Name: ___________________________________ Grade & Sec.

:_________ Score:_________
Teacher: __________________________________ Date:________________ Rating:_______

Activity 1
Part 1A. A Gutsy game
Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be able to:
1. identify the organs that make up the digestive system; and
2. describe the function of each organ.

Materials Needed:
game board (refer to following page)
a piece of die
tokens or playing pieces

Procedure:
1. Find a classmate with whom you can play the board game.

2. Choose a token for you and your classmate; place the tokens on the board’s
starting line.

Q1. The game you are about to play is an analogy of the digestive system. What do the
tokens represent?

3. Take turns rolling the die.

4. The number on the die determines how many spaces you will move your token.

Q2. What do the spaces on the board game represent?

5. Follow the directions -- if there is any -- on the space you land your token.

Q3. What do the directions on some of the spaces tell you about the digestive
system?

6. The player who first makes it all the way through the digestive system and down to
the finish line wins the game.
Name: ___________________________________ Grade & Sec.:_________ Score:_________
Teacher: __________________________________ Date:________________ Rating:_______

Activity 1
Part 1B. A Sweet break!
Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be able to:
1. describe the process of mechanical digestion; and
2. explain how the physical breaking down of food helps in its digestion.

Materials Needed:
two 100 mL beakers or clear containers
warm water
two pieces of candies (hard candies)
mortar and pestle
paper towel

Procedure:
1. Fill the two beakers with warm water. Make sure that the amount of water placed in
each glass is about the same. Label the glasses A and B.

2. Prepare two pieces of candies. Wrap a piece of candy in a paper towel and crush it
using a mortar and pestle or any hard object like a piece of wood.

3. Place one piece of candy into the glass of warm water labeled A and place the
crushed pieces of candy in the remaining glass of warm water labeled B.

4. Observe how long it takes for the whole candy in Glass A and the crushed pieces of
candy in Glass B to dissolve.

5. Record your observation.

Q5. How does crushing the candy to smaller pieces affect its dissolution?

Q6. What does crushing the candy represent in the process of digestion?

Conclusion:
Name: ___________________________________ Grade & Sec.:_________ Score:_________
Teacher: __________________________________ Date:________________ Rating:_______

Activity 2
How do enzymes affect digestion?
Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be able to:
1. explain how enzymes affect digestion; and
2. infer chemical changes in food as it undergoes chemical digestion.

Materials Needed:
a bar of gelatin or 1 tablespoonful of granulated gelatin
10 mL fresh pineapple juice
10 mL bromeliad leaf juice
water
measuring cup
spoon
100 mL graduated cylinder
10 mL graduated cylinder
3 droppers
3 Test tubes
test tube rack
markers
hot plate

Procedure:
1. Number and label the test tubes (1-water, 2-fresh pineapple juice, and 3-bromeliad
leaf juice).

2. Prepare a bar or one tablespoonful of granulated gelatin in the measuring cup

using 100 mL of boiling water.

3. Stir well with a spoon until the gelatin is dissolved.

4. Place 3 mL of water into test tube 1, 3 mL of fresh pineapple juice into test tube 2,
and 3 mL of Bromeliad leaf juice into test tube 3.

5. Add 10 mL of gelatin mixture to each test tube. Shake well to mix

thoroughly.

6. Refrigerate the samples overnight.

7. On Day 2, check the contents of each test tube for solidification of the contents.
Record your observations.
 Food undergoes physical and chemical change as it moves from one part of the
gastrointestinal tract to the other. Digestion makes the nutrients found in food
available to the different parts of the body for the organism’s nourishment and
overall wellness. In Activity 2, an enzyme called bromelain which is present in fresh
pineapple juice and in bromeliad plants is used to demonstrate digestion of proteins.

Q7. How did bromelain affect the protein in gelatin?

Q8. Which of your observations show this effect?

Q9. There are other kinds of enzymes in your digestive system. How do these
enzymes affect digestion?

Conclusion:
Name: ___________________________________ Grade & Sec.:_________ Score:_________
Teacher: __________________________________ Date:________________ Rating:_______

Activity 3
How does pH affect enzyme activity?
Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be able to:
1. describe the process of chemical digestion; and
2. explain how enzymes act as catalyst during digestion.

Materials Needed:
a bar of gelatin or 1 tablespoonful of granulated gelatin
10 mL fresh pineapple juice
10 mL bromeliad leaf juice
water
measuring cup
spoon
100 mL graduated cylinder
10 mL graduated
cylinder
3 droppers
3 Test tubes
test tube rack
markers
hot plate
1 M HCl
1 M NaOH

Procedure:
1. Label the test tubes (A – acid, B – base, C – control <water>)

2. Prepare a bar or one tablespoonful of granulated gelatin in the measuring cup

using 100 mL of boiling water.

3. Stir well with a spoon until the gelatin is dissolved.

4. Place 3 mL of pineapple juice into each of the labeled test tubes. Transfer 1
mL each of HCl, NaOH, and water into the corresponding test tubes of pineapple
juice.

5. Transfer 10 mL of gelatin mixture to each test tube.

6. Using a spoon, stir the gelatin well until it dissolves completely.

7. Refrigerate the test tubes overnight.

8. On day 2, observe the contents of each test tube. Record your observations.
 Table 1. Effect of pH on enzyme activity

What is chemical digestion? Where does chemical digestion take place in the
human digestive tract?

Q10. What role do the digestive enzymes have in digestion?

Q11. In which test tube did you observe the greatest degree of protein digestion?

Q12. In which test tube did you observe the least amount of protein digestion?

Q13. How do you explain your results?

Q14. Did your results support your hypothesis? Explain your answer.

Q15. In the human digestive tract, where is protein digested chemically?

Conclusion:
Name: ___________________________________ Grade & Sec.:_________ Score:_________
Teacher: __________________________________ Date:________________ Rating:_______

Activity 4
A journey into the digestive system
Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be able to:
1. Infer how the organs of the digestive system work together to carry out
digestion of food and assimilation of nutrients; and
2. explain what happens to food as it gets digested.

Materials Needed:
Video clip: Journey of the digestive system
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3O1AdlC8bI
Writing materials

Procedure:
1. Your teacher will show a movie clip titled, Journey of the Digestive System.

2. Take down notes as you watch the movie clip.

3. On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following questions.

Q16. What does the movie clip say about the digestion of food?

Q17. What changes happened to the food as it was moved through the digestive
tract?

Conclusion: