Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Digestive System

Assumptions: This Active Lesson Plan assumes: a 100-minute class, prior student study with both the Book and the start of Project development, and that only one activity (among the three suggested) will be chosen to be conducted during the class, as each activity is designed to take up a significant portion of the available time.

Objectives

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The Objectives stage is crucial for directing the focus of students and the teacher towards the established learning goals. By clearly defining what is expected for students to learn, this section prepares the ground for a more effective approach during practical activities in the classroom. Furthermore, it helps ensure that all involved are aligned with the expected outcomes, facilitating the assessment of progress and student engagement with the content.

Main Objectives:

1. Identify and describe the main components of the digestive system (mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine) and their specific functions in the digestion process.

2. Understand and explain the importance of the digestive system for nutrient absorption and waste elimination.

Side Objectives:

1. Develop observation and analysis skills through images and models of the digestive system.
2. Stimulate teamwork capabilities during practical activities.

Introduction

Duration: (20 - 25 minutes)

The Introduction stage serves to engage students with the content they have previously studied, using problem situations that lead them to apply their knowledge in a practical and contextualized way. In addition, it seeks to relate the theme to students' daily lives, making the learning more meaningful and sparking curiosity and motivation to explore the subject more thoroughly during practical classroom activities.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Imagine that you are very hungry and eat a large piece of pizza. What happens to that food in your body? How is it transformed so that your body can take advantage of the nutrients?

2. Think of a situation where someone ingested something rotten and started to feel stomach pains. What might have happened to this person's digestive system and how does it react to this situation? Discuss the possible steps of the digestive process and identify where a failure may have occurred.

Contextualization

The digestive system not only breaks down food into smaller parts but is also responsible for absorbing essential nutrients for the functioning of our body and eliminating what is unnecessary. For example, after a meal, the nutrients extracted from food are transported through the bloodstream to all cells in the body, where they are used to build and maintain tissues, produce energy, and perform various other functions. Interesting facts like the fact that the small intestine can be up to 7 meters long and that most immune system cells reside in the intestinal area help provide a real and interesting perspective on the importance of the digestive system.

Development

Duration: (65 - 75 minutes)

The Development stage is designed to allow students to practically and interactively apply the knowledge they have acquired about the digestive system. Through playful and contextualized activities, students will have the opportunity to explore the theme in depth, stimulating creativity, teamwork, and critical thinking application. This stage is essential to consolidate learning and ensure that the concepts are understood meaningfully.

Activity Suggestions

It is recommended to carry out only one of the suggested activities

Activity 1 - Food Journey

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Understand the digestion process and the function of each organ in the digestive system in a practical and interactive way.

- Description: In this activity, students will be divided into groups of up to 5 people to create a 'journey' that a food item makes through the digestive system, using materials such as PVC pipes, balloons, and dyes to simulate the digestion process. Each group will receive a different food item to represent (e.g., apple, bread, meat) and must build a simplified scale model of the digestive system, explaining each step of the digestive process.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students.

• Assign each group a different food item to represent in the model (e.g., apple, bread, meat).

• Provide materials such as PVC pipes, balloons, dyes, and plastic containers to simulate the digestive organs.

• Ask the students to build a model of the digestive system using the available materials and representing each organ in the correct order.

• Ask them to explain, using the model, the journey of the food and what happens at each step (chewing, passing through the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine).

• Students must decorate their model with information about the functions of each organ and the processes that occur there.

Activity 2 - Digestive Detectives

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Apply knowledge of the digestive system to diagnose and resolve digestive issues, promoting critical thinking and creativity.

- Description: Students will be detectives who need to solve a food 'crime' where a character ingested something that caused a negative reaction in the digestive system. They will use their knowledge of the digestive system to identify where the 'fault' may have occurred. The activity involves analyzing a story developed by the teacher, which describes the symptoms and steps of the digestive process, and creating a mind map to illustrate their findings.

- Instructions:

• Present the story of the 'food crime,' describing the symptoms and the ingested foods.

• Provide students with a list of potential problems that may occur at each stage of the digestive system.

• Ask students to create a mind map, placing each organ of the digestive system and the possible failures that may have occurred.

• Groups will discuss their hypotheses and present their conclusions to the class, justifying based on their knowledge of the digestive system.

• Each group will propose a 'treatment' for the identified problem, based on how the body can heal naturally or with medical help.

Activity 3 - Digestive Chef

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Visualize and creatively understand the digestion process, using culinary analogy to deepen understanding.

- Description: In this playful activity, students will become 'digestive chefs,' creating dishes that represent the stages of the digestive process. Each group will receive a list of ingredients representing different organs and digestive enzymes, and they should use their creativity to prepare 'dishes' that will ultimately form a visual model of the complete digestive system.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students.

• Distribute to each group a list of ingredients corresponding to different parts of the digestive system (e.g., cookies to represent teeth, gelatin for the stomach).

• Students must use the available ingredients to create 'dishes' that represent each stage of the digestive process.

• At the end, groups must present their 'dish,' explaining which part of the digestive system it represents and how that food is processed by the body.

• All 'dishes' will be arranged in an order that simulates the path of food in the digestive system.

Feedback

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The purpose of this stage is to consolidate the knowledge acquired by students through practical activities, allowing them to share their experiences and learnings with their peers. This discussion helps reinforce the understanding of digestive processes, promotes communication and collaboration among students, and provides an opportunity for the teacher to evaluate students' understanding and clarify any remaining doubts.

Group Discussion

At the end of the activities, organize a group discussion with all students. Start the conversation with a brief introduction: 'Now that everyone has explored the digestive system in different ways, let's share what we learned. Each group will have the opportunity to present their project and discuss the most interesting discoveries.' Encourage students to discuss not only what they did but also how each part of the digestive system contributes to body health and overall well-being. Use a board or presentation to note the key conclusions and insights shared.

Key Questions

1. What were the biggest surprises or discoveries you found while simulating the digestive system?

2. How does each organ of the digestive system play a crucial role in the digestion of food?

3. What practical lessons can we apply in our daily lives from what we learned about the digestive system?

Conclusion

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The Conclusion stage is vital for consolidating learning, ensuring that students have a clear and integrated understanding of the concepts discussed during the lesson. By summarizing key points, connecting theory with practice, and highlighting the relevance of studying the digestive system for daily life, this section helps students internalize knowledge and recognize its importance, preparing them to apply what they have learned in future contexts.

Summary

In summary, in this lesson, students explored the digestive system, identifying and describing the main components (mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine) and their specific functions. Through practical activities like 'Food Journey,' 'Digestive Detectives,' and 'Digestive Chef,' they visualized and simulated the digestive process, consolidating theoretical understanding with practical and playful applications.

Theory Connection

Today's class effectively connected theory with practice, allowing students to apply the knowledge gained at home about the digestive system in practical and contextualized situations. Activities such as building models and creating representative 'dishes' transformed abstract concepts into tangible experiences, facilitating understanding and retention of the content.

Closing

Understanding the digestive system is fundamental, not only for scientific knowledge but also for promoting health and well-being. The ability to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste adequately is essential for the proper functioning of the human body. In addition, today's learning provided students with practical insights that can be applied in their daily food choices, highlighting the importance of a healthy diet for the proper functioning of the digestive system and the body as a whole.