The International School of Elite Education

Key Stage 2- Year 5 February 2022

Science Department
Name: ………………………… Class: ……………… Date: …………………….
Human digestive system study guide
Digestion

The food we eat must be broken down into more simple substances that our bodies can use.
This is called digestion.

Without digestion, we could not absorb food into our bodies and use it to make energy.

Digestion happens in the digestive system. This is a series of organs that break the food down
so it can be absorbed into our blood.

The digestive system consists of the parts of the body that work together to turn food and
liquids into the building blocks and fuel that the body needs.
There are 2 types of digestion:
Mechanical Digestion: The physical state of food is changed (turns into smaller pieces or a
dough). Mechanical digestion involves movement of the organ
a. Mouth chewing.
b. Stomach churning.

Chemical Digestion: The chemical state of food is changed. It turns into other substances,
Chemical digestion involves liquids, acids, or gastric juices
a. Mouth saliva.
b. Stomach Hydrochloric acid, bile.
c. Small intestine (receives juices from liver and pancreas)

Digestive system organs

When you do eat, the saliva breaks down the chemicals in the food a bit, which helps make

the food mushy and easy to swallow. Your tongue helps out, pushing the food around while

you chew with your teeth. When you're ready to swallow, the tongue pushes a tiny bit of

mushed-up food called a bolus toward the back of your throat and into the opening of your

esophagus, the second part of the digestive tract which is the stomach.
1-Mouth: Digestion begins here. Mechanical and chemical digestion occurs here.
2-Esophagus: A muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. Peristalsis: muscle
contractions that "push" the food down the esophagus till it reaches the stomach
3-Stomach: Stretchy sack that holds food. Mechanical and chemical digestion occurs here, it
has hydrochloric acid that kills germs and bacteria in the food.
4-Liver: Bile is created here. Bile helps to break down food in the small intestine. Largest organ
in the body.
5-Gall bladder: stores bile until it is needed.
6-Small Intestines: Nutrients are absorbed and passed to the blood.
7-Large Intestines: Water is absorbed.
8-Pancreas: Produces digestive juices which helps to break down sugar in the body.
9-Salivary glands: produce saliva the liquid in your mouth, it helps in the chemical digestion in
the mouth.
10-Rectum: final straight portion of the large intestine where waste is stored.
11-Anus: Where waste leaves the body.