By

Rebecca K. Fraker

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 The Digestive System
What has happened to the food you ate today?
Esophagus
Stomach
Small Intestine
Large Intestine
Liver
Gall Bladder
Pancreas

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 In the Mouth
Digestion actually begins
in the mouth.
The teeth break the food
into smaller pieces, and
the tongue moves the
pieces around so that
saliva can be mixed with
them.
This begins the digestion.
Then swallow, and the
journey begins!

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 Esophagus
About 10 long
Moves food from the
throat to the stomach.
The muscle movement is
called peristalsis.
Heartburn is when acid
from the stomach gets in
here.

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 Stomach
Stores the food you
eat, breaks it down
into tiny pieces.
Mixes food with
digestive juices.
Acid in the stomach
kills bacteria.
It can stretch and
shrink.

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 Small Intestine
Small intestines are roughly
22 feet long. Small refers to
its diameter, not its length.
Insides are coated with little
fingers called cilia to increase
surface area.
Nutrients from the food pass
into the bloodstream through
the small intestine walls.
You can have pieces removed
but it is very hard for your
body to get the right nutrients. 6
 Large Intestine
About 5 feet long.
Accepts what small
intestines dont
absorb.
Absorbs water and
minerals from the
waste matter.
You can lose a large
part of this and still
survive.

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 Liver
Directly affects digestion by
producing bile.
Bile helps digest fat.
Processes nutrients in the
blood, filters out toxins and
waste.
Is often called the bodys
energy factory.
You cannot live without a
liver, although you can live
with a part of one.
Drinking alcohol damages
the liver.
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 Gall Bladder
Stores bile from the
liver.
Delivers bile when
food is digested.
Fatty diets can cause
gallstones.
You can live without a
gallbladder.

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 Pancreas
Produces compounds
to digest fats and
proteins.
Neutralizes acids that
enter small intestine.
Regulates blood
sugar by producing
insulin.
If it doesnt work right
you get diabetes.

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 Fun Facts

HOW LONG ARE YOUR INTESTINES? At least 25 feet

in an adult. Be glad you're not a full-grown horse -- their
coiled-up intestines are 89 feet long!
Food drying up and hanging out in the large intestine
can last 18 hours to 2 days!
In your lifetime, your digestive system may handle
about 50 tons!!

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12
 On a sheet of paper, write the
name of each colored organ:
Green:
Red:
Pink:
Brown:
Purple:
Green:
Yellow:

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 Did you get the answers right?
Green: Esophagus
Red: Stomach
Pink: Small Intestine
Brown: Large Intestine
Purple: Liver
Green: Gall Bladder
Yellow: Pancreas

Great Job!

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 References and Links

Your Digestive System and How It Works:

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/Your_Digestive_Sys.pdf
Digestive system diagram comes from this site
The Real Deal on the Digestive System
http://kidshealth.org/kid/body/digest_SW_p2.html
Pancreas: Introduction and Index
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/pancreas/i
ndex.html
Your Gross and Cool Body Digestive System
http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/pg000126.html

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