Science

Quarter 4 – Module 1 Week 1:

Structures and Functions of the
Digestive System
Introductory Message

Welcome to the SCIENCE/Grade 8 School-Based Learning Module (SBLM)

on Structures and Functions of the Digestive System. I am LOVELY JOY M.
MARIANO, your teacher or facilitator in this subject.

This learning material is especially crafted to provide you with independent

and self-directed learning experiences and to have more autonomy and control over
your learning. This will help you improve your academic performance, increase
motivation and confidence, make choices and decisions about how to meet your
learning needs, take responsibility for constructing and carrying out your own
learning.

The competencies included in this module are considered as the most

essential competencies which need to be mastered by a Grade 8 student like you.
These competencies are anchored on the general principles, goals, and objectives of
the K to 12 Basic Education program for Grade 8 student like you to become
productive and effective participant in the society you are in.

For the Parents/Guardians:

Greetings!

The world is currently in a very challenging situation due to the corona virus
2019 pandemic. All are affected including the education system. In this time of crisis,
learning must continue. That is why the Quezon Colleges of the North initiates this
School-Based Self-Learning Module for the students to continue learning even at
home.

You, as the parents, play an important role in this new way of learning. Kindly
give your child enough lesson time. Check their modules if they seriously do the
activities. Your support would mean so much for them. Help them to become a
productive learner even at home. This is just a temporary situation. Everything would
go back to normal when this corona virus is over. Thank you for the unconditional
support to your child’s education. Let us join, hand in hand, for your child’s future.

For the Learner:

Welcome to the new normal way of learning!

This self-directed module is designed for you to be equipped with the most
essential competencies you need to learn for your grade level. For you to become
successful independent learner, you must have a good time management so that
you would be able to complete this course. In reading, you need to pay close

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attention to the words you are reading and their meanings. In times that you need to
do some research, try to draw from a variety of different courses and if things are
getting difficult, do not give up. Please ask assistance from your teacher or anyone
whom you know that can help you. Love and enjoy this beautiful and meaningful
learning experience!

1. Read the module title and the module introduction to get an idea of what the
module covers. Specifically, read the first two sections of this module
carefully. The first section tells you what this module is all about while the
second section tells you of what you are expected to learn.

2. Never move on to the next page unless you have done what you are expected
to do in the previous page. Before you start each lesson, read first the
INSTRUCTIONS.

3. Work on the activities. Take note of the skills that each activity is helping you
to develop.

4. Take the Post-Test after you are done with all the lessons and activities in the
module.

5. Meet with your teacher. Ask him/her about any difficulty or confusion you have
encountered in this module.

6. Finally, prepare and gather all your outputs and submit them to your teacher.

7. Please write all your answers of the tests, activities, exercises, and others in
your separate activity notebook.

If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are not
alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning
and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

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 What I Need to Know

Welcome to this module! You must be very eager to start with the learning activities
prepared for you. The activities in the module have been designed to provide you
with rich and stimulating learning experience.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Identify the organs that make up the digestive system;
2. Give the functions of each organ;
3. Describe how accessory organs and glands help the body in the digestive
process; and
4. Explain ingestion, absorption, assimilation, and excretion. (S8LT-IVa-13)

Good luck as you begin this module!

Exploration

Tummy Puzzle!
Directions: Hidden in the word puzzle are terms associated to digestive system.
Pick fifteen (15) of these terms and write your answers on a separate
sheet of paper.

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 Lesson 1 – The Digestive System
Why do we eat? Is eating necessary in keeping us alive? Where do we get
the energy that enables us to carry out the many activities that we do each day?
How do we obtain materials needed for the growth and repair of body parts?
The food that we eat plays a central role in the survival of species. It
provides the energy that enables us to carry out the many activities that we do
each day such as breathing, walking, studying and cooking. Food also provides
the substances needed for growth and repair of body parts.

The cells in the body need food for energy used for growth and repair. Food
must be broken down into a form that these microscopic cells can use. The body
changes food into a usable form by means of a group of organs referred to as the
digestive system.

Lesson Proper/Discussion of Concepts

The digestive system is composed of different organs that work together to

break down food and nourish the body. It also involves important processes in order
to carry out the function of the digestive system.

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 The function of the digestive system is digestion, the breakdown of organic
compounds into their simple forms for use by the cells. Digestion is the chief function
of the digestive system. It breaks down food mechanically and chemically.
Mechanical digestion is the physical breakdown of food by tearing, chewing,
grinding, and mixing while in the mouth, saliva is added to the food. Saliva (spit)
contains enzymes to breakdown food, and it also makes the food easy to swallow.
Enzymes are types of proteins that speed up the rate of chemical reaction such as
breaking apart food into nutrients.
Chemical digestion is the process of breaking food into small molecules by
enzymes. Saliva contains enzymes that start the digestion of starch (a
carbohydrate). This process continuous with many other enzymes in the stomach
and small intestine.
Let us take a journey
throughout the human
digestive system to
see how it works and
how the organs
coordinate in order to
carry out the processes
of digestion (see figure
1). To make it a little
more interesting, try to
imagine what happens
to a hamburger when
eaten. Remember that
ground meat is mostly
protein, mayonnaise is
mostly fat, and the bun
is mostly carbohydrate.
The journey of the food
starts from the mouth
down to the anus takes
about 18-20 hours.

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A. INGESTION is the first process that happens in digestive system. It is the
journey of taking in food or any substance into the body through the mouth.
The journey of food starts when a bit of hamburger enters your mouth.
B. DIGESTION is the second process involved in digestive system. It is the
process that involves break down of large food molecules into smaller
molecules for easy absorption of the cells. Both chemical and mechanical
digestions begin immediately in the mouth. While the food is in the mouth, the
teeth cut, crush, and break it apart into tiny pieces while the tongue helps mix
food with saliva secreted by the salivary glands forming into a moist ball
called bolus so it can be easily swallowed. This process is known as
mastication or chewing considered as a mechanical digestion, which is the
initial stage of digestion. The saliva contains salivary amylase, the enzyme
that breaks down starch into smaller carbohydrate. Then, the bolus passes
from the mouth to the esophagus – a tube that attaches the mouth to the
stomach. A series of wave-like muscle contractions known as peristalsis
push and transport foods and liquids in small sections to the stomach.
The stomach is a J –shaped, bag-like muscular organ that can hold
approximately one liter of fluid and food. The primary function of the stomach
is to store food, which turns to chime after being acted on by the stomach
acid. Chyme is a semifluid material formed from the bolus that is acted upon
by the gastric juices secreted by the stomach. The walls of the stomach have
special cells that secrete gastric juices like hydrochloric acid and pepsin
that begin the chemical breakdown of proteins.
Let us take a short detour into the three organs that are part of the
digestive system and helps in secretion of essential substances. These
organs are the liver, the pancreas and the gall bladder.
The liver produces bile, a green fluid that turns large fat droplets into
smaller ones and stores them in the gall bladder. When necessary, bile gets
into the small intestine and helps in the digestion of fat. The pancreas makes
three different kinds of enzymes namely amylase, peptidase, and lipase
released through a pancreatic duct that aid in the digestion of all three organic
compounds such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats respectively. The
process takes about half of a liter of digestive juices each day. The liver is the
biggest organ inside the body with a mass of about two kilograms. Gall
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bladder-a small pear-shaped sac that can hold about 50ml of bile. The
pancreas is a small organ found below the stomach.

The small intestine is an organ that breaks down food further into
substances, such as glucose, that can be absorbed by the villi. It has three
parts namely the duodenum, the jejunum, and ileum. The duodenum is the
first and shortest part of the small intestine that starts at the lower end of the
stomach and extends for about 20 cm to 25 cm in length. Basically, it is in
charge for the continuous breaking-down process as it partially receives the
chyme from the stomach, it resumes chemical digestion of food, and prepares
for absorption through the villi.
Organic compounds such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are
specifically broken down with the aid of different enzymes. Carbohydrates
are broken down into sugars by enzymes like amylase, maltase and lactase.
Proteins are broken down into amino acids by enzymes like trypsin and
peptidase. Fats are broken down into fatty acids by the enzyme lipase. After
about four hours, the stomach pushes food into the small intestines. The
production and release of enzymes and acids in the digestive system is called
secretion. It aids in the breaking down of complex food molecules into their
chemical building blocks.

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 The jejunum is the second part of the small intestine that is 2.5 cm in
length. Its wall works for the absorption through enterocytes or columnar cells
of small nutrient particles which have been previously digested by the
enzymes in the duodenum.
C. ABSORPTION is the third process that happens in the digestive system. It
occurs mostly in the small intestine where
several digestive juices, pancreatic juice,
and bile aid in the chemical digestion of
food. Absorption is the process of passing
the soluble food molecules in the wall of
the small intestine through the villi – the
tiny, finger-like projections from the
epithelial lining of the intestinal wall. Each
villus contains blood capillaries that enable
it to absorb water, glucose, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. It
also increases the amount of surface area available for the absorption of
nutrients.
D. ASSIMILATION is the fourth process
that occurs in the digestive system. It is
the movement of digested food
nutrients into the blood vessels of the
small intestine through diffusion and
use of nutrients into the body cells
through the microvilli – microscopic
cellular membrane projections that
serves to expand the surface area for
diffusion and also to lessen any
increase in volume.
The third part of the small intestine is
the ileum which is about 3.5 meters in length. Its main function is the
assimilation (absorption) of B12 and the re-assimilation (reabsorption) of
conjugated bile salts.
The large intestine is divided into caecum, ascending colon, transverse
colon, descending colon, and sigmoid colon. This is where reabsorption of
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 liquid, electrolytes and some vitamins from the undigested food takes place. It
secretes mucus to aid in the formation of feces and maintains alkaline
conditions. This is the last segment of the gastrointestinal tract that completes
absorption and compacts waste.
E. EGESTION is the last process that occurs in the digestive system. It is the
release of undigested food collected in the rectum called feces and pushed
out of the body through the anus by defecation.

Exercises/Developmental Activities

Exercise 1. I Fill You

A. Directions: Below is the diagram of the digestive system. Label the numbered
parts and write your answer in a separate sheet of paper.

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 B. Name the enzymes secreted by the organs identified from box #1, #3 and #4.
______________________________________________________________
C. The liver produces bile. How does bile helps in digestion of food?
______________________________________________________________

Exercise 2. Pick Me UP!

Directions: Identify the five organs that are part of the digestive system from among
the picture in the box below. Write only the letters corresponding to your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.

Exercise 3. Match ME!

Directions: Describe the function of each organ in the digestive system by matching
column A with column B. Write only the letter of the correct answer on a separate
sheet of paper.
Column A Column B
1. This is where the food is mechanically broken
down by chewing chewed pulp and the tongue
helps in pushing the bits and broken into
smaller pieces for easier digestion. In here,
the saliva softens the food to of food into the
pharynx. A.
2. It reabsorbs water from undigested food
materials coming from the small intestine.
B.
3. It is where the waste or remaining food
materials that become more solid known as
feces will be temporarily stored and
C.
eliminated.
4. It is a tube that connects the mouth and
stomach. It carries the food down to your
stomach for temporary storage and further
digestion.
D.

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 5. Here, the food is mixed with intestinal juices
which contain enzymes that help in digestion.
It is where the final digestion and absorption
of nutrients happens.
E.
6. J-shaped organ found at the end of the
esophagus on the upper left side of the
abdomen or abdominal cavity that produces
gastric juices and acids. F.

Generalization

Exercise 4. Share It!

Directions: Study the figure below and answer the questions that follow. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Questions:
1. When does ingestion begin?
2. What happens to food when it is in your:
a. Mouth______________________________________________________
b. Stomach ___________________________________________________
c. Small intestine _______________________________________________
3. How nutrients from the food you eat are absorbed after digestion?
4. Why are villus and microvilli important in the human digestive system?
5. What happens to the undigested food in the large intestine?

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 Assessment

A. Multiple Choice
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answers on a
separate sheet of paper.
1. The following organs are part of the human digestive system EXCEPT:
a. Mouth c. Small intestine
b. Esophagus d. Gastro vascular cavity
2. In which part of the digestive system does the breaking down of food into
tinier pieces occur?
a. Mouth c. Small intestine
b. Stomach d. Large intestine
3. Which of the following helps in the digestion of food in the mouth?
a. Amylase c. Protease
b. Bile d. Saliva
4. What enzyme aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine?
a. Amylase c. Lipase
b. Gastric enzyme d. Pepsin
5. Which tiny structures line the internal surface of the small intestine to increase
its surface area for the absorption of nutrients?
a. Bile ducts c. Salivary glands
b. Cilia d. Villi
6. What is the largest internal organ of the human body?
a. Heart c. Liver
b. Gall bladder d. Stomach
7. Which of the following is produced by the liver?
a. Amylase c. Pepsin
b. Bile d. Renin
8. Which organ stores bile and pumps it into duodenum?
a. Appendix c. Gall bladder
b. Colon d. Pancreas
9. What is the result of chemical digestion of carbohydrates?
a. Amino acid c. Fatty acids
b. Bile d. Simple sugars
10. Where does absorption of nutrients mostly occur?
a. Stomach c. Large intestine
b. Small intestine d. All of the above
11. What aids the passage of food through the digestive tract?
a. Pull from the anus
b. Chemical absorption
c. Movement of the cilia
d. Wavelike muscle contractions
12. What is the main work of the digestive system?
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 a. Fights disease
b. Regenerates cells
c. Break down food
d. Distributes energy throughout the body
13. Which of the following is the correct order of the digestive tract?
a. Mouth – rectum – esophagus – rectum – anus – small intestine – large
intestine
b. Mouth – stomach – esophagus – rectum – anus – small intestine – large
intestine
c. Mouth – esophagus – stomach – small intestine – large intestine – rectum
– anus
d. Mouth – esophagus – stomach – small intestine – anus – large intestine –
rectum
14. How do nutrients from digested food reach the blood?
a. By passing through the esophagus into the blood
b. By being absorbed into the blood through the blood vessels
c. By being absorbed into the blood through the walls of the lungs
d. By passing through the small intestine into the large intestine, then into the
blood
15. What will happen to the undigested food that passes through the digestive
tract?
a. Goes to the pancreas to await disposal
b. Enters to the stomach and await disposal
c. Goes to small intestine and await disposal
d. Moves down to the large intestine and await disposal

B. Fill in the Blank

Directions: Use the words in the box to fill in the blanks in each paragraph.

Chewed Food Energy Rectum

Liver Mouth Small intestine Waste
Saliva Large intestine Digestion Digestive system
Swallow Tongue Esophagus
stomach Water Gastric acid
All animals need to eat _____ to get ____ to live. But in order to use
this food, they have to break it down in a process called _____. And so, all
animals have group of connected organ called the _____.
In humans, the process of digestion begins in the _____ where food is
_____ into small pieces by the teeth. The _____ helps by moving these
pieces around. These pieces are covered by _____ or spit. Saliva makes the
food slippery so that it is easier to _____. It also helps breakdown the food.

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 The food travels down the _____ and into the _____. The food is mixed
with _____ and further digested through peristalsis. Protein is digested in
stomach through the help of pancreatic juice and broken down into amino
acids.
After spending some time in the stomach, the food goes into the _____
where final digestion takes place with the help of digestive juices. _____
secretes digestive juices called bile which digests fatty foods into fatty acids.
The dissolved food is absorbed in the intestinal walls and goes to the
bloodstream. Then, undigested food goes into the _____ where the _____ is
absorbed. The remaining food is called _____ and it is pushed into the _____
for elimination.

Closure/Reflection

Directions: Complete the sentence below.

1. I learned that ………
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. I enjoyed most on ……..
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3. I want to learn more on ……..
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 References

Digestive System. (2014, September 26). Retrieved from DepEd Learning Portal:
lrmds.deped.ph/pdf-view/6315

Pia C. Campo, e. a. (2013). Science- Grade8 Learner's Module. Meralco Avenue,

Pasig City: Vibal Publishing House, Inc.

For inquiries and For inquiries and feedback, please write or call:

0967-387-4497
Email Address: lovelyjoy2707@gmail.com
Facebook Account: Lovely Joy Mariano, Lpt

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