Year 4 Science Animals Including Humans – Block 4AH – Excuse me, are these your teeth?

Session 2: What happens to my food?
Science curriculum area: Animals Including Humans / i. describe the simple functions of the basic parts of the digestive system in humans
Working Scientifically (LKS2) / i. asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them
ii. setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests
Teaching Objectives /
  • To use a simple practical enquiry to answer questions about the basic parts of the digestive system

Key Vocabularyquestion, digestive system, nutrition, mouth, teeth, saliva, oesophagus (gullet), stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anus, faeces (poo)
Resources
Sticky-notes, bananas, plain crackers, metal spatula (or scissors), masher, tights, water, orange juice, large paper cups, stopwatch / Weblinks
- Digestive system experiment;
- Follow your food; - Information on digestion;- Video on how digestive system works.
Whole Class: Before this session, watch the video from the Stem website (see Weblinks) and look at the stills of the digestive system demonstration (homeschoolroomWeblink) – you will be recreating the STEM video (with the addition of the 1st 4 stages explaining the teeth from the homeschoolroom example) during the input so will need to practise first and have all the resources ready.Move through the PowerPoint – slide 1. Were chn able to recall that from the previous session? Slide 2 - one person from the group can jot their ideas down on sticky-notes and then stick them on the class board (this can be used as a primary assessment of their understanding and highlight any misconceptions). Slide 3 - Jot down some of the responses from the chn. When everyone is ready to swallow, start the timer and swallow. Shout stop after 6 seconds. The cracker has now arrived in the stomach. Slide 4 - Chn discuss with the person next to them. Many think it will be longer because it has to travel ‘up’. It is actually the same amount of time! After Slide 5, ask the chn to gather round so that they can all see the 1st stages (up to the stomach) of the digestive system demonstrated by you. Ask the chn to repeat the scientific language as you say it. Continue to ask different chn to recap each stage. Move through the final stages of digestion at the same time as moving through the final slides.
Activity
If able to, chn could do both of the following activities, starting with 1.
1: Easy; chn make the digestive system using the cut-out body parts and labels (session resources), explaining it to another as they do it.
2: Medium/hard; Chn write sentences (or match sentences) about the function of each of the basic parts of the digestive system (writing frame in session resources).
Guided
Take small groups throughout the session (until every child has experienced the guided group), and allow them to demonstrate the digestive system using real food (as you did in the whole class intro). Have a work station set up with enough resources for children to work with partners. Ask them to explain what is happening at each stage. Assess their understanding and explain again if necessary. Look for use of scientific terms as demonstrated during the input.
Plenary / Refer back to what the chn knew about the digestive system at the beginning of the session. How much more do they know now? Can they name some of the basic parts? Oesophagus (gullet), stomach, small intestine, large intestine (colon), anus (bottom). Can they offer any facts that they have learnt? How long does it take the oesophagus to move food from the mouth to the stomach? – about 5-6 seconds (even if they are upside-down). Which is longer, the large or the small intestine? How long does it take for the food to travel from your stomach to the small intestine? – about 20 minutes (and it’s the small intestine that sends the message to your brain that it is full. Explain the digestive system from beginning to end by choosing chn to explain the next stage, and then the next. Assess their understanding.
Outcomes / Children will
  • Think about what they know about our digestive systems, and will consider what they want to know
  • Know the basic parts of the digestive system
  • Begin to understand the simple functions of the basic parts of the digestive system
  • Use everyday objects to demonstrate the human digestive system

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