KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Teacher Candidate: Rachel Barber and Heather Lee Date: 11/1/15
Time: 60 min
Cooperating Teacher: Krista Varano
Coop. Initials: K.V.
Group Size: 24
Grade Level: 3rd
Subject or Topic: Science - Digestion
Section: 205
STANDARD: (PA Standards):

10.1.3.B: Identify and know the location and function of the major body organs
and systems.
-circulatory
-respiratory
-muscular
-skeletal
-digestive

I. Performance Objectives:
The third grade students will explain how the digestive system works by creating
a model of the digestive system.

II. Instructional Materials:

Smartboard
24 Ziploc baggies
12 1 liter Sierra Mist bottle
2 boxes of saltine crackers
24 cups
Napkins
24 pencils/erasers
StoryJumper book- Digestion by Jordan Glowacki
The Digestive System Article
24 fill-in the notes worksheet
24 digestive system foldable notes
YouTube video- Digestive System
Trays
24 observation worksheets
24 science journals

III. Subject Matter/ Content

A. Prerequisite skills:
o Students should be familiar with the parts and the function of the
digestive system.
B. Key Vocabulary:
o Salivary glands glands in the mouth that produce a liquid called
saliva.

o Saliva a liquid produced by the salivary glands that moistens

and softens food for digestion

o Esophagus a tube leading from the mouth to the stomach.

o Hypothesis a scientific guess based on prior knowledge

o Stomach an organ in the digestive system that breaks down
food.
o Digestive juices liquid produced by the stomach that helps in
breaking down food.
o Chyme the mixture of food and digestive juices in the stomach.
o Small intestine a long tube of muscle and tissue that breaks
down and absorbs food.
o Large intestine a wide tube of muscle and tissue that removes
water from undigested food and fiber.
o Digestion- process of breaking food up in to particles that are
small enough to be absorbed by cells. Includes both mechanical
and chemical breakdown.
o Enzymes- specialized proteins that speed up chemical reactions;
control virtually every process in cells.

o Stomach- stores food, churns/mixes food, begins chemical

digestion of protein; secretes acid to kill bacteria and foster
protein digestion; secretes a layer of mucus to protect itself from
acid.

C. Big Idea:
o Third grade students will learn about the digestive system.
D. Content:
o 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.
IV. Implementation:
A. Introduction
1. The teacher will say, All week we have been learning about nutrition
and ways to stay healthy. Today we are going to be learning about the
digestive system.
2. The teacher will ask the class, Does anyone know what the digestive
system is?
a. The teacher will say, The digestive system is responsible for
breaking down food we eat into smaller components so that
nutrients can be easily absorbed by the body.
3. After the small discussion, the teacher will say, Now I am going to
read a short story about digestion on StoryJumper.
a. When the story is over, the teacher will ask the class, When
Jose swallowed the food, where did it go?
b. The teacher will say, The food made its way down the
esophagus and then to the stomach.
B. Development
1. The teacher will say to the class, Your digestive system breaks down
food so your bodys cells can use it to make energy. Digestionfirst
begins in your mouth.
2. The teacher will ask the class, Does anyone know the two types of
digestion?
a. The teacher will say, There are two types of digestion,
mechanical and chemical. Mechanical digestion is the physical
breakdown of large pieces of food into smaller pieces through,
chewing. While chemical digestion uses enzymes to break
down the food mass into small molecules which the body can
separate and use.

3. Now the teacher will show a video on YouTube that talks more about
the digestive system and its organs.
a. When the video is over, the teacher will ask the class, What
organs does the digestive system include?
b. The teacher will say, The digestive systems includes the
mouth, esophagus, liver, stomach, large intestine and small
intestine.
4. After the small discussion, the teacher will put The Digestive
System article on the projector.
5. The teacher will say, Now boys and girls, please look at the fill-in
notes worksheet. You have to follow along while I read this article and
fill in the notes.
6. When everyone has completed the worksheet, the teacher will hand
out trays to each group with the following materials: napkins, cups,
Sierra Mist bottle, saltine crackers, and Ziploc bags.
7. When every group has received the materials, the teacher will hand the
observation worksheet.
8. The teacher will say, Now class we are going to do an experiment!
Everyone please put 3 crackers in the Ziploc bags.
9. When every student has put 3 crackers in the Ziploc bags, the teacher
will say, Now please crush up the crackers with your hands. When
you are finished answer the first and second question on the
observation worksheet.
a. Question 1: What does the Ziploc bag represent? (The bag is
like the stomach.)
b. Question 2: What do the smashed crackers represent? (The
smashed crackers represent mechanical digestion or chewing.)
10. When everyone has finished answering the first and second questions,
the teacher will say, Now please add a small amount of Sierra Mist to
the Ziploc bag. When you pour the soda into the Ziploc bag, observe
what happens for a few moments.
11. The teacher will then say, After observing what happens when you
pour the soda into the bag, start to squish and squeeze the crackers
with your hands.
12. The teacher will tell the students to answer the third and fourth
questions on the worksheet now.
a. Question 3: What happened when you poured the Sierra Mist
into the Ziploc bag? (It started to bubble and this represents the
digestive juices.)
b. Question 4: What happened to the cracker? (It turned to liquid
and now it is ready to be absorbed into the small intestine.)
13. When all the students finish the observation worksheet, the class is
going to have a small discussion.

C. Closure
1. The teacher will review the observation worksheet with the class.
2. The teacher will say, Like the soda, your stomach is a very acidic
environment. The acid eats away at the food and breaks it down in
order to send it on to the intestines.
3. The teacher will tell the students to take out their science notebook and
write two things they learned today.
4. When all the students are finished writing, the teacher will say, Eating
healthy foods that have protein and nutrients help keep our digestive
system healthy and keep the rest of our organs functioning and healthy
too!

D. Accommodations / Differentiation
Kim who gets distracted easily will sit at the front of the classroom by
the teacher. She will also get a copy of The Digestive System
Article.
E. Assessment/Evaluation plan 1. Formative: The observation worksheet and the fill-in notes
worksheet.
2. Summative: Students will take the Unit Test.

V. Reflective Response:
A. Report of Students Performance in Terms of States Objectives (Reflection on
students performance written after lesson is taught)
Remediation Plan:

B. Personal Reflection

How could I make this lesson more interesting?

Did my students fully understand the topic?

VI. Resources:
Digestive System. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnzwbipJuAA

Digestion. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2015, from

https://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/19160528/Digestion#page/6

Digestive System Foldable Note Catcher. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2015, from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Digestive-System-Foldable-NoteCatcher-1613211