Faculty of Teacher Training Ausiàs March

THE OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM

DIGESTIVE AND NUTRITION

Authors: Ainara Amundarain Profesor:Valentín Gavidia

Fran Gámez
Laura Pellicer

4th Grade of Primary Education Course 2012-2013

 INDEX

1. ¿Qué debe saber el alumno al terminar la educación primaria?.............. 2

2. Concept maps ........................................................................... 4

3. Learning difficulties and students' prior ideas..................6

4. Proposal of activities by cycles ..................................................... 7

5. Development of an activity................................................................31

6. Bibliographic references...................................................................36

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 1. WHAT SHOULD THE STUDENT KNOW AT THE END OF EDUCATION
PRIMARY?
In the official curriculum (Decree 111/2007), this topic corresponds to
with the third block of content (titled 'health and personal development').
Specifically, the content related to the digestive system and nutrition is:

FIRST CYCLE:

Block 3. Sciences. Health and Personal Development

Main characteristics of the human body.

Parts of the human body.
Foods: their function in the body.
-Hábitos de alimentación saludables: la dieta equilibrada.
Prevention of eating disorders. Some basic aspects
of food security.
Health and illness.

SECOND CYCLE:

Block 2. The diversity of living beings

Nutrition, relationship, and reproduction of animals.

Block 3. Sciences. Health and personal development

Food. Classification of foods according to their function

they fulfill a balanced diet.
Health and illness.
Healthy habits (nutrition, hygiene, physical exercise, rest)
use of leisure time...). Prevention and detection of risks for
health.
Critique of unhealthy practices.

2
 THIRD CYCLE:

Block 2. The diversity of living beings

The structure of living beings: cells, description of their

estructura; tejidos: tipos; órganos: principales características y
functions; devices and systems: components and operation.

Block 3. Sciences. Health and personal development

Anatomy and physiology. Apparatus and systems.

Vital functions in the human species: Nutrition (systems
respiratory, digestive, circulatory, and excretory
Health and illness: Main diseases that affect the
devices and systems of the human body.
Healthy habits to prevent diseases. Behavior
responsible.

In the case of textbooks, the previous aspects are addressed.

Specifically, we have analyzed the primary school books that we reviewed.
continuation: GONZÁLEZ, P. and LÓPEZ, A. M. (2000-2002). Knowledge of
Medium: Project Agora, (6 Volumes). La Coruña: Everest, S.L. These are the
related content with our unit that we have found:

FIRST CYCLE:
Classification of foods into natural and processed.
Development of healthy habits such as a balanced diet and the
exercise. Importance of diet to avoid getting sick.

SECOND CYCLE:
-Nutritional function: why we eat.
-Origin of food. Classification into natural (animal origin,
vegetable or mineral) and processed.
Organs and systems involved in nutrition:

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 The digestive system: anatomy and function. Digestion: phases

(digestion, absorption and elimination) and parts (oral, gastric

the intestinal). Relationship between the two.

The respiratory apparatus

The circulatory system

The excretory system

Food components: carbohydrates, proteins,

fats, vitamins, and minerals.
Eating habits and health. Importance of physical activity and the
sport. Care of the digestive system.
Food preservation

THIRD CYCLE:
Nutritional function: for what and how
Apparatus involved in nutrition:
The digestive system: anatomy and function. Digestion: phases and parts

(oral, gastric, and intestinal)

The respiratory apparatus

The circulatory system

The excretory system

Components of foods (nutritional substances): constructive

(proteins), energetic (carbohydrates and fats) and regulators (vitamins)
and minerals).

2. CONCEPT MAP
As we can verify when analyzing the official curriculum, the
the digestive system as such does not appear until the third cycle. That is why we have

designed an alternative proposal following the guidelines set by the

legal framework, which aims to explicitly address this content in a way
staggered in the three cycles of Primary Education.

4
 Below we find the concept maps related to each
one of the cycles, with the aspects that will be worked on in each of them.

Concept map of the first cycle:

Legend:

Conceptual map of the second cycle:

Legend:

5
 Mapa conceptual deltercer ciclo:

Legend:

3. LEARNING DIFFICULTIES AND PRIOR IDEAS OF THE

STUDENTS
If we consider the evolution of scientific ideas about nutrition,
we check that these are related to the students' conceptions. By
on one side, there is a confusion in the structure and organization of the apparatus

digestive, regarding the connections of the liver and/or pancreas with the stomach
(therefore we have placed this content in the third cycle). Similarly, it is usually
confusing the larynx with the pharynx. Likewise, there are difficulties in
understand the anatomical relationships with the respiratory and circulatory systems
and excretory. For example, they do not understand the need for nutrients to pass
into the bloodstream, and this is a challenge for having a comprehensive view of the
functioning of the human body.

On the other hand, although they admit the need for food for the
life, don't you think that all organs are living structures. Thus, for
they, the bones, for example, do not need food. Moreover, they have the idea

6
wrong that the stomach is the main organ of digestion and that it
the food is "cooked". Likewise, there is the perception that there is a
double pathway: one for liquids and another for solids.

Regarding the transformation of food in the process

digestive, they have the notion that digestion consists of making 'little pieces'
smaller foods. Primary Education students also
presents difficulties in understanding the composition of foods in
nutrients. In fact, they confuse food with nutrient.

Regarding the types of food, they recognize the foods that

they cause obesity, but do not identify the energy sources. In this sense, it is
It is also important to highlight that they recognize the importance of vitamins.
but not its function. Similarly, they do not understand the concept of diet
balanced, but they think that the diet is for people with needs
specials.

Finally, another problem we encounter when addressing the

teaching of nutrition and the digestive system at this stage is the
understanding of nutrition at the cellular level. This is because they do not relate to the

cellular metabolism with its physiological references at the level of organisms.

4. PROPOSAL OF ACTIVITIES BY CYCLES

Below we detail a sequence of activities to work on.

this proposal in the different cycles of primary education, taking as
based on the conceptual maps presented above.

FIRST CYCLE

Actividad [Link] comida

Objective: To find out the prior knowledge and ideas about the
nutrition and the digestive system.

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 Materials: Digital support to listen to the song that is located at
the lower link (section 'source') and cardstock.
Procedure: First, we listen to the song a couple of times.
if we consider it accurate. Afterwards, we conducted a discussion about the
types of foods that appear in it and we let them express their
experience regarding whether they consume them or not, if they agree that it is

it is necessary to follow a varied diet, etc.

Next, we present a debate on your knowledge of the

way of digesting food, that is to say, we intend for them to comment on what they know

of the digestive system, where it is located, how it works...

Every time an idea emerges, we reach a consensus (if there isn't one,
we keep both ideas) and we write it down on the poster board, which can carry from
title 'What we know about digestion'. We also noted on another poster its
curiosities about the topic, this could be titled: "What I want to know about the
digestion.
These sections will be reviewed at all times each time that
let's verify whether any idea put forward is true or false. With the information
collection, we will need to adapt our proposal. They will also do
individualmente una lista de alimentos que debemos comer: pescado, frutas,
vegetables... We will collect this material for the evaluation.

Source:[Link]

Actividad [Link] alimento

Objective: it is intended for the students to understand the functioning of

digestive system and learn to conduct research (with books and others)
sources of consultation available at the center or in their respective
houses) with a prior purpose.
Materials: Cardstock, sheets, pencils, markers, scissors, glue... and
books or other reference materials.
Procedure: With the resources available to us, we divide the
student body in groups. Each team seeks information about the digestive system.

8
and digestion. In this way, if they seek the information themselves the
learning will be more meaningful.
Then they must organize the information found with the help of the
teacher and create a mural that gathers the information, to present it to their
companions. The mural could be similar to the following:

Activity 3. What is food for?

Objective: to deepen knowledge about the digestive system and
foster the reading of books through their use in the classroom.
Materials: One sheet per student, pencils, and colors. It is also required the
plate extracted from Tielmann, Christian. (2007): "What is food for?"1.
This section occupies two fold-out pages, of which we show one:

1
Tielmann, Christian. (2007) ¿Para qué sirve la comida?¿Por qué tenemos que comer?.Barcelona:
Youth

9
 Procedure: Once we have the book, we would comment on the
illustrations and information that this material gives us in a group form. Afterwards,

the students must make a drawing of what we have seen on a sheet of paper and
answer a series of questions to check your understanding.
Finally, it's time to review the mural of previous ideas and check
which were true and which were not.

Activity 4. The digestive system

Objective: to consolidate the learnings about the digestive system (since
includes the different meals of the day, the usefulness of nutrition, and the parts of the
digestive system) and evaluate the ICTs as a learning element.

Materials: Software with internet access.

Procedure: Regarding the development of the activity, we must
teach students how to turn on the computer, access the internet, access the web
and watch the tutorial. Finally, we all discuss the learnings.
acquired, which has surprised them... in such a way that we finished the exercise

10
with a debate in which we reflect on these issues. It also
one could raise as a point to study the idea that digestion is a process
"transformer", as indicated in the tutorial. Therefore, it is not just about
break into pieces.

Source:[Link]
m#

Activity 5. What happens in the mouth?

Objective: to understand what happens inside the mouth, in addition to that

the student becomes familiar with the scientific working method.
Materials: Container, mortar, water, and bread.
Procedure: To begin we ask what they think is happening in the
interior of the mouth. We assume they will include the function of the teeth, but not
of saliva, for example. To illustrate the process, we are going to do it with them.
an experience. As the steps are carried out, it is important that the
teacher makes students reflect on the analogy of what they are doing
and what happens inside the mouth.

Therefore, first we crush the bread as teeth would, then

we add water and continue grinding as saliva would do, thus we manage to form
the food bolus (in this way, we introduce that in the digestive tube the
foods form a paste). Finally, we can share the
conclusions drawn from this experiment.

When you have it, we can make a

activity like this, where it is about associating
two columns, to clarify the function of each one
of these parts:

Activity 6. Eat responsibly

Objective: to raise student awareness about the importance of eating
responsible way (and maintain a balanced diet), while promoting the

11
reading. It also warns about the negative consequences for our
health of binge eating.
Materials: Strips of paper, pencils, photocopies for each student of
story 'An Unforgettable Party', available in O'Callghan, Elena. (2006). My
cuerpo y yo Vol. II. “Cómo me alimento”. Barcelona: Océano.
Procedure: First, we will show the illustration that
accompany the story and we will ask what they think the text is about. After
to share those ideas, the teacher will read the story and then the children
among all. At the end of the reading, we will ask comprehension questions,
we will summarize the most important points and we will discuss them. Then it is about doing

the activities that accompany the story in an oral and group way. We must
keep in mind that two of them are aimed at raising the student's awareness of
that sometimes their own decisions influence health (not just the environment or
chance). In these, they must choose what they would eat from everything that was at the party and

realizing that if they ate everything, they would feel bad, like him
what happened to the protagonist. Finally, they will note the main idea they have used.
stayed on the strip of paper that we will provide them (the food must be
healthy and balanced, we must eat responsibly) and we can place them at
advice mode in the classroom.

Activity 7. Food and origin

Objective: To understand the origin of food.
Materials: we will need a card
where the images appear that
we should relate, and the lunch of
each of the students.

Procedure: First of all, the

students will have to relate the
images, attending to the origin that each of the foods have
they present us in those images. Once the relationships are drawn,

12
with the intention of verifying that the students have understood and assimilated what

treaty, each child will have to analyze their lunch and say where it comes from
the foods from which it is composed.

Activity 8. Guess the riddle, what goes to the belly

Objetivo: Trabajar los alimentos a través de las adivinanzas.
Materials: We will need a computer and a player so that
you can watch the riddle video.
Procedure: First, the students must respond to
the riddles that will appear in the video. Then, they will have to
tell your classmates a riddle that you know. Finally, to
expand the activity, they will be asked to ask their relatives or search with
the resources they deem appropriate, new riddles to be able to
to tell them to their classmates the next day.
Source:[Link]

Activity 9. Food Pyramid

Objective: Differentiate the types of foods that should be consumed
daily, of those that are for occasional consumption.
Materials: We will need a
mural that reflects a pyramid of
the food is very simple. Also,
we will have cards with images of
different foods that they will have to
to classify into frequent consumption
(lower part) and occasional consumption
(upper part).
Procedure: Firstly, we
will present a pyramid to the children
of food divided into two blocks: frequently consumed food and
occasional consumption foods. Each student will have two cards that will come out for

turns to place them in the corresponding location.

13
 Once all the food items are classified, an analysis will be conducted on
the decision of the students, asking if they think it is well made
food pyramid, and which foods would change places. With this
finally, we intend for students to reason, and to be able to detect
possible errors, providing a reason.

Activity 10. Health care

Objetivo: aprender a cuidar el cuerpo y desarrollar actitudes saludables.
The last part of the activity helps us assess the knowledge.
adquiridos y el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje.
Materials: Sheets like the following:

Procedure: The dynamic we will carry out consists of showing the

sheets one by one, so that they can reason collectively about whether the actions

Presented helps us take care of our digestive system or not and why.
Later, you can add healthy habits that do contribute to your
care. At the end, we reflect on the importance of taking care of our
body.
As it is the last activity intended for this cycle, upon finishing it, it is advisable

that we review the initial poster again and mark what prior ideas were
correct ones and which ones are not. It is also interesting to note if they are satisfied.

curiosities raised at first.

14
 Finally, we can conclude by playing trivia about the digestive system, that
it could have the following modalities: parts of the digestive system,
functions, foods, balanced diet, care and diseases, nutrition.
Evidently, the questions should be adapted to the level of the students and
to their knowledge.

SECOND CYCLE

Activity 1. What do you remember about digestion?

Objective: To know the prior ideas of the students regarding nutrition

and the digestive system.
Materials: Cardstock and markers.
Procedure: We will conduct a brainstorming session to gather ideas.
students' previous knowledge about this topic. For this, we need some
cardstock and markers, with which we will note the main conclusions of
the sharing of what they know about the digestive system and what they want
to know. At the end, we place the poster board in a visible location.

Activity 2. The digestion machine: the digestive system

Objective: To make a first approach to the digestive system,
process of digestion and its parts. Also, introduce the idea that the
The digestive system is not only made up of the digestive organs.
Materials: Sheet "the eating machine" available in the resource
reviewed in sources.

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 Procedure: We start the exercise with questions about the parts
of the digestive system that you know. Afterwards, we present the image and

We share our impressions on the matter. Then, they begin reading the...
different steps and we discuss them. The teacher explains what happens, but
It is also possible for children to seek information about each step.
of the process. Subsequently, the teacher raises questions for reflection.
I have come to the conclusion that the digestive system is not the only one that
it intervenes in the function of nutrition. If we look at the lower chart
on the left side of the sheet, we see that they place the 'eating machine' in the spot of

digestive system, but if we look at the detailed functioning of the

In the 'machine' we can appreciate that there are other elements that intervene such as the

circulatory system (blood) or the excretory system (urine and feces). At the end,
we enter the web address that appears in sources and see the machine in
movement.

Source:
Hindley, Judy. (1990). How your body works: a journey around
body machine. Barcelona: Plaza Joven, DL.
- [Link]

16
 Activity 3. The digestive system
Objective: To know the parts and the functioning of the digestive process,
as well as developing the capacity for research.
Materiales: Libros de consulta, cartulina, tijeras, folios, pegamento...
Procedure: Focusing now on the operation of the device.
digestif, we will divide the students into groups and provide each one
consultation materials. It is about having them research and organize the information
in a mural of the digestive system, this time they must include the system and its parts
and the process of digestion. Then, they present the mural in groups, which could
be similar to this:

Activity 4. Digestion, step by step

Objective: To know the functions of each part of the digestive system.
(although we do not go into the liver and the pancreas, which we leave for the third

cycle).
Materials: Photocopies of the sheet "Digestion, step by step" from the book:
[Link] Juvenil: El cuerpo humano (Volumen 7: La digestión I).
Barcelona: Multilibro, DL. 1989.
Procedure: In the previous activity it has been the students who have
built the knowledge about the process of digestion. In this case, the
Professor, using the previous sheet you should explain (with the collaboration of the

17
students who already have knowledge about it) what happens in each
moment of the process and what is the function of each part.

Activity 5. We learn using the internet!

Objective: to understand and analyze the journey of food from the moment it

it enters the mouth to the anus, through an animation. On the other hand, with
with TIC activities we aim to consolidate and expand the learning of
student body. Likewise, the last part of the activity aims to
promote cooperation and work on the argumentation of opinions.
Materials: Digital support with internet access.
Procedure: To begin, we introduce the video (webAdel section
Sources) saying what it is about. Then we move on to see it, during the
reproduction we advise turning off the volume and commenting about it
let's consider it appropriate, as this way we fully adapt the video to the group that

we have in front of us. Later, we address any questions that may have arisen. If
we want, they can look for them themselves in the consultation materials of
classroom.
To apply this knowledge and verify that it has been acquired
appropriately, we will move on to do some online activities. These will be carried out

in pairs, which helps them to cooperate and argue their opinions about the
answers to reach consensus. First, we access the web section.
Source and we observe the cycle of digestion and discuss it as a group.
Later, we visited the preferred website and checked that they understood the process.

previously carrying out the exercise that appears in it.

Next, we delve into the knowledge of each part of the
process entering the webD. After reviewing it, we carry out the available activity.
on the webEpropuesta and we check that they have understood the function

main parts of the digestive system.

Source:
- Web A:
[Link]

18
 - Web B:
[Link]
digital/DigestiveApparatus/digestion/digestion_p.html
- Web C:
[Link]
digital/AparatoDigestivo/actividades/actividades4_p.html
- Web D:
[Link]
- Web E:
[Link]
/03_cmedio/03_Resources/activities/01/[Link]

Activity 6. This is indeed teamwork!

Objective: to understand the intervention of the excretory system in the system

digestive system and its function of expelling waste substances, such as the
urine or feces.
Materials: computers with internet access.
Procedure: We remember the plate of the eating machine, on it
we saw that the blood, that is, the circulatory system, for example, also
intervened. Similarly, we introduced that the excretory system also
intervenes. This is the one responsible for eliminating waste substances, which in
The case of digestion is fundamentally two: feces and urine. To make
An introduction to it, we enter the website mentioned in the source section.
and we jointly establish the conclusions.

Source:

- [Link]
1/en/can/presentation/viewerWithoutSequence/[Link]

Activity 7. What happens in the digestive system?

Activity developed in part 5 of this work (See page 31).

19
 Activity 8. The five meals of the day
Objective: Students need to become aware of the importance
what it means to prepare the different meals of the day, as well as the importance that

each of them in our lives. Furthermore, they will recognize which foods
take in each one.
Materials: We will use an online game as well as a computer room.
Procedure: First of all, we will give an explanation about the
the importance of having five meals a day, without skipping
none of them. Students must understand this part of the activity,
to later carry out the online game that we will present to you next
link:[Link]
build-a-meal-for-kevin
Finally, we will have a discussion about the conclusions that
I suggested this activity to them.

Activity 9. Food Pyramid

Objective: To know the different types of foods, as well as the
recommended daily amounts of each of those foods.
Materials: We need a mural with a food pyramid, like this
like cards with images of
foods.
In addition, we will put a video.

from the food pyramid

(available at the link in the section)
Source), so we will need a
computer or a player.

Procedure: We will distribute

photos of food to the students and they will have to decide on which floor of the
they place the pyramid. Then we place the labels with the names of the
levels ("first level", "second level"...), the consumption ("daily", "weekly" or

20
occasional) and the types of foods that go in each level ("fruit", "vegetable")
"pasta", "cereals"...). Then, they must check if all the foods on that floor
they respond to this denomination. Otherwise, they must reorganize them.

At the end, we will watch the video of the food pyramid with the
intention for them to assimilate everything studied during the session.

Source:[Link]
d

Activity 10. Do I have a balanced diet?

Objective: Analyze and recognize if students follow a diet
balanced or, on the contrary, the diet they follow is not balanced.
Materials: A card like the following for each student:

FOLLOW-UP

Monday Tuesday Wed. Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Fruit

Vegetables

Meat,
fish

Cereals

Dairy

Cakes

Answer the following questions:

- Do you think? what you have a diet
balanced?
- What food do you eat the most? And what about the one that...

less?

How many times a week do you eat sweets? o

cakes?

21
 Procedure: Students will have to fill in the table with the
foods that are eaten each day throughout a week. They should
to do it with all the meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner,
snack and dinner). Based on the previous mural (the food pyramid),
we want you to check if you follow a balanced diet. Afterwards, you
will analyze this issue in a large group.

Activity 11. Funny Slogans

Objective: to learn how to take care of the body and develop healthy attitudes.
Materials: Cardstock and markers.
Procedure: The activity consists of inventing slogans in groups and
put them on a poster board. The slogans should include device care
digestive, for example: "If you want to take care of your teeth, you have to brush them."
They should also accompany the text with a drawing.
Then, they must share their work with their peers and explain it.
advice they want to give, its importance.... In the end, we make a reflection
group about body care and we hung up the posters.
Finally, we can review the cardstock at the beginning of the proposal.
to check which initial ideas were correct. We can also correct
those who were not, now that they have learned more content.

THIRD CYCLE

Activity 1. What a mess!

Objective: to check what the students know beforehand
of the digestive system, and understand the shape and space that

occupies each organ.

Materials: Anatomical model.
Procedure: We present the anatomical model,
whose pieces we will place out of their place, on the table.
The activity consists of them taking turns to come out,

22
Take a piece and say what it's called and what you think it's used for. Go ahead.

writing down their ideas on a poster board, along with their curiosities, like in cycles

previous ones.

Activity 2. The digestive system

Objective: Remember what they knew about the digestive system and expand their

knowledge, introducing the accessory glands. Encourage research.

Materials: We need last year's mural, reference material,
cardboard and a marker.
Procedure: First, we take out last year's mural and each
group reads a card and places the corresponding part on the mural. Afterwards,
we all discuss what we remember about that part of the digestive system.
Finally, we add the pancreas and the liver, making new cards.
investigating these accessory glands.

Activity 3. But... how does it work?

Objective: Understand what happens in each part of the digestive process,
to relate it to the complete process.
Materials: We will need digital software with internet access.
Procedure: We enter the website and watch the video (without sound,
as the teacher narrates what is happening). Afterwards, the children can
also describe what is happening while we watch the video again.
Finally, we resolve doubts (they can also resolve them themselves with the
classroom materials or taking advantage of the fact that we will have a computer with internet.

Finally, they must write a summary explaining the process in their notebook.

Source:[Link]

Activity 4. Let's use ICT!

Objective: to consolidate, expand, and review the learnings. In addition,

We aim for them to learn to cooperate and to argue opinions.

Materials: Computers with internet connection.

23
 Procedure: first, we enter the website and review what we already
we know about digestion. Then, we access the webBy we expand
knowledge. The division into three parts (ingestion digestion and
) excretion) that this last application makes, as it reinforces the way in which it
has worked on this proposal. Next, we carry out the activities that
the animation proposes in pairs and we share the new ones
aprendizajes.

Source:
- Web A:
[Link]
-Web B:
[Link]
1/Visualize/[Link]?language=es&identifier=es_2009091613_1
122385&sequence=false#

Activity 5. What does saliva do?

Objetivo: Comprobar la acción de la saliva sobre los alimentos.
Material: plates, bread, iodine.
Procedure: First, we conduct the experiment, for which
we place a piece of unchewed bread on one plate and on another a piece of
chewed for three minutes and we ask the students if they think
What has changed in something or is the composition of the bread the same.

Then we add iodine to the two pieces of bread and see that the
the coloration is different because saliva actually affects and modifies the
foods. Finally, we establish the conclusions.

Activity 6. Blood Circulation

Objective: The blood circuit is a game designed to
integrate and understand the importance of the circulatory system with the rest of

devices related to it (respiratory, digestive, and excretory). It is

to say, we aim to achieve a holistic and integrated view of

24
the functioning of our organism. Thus, the students will understand that the
devices that shape us work in a coordinated manner and, despite the
specific function of each one, all operate with a common final goal: the
maintenance of the organism.
Materials: colored chalks, cubes, and balls of different colors.
Procedure: first of all, the teacher will arrange the route of the
drawing the blood circuit with colored chalk on the ground of the yard of the
center. A color, for example green, will be used to mark the route of
circuit; with red it will mark the area of the heart; with blue, the area of the lungs;

with orange, that of the digestive system (especially the intestines, for being the
zone where nutrient absorption takes place); in yellow, the one of
excretory system and the anus (as they are the areas for waste elimination and not
nutrients); and with purple, the rest of the body that will be divided into two areas:

"Lower Limbs" and "Upper Limbs". Signs will be displayed with the
suitable colors that facilitate the relationship with each part.
As for the balls, they will be of 5 colors: blue (oxygen), black
(dióxido de carbono), rojo (nutrientes), amarillo (productos de desecho), verde
(no nutrients).
The cubes will be arranged in the following places: two cubes, one
blue with the sign "O"2and with blue balls and another black one with the sign 'CO2for
leave the black balls in the lung area; a red cube with the sign
"Nutrients" and with red balls in the digestive system area; three cubes,
one yellow with the sign "Waste" and with yellow balls, another black with the
cartel "CO2and with black balls and another purple one with the sign 'Cells' to
leave blue and red balls in each area of the rest of the body; and a cube
yellow with the sign "Waste" in each disposal area to leave the
yellow balls.

It is important to emphasize that the distribution of materials will already be

carried out before starting the activity to streamline the dynamics.

Secondly, the teacher will group the students according to function.

that they will carry out, in such a way that it will establish 4 groups of students:

25
 Gas exchange group. They must take the oxygen from the
lungs, leave it in the cells of the rest of the body and take from them
the carbon dioxide that they will carry to the lungs for
exchange them for oxygen again.
Nutrient absorption group. They must take the nutrients from
digestive system and pass them to the exchange group. They can
find "non-nutrients" (green balls) that must be delivered to
removal group to be eliminated.
Nutrient exchange group for waste products (it
will in turn divide into 2 groups: one for upper members and the other
for lower limbs). They must receive nutrients from the group of
absorption, go to the corresponding area, deposit them in the
cells and collect the waste from them to deliver it to the group of
elimination.
Waste Disposal Product Group (will be divided into its
vez en 2 grupos: uno para dirigirse al ano y otro para el aparato
excretor). They must receive the waste and the 'non-nutrients' from the
exchange and absorption groups, respectively, for
deposit them in the disposal areas (anus or excretory system,
as appropriate to them.

Thirdly, the teacher will explain the journey that will be: heart→
lungs (oxygen collection) → heart → digestive system (collection of
nutrients)→body (exchange of gases and nutrients for products of
waste)→excretor (waste discharge and not nutrients)→heart→
lungs (gas exchange)...
As the journey is assimilated, it will be done more and more.
fast to add more excitement to the game and relate it to real speed
the one in which the events represented occur.

At the end of the activity, a debate will be organized to seek answers to

the following questions that the teacher will pose:

26
 What have we been doing?
Could we determine the path that a food takes since
do we ingest it until we eliminate it?
What importance does nutrition have for our cells?
What would happen if any part of the circulatory system failed? And of the
respiratory system? And the digestive system? And the system
excretor?
Is the coordination of the devices that make up our important?
body? Why?
Could the nutrition function be carried out without the work of all these?
devices and systems involved?
What conclusion can we draw from this circuit?

Illustration of the circuit:

Activity 7. What hunger!

Objective: to explain the mechanism of hunger and satiety.

Introduce the participation of the nervous system in the digestive system.
Material: Sheet 'The Control Center', which shows how it works
hunger and satiety mechanism, in: VVAA. (1989). Youth Library:
The human body (Volume 7: Digestion I). Barcelona: Multilibro, DL.

27
 Procedure: Once we have the material, we share the
previous ideas about what causes hunger or satiety. Then we present
the sheet with the answer. In this way, we introduce that the nervous system
it is also part of the digestive system.
Finally, we ask you to summarize what you have learned in one sentence.
his notebook.

Sources:

"The Command Center" in VVAA. (1989). Youth Library: The Body

Human (Volume 7: Digestion I). Barcelona: Multilibro, DL.

Activity 8. Inseparable Pyramids

Objective: On one hand, to understand the structure of the pyramid. On the other

part, develop healthy lifestyle habits regarding nutrition

and exercise.
Materials: We will need a
mural with this image and a computer
with internet access.
Procedure: We will begin the
class showing the previous mural and them
we will ask what we find in it.
You will see that as a novelty for

staying healthy requires more than just

care for our nutrition but
there is also a pyramid of exercise.

To explore it in depth
we will access Web A, where we can obtain information about each
one of the sections of that pyramid that we showed them on the mural.
Later, in more detail, we enter Web B where
analysis group by group and food by food. In the end, we find a

28
example of healthy food. It also explains very well what it consists of.
a pyramid.
Finally, we will enter Web C where they have the same pyramid.
from the mural but this time empty so that they can complete it in groups. To conclude,

We will carry out a group reflection on this.

Source:
- Image:
[Link]
pdf
Web A:
[Link]
Web B:
[Link]
Web C
[Link]
html

Activity 9. It feels great to take care of oneself!

Objective: Learn to care for the digestive system and promote habits
healthy.
Materials: computers with internet access and the sheet 'Discomforts and
most common stomach diseases,” extracted from VVAA. (1989).
Youth Library: The Human Body (Volume 7: Digestion I). Barcelona:
Multibook, DL.

Procedure: First, we ask the students questions.

previous discussions on how to take care of them. After sharing, we explored the web

mentioned earlier and we will comment again on how we can take care of ourselves.

Later we ask them what they think happens if we do not take care of ourselves and show.

the following slide on the most common diseases.

Source:

29
 -Web:
[Link]
Sheet: VVAA. (1989). Youth Library: The Human Body
(Volume 7: Digestion I). Barcelona: Multilibro, DL.

Activity 10. The truth about nutrition

Objectives: To make an initial approach to cellular nutrition and
to know the types of food and their function.
Materials: digital support with internet access.
Procedure: we proposed in class that the function of the
blood is to carry nutrients to the cells. In fact, true nutrition is
at the cellular level. To address this issue and the types of foods we can
use an internet application called 'The Enigma of Nutrition'
accessed with the link from the source section.

Source:
- [Link]
nutrition/program/app/[Link]

Activity 11. We learn while having fun!

Objective: to consolidate the learnings acquired throughout the unit and

check that the basic knowledge has been established. Encourage the
trabajo cooperativo.
Materials: computers with internet access.
Procedure: To close the block, we can review and check what
what we know by accessing the websites (in order) listed in the section
Sources. In each of them, they play in pairs, so they must...
consensus on the responses. At the end we will do a brief review.

Source:
-Web A:
[Link]
gma_nutrition/enigma/[Link]

30
 -Web B:
[Link]
The digestive system
ivo

5. DEVELOPMENT OF AN ACTIVITY

Starting from the erroneous idea of primary school students who consider
that digestion takes place in the stomach, where food is cooked and that
this process lasts about two hours (as is commonly said),
We will carry out an activity about the digestion process and its duration.
intended for the Second Cycle of Primary Education. The objective of it is
simulate what happens inside the digestive system to understand it.
We also aim through experiences for them to understand development.
of the scientific working method. Similarly, we want the students
discover how long the digestion process really lasts. Finally, the
material that we use at a moment in the activity also fosters
reading presenting books as fun resources.

Second cycle: What happens in the digestive system?

What is the activity about?

The digestive tract begins in the mouth and ends at the anus. Inside the
the same, food has a long way to go before it can be
exploited by humans, the unexploited part is the one that
we expel in the excretion. In this activity we will see what happens in each
part of the digestive system and how long it takes each one to perform its
function.

What do you know about digestion?

What is digestion for?

31
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Where does digestion take place?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What transformation do foods undergo inside our body?

during this process?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

How long does it take us to digest?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Note the time that food spends in each of the indicated parts:

Boca: ................................

Esophagus: ………………………………..
-Stomach: ………………………………
Small intestine: ……………………
Large intestine and rectum: ………….

Add the previous times, does it match the figure you had given?
initially?, what adjustments could you make? ……………………………………………………

You should know that...

Digestion is a very long process that lasts between one and two days. In this
time, the food travels between 6 and 7 meters from the moment it enters through the mouth,

until it is expelled through the anus. In this journey, it goes through different phases, in

which is transformed into a substance that can be assimilated by

our body. This is the true purpose of digestion: the nutrition of
living beings, that is why it is one of their vital functions. The rest of the food
what is not salvageable continues its path until the year.

But in this process, we found many parts in the digestive tube, whose
the function aids the digestion process. As we see, the food:

32
 It enters through the mouth, where the teeth chew (grind) it and it mixes.
with saliva, forming a paste called 'food bolus'.
When we swallow, it goes to...

Esophagus: it is a tube through which the 'food bolus' descends until

to arrive at...

Stomach. There, the gastric juices act on the 'food bolus',

transforming it into "chyme," which is also a paste. In addition, the
The stomach also produces a series of movements that facilitate this.
process, is what is known as mechanical digestion. At the end,
pasta goes to...

Small intestine, where nutrients are absorbed, which pass to the

blood through the walls of this tube. Thanks to this change,
these can be distributed throughout the body, something that is very

important. The substances that we cannot utilize continue their

path towards the...

Large intestine. In this part, water absorption takes place and it

they form the feces, which are expelled externally through the...

-yes.

In each of these parts, the time the food remains is

variable.

You have to keep in mind that, in this complex and long process, the
the digestive system is not alone, but it involves the intervention of others,
like the circulatory system, the respiratory system, or the excretory system.

We suggest that you do:

In this exercise, we are going to carry out a series of four experiments to
study what happens inside the digestive system. These are: what happens in the
Mouth?, what happens in the esophagus?, what happens in the stomach? and what happens in

33
the intestines?

First, gather the materials we need to carry out these.

experiments. For the mouth we need a mortar, a container, bread, and water.
For the esophagus, a medium and a ball are required. In the case of the stomach
we need vinegar, food (chorizo, York ham) and two jars with lids
(because we are going to analyze two situations, one with chorizo and another with ham from

york). As for the intestines, we will use a cloth, a sponge and

water.

In groups, you should decide how to use them, with guidance from the teacher, and go out.

in turns to explain the process to the colleagues. Regarding what

We intend for each case to be carried out, we will explain each experiment.
in detail.

In "What happens in the mouth?" you should use the mortar to simulate the function of

los dientes y el recipiente para hacer la función de la boca. El agua sería la

saliva that should be added while grinding the bread.

In 'What happens in the esophagus?' you should use the average as if it were the esophagus and the

ball as if it were the food bolus and move it downward.

Regarding "what happens in the stomach?", in this case the containers simulate the

stomach and vinegar the acids (gastric juices) that carry out digestion
chemistry so you must place it inside. The food that
we propose would be what we would have consumed and there would also have to

introduce them (separately). Then, you should close the jar and shake to
simulate the mechanical digestion that takes place. The reason for placing the
separated foods is that we will let them rest for a couple of days to
make some observations.

In reference to 'what happens in the intestines?', the average would be the intestine and the

34
sponge the food that has reached that point. Since it still contains the salts,
nutrients and water would be moist. We try to make the sponge cover the media
from one end to the other to expel it through the "anus".

What conclusions do you draw?

What happens in the mouth?

What happens if we don't chew the food well?

..................................................................................................
Is the function of saliva important?
.....................................................................................................
what What happens before pouring the water? And after?
.....................................................................................................

What happens in the esophagus?

What movements do you have to make for the ball

descend?
Do you know what these waves are called?

What happens in the stomach?

What effect do acids (vinegar) have on food?
..................................................................................................
How long does it take for chorizo to decompose? And what about York ham?
..................................................................................................
Do you think it has something to do with the type of food?
..................................................................................................
Do you think digestion will be heavier if we consume
high or low fat products?
..................................................................................................

What happens in the intestines?

What happens to the wet sponge when we try to make it move?

35
 media?
Do you think that foods also lose water during their passage through
the intestine?
..................................................................................................
Where does the water "filter" in the experiment, and in reality?
..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
Where do the water and nutrients go when they pass the
walls of the intestines?
...................................................................................................
Source:
The sheet for this activity has been extracted from this material:
VVAA. (2004). Diary of the human body: by Dr. Genius. Madrid: SM.

6. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

Textbooks:
 GONZÁLEZ, P. y LÓPEZ, A. M. (2000).Conocimiento del medio 1:
Project Agora. La Coruña: Everest, S.L.
 GONZÁLEZ, P. y LÓPEZ, A. M. (2000).Conocimiento del medio 2:
Agora Project. La Coruña: Everest, S.L.
 GONZÁLEZ, P. y LÓPEZ, A. M. (2002).Conocimiento del medio 3:
Project Agora. La Coruña: Everest, S.L.
 GONZÁLEZ, P. and LÓPEZ, A. M. (2002). Knowledge of the Environment 4:
Project Agora. La Coruña: Everest, S.L.
 [Link]. (2002). Knowledge of the environment 5: Ágora Project. La Coruña:
Everest, S.L.
 [Link]. (2002). Knowledge of the Environment 5: Agora Project. La Coruña:
Everest, S.L.

Books:

36
 -Hindley, Judy. (1990). How your body works: a journey around the
Body machine. Barcelona: Plaza Joven, DL.
-O ’Callghan, Elena. (2006). My body and I Vol. II. “How I feed myself”.
Barcelona: Ocean.
-Tielmann, Christian. (2007).¿Por qué tenemos que comer?.Barcelona:
Youth.
-VVAA. (1989). Youth Library: The Human Body (Volume 7: The
digestion I). Barcelona: Multilibro, DL
-VVAA. (2004).Diario del cuerpo humano: por el Dr. [Link]: SM.

Webography:

- [Link]
- [Link]
- [Link]
- [Link]
- [Link]
- [Link]
radigital/DigestiveSystem/digestion/digestion_p.html
- [Link]
radigital/DigestiveSystem/activities/activities4_p.html
- [Link]
- [Link]
os/03_cmedio/03_Recursos/activities/01/[Link]
- [Link]
1/en/can/presentation/viewerWithoutSequence/[Link]
- [Link]
build-a-meal-for-kevin
- [Link]
- [Link]
- [Link]

37
- [Link]
1/Visualizar/[Link]?idioma=es&identificador=es_2009091613_112
2385&sequence=false#
- [Link]
- [Link]
n/program/apli/[Link]
- [Link]
_nutrition/enigma/[Link]
- [Link]
/digrespi/jclic/[Link]&lang=es&title=El+sistema+digestivo

38