make a 'digestion train' with each carriage labelled with one part of the digestive system, in the right order.
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] Your Digestive System & How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH, USA)): reliability High
- [2] Concepts of Biology, 16.2 Digestive System (OpenStax, Rice University): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/digestion/sources/
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