Lesson #2: digestive cells and chemicals (enzymes)
• Hook: Naming that organ (Challenge version)
- Students are provided with a package of organs and functions. Students are tasked to match the corresponding organ and function together. Added twist: there is one organ missing from the list. What is it?
- Teamwork option: Allow students to work together in pairs for teamwork building skills.
- An example this exercise would appear as:
• Action: Gizmo + Powerpoint
- Gizmo: Students interactively complete gizmo worksheet that focuses on function of the small organs and chemical components. Students can displace small organs and observe the result.
- This is essentially a continuation of the activity conducted in the previous lesson of using explorelearning.com for its interactive exploration into the digestive system.
See provided link for access to interactive resource to exploration of the digestion system. Resource includes 1) interactive resource, 2) student exploration sheet, 3) sheet answer key, 4) teacher guide and 5) vocabulary sheet:
- Powerpoint: Notes/Explanation on several of the important chemicals for digestion: pepsin (protein), insulin (glucose), amylase (starch), bile (fats), lactase (lactose), etc.
See the following resources that one may use for consultation of digestive chemicals and their functions:
- Lab: Salivary amylase – students follow the scientific method of (1) observing the physical aspects of a soda cracker, (2) placing it on a volunteer’s tongue, and (3) observing effects over time.
See the following resources for links to templates of this lab already conducted by other instructors:
• Debrief: Assembly line
- Students randomly choose a component of the digestive system and without talking (using nonverbal communication only) they are to arrange themselves in the correct order of which we observe in the human digestive system
- A good warm-up to assist their learning of how this silent re-arrangement is to occur, instruct them to order themselves silently (no verbal communication) by their birth date OR by their height.
- Alternative: For students that are more timid, teachers may provide the option for them to choose the digestive component that they desire.
- Students are provided with a package of organs and functions. Students are tasked to match the corresponding organ and function together. Added twist: there is one organ missing from the list. What is it?
- Teamwork option: Allow students to work together in pairs for teamwork building skills.
- An example this exercise would appear as:
- Stomach ................... Food's first entrance into the body.
- Esophagus .............. Transitory tube that transports food from the mouth into the stomach.
- Small intestine ....... Removes precious water from food waste.
- Mouth ....................... Mixes smaller food particles with digestive enzymes.
- _______ ....................... Organ that expels unusable waste from the body
- Large intestine ....... Absorbs nutrients for cell metabolism.
• Action: Gizmo + Powerpoint
- Gizmo: Students interactively complete gizmo worksheet that focuses on function of the small organs and chemical components. Students can displace small organs and observe the result.
- This is essentially a continuation of the activity conducted in the previous lesson of using explorelearning.com for its interactive exploration into the digestive system.
See provided link for access to interactive resource to exploration of the digestion system. Resource includes 1) interactive resource, 2) student exploration sheet, 3) sheet answer key, 4) teacher guide and 5) vocabulary sheet:
- http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&ResourceID=1050
- Powerpoint: Notes/Explanation on several of the important chemicals for digestion: pepsin (protein), insulin (glucose), amylase (starch), bile (fats), lactase (lactose), etc.
See the following resources that one may use for consultation of digestive chemicals and their functions:
- http://faculty.stcc.edu/AandP/AP/AP2pages/Units24to26/digestion/secrans.htm
- http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/LilburnES/PromoteGA/biochemistry/Digestive_Chemicals.html
- Lab: Salivary amylase – students follow the scientific method of (1) observing the physical aspects of a soda cracker, (2) placing it on a volunteer’s tongue, and (3) observing effects over time.
See the following resources for links to templates of this lab already conducted by other instructors:
- http://www.mrulrichslandofbiology.com/Labs/Lab-SalivaryAmylase.pdf
- https://www.apsu.edu/sites/apsu.edu/files/chemistry/SP11_1021_BREAKING_DOWN_STARCH_USING_SALIVARY_ENZYMES.pdf
• Debrief: Assembly line
- Students randomly choose a component of the digestive system and without talking (using nonverbal communication only) they are to arrange themselves in the correct order of which we observe in the human digestive system
- A good warm-up to assist their learning of how this silent re-arrangement is to occur, instruct them to order themselves silently (no verbal communication) by their birth date OR by their height.
- Alternative: For students that are more timid, teachers may provide the option for them to choose the digestive component that they desire.