The Digestive System

Science · Organisms & Life Processes · ages 8-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What does the mouth do to food?
- Chews it with saliva
- Absorbs all the nutrients
- Removes water from it
Which part of the digestive system does food reach first?
- Stomach
- Mouth
- Small intestine
The oesophagus is a tube that carries food from the mouth down to the stomach.
Circle one: True False
What is the main job of the small intestine?
- Absorb nutrients
- Chew food into small pieces
- Store food for later
After food leaves the stomach, which part does it travel to next?
- Large intestine
- Small intestine
- Oesophagus tube
The large intestine's main job is to absorb most of the nutrients from food.
Circle one: True False
Finn labels a diagram and draws the small intestine before the stomach. What is wrong with his diagram?
- The mouth comes after the stomach
- Nothing, that order is correct
- Stomach before small intestine
Leah chews her sandwich, swallows it, and it reaches her stomach. Where does it go next?
- Directly to the large intestine
- To the small intestine
- Back up the oesophagus

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Chews it with saliva · The mouth chews food into smaller pieces and mixes it with saliva to start breaking it down.
Mouth · The mouth is the first stop, where chewing begins.
True · The oesophagus squeezes chewed food down to the stomach.
Absorb nutrients · The small intestine absorbs the nutrients your body needs from digested food.
Small intestine · Once the stomach breaks food down, it moves into the small intestine next.
False · The small intestine absorbs most nutrients. The large intestine mainly takes out extra water before waste leaves the body.
Stomach before small intestine · Food passes through the stomach first, so the stomach belongs before the small intestine on the diagram.
To the small intestine · After the stomach, food moves forward into the small intestine, never backward.