Embedded Files
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
Guiding question: Why do we need to eat?Β
Time Estimate: 2 hours
Purpose: In this lesson, students will learn about the digestive system from the perspective of obtaining essential elements for life: energy and nutrients.Β
Overview: Students will reflect on their experiences with fasting and contemplate the significance of why we need to eat food. Following this, they will delve into the processes that occur when we consume food by exploring the digestive system. Dividing into six groups, students will engage in a jigsaw activity, unraveling the digestion of food from the mouth to the large intestine.
Design Principles:Β
Prioritize student voice
Background Knowledge: All necessary background knowledge will come from this lesson.Β
Common Misconceptions: Digestion is not limited to the stomach; instead, it is a complex process that initiates in the mouth with the breakdown of food by enzymes in saliva. While the stomach plays a crucial role in continuing the digestive process, the absorption of nutrients takes place in the small intestine.
Safety: NAΒ
Unit Connections:Β
Instructional Sequence
Instructional Sequence
Materials: Teacher slides 2.1 Why do we need to eat
Studentsβ experience (Slides 1-2)
Ask students about their fasting experiences and how they felt. This will guide them to answer why we need to eat.
π£οΈ Discourse opportunity:Β
Class discussion
π Instructional Support
Probing Questions
Have you ever fasted? Why?
How did it make you feel?
How do you feel before you eat breakfast?
Essential elements for life: energy and nutrients (Slides 3)
Present the two main reasons why we need to eat:
Energy: Food provides us the energy we need to perform various bodily functions and activities. Our body breaks down the carbohydrates and fats in food to generate the energy needed for maintaining body temperature, moving muscles, and supporting the functioning of organs.
Nutrients: Food contains essential nutrients necessary for our body's growth, maintenance, and repair. These include macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. Each nutrient plays a specific role in the body, supporting various functions such as cell production, immune system function, and hormone regulation.
Digestion (Slide 4)
Students will review and understand the meaning of digestion.
π£οΈ Discourse opportunity:Β
Class discussion
π Instructional Support
Probing questions
How does our body break down food into smaller pieces?
Where do you think our body absorbs the food?
Digestive system (Slides 5-7)
Students will grasp the concept of the digestive system as they identify the organs responsible for digesting food. They will observe an illustrated representation of the body, gaining an intrinsic understanding of the journey food takes through the digestive process.
Students will be divided into six expert groups to participate in a jigsaw activity, gaining a comprehensive understanding of each aspect of the digestive system. In the expert groups, student will focus on one part of the digestive system.
Students will return to their original group. Working collaboratively within their original groups, they will synthesize information to understand how pizza is digested in the digestive system.
Students will organize the digestion process on the worksheet.
One or two groups can share their work.
π Worksheet
Student material: 2.1 Digestive system jigsaw activity
Student material: 2.1 Summary activity explanation
π£οΈ Discourse opportunity:Β
Group discussion
π‘ NC standards
7.L.1.4 Summarize the general functions of the major systems of the human body (digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, and excretion) and ways that these systems interact with each other to sustain life.
π Instructional Support
Direction for a jigsaw activity
Divide the class into original groups of six students
Each group member will be responsible for one part of the digestive system
Collaboratively decide which part each member will cover and then transition into expert groups
Within the expert groups, read an assigned article, discuss its key points, and summarize them
Consider what happens in your assigned part after eating pizza
Return to your original group and share what you've learned
In your original group, collectively explore how our bodies digest a slice of pizza.
βοΈ Assessment Opportunity
What to look for?
Use the summary worksheet to assess understanding of the standards.Β
This is the space for instructors to evaluate the content knowledge related to the NC standards.
'How the digestive system works' video (Slide 8)
Watch a video about the digestive system and summarize what students have learned.
β° Recommendations for timingΒ
The video has a duration of 4:56.
Information for Planning & Teaching
Information for Planning & Teaching
Background Knowledge
Additional reasons why we need to eat: (1 and 2 are in theΒ main lesson text)
Metabolism: Eating regularly helps maintain a healthy metabolism. When we eat, our body breaks down food into smaller components and absorbs the nutrients. This process allows our body to regulate blood sugar levels, maintain hormone balance, and carry out various metabolic processes.
Tissue repair and growth: Our body constantly undergoes wear and tear, and eating an adequate diet provides the necessary nutrients for tissue repair and growth. Protein, in particular, is crucial for repairing damaged tissues and building new cells.
Brain function: The brain requires a constant supply of nutrients to function optimally. Glucose, derived from carbohydrates, is the brain's primary source of energy. Additionally, certain nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins play vital roles in brain health and cognitive function.
Overall health and well-being: Proper nutrition is essential for overall health and well-being. A balanced diet that includes a variety of foods can help prevent nutrient deficiencies, support a healthy immune system, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and promote optimal physical and mental health.
It's important to note that individual nutritional needs may vary based on factors such as age, sex, activity level, and health conditions. Consulting with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian can provide personalized guidance on dietary requirements.
Lesson Timing
Student Ideas & Experiences
Although this lesson uses the Cape Town Water Crisis as the launching phenomenon, students will most likely already have experiences relating the water scarcity and quality. We recommend using what students already know to introduce new topics as much as possible.
For example, students who are familiar with Mexico or who have family there will be aware not everyone in Mexico has access to clean and safe drinking water. Depending on their experiences, they might also know that this lack of access disproportionately affects marginalized communities, including those in rural areas and informal settlements. Although Mexico has come a long way in treating the Cholera outbreaks that were common before 2000, problems with infrastructure and water treatment still exist.
The instructor can use this background knowledge to facilitate a conversation about how water quality and availability are problems across the world. Therefore, we should learn about this issue because it can affect any one of us.
Other ideas students might come to the classroom with include water availability in California, type of irrigation methods that conserve or use excess water, and lead contamination from the pipes in Flint, Michigan. Additionally, students might have seen the movie Erin Brockovich which is about the groundwater contamination crisis in Hinkley, California, due to carcinogens polluting the water from Pacific Gas & Electric Company.
Science Practices
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