| Grade Level | ||
| Standards | Inquiry Skills | |
| Students will design and conduct scientific investigations | ||
| Students will communicate scientific procedures and explanations | ||
| Human Anatomy And Physiology Content | ||
| Students will understand how the digestive system receives, modifies, and absorbs food, and eliminates solid wastes | ||
| Objectives | To explain and perform an inquiry experiment based on peristalsis and its role in the esophagus. |
| Materials and Activities | |
| Engage | How can astronauts eat in space without gravity? Brainstorm and write suggestions on board? |
| Explore | Students get in
groups of three and each predicts if he or she will be able to eat a cracker
while hanging upside down. Then, take the class to the bars in the gym
or outside as available and take turns eating a cracker while hanging
upside down. The other two "partners make observations.
The eater also describes what happens in the written observations. |
| Elaborate | Have the students stand in a straight line and perform a human wave by throwing their arms up in consecutive order. Ask them to compare the human wave to peristalsis and explain it to their lab partners. Check for understanding. |
| Evaluation | For homework, students should describe and map out what has happened to the burrito from the time it entered the mouth until it reached the bottom of the esophagus. Ensure that students know the anatomy and physiology of the oral cavity, pharynx, and esophagus. |
Teacher notes/reminders: This is the third lesson in a series of 6 utilizing an inquiry-based model. The lessons are:
1. The Digestive travels of a Burrito
2. Where Does a Burrito Go First?
3. How does Swallowing Effect the Burrito?
4. How Many Burritos Does a Stomach Hold?
5. What If That Burrito Was Bad?
6. Do Cows Eat Burritos?
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