lesson
Break down and absorb
1 · Learn
The stomach mixes food with digestive juices. Digestion continues in the small intestine, where many nutrients pass into the blood to be carried around the body.
The large intestine absorbs remaining water from undigested material. Waste is stored in the rectum and leaves through the anus. The names small and large describe width, not which is longer.
2 · Worked example
I distinguish breaking down food from absorbing nutrients. Both matter, but they are not the same process.
3 · Your turn
Where are many digested nutrients absorbed: small intestine or oesophagus? What does the large intestine absorb?
Check your answer
The small intestine; the large intestine absorbs water.
4 · Apply your learning
Make a labelled paper route and add one function beside each main part. Compare it with an accurate diagram.
Adult guidance and safety
No real bodily samples are needed. Models simplify a complex system and do not diagnose symptoms.
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