The parts of the human digestive system
I can describe parts of the digestive system and how they are adapted to digest food.
The parts of the human digestive system
I can describe parts of the digestive system and how they are adapted to digest food.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Major organs of the human digestive system and the order in which food moves through them.
- The functions of the organs, tissues and glands of the digestive system and how they are adapted to break down food.
- Food that cannot be digested is passed out of the body as faeces.
Keywords
Digestion - Digestion is the process of breaking down food into substances that can be absorbed into the blood.
Digestive system - The digestive system is a collection of organs that break down food.
Gland - A gland is a tissue or an organ that produces chemicals.
Adaptation - An adaptation is a feature that helps an organism to function and survive.
Fibre - Fibre bulks up food so it can be moved through the digestive system more easily.
Common misconception
The role of the stomach is often misunderstood as the main or only place where digestion occurs.
The lesson explores the roles of the stomach and the intestines in digesting food and absorbing nutrients.
To help you plan your year 8 science lesson on: The parts of the human digestive system, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 science lesson on: The parts of the human digestive system, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 3 science lessons from the Human digestive system unit, dive into the full secondary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
tissue
organ
organ system
chewing
digesting
digesting and absorbing
Exit quiz
6 Questions
rolls food around
churns food to break it into smaller pieces
rings of muscle contract and push food through
villi increase the surface area for faster absorption