UbD Lesson Plan Template

Teacher’s Name: Sara Abdul Razzaq Subject: Life Sciences

(Edited by Umber Siddiqi)

Unit Title: The Human Digestive System Grade Level: 6

Approximate Time Frame: 3 lessons (45 mins each)

Essential Science Vocabulary: Ingestion, Elimination, Enzymes, Amylase, Protease, Digestion,

Absorption, Villi

Brief Overview (Summary) of the Unit:

We all need food for energy. However, how does the food we eat manage to get into all the cells of our
body to provide us with the energy and nutrients that we need for life? In this unit students study the
human digestive system to learn how the food we eat is broken down or digested into particles small
enough to be absorbed into our bloodstream so they can travel to our cells. They explore the organs that
play a role in digestion and absorption as well as the processes that occur. They also reflect on how
structural design relates to the function of these organs and the system as a whole.
During the unit, students carry out guided research, actively participate in teacher demonstrations, and
produce a final poster (and present it) to showcase their learning. Students work collaboratively in groups
of five where each team member is allocated an organ cut out (or set of organ cut-outs) that plays a role in
digestion. Each student carries out guided research regarding their organ to become an expert on it. Team
members then pool their knowledge to develop an understanding of the human digestive system which
culminates in a poster presentation.
The unit also lets students take a peek into history where experiments were done using a living human to
understand digestion in the stomach. This leads to the “big question” whether experimenting on humans
for the advancement of biomedical science is acceptable or not. Students have the opportunity to think
about this critically and discuss this using evidence-based reasoning.
Anticipatory questions: The unit explicitly guides students to reflect on the beauty of design in nature –
possibly leading to a “wow” factor. In response, it is possible that students may start a conversation on
how “God Is A Beautiful Creator”. Explain to the students that it is natural to connect our feelings such as
experiencing beauty in nature to other domains of knowledge that we have such as religion and there is
nothing wrong with that. However, regarding “science talk” in the science classroom it is more appropriate
to talk about beauty “in nature” as science is the study of nature. Science restricts itself to discussing what
can be observed in nature without disrespecting other domains of knowledge. Design in nature has
inspired many useful inventions such as Velcro. They may discuss the religious connection they made
while observing nature further in religion class.
Pre-requisite knowledge:
• An understanding that we need energy and nutrients for health that we obtain from food.
• An understanding of how fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals relate to our health.
• An understanding that food macromolecules can be broken down into small simple nutrient
molecules.
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 • Water/hydration is essential for health.

Stage 1 – Desired Results (Acquisition, Meaning Making and Transfer)

Key Standards (From the Pakistan National Curriculum):

Chapter 3: Food and digestion

• State the importance of digestion in human body and describe physical and chemical digestion.
• Sequence the main regions of alimentary canal, its associated organs and describe the functions of
different parts of alimentary canal.
• Briefly describe role of enzymes in digestion.
• Conclude that blood transports the products of digestion to other parts of body and the undigested
products get egested/defecated.

Transfer
Transfer: Students will demonstrate understanding of _____ and apply it to a new problem or situation.
(What kinds of long-term, independent accomplishments are desired?)

• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the human digestive system and apply it to a new
problem or situation.
• They will appreciate the connection between structural design of organs that are part of the
digestive system and their function and apply this understanding to new situations.
• They will demonstrate an understanding that the advancement of biomedical knowledge intersects
with debatable ethical issues and will apply this understanding to a new problem or situation.

Meaning Making

Understandings Essential Questions

Big Ideas framed as Understandings: Big Questions (Long Term):

Organisms require a supply of energy and materials for
which they are often dependent on or in competition
with other organisms.
Applications of science often have ethical, social,
economic and political implications.
Topical Understanding:
• To be useful for us, the food we eat needs to be
digested or broken down into tiny particles that
can then cross through cell walls to be absorbed
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Is it acceptable to experiment on living humans for the
sake of advancement of biomedical sciences?
Topical Questions (Short Term):
• What is digestion?
• Why do we need to digest food?
• What are the functions of the human
digestive system
• What are the organs that play a role in the
digestive system?
• What role do these organs play with respect
to digestion and absorption of food?
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 into our bloodstream and delivered to our cells • How does the structure and design of these
for nutrients and the production of energy. organs relate to their function?
• The digestive system makes the food we eat • How does the sequence, structure and
useful for us and has three main functions: design of the digestive system as a whole
digestion of food, absorption of nutrients from (which consists of several organs that work
food, and elimination of solid food waste. together) relate to its function?
• The digestive system consists of a sequence of
several organs that work together as a team to
fulfil its functions.
• The sequence and design of the organs of the
digestive system are well-adapted to their
function.
• The pursuit of scientific knowledge, in particular
where experimentation on humans is required,
often intersects with ethical issues.

Acquisition of Knowledge and Skill

Knowledge: Students will know… Skills/Performance: Students will be able to…

• To be useful for us, the food we eat needs to be • Carry out research to find relevant information
broken down into tiny particles – digestion is that aligns with given guidelines/questions.
the breakdown of food. • Communicate and work collaboratively in a
• Digested food crosses through cell walls to be group to develop a product
absorbed into our bloodstream and delivered to • Present a product as a team to an audience
our cells for nutrients and the production of
energy.
• The digestive system has three main functions:
digestion of food, absorption of nutrients from
food, and elimination of solid food waste.
• The breakdown of food involves two processes:
mechanical digestion – the physical “crushing
and pounding” of food that breaks it up into
smaller pieces, and chemical digestion – the
use of enzymes and other chemicals to break
down food
• Enzymes are special protein molecules that
speed up chemical reactions in the body. There
are specific enzymes for specific reactions.
Amylases break down carbohydrates and
proteases break down proteins.
• The human digestive system consists of the
alimentary canal (also known as the gastro-
intestinal tract) and a number of associated
organs that work together to breakdown food
so that nutrients can be absorbed into the
bloodstream.
• Roles of organs

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 o Mouth - roles: Ingestion of food – digestion starts here,
mechanical digestion via cutting/chewing/mixing with
teeth and tongue - mixing of food with saliva, chemical
digestion – amylase in saliva starts to break down
carbohydrates – food forms a “bolus”.
o Pharynx – roles: propels bolus from the oral cavity to the
esophagus. Epiglottis makes sure that food doesn’t enter
lungs while swallowing (to cause choking) by closing
entryway to lungs.
o Esophagus - roles: Propels food bolus to the stomach by
peristalsis.
o Peristalsis is when food is pushed downwards through the
alimentary canal with the help of muscular walls that
contract and relax.
o Stomach - roles: Mechanical digestion involves mixing and
churning food with acidic gastric juices. Chemical
breakdown of proteins by producing proteases that work
optimally in acidic conditions. Releases food into the small
intestine as chyme.
o Small Intestine - roles: Receives bicarbonate from pancreas
to neutralize acidic chyme. Chemical digestion - mixes
chyme with digestive juices that include: bile from liver/gall
bladder to digest fats, digestive juices from pancreas to
finish digesting other nutrients in food. Breakdown
products of digestion are absorbed through villi into
bloodstream.
o .Accessory Organs (liver, pancreas, gall bladder): Liver:
produces bile salts, which emulsify lipids, Gallbladder:
stores, concentrates, and releases bile. Pancreas: produces
digestive enzymes and bicarbonate to neutralize acidic
chyme
o Large Intestine: Absorbs most residual water, electrolytes.
Propels feces toward rectum, Eliminates feces.

• Understanding how design connects with

function:
o For mouth: Structural design - presence of teeth/ tongue
designed to cut and chew and roll food into bolus
o For esophagus, small intestine and large intestine:
Structural design - muscular walls contract and relax to
move food along via peristalsis
o For stomach: Structural design - muscular stomach walls for
churning, flexible and expandable sac like shape to hold
food in.
o For small intestine: Structural design - Villi increase surface
area for absorption. Thin walls of villi allow nutrients to pass
across into blood easily.

• NOTE: Details of walls of GI tract are not

required (such as presence of goblet cells etc.)
other than the fact that muscular walls help in
peristalsis and churning of food in stomach

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Performance Task or Other Key Evidence of learning: (What will students understand and/or be able
to do?)
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 • Students will carry out guided research on organs involved in digestion using an “Organ Research
Worksheet” (10 marks).
• Students will collate their learning to present a poster that describes the organs of the digestive system,
their sequence and roles in the process of digestion and absorption and how the design/structure of
organs is suited to their function. (60 marks)
• Students will work in groups of five – they will be expected to collaborate and communicate with each
other during the unit. (30 marks)
• Homework question

Key criteria to measure Performance Task(s) or Key Evidence:

Examples: Rubric, Checklist, etc.

1. Organ Research Worksheet – attached at the end of the lesson plan (maximum marks = 10)
• more than half information missing, low effort (0-5 marks)
• some information missing (5-7marks)
• all information present, clearly written, high effort (8-10marks)

2. Poster Sample: (this is a suggestion; students’ posters will vary)

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 3. Rubric for poster grading (with relevant information to be written on poster underlined in red with
marks for them in red, questions to be assessed orally are given in blue)

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 How does structure help function? Maximum marks
Major functions
Organ (Students should explain the link
(Labelled and explained by students)
between structural design and
function when asked)
• Ingests food 8
• Mechanical digestion - Chews
and mixes food with saliva
breaking it into smaller pieces
• Chemical digestion -
carbohydrates broken down by
amylase in saliva • Hard teeth can cut and crush
• Moves food into the pharynx as a food
“bolus” • Soft, muscular tongue can
roll food around in mouth
Mouth
(Students should be able to
explain what is meant by
mechanical and chemical
digestion when asked. They 2 marks
should also be able to explain
that an enzyme speeds up
chemical reactions in our body)

6 marks

• Epiglottis makes sure that 4

food doesn’t enter lungs
while swallowing by closing
entryway to lungs
• Propels food as bolus from the
oral cavity to the esophagus
Pharynx (Students should explain
correctly when questioned
1 mark how and when choking
happens)

3 marks
• Propels food bolus to the 3
stomach by peristalsis
• Muscular tube that contracts
and relaxes to push down
Esophagus (Students should be able to food by peristalsis
explain how peristalsis works
when questioned
1 mark
2 marks
• Mixes and churns food with 7
gastric juices
• Acidic gastric juices to help • Muscular stomach walls for
enzymes work churning
• Begins chemical breakdown of • Flexible sac like shape to
Stomach
proteins by producing proteases hold food in
• Releases food into the small
intestine as chyme 2 mark

5 marks
• Chemical digestion - mixes 10
Small • Muscular walls contract and
chyme with digestive juices that
intestine relax to move food along via
include: bile from liver to digest
peristalsis
fats, digestive juices from

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 pancreas and small intestine to
finish digesting other nutrients in
food
• Receives bicarbonate from
pancreas to neutralize acidic
chyme
• Absorbs breakdown products of
digestion
7 marks
• Villi increase surface area for
absorption.
• Thin walls of villi to allow
nutrients to pass across into
blood stream easily.
(Students should be able to
explain how villi increase
surface area for absorption
when asked)

3 marks

• Liver: produces bile salts, which 5

emulsify lipids,
• Gallbladder: stores,
Accessory concentrates, and releases bile
organs: liver,
gall bladder
• Pancreas: produces digestive
enzymes and bicarbonate to
and pancreas
neutralize acidic chyme

5 marks
• Absorbs most residual water, • Muscular walls contract and 5
Large electrolytes relax to move food along via
intestine • Propels feces toward rectum, peristalsis
(colon, • Eliminates feces
rectum, anus) 2 marks
3 marks
8
An excellent poster will receive full 8 marks for neatness and clarity if it:
Overall
• shows correct locations of organs
neatness and
• organs are correctly labelled
clarity
• information is neatly and clearly written

• presentation lacks clarity and coherence. Students cannot answer all 10

questions, do not show clear understanding of how structure relates to
function (0-4 marks)
Student • Presentation is fairly clear and coherent. Adequate information given - ,
presentation/ can answer most questions adequately
assessment (5 - 7 marks)
of oral • Excellent presentation - students confidently and clearly answer all
questions questions and show understanding and appreciation of how structure
relates to function (8 - 10 marks)

TOTAL MARKS 60

4. Rubric to assess communication and collaboration

Marks allocation with reference to rubric below (maximum marks = 30):

1. Limited: 0 - 15 marks
2. Emerging: 16 – 20 marks
3. Present: 21 – 25 marks
4. Complex: 26 – 30 marks

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 Reference: https://www.madison.k12.ct.us/uploaded/docs/teacher_eval/21cRubrics/CollaborationandCommunicationRubric.pdf

Other Evidence to reflect student learning (formative and/or summative measures)

• Elicitation in beginning of Lesson 1 (regarding students’ existing ideas about digestion)
• Class discussion on videos through thought prompts given to students - allows teacher to gauge
student thinking.
• Students will observe and actively comment on the process and sequence of digestion
demonstrated by their teacher. Feedback is provided to them as needed. This allows them to
review, assess and consolidate their research findings regarding digestion.
• Homework questions given at the end of Lesson 2
• Monitoring students as they work collaboratively on making their posters

Stage 3 - Learning Plan, Experiences, and Instruction:

Learning Activities: Consider the WHERETO elements given below, make sure to indicate where and
what WHERTO element is added in Stage 3:
W—Ensure that students understand WHERE the unit is headed, and WHY.
H—HOOK students in the beginning and HOLD their attention throughout. Also pre-assess
students’ prior knowledge
E—EQUIP students with necessary experiences, tools, knowledge, and know-how to meet
performance goals.
R—Provide students with numerous opportunities to RETHINK big ideas, REFLECT on progress,
and REVISE their work.
E—Build in opportunities for students to EVALUATE progress and self-assess.
T—Be TAILORED to reflect individual talents, interests, styles, and needs.

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 O—Be ORGANIZED to optimize deep understanding as opposed to superficial coverage-(lesson
sequence in a unit)

Unit The Teacher will… The Student will…

Plan

W Lesson 1: Introducing the Human Digestive System – A

& peek into history
H Hook: Ask the students what they think about the picture Students will try to guess what is happening
below (show on the class projector). in the picture – their answers will be varied

Explain: The picture shows a man named Alexis St. Martin Students will start thinking about what
who suffered from a gunshot wound in 1822 which resulted happens to food in our bodies and will
in a hole or fistula in his stomach that never really healed. understand the direction the unit will be
An army surgeon, named William Beaumont, treated him, taking.
and the hole in Alexis’s stomach allowed the surgeon to
actually observe what was happening inside the stomach
and study how food is digested. He conducted experiments
by tying a piece of food to a string and inserting it through
the hole into the stomach. Every few hours, he would then
pull out the piece of food and observe changes in the food.
He also extracted samples of gastric juices from the
stomach to study. This led to the discovery of the processes
that are involved in the digestion of food in the stomach.
(Note: William Beaumont is also known as the father of
American Gastric Physiology.) For more information refer to
the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Beaumont
Students may show surprise at how Alexis
Thinking about science and ethics: Ask the students how St. Martin was treated by Beaumont. Their
the story makes them feel? How may have Alexis felt? reaction and responses will vary as to
Alexis ran away at one point but Beaumont had him caught whether this can be considered acceptable
so he could continue to exhibit him. Beaumont’s work led to or not for the advancement of scientific
important discoveries regarding the digestion of food in the knowledge. They will exercise their skills of
stomach. Was what William Beaumont did justified for the listening to each other, critically evaluating
sake of scientific knowledge? (Teacher’s note: This what is being said and responding with logic
discussion helps students to become aware that science, its and reasoning.

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 pursuit of knowledge and its applications has implications
beyond the domain of science, in this case ethics. This brings
a holistic flavour to the lesson. They also learn that some
questions do not have one correct answer but several
viewpoints exist that need to be heard, evaluated and
critiqued through evidence-based reasoning. This story leads
to the “Big Question” that has been detailed in the
enrichment section of the lesson plan (see extension/
enrichment).

Eliciting Prior Knowledge: Tell the students that during this
unit, as they may have guessed, they will be learning about
the human digestive system. We all know that food enters
our mouth – this is called ingestion - and eventually waste is
eliminated from what is called the anus. But what happens
in between? How does the food, e.g., a biscuit or sandwich
in their lunchbox end up providing energy to every cell in
their body for the rest of the day? How do the carrots that
they are told to eat for good vision “get to their eyes”?
Listen to students’ ideas.
Students would have most likely heard of
the word digestion – they will start to
connect with what they already know about
digestion in response to the questions
posed by the teacher. Students share their
existing ideas regarding digestion with the
class.

The focus for Beaumont was the stomach. Ask the students Connecting with prior knowledge, students
if they think human digestion is centred around the will suggest other organs they think are
stomach or are other organs/parts of body involved. Can involved in the process.
they name them?

E Explain: The human digestive system consists of several Students listen and ask questions to clarify
organs (of which the stomach is one) that work together on their understanding as needed.
food to: a) break it down b) absorb its nutrients and c) expel
any remaining waste. The nutrients are absorbed into the
bloodstream which then takes over the job of transporting
them to the cells that need them.
Explain that once in the mouth, the food travels along an
enclosed tube-like path that includes several organs
working together. This path extends from the mouth to the
anus and is called the alimentary canal or the gastro-
intestinal tract. Some organs are not directly part of the
alimentary canal but help in digestion and so are known as
the accessory organs.

Tell the students that as an introduction to the digestive
system, they will watch the following video: Write down
the thought prompts given below on the board and inform
the students that these will be discussed after the video –
therefore, they may make notes in their science notebooks.
(They video may be shown twice if needed)
https://youtu.be/EKpYv9sXBSE watch till 3.40mins
Students watch the video and make notes,
keeping the thought prompts in mind. After
the video. they respond to the thought
prompts, listen to each other as they
develop their ideas about the digestive
system.

Thought prompts (class discussion after video):

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 • What do you understand by digestion (the breaking
down of food inside our body)
• Why must food be digested? (To break it down into
particles small enough to cross into the bloodstream
and get into our cells)
• What happens to food after it is broken down? (It is
absorbed into our blood).
• Can you summarize the three main functions of the
digestive system? (Breaking food down into tiny
particles, absorption of these energy and nutrient
containing particles into our bloodstream,
eliminating waste)
• Is one organ involved or do several work together
as a team in our digestive system?
• Can you name some of the organs that are part of
the digestive system? Are there any that are new to
you?

Jigsaw Investigation; Learning more about the human

digestive system

Materials: The teacher needs to make cut-outs of organs of

the digestive system named in the section below. These
should be large enough to be stuck in the correct sequence
on a student-sized body outline.

Provide directions to students: The digestive system has Students understand how they will be
parts that work together. Tell the students that they will involved in their learning about the
now start to learn more deeply about the digestive system digestive system. They will be informed
by working together in teams, much like the parts of the about what they are expected to do and
digestive system. Instruct them that each team member will produce at the end of the unit.
be assigned a digestive system “organ” or “set of organs”
(as cut-outs) to become an expert on. They will then pool
their knowledge with their team members to build an
understanding of digestion as a whole. They will make a
body outline on chart paper and stick their organs correctly
onto the body outline. They will label the organs with the
information that they will research and thus design a final
informational poster on digestion that will be presented and
graded.

Divide the class into groups of 5 students. Each student will

receive a cut out of an organ or organ set from those listed Students form groups of five.
below:

• Mouth, pharynx, esophagus

• Stomach
• Liver, pancreas and gall bladder (accessory organs)
• Small intestine

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 • Large intestine

Hand out the Organ Research Worksheet (attached at the Students read the Organ Research
end of the lesson) to each student. Direct students that they worksheet to understand the guidelines
will research their organ/s according to the guidance given given under which they will conduct their
in this worksheet. Give them a few minutes to quickly read research. They will ask questions as needed.
the guidelines. They may be confused about and ask what
is meant by chemical and mechanical
Go over research guidelines: Students must identify the digestion.
role of their organ/s in digestion – with respect to both
mechanical and chemical digestion. Explain that digestion
involves both the mechanical and chemical breakdown of
food. Mechanical digestion involves the physical
breaking/crushing of food into smaller pieces; whereas
chemical digestion refers to the breaking of the chemical
bonds in food molecules that convert them into small
simple nutrient molecules. Where appropriate, students
need to explain how the organ has been designed
structurally to carry out its function in the best way. They
also need to state at least one interesting fact about their
organ. A reference for a video and an article has been given
to them to start their research. Explain that any additional
references for websites, videos and any books used need to
be provided. Let students know that their research will
receive marks out of 10.
Teachers note:
o Students can do the research for homework before
the next lesson. (Alternately, a lesson in the
computer lab or library can be arranged for
monitored student research.)
o The depth of information that is expected from
students has been outlined in the rubric in Stage 2 of
this lesson plan.

Communication and Collaboration: Talk to the students
about the importance of good team work in achieving a goal
efficiently. The research has to be done individually, but
they can start thinking about assigning roles to each
member for the development of the poster and its
presentation. Let them know that you will be looking for full
participation and their skills of communication and
collaboration will be assessed out of 30.
Share how the grades for the unit are distributed:
Organ Research Worksheet – 10 marks
Poster and presentation – 60 marks
Communication and Collaboration – 30 marks
Total 100marks.
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Students discuss what is meant by good
team work and its merits, as well as the
importance of participation. They think
about assigning roles. This gives them the
opportunity to allocate roles according to
strengths and interests, i.e., the artists and
those with good handwriting can do the
poster making, those who enjoy verbal
communication can be presenters, others
can coordinate and organize the work to
follow a time schedule to complete it, etc.
Students are informed about what is
expected of them and how they will be
assessed. This will help them to take better
charge of their learning.
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 Lesson end: As a starter to their research, tell the students
that they will watch the following video (which has been
given as a reference to them). It provides a more detailed
look at digestion and introduces some vocabulary to them.
How your digestive system works – Emma Bryce:
https://youtu.be/Og5xAdC8EUI
After the video:
• Introduce enzymes Students are only required to
understand that enzymes are important protein
molecules in the body that are used to speed up
chemical reactions. There are specific enzymes for
specific reactions – some help digest carbohydrates
and are called amylases, some help digest proteins
and are called proteases.
• Ask students if they noted how long the alimentary
tract, also known as the gastro-intestinal tract was?
(9m) Was this surprising?
• Ask the students if they noted what the surface
area of the gastro-intestinal tract was compared to
when unfolded? (half a badminton court) Was this
surprising?
• Are there any other points that were of
interest/surprise to them?
(Teacher’s note: read anticipatory questions in Lesson
Outline)
R Lesson 2: Consolidating and reviewing knowledge.
Ask students to team up and share the knowledge they
have gained regarding their organ/s with each other to
develop a complete understanding of the digestive system.
They should also start planning their posters and the
information that needs to go on it as well as team member
roles for their project. (15 minutes) Circulate and listen to
their discussions – ask scaffolding questions where needed.
Teacher Demonstration 1: Carry out the following
demonstration for students to visualize the process of
digestion:
https://youtu.be/Qsa2auNfc34
During the demonstration, ask experts of the different
organs to provide a commentary for each stage of digestion
that is demonstrated. Ensure that students understand:
• what is meant by mechanical and chemical
digestion and the difference between them
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Students watch the video. They note and
ask any questions they have after the video.
They may ask what an enzyme is.
Students reflect on the fact that 9m of
tubing can be packed into the small space of
the abdomen and that when unfolded, the
gastro-intestinal tract has a surface area the
size of half a badminton court. They may
feel a “wow” factor. They will start thinking
about why such great surface area is needed
and how it is structurally possible to pack
into a small space. They will start thinking
beyond the function of different organs in
silos towards how structural design and
function interact.
Students collaborate and communicate to
share their knowledge and plan their
posters. This also allows them to self-assess
and review their knowledge as they “teach”
their team members and answer their
questions regarding their assigned organs.
They also assign roles to team members to
execute the final project
Students actively visualize the passage of
food through the alimentary canal through
this demonstration. Students actively
participate in the demonstration by
provided a commentary of the process as
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 • what an enzyme does. demonstrated. This is an opportunity for
students to reflect and revise their
learnings.

Teacher Demonstration 2: What is peristalsis? Initially, ask Students explain peristalsis and use the
students to explain peristalsis and how the structure of the demonstration to reflect on their learning
alimentary canal helps this to happen? and revise it as needed.
Demonstrate: Insert a tennis ball into a long sock or
stocking and squeeze the sock just above the ball to push it
downwards. Explain that the muscular walls of the
esophagus and the alimentary canal contract and relax
pushing food downwards. Show the following video which
shows an animation of peristalsis in the large intestine:
https://youtu.be/Ujr0UAbyPS4

Teacher Demonstration 3: Understanding how folded Students explain why villi are important
surfaces with villi can greatly increase surface area. structurally and how they help in the
Initially, ask students how the structure of the folded functioning of the small intestine related to
surface of the small intestine aids its function. absorption of nutrients.

Show students a piece of cotton towel and a piece of They use the demonstrations and
smooth cotton cloth, both of the same size. Ask students discussions to reflect on their learning and
that if some water is spilled on the floor, which kind of revise it as needed.
fabric would absorb the water better? (The tiny fibrous
projections on the towel fabric can be compared to the
millions of finger-like projections called “villi”, which are
further covered with more tiny projections called “micro-
Villi” in the small intestine.)

Magnified small intestine walls

showing villi

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 Show students two pieces of paper – a plain A4 sheet and a
folded sheet that covers the same area as the A4 sheet (see
pictures below)

Initially, the folded and plain A4 size sheet occupy the same
space. However, when we straighten the folded sheet out,
its actually two A4 size sheets, with a bigger surface area,
fitted in the same space.

Emphasize that once unfolded, the surface area of the small

intestine is huge! This helps the small intestine to absorb a
lot more nutrients than if it was not folded. Does this make
them have any wonderings regarding the design of the
intestinal wall?

Talk about the beauty of design in nature: reflect on how

Students learn to observe nature through a
well the digestive system has been designed and fitted into
holistic lens that combines and connects
a small space. Ask students why the digestive system is
design with function. They may offer varied
designed in parts that work as a team – why could it not be
responses to the question asked:
one big vessel or tube? Why does it have a specific
Different stages of breakdown require
arrangement or sequence?
different conditions, eg. stomach requires
acidic environment, so digestion is
(Teacher’s notes: see anticipatory question in Lesson
compartmentalized. Surface area is a
Outline)
requirement for absorption, after food is
digested and broken down – therefore the
Homework questions:
specialized structure with villi is found in the
• What surprised you during your learning of the
small intestine – this is not needed in the
digestive system?
stomach, etc. They will ponder over
• What do you still wonder about, after your
sequence – mechanical digestion occurs
learning?
earlier leading to the “liquidization” of food
• Explain why you think that nature has sequenced
in the stomach – this preparation then
the organs of the digestive system in the way they
allows bond-breaking or chemical digestion
are. (Think about what would happen if the parts of
to take place later, etc.
the digestive system were in a different order?

Preparation for next lesson: Let students know that they

will work on their posters in the next lesson and to bring in
their markers/art supplies.

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 E Lesson 3: Putting it all together in the final poster

Provide students with chart paper and glue. Give Students collaborate and communicate in
instructions to student teams to: groups to make their posters.
• draw a body outline on chart paper
• proceed to arrange and stick on their organ cut-outs
• add labels and information about the role that the
organ plays in digestion using the notes that they
have gathered during their research.

They have 20 mins to work on their posters. Circulate and

monitor work. If students are not seen participating, ask the
team to explain the roles that each team member was
assigned.

Posters are put up for a gallery walk. Students view each other’s posters

Assess each poster using the rubrics in stage 2, asking
questions to elicit understanding where necessary.
(Teacher’s note: Other science teachers can be invited and
guided to help with assessment of posters and
presentations)
Students present their completed posters
and respond orally to questions that are
asked.

Grade work for the unit for each student based on:
Organ Research Worksheet: 10 marks
Poster: 60 marks
Communication and Collaboration: 30 marks

TOTAL MARKS: 100

T Make student teams mindfully; group students who need
support with students who can support them.
Monitor students (especially those who need support)
during activities and provide scaffolding where needed.
Lower achievers will receive more support
while higher achievers will be encouraged to
think more deeply when helping others.

Encourage inclusion: Guide students to assign roles during Students can take on roles that they feel
poster making through mutual discussion so that students they are good at, bringing a sense of useful
can choose what they are best at. participation and achievement to them.

O Organization of learning sequence:

1. Introduce the unit through a historical perspective
that both introduces the topic through storytelling
and highlights the overlap between science and
ethics
1. Students understand the direction of
the unit and become aware that
science often intersects with other
areas such as ethics. They practice
how to think about and discuss such
situations.

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 2. Direct students to learn about digestion through
guided research in teams where they communicate
and collaborate. (Jigsaw activity)
2. Students take charge of their own
learning by researching assigned
organs individually and then pooling
their knowledge in collaborative
groups.

3. Carry out demonstrations to help students visualize 3. By visualizing teacher

digestion, absorption and peristalsis. demonstrations and actively
participating in them, students can
collaboratively reflect on, evaluate
and revise their learning as needed.

4. Explicitly ask students to reflect on the relationship
between structure (villi in small intestine for
increased absorption, hard teeth in mouth for
crushing, muscular walls of stomach and esophagus,
etc.) and function; and the beauty of it.
4. Students contemplate how design
relates to function in nature, and
how amazing is the efficiency that
good design brings to function.

5. Students design an informational poster on digestion 5. Students consolidate their learning.

as a culmination of their learning that is evaluated They also learn to become better
communicators and collaborators as
they build their final posters.

Plans for after this lesson/competency is complete (How will you extend, enrich?):
Diseases of the digestive system: Find out the causes and symptoms of a) gall stones, b) appendicitis and c)
stomach ulcers. How are these treated?

Big Question: (this can be done in collaboration with the language (English/Urdu) teacher) Experimentation
regarding humans for the advancement of science has changed in modern times, with rules and regulations now
present that address ethical issues. However, new biomedical technologies have posed new problems. For
example, in 1999, 18-year-old Jesse Gelsinger died while participating in a gene therapy trial in the United States.
Additionally, human trials often provide participants with cash incentives to participate which may interfere with
their true will. Also, patients, especially those that are suffering from incurable diseases tend to be willing to try
something new, even when doctors do not know what the side-effects will be.
Question 1. Research the pros and cons of human trials for the advancement of biomedical science. Think about
the following questions:
• Do you think that human trials should be allowed at all?
• Do you think human trials can be allowed but under certain conditions? If so, what conditions?
Write a letter to the PMDC (Pakistan Medical and Dental Council) explaining your position on whether human
trials should be allowed or not. Include reasons and evidence from your research to back your position.
Question 2: Provide the students with the following BBC article: “Neuralink: Elon Musk's brain chip firm wins US
approval for human study” https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65717487

The human study will involve inserting a computer chip into human skulls and testing if they can operate the
computer by their thoughts alone. The Neuralink implant company says that it aims to help restore vision and
mobility to people by linking brains to computers. The other point of view is that this could eventually lead to AI
displacing humans. Research this new biomedical technology and answer the following questions:

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 a) Would you participate in brain-chip human trials? Why or why not?
b) Do you think there should be regulations and controls on scientific advancements such as brain-chip
technology? Why or why not.

Relevant links:
The 5 Most Pressing Ethical Issues in Biotech Medicine:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3570985/

Gene Therapy Research & the Case of Jesse Gelsinger

https://med.nyu.edu/departments-institutes/population-health/divisions-sections-centers/medical-
ethics/education/high-school-bioethics-project/learning-scenarios/jesse-gelsinger-case

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 Organ Research Worksheet

Name: Date:

Name of organ or organs:

Role in digestion: How does the structure of the organ help in

Mechanical this role?

Role in digestion:
Chemical
(give the name of the
chemical/ type of
enzyme involved
and their purpose)

Role in absorption How does the structure of the organ help in

this role?

Any other role: How does the structure of the organ help in
e.g. transporting this role?
food from one organ
to another

Interesting fun-fact
about your organ/s

Useful links How your digestive system works – Emma Bryce:

https://youtu.be/Og5xAdC8EUI

Introduction to the digestive system:

https://humanbiology.pressbooks.tru.ca/chapter/17-2-introduction-to-
the-digestive-system/

Other references

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Key Resources Used:
Resource(s): Link(s):
William Beaumont https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Beaumont
Intro video on digestion https://youtu.be/EKpYv9sXBSE
Video: How your digestive system works – Emma https://youtu.be/Og5xAdC8EUI
Bryce
Demonstration 1: The digestive system (video) https://youtu.be/Qsa2auNfc34

Teacher background resource: Human digestive https://youtu.be/X3TAROotFfM

system - How it works! (Animation)
Thompson Rivers University: Introduction to the https://humanbiology.pressbooks.tru.ca/chapter/17-2-
digestive system introduction-to-the-digestive-system/

3D Medical Animation - Peristalsis in Large https://youtu.be/Ujr0UAbyPS4

Intestine/Bowel || ABP

Gene Therapy Research & the Case of Jesse Gelsinger https://med.nyu.edu/departments-institutes/population-

health/divisions-sections-centers/medical-
ethics/education/high-school-bioethics-project/learning-
scenarios/jesse-gelsinger-case

“Neuralink: Elon Musk's brain chip firm wins US https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65717487

approval for human study”
The 5 Most Pressing Ethical Issues in Biotech https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3570985/
Medicine:

Adapted from Wiggins & McTighe, 2011 (The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High Quality
Units)

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Sara Abdul Razzaq | Veritas Learning Circle
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