table of contentsTABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ........................................................................................ I

Objectives ....................................................................................... VII

Teaching Suggestions and Additional Activities ....................... VIII

Research and Standards ................................................................ XI

Digestive System

Student Lesson .............................................................................. 1

Activity Sheets ............................................................................... 7

Excretory System

Student Lesson ............................................................................ 12

Activity Sheets ............................................................................. 18

Health Issues

Student Lesson ............................................................................ 21

Activity Sheets ............................................................................. 26

Review

Review Sheets ............................................................................. 29

Assessments

Quizzes ........................................................................................ 36

Unit Test ....................................................................................... 43

Answer Key ..................................................................................... 50

introductionINTRODUCTION

As growing and maturing individuals, adolescents must be prepared to

care for themselves independently after graduation from high school. A

basic understanding of their bodies and how they work is an important

step in the process of moving from dependence to independence.

Learning about the body systems, particularly how they interact and

affect each other, enables students to better care for themselves and

their health.

The five binders that comprise the revised Know Your Body series now

cover ten basic systems of the human body and include updated

information. Each binder is considered a unit in the series and completely

discusses two closely related systems. Students label, organize, categorize,

associate, and relate terms and functions of these systems through various

activities. A new section in each binder, Health Issues, addresses health

topics related to each system, such as how to treat common illnesses and

when to seek a doctor’s advice.

Originally conceived by LD specialist Ellen McPeek Glissan, Know Your

Body has been specifically written for struggling readers and students

with learning disabilities. It is also appropriate for English language

learners and adult learners. For this revision, contributing author Debra

J. Weltha has written material that meets the unique needs of struggling

and reluctant learners. A certified secondary science teacher and special

education teacher, she has combined solid science concepts in the

lessons with high-interest activities. While the reading level has been

kept low, the material is presented in an age-appropriate fashion.

Detailed illustrations help readers comprehend complex concepts.

Ultimately, the Know Your Body series provides learners with important

functional knowledge and helps them master concepts tested on

high-stakes assessments.

I

Student Lessons

The first three sections all begin with a

student lesson that discusses important

points and highlights interesting facts. The

two system lessons begin with a labeled

diagram of the system being studied. On

the first page, important vocabulary words

used in the lesson are presented with

simple definitions. Then, to increase

students’ comprehension of the lesson,

two pre-reading activities are provided.

The first activity summarizes major points

students will learn in the lesson. The second activity asks students to

make personal connections to the content by posing several “Have You

Ever” questions.

Lessons are deliberately kept short and contain easy-to-understand

sentence constructions. In general, the reading level is 3.0–5.0. However,

key science vocabulary is retained. As various parts of the system are

discussed, appropriate drawings and diagrams are presented to illustrate

important facts and concepts. These visuals help students better understand

the text and increase the interest level.

III

Activity SheetsThree or more reproducible

activity sheets accompany

each lesson. Each of these

activities has been carefully

designed to reinforce student

learning of the objectives

while providing a variety of

formats. Many activities tap

into residual skills such as

organizing, categorizing,

reasoning, and analytical

thinking. Worksheets can be

used as individual assignments or as

collaborativeactivities for partners or small groups.

Review Sheets

Reproducible worksheets

that review key information

about the digestive and

excretory systems are also

included. These sheets help

prepare students for quizzes

and unit tests.

IV

Quizzes and Unit TestsTwo levels of assessment

are provided for measuring

mastery of the objectives.

Quizzes test key concepts

from each lesson. The unit

test covers all of the material

in the binder.

Two different types of quizzes

are included: fill-in-the-blank

and multiple-choice. Teachers

can choose the type of assessment that best fits their students’ needs.

Alternatively, one type of quiz can be used as a pretest and the other

as a posttest.

There are two forms of the unit test, each with two distinct parts. Form A

includes word banks and fill-in-the-blank test items in part one. Part 1

of Form B asks students to choose and circle the correct answer from two

possible choices. Part 2 of both Forms A and B requires students to label

diagrams of the digestive and excretory systems as well as identify the

parts of each system. Teachers should administer the form that best fits

their students’ abilities.

V

Form A, Part 1Form B, Part 1

Part 2

Answer Key

An answer key for every activity sheet, review sheet, and quiz, as well as

for the unit test, is provided in the back of the binder.

VI

objectives

VII

OBJECTIVES

After completing this unit in the Know Your Body series, students will be

able to

• explain the purpose of the digestive system.

• identify the body parts that make up the digestive system.

• specify the path food takes through the body.

• explain the importance of peristalsis to the digestive system.

• describe how the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas work with the

digestive system.

• describe how the digestive and excretory systems work together.

• explain the purpose of the excretory system.

• name the four main organs of the excretory system.

• explain how the kidneys and lungs remove waste products from

the bloodstream.

• name the two important jobs of the skin as part of the

excretory system.

• explain how to treat common intestinal problems.

• identify three common eating disorders.

• explain why eating disorders are also mental health issues.

suggestions activitiesTEACHING SUGGESTIONS AND ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Teaching Suggestions

• This binder is designed to be a complete unit with basic information on

the digestive and excretory systems.

• Science is best taught in an interactive manner. Please read and discuss

the material as a class whenever possible.

• While the text maintains a 3.0–5.0 reading level in general, critical

science terminology has been included and raises the technical reading

level of the text. Scientific terms are highlighted and defined at the

beginning of each lesson. When teaching and reviewing the vocabulary,

use a variety of interactive activities to help students better comprehend

the text. For example:

a. Divide the class into two teams. Give a definition to one team.

The team must correctly identify and spell the vocabulary word.

Continue to give definitions to that team until a word is incorrectly

identified or spelled. Then, give the second team a turn at

receiving definitions. Teams receive a point for each correct

answer. The game ends after all the vocabulary words have been

matched to definitions or after a predetermined number of points

has been reached by one team.

b. Create bingo cards using a 5 x 5 grid. Label the rows 1, 2, 3, 4,

and 5. Label the columns A, B, C, D, and E. Distribute one bingo

card to each student. Read a definition and a grid location.

Instruct students to write the correct vocabulary word in the

correct grid location. The first student who completes a row

or column wins the game.

c. Play a game of vocabulary charades. Assign each vocabulary

word to a different pair of students, and have the partners

illustrate the word’s meaning on an overhead transparency.

VIII

Then, provide time for each pair to show its transparency to

the class. Ask the class to guess which vocabulary word is

being illustrated. The presenting pair may not speak or give

hints to the class.

• Do a variety of high-interest, hands-on activities so students will learn

that science can be fun.

• Use hand motions and “silly” things to help students remember

important facts. (Peristalsis, for example, can be easily shown by

pretending to squeeze a balloon with your fingers.)

• Watch for cartoons and articles in the newspaper that can be used to

show that the different systems of the human body do have an effect

on everyday life.

Additional Activities for Digestive and Excretory Systems

1. Ask students to keep track of the food they eat for one week. Have

students bring in their lists to discuss the nutrients provided by the

foods they ate. Then, ask the following questions:

• Are they eating a balanced diet?

• Are they eating too much of one kind of food?

• Are they eating too little of one kind of food?

2. Have students bring in a can, box, or package of their favorite food.

Make a class chart showing the foods and the nutrients they contain.

3. Ask a physician to speak to the class to explain the different

substances that can be tested for in the urine.

4. To illustrate how enzymes work, start with two glasses of water. Put sugar

into one and powdered starch into the other. Stir the two mixtures. The

sugar dissolves, but the starch does not. Add a powder called amylopsin

to the starch mixture. It will change the starch to sugar, so that it can

dissolve. The sugar that is formed is similar to glucose.

IX

Suggested Resources

A visual dictionary/encyclopedia of the human body is a useful companion

to the Know Your Body series. Such a resource will help provide answers

to additional questions. It is also a good way for students to see the details

of the body that are not covered in this program. The following books

are recommended:

William, Francis. (1997). Human Body. NY: Dorling Kindersley Ltd.

(part of the Inside Guides series).

Parker, Steve. (1992). Human Body. NY: Dorling Kindersley Ltd.

(part of the Eyewitness Explorers series).

Walls, Byrn. (1991). The Visual Dictionary of the Human Body.

NY: Dorling Kindersley, Ltd. (part of the Eyewitness Visual

Dictionaries series).

X

research and standards

XI

RESEARCH AND STANDARDS

The amount of learning that takes place in content areas is directly related

to a student’s level of reading skills. In general, the better the reader is,

the higher the student achievement in the content area. Students with

below-grade-level reading skills often flounder when faced with complex

sentence structures. Vocabulary becomes a major deterrent to students’

mastery of the content when the words are presented with complicated

and lengthy definitions. As Sousa states, “The students’ lack of confidence

in reading can affect all their school work” (2001). In fact, scientific literacy

is now seen as a requirement for building scientific knowledge (Torres-

Velasquez and Rodriguez, 2005).

To meet the needs of these struggling secondary readers in science,

PCI has revised the Know Your Body series. Sentences have been

written using simple structures, and sentence length has been kept to a

minimum. Vocabulary words have been given clear and concise definitions.

Most importantly, lessons have been written so that reading comprehension

skills and science content intertwine. Explicit objectives for each lesson

are provided in “Things to Look For,” which helps students establish a

purpose for reading. Prior knowledge and predictions are elicited through

discussions of the “Terms to Know” and “Have You Ever” features on the

first page of each lesson (Dimino and Kolar, 1990). By combining these

metacognitive strategies, research has shown that reading comprehension,

both literal and inferential, can be significantly improved as shown by

scores on standardized assessments (Nolan, 1991).

In addition, the Know Your Body series meets the content standards for

middle school students set by the National Academy of Science. The

following are applicable points from Content Standard F:

“As a result of activities in grades 5–8, all students should develop [an]

understanding of personal health.”

“By middle school students begin to realize that illness can be caused by

various factors, such as . . . malfunctioning of organs and organ systems,

health habits, and environmental conditions. Students in grades 5–8 tend

to focus on physical more than mental health. They associate health with

food and fitness more than with other factors such as safety and substance

abuse. One very important issue for teachers in grades 5–8 is overcoming

students’ perceptions that most factors related to health are beyond

their control.”

“Developing a scientific understanding of health is the focus of this

standard. Healthy behaviors and other aspects of health education are

introduced in other parts of school programs.”

Dimino, J. and C. Kolar (1990, November). Using Frames to Improve At-Risk Students’ Comprehension in the Content Areas. http://searcheric.org/ericdb/ED331015.htm

The National Academy of Science. “National Science Education Standards: An Overview.” The National Academics Press, 2004. <http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/overview.html#content>

Nolan, Thomas E. (1991, October). Self-Questioning and Prediction: Combining Metacognitive Strategies. Journal of Reading, 35, 132-138.

Sousa, D. A. (2001). How the Special Needs Brain Learns. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Torres-Velasquez, D. and D. Rodriguez (2005). Mathematics & Science Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Paper delivered, CEC Convention, Baltimore, MD.

XII

R E P R O D U C I B L EP C I Know Your Body1

DigestiveDIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Digestive and Excretory Systems

Terms to Know• anus – an opening through which feces leave the body

• bile – a chemical made by the liver that helps digest greasy foods

• digestion – the way our bodies turn food into fuel

• enzymes – chemicals that help the body digest food

• epiglottis – a tiny flap of skin that covers the trachea

• esophagus – a muscular tube that leads from the mouth to the stomach

• feces – solid waste

• gallbladder – an organ that stores bile until it is needed by intestines

• glucose – the sugar the body needs to make energy

• large intestine – the short, wide tube that removes water from leftover waste

• liver – an organ that stores glucose and makes bile

• nutrients – substances that help the body grow

• pancreas – an organ that makes chemicals called pancreatic juices that help digest carbohydrates and sugars

• peristalsis – muscles squeezing and pushing to move food through the digestive system

• rectum – the lower part of the large intestine where feces are stored

• saliva – a liquid in the mouth that makes food soft and easier to swallow

• small intestine – the skinny tube that is 20 feet long and breaks down food into nutrients

• stomach – a J-shaped sac-like organ that changes chewed food into liquid

R E P R O D U C I B L EP C I Know Your Body2

Mouth

Esophagus

Liver

GallbladderPancreas

Stomach

Largeintestine

Smallintestine

Rectum

Things to Look For • The organs food moves through (in order)

• The chemicals needed for digestion

• What keeps food moving through the digestive system

Have You Ever …

• heard your

stomach rumble?

• had heartburn?

What did it feel like?

• eaten too much,

and then had a

stomachache?

Anus

Name_____________________________________________________ Date________________________

R E P R O D U C I B L EP C I Know Your Body7

digestiveDirections: Review the “Terms to Know” in the digestive system lesson.

Then, write the answer that fits each definition in the blanks.

1. chemical the helps digest greasy, fatty food __ __ __ __

2. the way our bodies turn food into fuel __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

3. flap of skin covering the trachea __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

4. tube that leads from the mouth to the stomach

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

5. muscles squeezing and pushing to move food through the

digestive system __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

6. scientific name for the liquid in the mouth __ __ __ __ __ __

7. J-shaped sac-like organ that changes chewed food into liquid

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

8. breaks food down into nutrients

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

9. removes water from leftover waste

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

10. solid waste __ __ __ __ __

11. organ that stores glucose and makes bile __ __ __ __ __

12. organ that stores bile __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

13. organ that makes chemicals to digest carbohydrates and sugar

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

DIGESTIVE DEFINITIONS

XxxxxxxxxxxDigestive and Excretory Systems

Name_____________________________________________________ Date________________________

R E P R O D U C I B L EP C I Know Your Body8

digestiveDirections: Review the digestive system lesson. Then, answer the questions.

1. List, in order, the seven major organs that move food through your

body. __________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

2. What is the job of the epiglottis? __________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

3. What carries nutrients from the small intestine to the other parts of your

body? _________________________________________________________

4. The gallbladder stores ______________________ until the body needs it.

5. The ___________________ pushes food around the mouth so it has a

chance to be chewed.

6. Undigested food becomes ______________________________________.

7. What is the liquid in your mouth called? ____________________________

8. Explain why the small intestine is called “small,” and the large intestine

is called “large.” ________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

9. Where does the real job of digestion take place?

_______________________________________________________________

10. Why is peristalsis important to your digestive system?

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

11. You can donate part of your liver to someone else without harming it.

Why is this possible? ____________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

12. Pancreatic juices help you digest _________________________________

and ___________________________________________________________.

ALL ABOUT THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

XxxxxxxxxxxDigestive and Excretory Systems

Name_____________________________________________________ Date________________________

R E P R O D U C I B L EP C I Know Your Body9

digestiveDIGEST-A-GRID

Directions: Use words and phrases from the word bank to complete the

sentences or answer the questions.

Word Bank

1. The walls of your _______________________________ are lined with

_______________________________ that squeeze food and digestive juices.

2. The flap that prevents food from entering the trachea is

the _______________________________.

3. Without _______________________________, food would not move

through the digestive system.

4. List two things that the chemicals in the stomach do.

_______________________________ ______________________________

5. What is one way that germs can get into your body?

_______________________________

XxxxxxxxxxxDigestive and Excretory Systems

20 feet

four to six hours

liver

peristalsis

stomach

you will get sick

break down food

gallbladder

muscles

removes water from waste

stores

digestive juices

helps digest greasy food

nutrients

small intestine

sugar

epiglottis

kill germs

pancreas

so it can get into your blood

with your food