Science 8

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

(LAS)

Explain ingestion,
absorption, assimilation, and
excretion.
 Learning Activity Sheet (LAS)
SCIENCE 8 Quarter 4 Week 1
Prepared by Rafaela B. Salceda
Name Sec. Date

I. LEARNING SKILLS
MELC: Explain ingestion, absorption, assimilation, and excretion. (S8LT-IVa-13)

Objectives:
1. Identify the parts and function of the body that is involved in the digestion of food.
2. Discuss how digestive system breaks down food to nourish the body.
3. Explain ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation, and excretion.

II. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT

Most of the materials that you eat cannot be used immediately by your body, thus it must be
broken down into usable form for it to be used by the cells. The breaking down of food into
nutrients is called digestion. This process is carried out by your digestive system. Once food is
broken down and converted into nutrients, the nutrients are carried to all the cells of the body by
the blood. The nutrients in the cell are used to provide energy and the raw materials for cell
growth and repair.

III. ACTIVITIES
A. Activity 1: What am I?
Directions: Name the organs shown below and match the function of each of the organs identified.

Organ/ part of the Name of the Organ/ part Function/s

digestive system of the digestive system
1 A Receives food from the esophagus; it is
where most of the digestion of food occurs.

2 B Store’s bile that emulsifies fats

3 C chiefly involved in the digestion and

absorption of nutrients

4 D These are small finger-like projections located

in the walls of the small intestine. Their
function is to increase the surface area to
maximize the absorption of digested food.
5 E Absorb water and mineral salts from the
undigested food material

6 F Aid in the digestion of food by producing

alkaline, greenish -yellow liquid containing
bile salts and bile pigments called bile.

7 G It acts as a passageway for food on its way to

the stomach and for air en route to the lungs.

8 H It is where the digestive process starts;

contain salivary glands that make saliva; a
digestive juice that moistens food, so it
moves more easily in the esophagus

9 I It functions primarily as a transport tube that

directs the progression of food and fluids
from the mouth to the stomach.

10 J It produces the correct chemicals in the proper

quantities, at the right times, to digest the
foods we eat.
WHAT IS THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM?

The digestive system is made up of the

gastrointestinal tract—also called the GI tract or
digestive tract—and the liver, pancreas, and
gallbladder. The GI tract is a series of hollow
organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the
mouth to the anus. The hollow organs that make
up the GI tract are the mouth, esophagus, stomach,
small intestine, large intestine, and anus. The liver,
pancreas, and gallbladder are the solid organs of
the digestive system.

The small intestine has three parts. The

first part is called the duodenum. The jejunum is in
the middle and the ileum is at the end. The large
intestine includes the appendix, cecum, colon, and
rectum. The appendix is a finger- shaped pouch
attached to the cecum. The cecum is the first part
of the large intestine. The colon is next. The
rectum is the end of the large intestine.

WHY IS DIGESTION IMPORTANT?

Digestion is important because your body needs nutrients from food and drink to work properly and
stay healthy. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water are nutrients. Your digestive system
breaks nutrients into parts small enough for your body to absorb and use for energy, growth, and cell repair.
 Proteins break into amino acids.
 Fats break into fatty acids and glycerol
 Carbohydrates break into simple sugars.

HOW DOES THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM WORKS?

The digestion of food in mammals involves two distinct processes: physical digestion and chemical
digestion. Physical digestion is the mechanical breakdown of food into smaller particles. This occurs in the
mouth when you chew your food your food and, in the stomach, where continual contractions and
relaxations of the muscles in the stomach wall cause a churning action, which mixes and breaks up food
particles. Physical digestion increases the surface area of the ingested food, enabling digestive enzymes to
act on it more efficiently. Chemical digestion is the breakdown of the large molecules, such as proteins,
starch and fats contained in the food, into small, soluble molecules.
The digestion of food can also be divided into four (4) major stages/ phases – ingestion, absorption,
assimilation, and excretion.
Ingestion
Obtaining nutrition and energy from food is a multi-step process. The large molecules
found in food cannot pass through the cell membranes, thus it must be broken into
smaller particles so that animals can harness the nutrients and organic molecules. The
first step is ingestion, a process where food is taken in through the mouth and
broken down by teeth and saliva. Once in the mouth, the teeth, saliva, and tongue
play important roles in
mastication (preparing the food into bolus). Mastication, or
chewing, is an extremely important part of the digestive
process, especially for fruits and vegetables, as these have
indigestible cellulose coats which must be physically broken
down. Also, digestive enzymes only work on the surfaces of
food particles, so the smaller the particle, the more efficient the
digestive process. While the food is being mechanically broken
down, the enzymes in saliva (salivary amylase- breaks down
carbohydrates to simple sugar) begin to chemically process the
food as well. The combined action of these processes modifies
the food from large particles to a soft mass that can be
swallowed
and can
travel
the length of the esophagus. When you swallow, your
tongue pushes the food into your throat. A small flap
of tissue, called the epiglottis, folds over your
windpipe to prevent choking and the food passes into
your esophagus. Once you begin swallowing, the
process becomes automatic. Your brain signals the
muscles of the esophagus and peristalsis begins.

Digestion

Once the partially digested food enters the stomach, it will

stimulate the gastric glands to secrete gastric juice into the
stomach cavity. While the food is in the stomach, it undergoes
both physical and chemical digestion. Peristalsis in the stomach
wall churns the food and mixes it well with gastric juice. These
attack the food in a chemical way, breaking down and dissolving
its nutrients.
Gastric juice is dilute solution of hydrochloric acid and
enzyme pepsin. Thick, slippery mucus coats and protects
your stomach wall from eroding. The diluted hydrochloric acid stops the action of the salivary amylase. It
also provides a slightly acidic medium suitable for the action of the gastric enzymes, such as when pepsin
breaks some of the complex proteins into simpler proteins and amino acids. It also kills germs and certain
potential parasites.
The food normally remains in your stomach for about three to six hours. The partly digested food
becomes liquified, forming chyme, which passes in small amounts into the duodenum (first part of the small
intestine). The stomach joins the small intestine, through a muscular valve called the pyloric sphincter.
When this valve contracts, the entrance to the small intestine closes and when it relaxes, the entrance opens,
allowing food to pass into the small intestine. The following are some of the digestive enzymes that helps
break down food.
Table 1: Some Digestive Enzymes
Digestive Juice Source Digestive Enzyme Works on Changes it to

Saliva Salivary Ptyalin (salivary Starch Complex sugars

glands amylase) and mucin
Gastric Juice Gastric glands Pepsin Proteins Simple proteins
in the stomach

Pancreatic Pancreas Pancreatic amylase Starch Complex sugars

Juice Trypsin Proteins Simple proteins
Lipase Fats Fatty acids and
glycerol
Intestinal Intestinal Lactase, maltase, sucrase Complex sugars Simple sugars
glands in the
small intestine Peptidase Simple proteins Amino acids
Lipase Fats Fatty acids and
glycerol

Absorption

Digested molecules of food are absorbed through the small intestine. The walls of the small intestine
contain many folds that
are lined up with tiny fingerlike
protrusions called villi. These villi
are in turn covered with even
smaller protrusions called
microvilli. These structures increase
the surface area through which
nutrients are absorbed. During
absorption, these nutrients pass
through the
walls of the intestine and into the bloodstream where they get
transported to the different parts of the body. It is then assimilated by the
cells.

Assimilation
Assimilation is the process of transport and use of absorbed
nutrients or where nutrients are taken from the blood and into the cells.
Sugars or carbohydrates are converted into glycogen and stored in the
liver and is carried through the bloodstream. Glucose
is used by all cells for energy production. Amino acids are converted into protoplasm and it repairs parts or
tissues of the body. Fats are brought to the liver to be oxidized
or stored.

Excretion/ Elimination
The final step in digestion is the elimination of undigested food
content and waste products. After food passes through the small intestine,
the undigested food material enters the colon, where most of the water is
reabsorbed. Waste is moved through the colon by peristaltic movements of
the muscle and is stored in the rectum. The rectum expands in response to
the storage of fecal matter; neural
signals are triggered, and the waste is eliminated from the anus by peristaltic movements of the rectum.
B. ACIVITY 2 – The Journey of Food
Directions: Trace the path taken by the food once it entered the mouth by drawing an arrow on the given
illustration. Color and label the parts and explain the stages/ phases of digestion.

Stages/ Phases of Digestion

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.
Assessment (Digestive System)
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE: Choose the correct answer and write its letter on the space provided.

Ans. No. Question Ans No. Question

1 What is mainly absorbed in the large 6 When feces are passed out of the
intestine? body, it is called:
A. water B. proteins A. ingestion C. indigestion
B. fiber D. undigested food B. egestion D. digestion
2 Where is most digested food absorbed? 7 Where is bile produced?
A. in the large intestine A. anus C. liver
B. in the small intestine B. stomach D. gall bladder
C. in the liver
D. in the stomach

3 What is produced when proteins are 8 What gives the small intestine a
digested? large surface area?
A. sugars A. rich blood supply
B. fatty acids & glycerol B. its length
C. amino acids C. thin walls
D. All of the above D. villi
4 What does lipase digest? 9 The major movement of food
A. carbohydrates C. Fats through the GI tract is called.
B. proteins D. vitamins A. peristalsis C. chewing
B. swallowing D. segmentation
5 Where does digestion start? 10 How does food move through
A. mouth C. esophagus your digestive tract?
B. stomach D. intestine A. By gravity
B. By wavelike muscle
contractions
C. By cilia
D. By chemical absorption

II. Sequencing events: Order the stages of digestion. Write numbers 1 to 6 on the space provided.

The food is mixed with gastric juices in the stomach.

The feces are expelled through the rectum.
In the mouth, the teeth crush the food, and it is mixed with saliva.
In the small intestine, the food mixes with bile from the liver and the nutrients and vitamins are
absorbed.
The food passes down the esophagus and into the stomach.
The remains of the food are transformed into feces in the large intestine.

III. Complete the flow chart below to show the digestive system. Choose from the given parts/ organs
below.

Large rectum mouth Small esophagus stomach

intestine intestine
IV. Write the name of each process and order them by writing 1 to 5 under each process/ stage on the first
row and the process/stage on the second row.
Excretion Ingestion Absorption Assimilation Excretion

The small
intestine absorbs The mouth, the
esophagus and The large
nutrients from intestine and The transport
the food. From the stomach all
help our body The taking in rectum and use of
the small of food in the transform the absorbed
intestine, the digest the food
we eat. mouth. undigested nutrients.
nutrients go into solids into
your blood. feces.

KEY TO CORRECTION Q4W1-Biology

Organ/ part of Name of the Organ/ Function/s
the digestive part of the digestive
system system
1 LARGE A Receives food from the esophagus; it is where most of the
INTESTINE digestion of food occurs.
E
2 STOMACH B Store’s bile that emulsifies fats
A

3 LIVER C chiefly involved in the digestion and absorption of

F nutrients
4 MOUTH D These are small finger-like projections located in
H the walls of the small intestine. Their function is to
increase the surface area to maximize the absorption of
digested food.
5 SMALL E Absorb water and mineral salts from the undigested food
INTESTINE material
C
6 ESOPHAGUS F Aid in the digestion of food by producing alkaline,
I greenish -yellow liquid containing bile salts and bile
pigments called bile.
7 PANCREAS G It acts as a passageway for food on its way to the stomach
J and for air en route to the lungs.
8 GALL H It is where the digestive process starts; contain salivary
BALLDER glands that make saliva; a digestive juice that moistens
B food, so it moves more easily in the esophagus

9 PHARYNX I It functions primarily as a transport tube that directs the

G progression of food and fluids from the mouth to the
stomach.
10 VILLI J It produces the correct chemicals in the proper quantities,
D at the right times, to digest the foods we eat.
B.
A B C D E F G H I J K L
Mout Phar Esopha Stoma Small Large Rectu An Salivary Li Gall Pancr
h ynx gus ch intesti intesti m us glands v bladd eas
ne ne (parotid er er
&
sublingu
al)
1. INGESTION – intake of food
2. DIGESTION – breaking down of food so that it can be absorbed by the body.
3. ABSORPTION – process of absorbing food in the form of nutrients into the blood stream of the
body.
4. ASSIMILATION – the process of nutrients being absorbed by each cell of the body in the form of
energy.
5. EXCRETION/ EGESTION/ ELIMINATION – secretion of waste, unwanted and excess
substances from the body after the food has been digested.

ASSESSMENT (Digestive System)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
A B B C A B C D A B
II. Sequencing events: Order the stages of digestion. Write numbers 1 to 6 on the space provided.
3 The food is mixed with gastric juices in the stomach.
6 The feces are expelled through the rectum.
1 In the mouth, the teeth crush the food, and it is mixed with saliva.
4 In the small intestine, the food mixes with bile from the liver and the nutrients and vitamins are
absorbed.
2 The food passes down the esophagus and into the stomach.
5 The remains of the food are transformed into feces in the large intestine.

III. Complete the flow chart below to show the digestive system. Choose from the given parts/ organs
below.
Large rectum mouth Small esophagus stomach
intestine intestine
Small Large
Mouth esophagus stomach intestine intestine Rectum

IV. Write the name of each process and order them.

The small
intestine absorbs The mouth, the
The large
nutrients from esophagus and
intestine and The transport
the food. From the stomach all
The taking in rectum and use of
the small help our body
of food in the transform the absorbed
intestine, the digest the food
mouth. undigested nutrients.
nutrients go into we eat.
solids into
your blood. feces.

3 2 1 5 4
Absorption Digestion Ingestion Excretion Assimilation
B. Activity 2: The Journey of Food inside the digestive system

Salivary glands (parotid/ sublingual)

Mouth
Pharynx

Esophagus

Liver Stomach

Pancreas
Gall bladder
Small intestine

Large intestine

Rectum

Anus

References:

https://www.news-medical.net/health/Common-Causes-of-Stomach-Ache.aspx
https://www.slideteam.net/business_powerpoint_diagrams/83685393-style-medical-1-digestive-
owerpointhic https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffanyv88.com%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fwww.sciencephoto.com%2Fmedia
%2F8 62051%2Fview%2Fintestinal-villi-illustration&psig=AOvVaw1JXNzZ9kbMNhmzP
https://teaching.ncl.ac.uk/bms/wiki/index.php/Villi
https://www.pinterest.com
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1829-the-human-digestive-system https://www.quiznext.in
Ramos, J.D. (2006), Exploring Life Through Science- Biology. Phoenix Publishing House. 927 Quezon
Avenue, Quezon City

rafffybsalceda@LASQ4W1DigestiveSystem21