Carbohydrate Digestion (Jennifer Richard)

Standards Addressed

• Grade 8

Chemistry of Living Systems (Life Sciences)

6. Principles of chemistry underlie the functioning of biological systems. As a basis for understanding this concept:

C.Students know that living organisms have many different kinds of molecules, including small ones, such as

water and salt, and very large ones, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and DNA.

• Grades 9-12

Cell Biology

• 1. The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on a variety of chemical reactions that occur in specialized areas of the organism's cells. As a basis for understanding this concept:

H. Students know most macromolecules (polysaccharides, nucleic acids, proteins, lipids) in cells and organisms

are synthesized from a small collection of simple precursors.

Questioning Script:

• Prior Knowledge & Experience

  • Carbohydrates are found in foods that are sweet and starchy.

  • Carbohydrates give us energy.

  • The monomer of carbohydrates are monosaccharides. Two monosaccharides bonded together are called disaccharides and three or more monosaccharides bonded together are polysaccharides.

• Root Question:

  • Are all carbohydrates the same?

  • Where does the chemical digestion of starches begin?

• Target Response:

  • Carbohydrates are not all the same.

  • Salivary amylase in saliva begins the chemical digestion of complex carbohydrates in the mouth.

  • Both chemical and mechanical digestion can occur in the mouth.

• Common Misconceptions:

  • All carbohydrates are the same.

  • Mechanical digestion occurs only in the mouth.

  • Chemical digestion occurs only in the stomach.