Digestive System Worksheets

Digestive System
What is the digestive system?

The digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal (GI)
tractalso called the digestive tractand the liver, pancreas,
and gallbladder.
Why is digestion important?
Digestion is important for breaking down food into nutrients.
The body uses nutrients for energy, growth, and cell repair.
Food and drink must be changed into smaller molecules of
nutrients before the blood absorbs them and carries them to
cells throughout the body. The body breaks down nutrients
from food and drink into carbohydrates, protein, fats, and
vitamins.

How does digestion work?
Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing (mechanical digestion) and ends in the small intestine. As
food passes through the GI tract, it mixes with digestive juices (chemical digestion), causing large
molecules of food to break down into smaller molecules. Waste products of digestion pass through
the large intestine and out of the body as a solid matter called stool.

How does food move through the GI tract?
The organs of the GI tract contain a layer of muscle that enables their walls to move. The movement
of organ wallscalled peristalsispropels food and liquid through the GI tract.
Esophagus. When a person swallows, food pushes into the esophagus, the muscular tube that
carries food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach.
Stomach. The stomach stores swallowed food and liquid, mixes the food and liquid with digestive
juice it produces, and slowly empties its contents, called chyme, into the small intestine.
Small intestine. The muscles of the small intestine mix food with digestive juices and push the
mixture forward. The walls with small finger tissues (villi) of the small intestine absorb the digested
nutrients into the bloodstream. The blood delivers the nutrients to the rest of the body.
Large intestine. The waste products of the digestive process include undigested parts of food and
older cells from the GI tract lining. Muscles push these waste products into the large intestine. The
large intestine absorbs water and any remaining nutrients and changes the waste from liquid into
stool. The rectum stores stool until it pushes stool out of the body during a bowel movement.
Information taken from: National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse

The Path of food through the Digestive System
Question 1: Can we eat standing upside down? _________________________________
Question 2: Give an example of mechanical digestion._______________ _____________
*Esophagus can also be spelled Oesophagus.
Word Box
Class Activities
Make a stomach and digest crackers!
Purpose: To observe a model of how food is broken down in the stomach.

Materials: A plastic bag (i.e. ziplock), cup of orange juice, 2 -3 crackers or 1 slice of bread.
Procedure: Break the crackers/bread up into little pieces and put in the bag. Carefully pour some orange
juice into the bag. Seal the bag. Squeeze the bag for 1 minute. Observe what happens to the juice and
crackers.
Observations: Record your observations into the table below. Draw what you observe (crackers, bag,
juice).
Crackers Crackers and Juice Crackers and Juice after 1 minute

Conclusion: 1. What part of the digestive system did you model when you used your hands to break up
the crackers/bread? ___________________________________________________________________
2. The plastic bag represented which organ in the digestive system? _____________________________
3. After the crackers/bread has turned to liquid, where does this liquid go next in the digestive system?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the function of the small intestine? _______________________________________________________
Make a model of the small Intestine!
Purpose: To model the function of the small intestine.
Materials: Pantyhose, a bag of instant oatmeal (cooked), scissors, newspapers to cover the floor, cloth
to wipe up.
Procedure: Use the scissors to cut the ends off the pantyhose so there is one long tube. Lay newspaper
or cloths on the table/floor. Pour the cooked instant oatmeal into one end of the pantyhose. Squeeze
the oatmeal through the pantyhose.
Observations: Record your observation into the table below.

Conclusion: 1. What comes out of the pantyhose as you squeeze the oatmeal? __________________
2. Which digestive organ does the pantyhose represent? ____________________________________
3. Where does the left over oatmeal go after it goes through the small intestine? _________________

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Digestive System

What is the digestive system?

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