CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY SCIENCE 5 UNIT 4: THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Name ___________________________________ Date _____________

Language worksheet 1
Vocabulary building
Write the correct word for each of the following descriptions:
1 The part of the digestive system where digestion starts: _____________________
2 The part of the digestive system that mixes food with digestive juices: _____________________
3 The part of the digestive system that pushes food down into the stomach: _____________________
4 The part of the digestive system that absorbs water and some minerals back into the blood:
_____________________

5 Undigested food material leaves the body here: _____________________

6 The part of the digestive system that breaks food down into very tiny particles to complete
digestion: _____________________
7 The liquid found in the mouth that softens food and contains a digestive juice:
_____________________

8 Eating the correct types and amounts of different foods: _____________________

9 The food group we should eat to give us energy: _____________________
10 The food group that builds our bodies and makes us grow: _____________________

Cambridge Primary Science 5 – Fiona Baxter & Liz Dilley © Cambridge University Press 2021 1
 CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY SCIENCE 5 UNIT 4: THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Name ___________________________________ Date _____________

Language worksheet 2
Language development
Read about vitamins and minerals, then answer the questions.
Our body needs vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. Vitamins and minerals come from the
foods we eat. Vitamins and minerals don’t provide energy, they help your body work properly
to stay healthy. Each vitamin or mineral helps your body in different ways. The vitamins are:
A, B, C, D, E and K. Some of the minerals we need are iron, calcium and zinc.
Long ago, people did not know very much about vitamins and why we need them. For
example, sailors who went on long sea voyages had no fresh food for months. They often got
a disease called scurvy. The sailors with scurvy got sores on their bodies, their blood vessels
became weak and sometimes burst and their teeth fell out. The sailors became very weak
and many sailors died of scurvy.
Today we know that the sailors got scurvy because they did not eat enough fresh foods that
contain vitamin C. Fruits, such as oranges and limes, and green vegetables, such as cabbage
and kale, contain Vitamin C. Vitamin C keeps our gums, blood vessels and skin healthy.
Vitamin B is actually a group of vitamins. These vitamins help your body to get the
energy out of carbohydrates, fats and proteins we eat. Vitamin A is good for our eyes
and for helping us to not become ill. Vitamin B also helps with growth and making
healthy blood. Vitamin D helps the body absorb the calcium we need for strong bones
and teeth. Our body makes Vitamin D when we are out in the sun. Vitamin E helps
protect your cells. Vitamin K helps your blood and bones.
Minerals help our body to work at its best. We need calcium for strong bones and teeth.
Iron keeps our red blood cells healthy. Zinc helps wounds to heal.

1 a Where do we get the vitamins and minerals our body needs?

___________________________________________________________________________________

b Suggest another way we can get these vitamins and minerals.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Cambridge Primary Science 5 – Fiona Baxter & Liz Dilley © Cambridge University Press 2021 2
 CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY SCIENCE 5 UNIT 4: THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

2 Decide if each of these statements about vitamins and minerals is true or false.
a We need to eat a variety of foods to get all the vitamins and
minerals we need. ___________________
b Vitamins store energy. ___________________
c Vitamins and minerals are the same thing. ___________________
d Vitamins and minerals help to prevent diseases. ___________________

3 a Name the disease that sailors long ago used to get.

___________________________________________________________________________________

b Why did they get the disease?

___________________________________________________________________________________

c If you were a sea captain from long ago, which food would you take with you to stop
the sailors from getting scurvy?

___________________________________________________________________________________

4 Which vitamins and minerals do we need:

a to keep our circulatory system healthy? ___________________
b for strong, healthy bones? ___________________

Cambridge Primary Science 5 – Fiona Baxter & Liz Dilley © Cambridge University Press 2021 3