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Section 2 The Digestive Process Begins Objectives After completing this lesson, students will be able to 15.2.1 Describe the functions carried out in the digestive system 15.2.2 Explain the roles of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach in digestion Target Reading Skill Using Prior Knowledge Explain that using prior knowledge helps students connect what they already know to what they are about to read. Answer Graphic organizers should have two columns: “What You Know” and “What You Learned.” Have students write what they know in the first column. Then as they read, they can add new facts to the second column. Teaching Resources, Unit 3 Transparency LS150 Preteach Build Background Knowledge What Happens During Digestion Ask students to describe what they think happens after they eat a food item. Give students an example, such as a baked potato, and have them discuss what they know about the processes that change it from a potato to nutrients and energy. L2 Skills Focus Predicting Materials 2 plastic jars with lids, water, sugar cubes Time 15 minutes Tips Pair students; each student can shake one jar. The jars must receive equal shaking. Have students synchronize their shaking techniques and predict what will happen to the sugar in each jar. L1 Expected Outcome The crushed sugar cube will dissolve more quickly than the whole cube. Think It Over A large piece of food would take longer to digest than one that has been cut up in many small pieces because the large piece has to be broken down first. 2 The Digestive Process Begins How Can You Speed Up Digestion? 1. Obtain two plastic jars with lids. Fill the jars with equal amounts of water at the same temperature. 2. Place a whole sugar cube into one jar. Place a crushed sugar cube into the other jar. 3. Fasten the lids on the jars. Holding one jar in each hand, shake the two jars gently and for equal amounts of time. 4. Place the jars on a flat surface. Observe whether the whole cube or the crushed cube dissolves faster. Think It Over Predicting Use the results of this activity to predict which would take longer to digest: a large piece of food or one that has been cut up into many small pieces. Explain your answer. Reading Preview Key Concepts What functions are carried out in the digestive system? What roles do the mouth, esophagus, and stomach play in digestion? Key Terms digestion absorption saliva enzyme epiglottis esophagus mucus peristalsis stomach Target Reading Skill Using Prior Knowledge Before you read, look at the section headings and visuals to see what this section is about. Then write what you know about the digestive system in a graphic organizer like the one below. As you read, continue to write in what you learn. In 1822, a man named Alexis St. Martin was wounded in the stomach. Dr. William Beaumont saved St. Martins life. The wound, however , left an opening in St. Martins stomach that never healed completely. Beaumont realized that by looking through the opening in St. Martins abdomen, he could observe what was happening inside the stomach. Beaumont observed that food changed chemically inside the stomach. He hypothesized that chemical reactions in the stomach broke down foods into smaller particles. Beaumont removed liquid from St. Martins stomach and analyzed it. The stomach liquid contained an acid that played a role in the breakdown of foods into simpler substances. Functions of the Digestive System Beaumonts observations helped scientists understand the role of the stomach in the digestive system. The digestive system has three main functions. First, it breaks down food into molecules the body can use. Then, the molecules are absorbed into the blood and carried throughout the body. Finally , wastes are eliminated from the body. Figure 12 shows the organs of the digestive system, which is about 9 meters long from beginning to end. What You Know 1. Food is digested in the stomach. 2. What You Learned 1. 2.

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Section

2 The Digestive Process Begins

ObjectivesAfter completing this lesson, students will be able to15.2.1 Describe the functions carried out in the digestive system15.2.2 Explain the roles of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach in digestion

Target Reading SkillUsing Prior Knowledge Explain that using prior knowledge helps students connect what they already know to what they are about to read.

AnswerGraphic organizers should have two columns: “What You Know” and “What You Learned.” Have students write what they know in the first column. Then as they read, they can add new facts to the second column.

Teaching Resources, Unit 3

• Transparency LS150

Preteach

Build Background KnowledgeWhat Happens During DigestionAsk students to describe what they think happens after they eat a food item. Give students an example, such as a baked potato, and have them discuss what they know about the processes that change it from a potato to nutrients and energy.

L2

Skills Focus Predicting

Materials 2 plastic jars with lids, water, sugar cubes

Time 15 minutes

Tips Pair students; each student can shake one jar. The jars must receive equal shaking. Have students synchronize their shaking techniques and predict what will happen to the sugar in each jar.

L1 Expected Outcome The crushed sugar cube will dissolve more quickly than the whole cube.

Think It Over A large piece of food would take longer to digest than one that has been cut up in many small pieces because the large piece has to be broken down first.

2 The Digestive Process Begins

How Can You Speed Up Digestion?1. Obtain two plastic jars with lids. Fill the jars with equal

amounts of water at the same temperature.2. Place a whole sugar cube into one jar. Place a crushed sugar

cube into the other jar.3. Fasten the lids on the jars. Holding one jar in each hand,

shake the two jars gently and for equal amounts of time.4. Place the jars on a flat surface. Observe whether the whole

cube or the crushed cube dissolves faster.

Think It OverPredicting Use the results of this activity to predict which would take longer to digest: a large piece of food or one that has been cut up into many small pieces. Explain your answer.

Reading PreviewKey Concepts• What functions are carried out

in the digestive system?

• What roles do the mouth, esophagus, and stomach play in digestion?

Key Terms• digestion • absorption • saliva • enzyme • epiglottis • esophagus • mucus • peristalsis • stomach

Target Reading SkillUsing Prior Knowledge Before you read, look at the section headings and visuals to see what this section is about. Then write what you know about the digestive system in a graphic organizer like the one below. As you read, continue to write in what you learn.

In 1822, a man named Alexis St. Martin was wounded in thestomach. Dr. William Beaumont saved St. Martin’s life. Thewound, however, left an opening in St. Martin’s stomach thatnever healed completely. Beaumont realized that by lookingthrough the opening in St. Martin’s abdomen, he couldobserve what was happening inside the stomach.

Beaumont observed that food changed chemically insidethe stomach. He hypothesized that chemical reactions in thestomach broke down foods into smaller particles. Beaumontremoved liquid from St. Martin’s stomach and analyzed it. Thestomach liquid contained an acid that played a role in thebreakdown of foods into simpler substances.

Functions of the Digestive SystemBeaumont’s observations helped scientists understand the roleof the stomach in the digestive system. The digestive systemhas three main functions. First, it breaks down food intomolecules the body can use. Then, the molecules areabsorbed into the blood and carried throughout the body.Finally, wastes are eliminated from the body. Figure 12 showsthe organs of the digestive system, which is about 9 meters longfrom beginning to end.

What You Know

1. Food is digested in the stomach.2.

What You Learned

1.2.

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Differentiated Instruction

Instruct

Functions of the Digestive System

Teach Key ConceptsTypes of DigestionFocus Review the difference between mechanical and chemical changes.

Teach Ask: What happens to the pizza during chemical digestion? (It is broken down into molecules that the body can use.) What nutrients in the cheese and crust would be absorbed? (Protein, fat, and calcium from cheese; carbohydrates and B vitamins from the crust)

Apply Refer students to Figure 12. Explain that both types of digestion can occur at the same time in the same organ. Have students trace the path of food through the digestive system. learning modality: visual

Teaching Resources, Unit 3

• Transparency LS151

Independent PracticeTeaching Resources, Unit 3

• Guided Reading and Study Worksheet: The Digestive Process Begins

Student Edition on Audio CD

For: Links on digestionVisit: www.SciLinks.orgWeb Code: scn-0423

Download a worksheet that will guide students’ review of Internet resourceson digestion.

L2

L2

English Learners/BeginningVocabulary: Prior Knowledge Point to each part of the digestive system labeled in Figure 12. Pronounce the terms and have students repeat them. Then have students write the terms in English and in their native languages. learning modality: visual

L1 English Learners/IntermediateVocabulary: Science Glossary Conduct the same activity as described for Beginning students. As students read this section and the next one, have them write a sentence in their own words that describes the function of each of the terms. learning modality: verbal

L2

Monitor Progress L2

Writing Have students explain what happens to food when it is digested.

AnswersFigure 12 The esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine

The process in which chemicals produced by the

body break foods into their smaller chemical building blocks

Digestion The process by which your body breaks downfood into small nutrient molecules is called digestion. Thereare two kinds of digestion—mechanical and chemical. Inmechanical digestion, foods are physically broken down intosmaller pieces. Mechanical digestion occurs when you bite intoa sandwich and chew it into small pieces.

In chemical digestion, chemicals produced by the bodybreak foods into their smaller chemical building blocks. Forexample, the starch in bread is broken down into individualsugar molecules.

Absorption and Elimination After your food is digested,the molecules are ready to be transported throughout yourbody. Absorption (ab SAWRP shun) is the process by whichnutrient molecules pass through the wall of your digestive sys-tem into your blood. Materials that are not absorbed, such asfiber, are eliminated from the body as wastes.

What is chemical digestion?

Esophagus

Stomach

Pancreas

Rectum

Epiglottis

Liver

Gallbladder

Largeintestine

Smallintestine

Mouth

Salivary gland

For: Links on digestionVisit: www.SciLinks.orgWeb Code: scn-0423

FIGURE 12The Digestive System As food moves through the digestive system, digestion, absorption, and elimination occur one after the other in an efficient, continuous process. Interpreting Diagrams Which organs does food pass through after leaving the mouth?

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The Mouth

Teach Key ConceptsDigestion BeginsFocus Review chemical and mechanical digestion.

Teach Refer students to Figure 13. Ask them to discuss the function of each part of the mouth: Salivary glands (Produce saliva, which moistens food and contains an enzyme that breaks down starch); Salivary duct (Narrow tube that conveys saliva from the salivary gland to the mouth); Tongue (Helps mix food with saliva and assists in swallowing); Teeth (Cut, tear, and grind food).

Apply Ask: Why is it important to keep your teeth healthy? (Healthy teeth allow you to eat different foods to obtain the variety of nutrients you need.) learning modality: visual

Action of Enzymes

Materials meat tenderizer, milk, orange juice, 2 flasks or clear glasses, 2 stirrers

Time 10 minutes

Focus Show students the container of meat tenderizer. Ask: What is meat tenderizer used for? (It is sprinkled on meats before cooking to make them more tender.) Explain that meat tenderizer contains papain, an enzyme that breaks down protein.

Teach At the beginning of class, place 2 tablespoons of milk into one flask and the same amount of orange juice in another. Add 1 tablespoon of the meat tenderizer to each flask, and stir well with separate stirrers. Ask: What will happen to the milk and orange juice? (The papain will act on the milk solution but not the orange juice because milk contains protein, while orange juice does not.) Set aside the flasks until the end of class, then display both flasks. The milk solution will be thick; the orange juice will be unchanged.

Apply Ask: What can you say about the action of digestive enzymes based on this demonstration? (An enzyme acts on only one type of nutrient.) learning modality: visual

L2

Salivary duct

Tooth

Tongue

Molars

Premolars

Canine

Incisors

Salivary glands

The MouthHave you ever walked past a bakery or restaurant and noticedyour mouth watering? Smelling or even just thinking aboutfood when you’re hungry is enough to start your mouth water-ing. This response isn’t accidental. When your mouth waters,your body is preparing for the delicious meal it expects. Bothmechanical and chemical digestion begin in the mouth. Thefluid released when your mouth waters is saliva (suh LY vuh).Saliva plays an important role in both kinds of digestion.

Mechanical Digestion in the Mouth Your teeth carryout the first stage of mechanical digestion. Your center teeth, orincisors (in SY zurz), cut the food into bite-sized pieces. Oneither side of the incisors there are sharp, pointy teeth calledcanines (KAY nynz). These teeth tear and slash the food intosmaller pieces. Behind the canines are the premolars andmolars, which crush and grind the food. As the teeth do theirwork, saliva moistens the pieces of food into one slippery mass.

Chemical Digestion in the Mouth As mechanical diges-tion begins, so does chemical digestion. If you take a bite of acracker and suck on it, the cracker begins to taste sweet. Ittastes sweet because a chemical in the saliva has broken downthe starch molecules in the cracker into sugar molecules.

FIGURE 13Digestion in the Mouth Mechanical digestion begins in the mouth, where the teeth cut and tear food into smaller pieces. Salivary glands release enzymes that begin chemical digestion. Observing Which teeth are best suited for biting into a juicy apple?

L3

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The Esophagus

Teach Key ConceptsThe Function of the EsophagusFocus Ask students to swallow and try to breathe at the same time. They will note that for a very brief time, they are not able to breathe.

Teach Ask: Why weren’t you able to breathe when you swallowed? (The epiglottis sealed off the windpipe.) Tell students that the large, hollow organs of the digestive system contain muscles that help their walls to move. Ask: How do the muscles of the esophagus help food to move through the digestive system? (Muscles in the esophagus push food toward the stomach.)

Apply Ask: How does peristalsis explain how astronauts are able to eat in space? (Gravity doesn’t affect how food travels from the mouth to the stomach. The muscles in the esophagus contract and push the food down into the stomach.) learning modality: logical/mathematical

L2

Skills Focus Making models

Materials 20-cm clear, flexible, plastic straw (about 6 mm in diameter); round bead (5–6 mm in diameter)

Time 15 minutes

Tips You may substitute a seed, pebble, or other object for the bead.

Expected Outcome The bead will move ahead of where the straw is being pinched. The pinching motion models the contractions of the muscles around the esophagus. The straw models the esophagus, and the bead represents food. learning modality: kinesthetic

Monitor Progress L2

Skills CheckHave students compare and contrast mechanical and chemical digestion.

AnswersFigure 13 Incisors

As you swallow, a flap of tissue called the epiglottis

seals off the windpipe, preventing the food from entering.

The chemical in saliva that digests starch is an enzyme.Enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions in thebody. Your body produces many different enzymes. Eachenzyme has a specific chemical shape. Its shape enables it totake part in only one kind of chemical reaction. An example ofenzyme action is shown in Figure 14.

The EsophagusIf you’ve ever choked on food, your food may have “gone downthe wrong way.” That’s because there are two openings at theback of your mouth. One opening leads to your windpipe,which carries air into your lungs. As you swallow, a flap of tis-sue called the epiglottis (ep uh GLAHT is) seals off your wind-pipe, preventing the food from entering. The food goes intothe esophagus (ih SAHF uh gus), a muscular tube that con-nects the mouth to the stomach. The esophagus is lined withmucus, a thick, slippery substance produced by the body.Mucus makes food easier to swallow and move along.

Food remains in the esophagus for only about 10 seconds.After food enters the esophagus, contractions of smoothmuscles push the food toward the stomach. These involun-tary waves of muscle contraction are called peristalsis (pehr ihSTAWL sis). Peristalsis also occurs in the stomach and fartherdown the digestive system. These muscular waves keep foodmoving in one direction.

How is food prevented from entering the windpipe?

FIGURE 14How Enzymes Work The shape of an enzyme molecule is specific to the shape of the food molecule it breaks down. Here, an enzyme breaks down a starch into sugars.

Modeling Peristalsis1. Obtain a clear, flexible

plastic straw.2. Hold the straw ver-

tically and insert a small bead into the top of the straw. The bead should fit snugly into the straw. CAUTION: Do not put the straw in your mouth or blow into the straw.

3. Pinch the straw above the bead so the bead begins to move down the length of the tubing.

4. Repeat Step 3 until the bead exits the straw.

Making Models How does this action compare with peristalsis? What do the bead and the straw represent?

Enzyme Starch Sugar BSugar B

The shape of the enzyme fits the starch molecule.

A chemical reaction occurs between the enzyme and starch molecule.

The starch moleculehas been broken down into sugar molecules.

1 2 3

Sugar ASugar A

L2

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Differentiated Instruction

Math Skill Making and interpreting Graphs

Focus Remind students that a line graph is often used to show changes over time.

Teach Ask: What is being represented by the graph? (The time it takes for egg white to be digested)

Answers1. Percentage of egg white digested2. About 14 hours3. About 70%4. From 12 to 16 hours

The Stomach

Teach Key ConceptsFunction of the StomachFocus Ask: What is one way your stomach lets you know it is empty? (Sample answers: You feel hunger pangs; your stomach “growls” or rumbles.) Explain that these sounds are caused by hunger contractions, or peristaltic contractions in the stomach when it has been empty for a long time. People sometimes experience a sensation of pain, called hunger pangs.

Teach Refer students to Figure 15. Ask: How do the muscles in the stomach help it to perform its function? (They contract to squeeze food and mix it with fluids.) What happens to food in the stomach? (Food enters the stomach from the esophagus, where it is mixed with fluids. The proteins are chemically digested. Then the food is released into the small intestine.)

Apply Have students use what they have learned in this section to summarize where mechanical and chemical digestion have taken place to this point. (Mouth: chemical and mechanical digestion; esophagus: none; stomach: chemical and mechanical digestion) Ask: Where is mechanical digestion complete? (The stomach) Is chemical digestion complete here? (No; it is complete in the small intestine.) learning modality: visual

L2

Less Proficient ReadersMaking a Table Have students draw a table with three columns: Organ, Type of Digestion, and What Happens. As they read this section and the next, have them complete the table. Model the first row for

L1 them: Organ—Mouth; Type of Digestion—Chemical and Mechanical; What Happens—Teeth cut, tear and grind food; tongue mixes food and helps in swallowing; enzymes in saliva break down carbohydrates. learning modality: visual

The StomachWhen food leaves the esophagus, it enters the stomach, aJ-shaped, muscular pouch located in the abdomen. As you eat,your stomach expands to hold all of the food that you swallow.Most mechanical digestion and some chemical digestionoccur in the stomach.

Mechanical Digestion in the Stomach The process ofmechanical digestion occurs as three strong layers of smoothmuscle contract to produce a churning motion. This actionmixes the food with fluids in somewhat the same way thatclothes and soapy water are mixed in a washing machine.

Chemical Digestion in the Stomach Chemical digestionoccurs as the churning food makes contact with digestive juice, afluid produced by cells in the lining of the stomach. Digestivejuice contains the enzyme pepsin. Pepsin chemically digests theproteins in your food, breaking them down into short chains ofamino acids.

Digestive juice also contains hydrochloric acid, a very strongacid. Without this strong acid, your stomach could not functionproperly. First, pepsin works best in an acid environment. Second,the acid kills many bacteria that you swallow with your food.

Why doesn’t stomach acid burn a hole in your stomach?The reason is that cells in the stomach lining produce a thickcoating of mucus, which protects the stomach lining. Also, thecells that line the stomach are quickly replaced as they are dam-aged or worn out.

Protein DigestionA scientist performed an experiment to determine the amount of time needed to digest protein. He placed small pieces of hard-boiled egg white (a protein) in a test tube containing hydrochloric acid, water, and the enzyme pepsin. He measured the rate at which the egg white was digested over a 24-hour period. His data are recorded in the graph.

1. Reading Graphs What do the values on the y-axis represent?

2. Interpreting Data After about how many hours would you estimate that half of the protein was digested?

3. Interpreting Data How much digestion occurred in 16 hours?

4. Drawing Conclusions During which 4-hour period did the most digestion take place?

Rate of Digestion

Time (hours)

Perc

enta

ge

of

Egg

Wh

ite

Dig

este

d

100

80

60

40

20

040 8 12 16 20 24

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L2

Monitor Progress L2

AnswersFigure 15 Mucus in digestive juices coats and protects the stomach lining.

Pepsin is an enzyme that is part of the digestive juice.

Assess

Reviewing Key Concepts1. a. To break down food into molecules that can be used by the body, to absorb the food molecules into the blood, and to eliminate wastes from the body b. In mechanical digestion, foods are physically broken down into smaller pieces. In chemical digestion, chemicals produced by the body break foods into their smaller chemical building blocks. c. Mechanical digestion helps prepare food for chemical digestion by making smaller pieces that enzymes can act upon.2. a. Mouth: saliva, which contains an enzyme that breaks down starch; stomach: pepsin and hydrochloric acid b. HCl provides an acid environment, in which pepsin works best. c. The stomach lining would become irritated and might develop sores from the acid produced by the stomach.

ReteachUse the illustrations in this section to review the parts and functions of the digestive system.

Performance AssessmentSkills Check Have students prepare flowcharts that show the process of digestion from the mouth through the stomach.

Teaching Resources, Unit 3

• Section Summary: The Digestive Process Begins

• Review and Reinforce: The Digestive Process Begins

• Enrich: The Digestive Process Begins

L1

L2

First Aid for Choking Suggest that students and their parents consult first-aid manuals or a health-care professional to learn the symptoms of choking and how to use the Heimlich maneuver. Encourage them to learn how to distinguish between situations in which the person can breathe and situations in which the Heimlich maneuver is required.

Keep Students on Track Students will have completed three days of record keeping. Provide resources to help them create bar graphs to compare their food intake to the numbers of servings recommended in the Food Guide Pyramid. Ask them to analyze their graphs to identify changes they could make in their diets.

Food remains in the stomach until all of the solid material hasbeen broken down into liquid form. A few hours after you finisheating, the stomach completes mechanical digestion of the food.By that time, most of the proteins have been chemically digestedinto shorter chains of amino acids. The food, now a thick liquid,is released into the next part of the digestive system. That is wherefinal chemical digestion and absorption will take place.

What is pepsin?

Section 3 Assessment

Target Reading Skill Using Prior Knowledge Review your graphic organizer and revise it based on what you just learned in the section.

Reviewing Key Concepts1. a. Listing What are the functions of the digestive system?

b. Comparing and Contrasting Distinguish between mechanical and chemical digestion.

c. Inferring Why must mechanical digestion start before chemical digestion?

2. a. Reviewing What key chemicals do the mouth and stomach contain?

b. Describing How do pepsin and hydrochloric acid work together to digest food in the stomach?

c. Predicting What could happen if your stomach didn’t produce enough mucus? Explain.

Esophagus

Peristalsis

Stomachmuscles

Stomach Lining

Smallintestine

Food

FIGURE 15The Stomach The stomach has three layers of muscle that help to break down foods mechanically. The inset photo shows a microscopic view of the stomach lining. The yellow dots are mucus. Relating Cause and Effect What role does mucus play inside the stomach?

2

First Aid for Choking Explain to your family what happens when people choke on food. With your family, find out how to recognize when a person is choking and what to do to help the person. Learn about the Heimlich maneuver and how it is used to help someone who is choking.

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As the Stomach Churns

Prepare for Inquiry

Key Concept

In the stomach, proteins are digested by the chemicals in the digestive juices and by the mechanical processes as the stomach churns.

Skills Objectives

After this lab students will be able to

interpret data and draw conclusions about the conditions needed for the digestion of proteins in the stomach

control variables to test their predictions

draw conclusions about the role of pepsin in protein digestion

Prep Time

40 minutes

Class Time

40 minutes

Advance Planning

Obtain blue litmus paper and a 0.2% solution of hydrochloric acid. Boil eggs and cut whites into 1-cm cubes. Prepare enough eggs for students to have 3 cubes per test tube.

Safety

Make sure all students, teachers, and visitors wear goggles and aprons throughout the lab. Hydrochloric acid can cause burns. Review the safety guidelines in Appendix A.

Teaching Resources, Unit 3

Lab Worksheet:

As the Stomach Churns

Guide Inquiry

Invitation

Ask students to name some foods that contain protein.

(Sample answers: meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, nuts, beans, and lentils)

Ask:

What role does protein play in nutrition?

(It aids in tissue growth and repair.)

Ask:

Why is it important for the stomach to be acidic?

(To create an environment in which pepsin can act)

Introducing the Procedure

Review the litmus test procedure. Discuss ways to prevent cross-contamination of the test tubes by using a clean stirrer for each litmus test and by using clean graduated cylinders when adding fluids to a new test tube.

Troubleshooting the Experiment

Students’ results may be unconvincing if the egg white cubes are too large or if the hydrochloric acid solution is too weak.

As the Stomach Churns

ProblemWhat conditions are needed for the digestion of proteins in the stomach?

Skills Focus interpreting data, controlling variables, drawing conclusions

Materials• test-tube rack• pepsin• water• 4 strips blue litmus paper• cubes of boiled egg white• 10-mL plastic graduated cylinder• 4 test tubes with stoppers• marking pencil• diluted hydrochloric acid• plastic stirrers

Procedure 1. In this lab, you will investigate how acidic

conditions affect protein digestion. Read over the entire lab to see what materials you will be testing. Write a prediction stating which conditions you think will speed up protein digestion. Then, copy the data table into your notebook.

2. Label four test tubes A, B, C, and D, and place them in a test-tube rack.

3. In this lab, the protein you will test is boiled egg white, which has been cut into cubes about 1 cm on each side. Add 3 cubes to each test tube. Note and record the size and overall appearance of the cubes in each test tube. CAUTION: Do not put any egg white into your mouth.

4. Use a graduated cylinder to add 10 mL of the enzyme pepsin to test tube A. Observe the egg white cubes to determine whether an immediate reaction takes place. Record your observations under Day 1 in your data table. If no changes occur, write “no immediate reaction.”

5. Use a clean graduated cylinder to add 5 mL of pepsin to test tube B. Then rinse out the graduated cylinder and add 5 mL of water to test tube B. Observe whether or not an immediate reaction takes place.

6. Use a clean graduated cylinder to add 10 mL of hydrochloric acid to test tube C. Observe whether or not an immediate reaction takes place. CAUTION: Hydrochloric acid can burn skin and clothing. Avoid direct contact with it. Wash any splashes or spills with plenty of water, and notify your teacher.

Data Table

Test Tube

ABCD

Egg White Appearance Litmus ColorDay 1 Day 1Day 2 Day 2

L2

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Expected Outcome•

Students will not observe changes in egg white appearance in test tubes A, B, or C. After one day, the egg white in test tube D will begin to dissolve and then disappear.

The solution of pepsin and hydrochloric acid will digest protein. Pepsin is effective only in an acid environment, such as the stomach.

Analyze and Conclude

1.

The combination of pepsin and hydrochloric acid digested the egg white best. After one day, the solid egg white in test tube D began to dissolve. The egg white in the other solutions remained undigested.

2.

The reaction did not occur immediately after the materials were put into test tube D, so it was not a quick reaction. However, students should recognize that they cannot be sure exactly how long the reaction took. The time range is from the moment of their last observation on Day 1 to the time just before their observation on Day 2.

3.

In a controlled experiment, it is important to keep all variables the same except the one being tested. Egg pieces of different sizes may have reacted at different rates and affected the results.

4.

Pepsin alone (or with water) cannot digest protein. It requires the presence of hydrochloric acid.

5.

Test tube A had only pepsin. Test tube C had only hydrochloric acid. Neither one of these two substances could digest the egg white by itself. However, when they were combined in test tube D, they could.

Extend Inquiry

Design an Experiment

Students’ experiments should involve placing large egg white pieces and small egg white pieces in a pepsin and hydrochloric acid solution to test their hypothesis. If students set up this experiment correctly, they should learn that small pieces of food are digested faster than large pieces.

7. Use a clean graduated cylinder to add 5 mL of pepsin to test tube D. Then, rinse the graduated cylinder and add 5 mL of hydro-chloric acid to test tube D. Observe whether or not an immediate reaction takes place. Record your observations.

8. Obtain four strips of blue litmus paper. (Blue litmus paper turns pink in the presence of an acid.) Dip a clean plastic stirrer into the solu-tion in each test tube, and then touch the stirrer to a piece of litmus paper. Observe what happens to the litmus paper. Record your observations.

9. Insert stoppers in the four test tubes and store the test tube rack as directed by your teacher.

10. The next day, examine the contents of each test tube. Note any changes in the size and overall appearance of the egg white cubes. Then, test each solution with litmus paper. Record your observations in your data table.

Analyze and Conclude1. Interpreting Data Which materials were the

best at digesting the egg white? What obser-vations enabled you to determine this?

2. Inferring Is the chemical digestion of protein in food a fast or a slow reaction? Explain.

3. Controlling Variables Why was it important that the cubes of egg white all be about the same size?

4. Drawing Conclusions What did this lab show about the ability of pepsin to digest protein?

5. Communicating Write a paragraph in which you describe the purpose of test tube A and test tube C as they relate to the steps you fol-lowed in the procedure.

Design an ExperimentDesign a way to test whether protein digestion is affected by the size of the food pieces. Write down your hypothesis and the procedure you will follow. Obtain your teacher’s permission before carrying out your investigation.

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