Recreate the digestive system in the classroom - Write up

In our investigation, we aimed to recreate the digestive system within a classroom setting to understand the process of digestion. During the planning stage, we considered the key components and functions of the digestive system and how we could simulate them using available materials. We mapped out the journey that food takes from ingestion to excretion, identifying the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, and associated organs. Our goal was to create a visual and interactive representation that could effectively demonstrate the physical and chemical breakdown of food.

The doing stage involved the hands-on construction of the digestive system model. We simulated the mouth using a container and scissors to represent teeth, the esophagus as a tube to pass 'food' into the 'stomach', which was another container where we mixed the food with liquids to mimic digestive juices. Further along, we used stockings to represent the intestines, showing how nutrients are absorbed and waste is moved towards the 'rectum' for excretion. In the evaluation stage, we reflected on the effectiveness of our model. We asked ourselves how well it represented the various stages of digestion and whether it allowed for a clear understanding of the process. We considered the limitations of our model and discussed how it could be improved to provide a more accurate or detailed simulation of the digestive system.