Grumble Guts Slides Grumble Guts
The Amazing Journey of Your Lunch
Science Lab
The No-Chew Challenge
Try to eat your cracker without chewing or moving your tongue!
Can you do it? Why is it so hard?
The Body's Tunnel
Mouth
Esophagus
Stomach
Today, we are looking at the Stomach!
Two Ways to Break Food
Mechanical
Physical breaking! Like your teeth chewing or your stomach squeezing.
Chemical
Special juices (enzymes and acid) dissolve the food even more!
The Helper Organs
Liver
It makes bile, a special green juice that breaks down fats.
Gallbladder
It is like a storage tank for bile until you eat!
How to Lab
1
Put 2 crackers in the bag and seal it tight.
2
Squeeze and crush
the bag with your hands. (Mechanical!)
3
Open the bag carefully and add 1/4 cup of water.
4
Mix and squish
the bag gently. (Chemical!)
Where does the mush go?
Small Intestine
It's a long, windy tube that soaks up nutrients to keep you strong.
Large Intestine
It soaks up water and turns leftovers into waste (poop!).
System Talk
1. How is crushing the cracker like chewing?
2. What did the water do to the cracker pieces?
3. Why is it important for the food to be liquid?
Mapping Time!
Use your "Digestive Map" sheet to trace the path of the food from the mouth to the finish!
Grumble Guts Modified Worksheet GRUMBLE GUTS LAB
Investigating the Digestive System
NAME:
DATE:
1. Matching the Organs
Draw a line from the organ to its job in the body.
Mouth
Esophagus
Stomach
Liver
Gallbladder
Small Intestine
Large Intestine
A tube that carries food to the stomach.
Teeth chew and saliva starts to break food down.
Muscles squeeze food and acid dissolves it.
Makes "bile" juice to break down fats.
A storage tank for the liver's bile.
Soaks up nutrients the body needs.
Soaks up water and gets rid of waste.
2. My Hypothesis
What do you think will happen to the crackers when we add water and squish the bag?
If I add water and squish the bag, then the crackers will
3. Step-by-Step Procedure
1
Place 2 crackers in the plastic bag. This is like putting food in your mouth.
2
Seal the bag. Use your hands to crush the crackers. This physical breaking is called ____________________ digestion.
3
Open the bag and pour in 1/4 cup of water. The water represents digestive ____________________ and acids in the stomach.
4
Seal the bag again and gently squish the mixture. This chemical breaking is called ____________________ digestion.
4. Lab Observations
Before Water & Squishing
Describe what you see:
After Water & Squishing
Describe what you see:
5. Lab Conclusion
1. When we crushed the dry crackers with our hands, what type of digestion were we simulating?
Mechanical
Chemical
2. What happened to the crackers by the end of the lab?
3. After the stomach, where does the "mushy" food go to soak up nutrients?
4. Why does our body need to break food into such small pieces?
Grumble Guts Picture Lab Sheet Grumble Guts
NAME:
Our Lab Steps
1
Crackers in bag
2
SQUISH!
3
Add Water
4
MIX!
What happened?
Small Pieces
Still Big
Circle the one you see!
Did the food break down?
👍
YES
👎
NO
Grumble Guts Teacher Guide Teacher Guide: Grumble Guts Lab
1-Hour Lesson Plan & Answer Keys
Pacing Guide (60 Minutes)
00-10 min
The Hook: "The No-Chew Challenge"
Distribute crackers. Challenge students to eat them without chewing. Discussion: Why do we need teeth? (Introduces mechanical digestion).
10-25 min
Instruction: Slides & Organ Matching
Present Grumble Guts Slides . Students follow along and complete Part 1: Matching on the Modified Worksheet .
25-45 min
Hands-On Lab: The Bag Simulation
Conduct the cracker-and-bag lab. Students use the Modified Worksheet or Picture Lab Sheet to record observations.
45-55 min
Anatomy: System Mapping
Connect the lab to the body using the System Map Handout . Students label and trace the digestive path.
55-60 min
Assessment: Exit Ticket
Gather final thoughts with the Grumble Guts Exit Ticket . Quick cleanup of lab stations.
Materials & Prep
Student Supplies:
Quart Ziploc bag (1/pair)
Saltine Crackers (2/pair)
Water (1/4 cup/pair)
Lab Sheets (Differentiated)
Teacher Tip:
Pre-measure water into cups. Use heavy-duty freezer bags to prevent leaks during the "mechanical digestion" (crushing) phase!
Answer Keys
Worksheet Matching
Mouth: Teeth chew/Saliva starts break down.Esophagus: Tube to stomach.Stomach: Squeeze & Dissolve.Liver: Makes bile juice.Gallbladder: Storage tank for bile.Small Intestine: Soak up nutrients.Large Intestine: Soak up water/Waste.
Procedure Fill-ins
Step 2: Mechanical
Step 3: Saliva/Water
Step 4: Chemical
Conclusion & Exit Ticket
Conclusion Q3: Small Intestine.
Conclusion Q4: So it can be absorbed by the body easily.
Exit Ticket Q1/Q2: 1. Mechanical, 2. Chemical.
Grumble Guts System Map Handout THE DIGESTIVE MAP
NAME:
Instructions:
Follow the path of food! Color the organs using the key below and label them using the words in the box.
Mouth
Esophagus
Stomach
Liver
Gallbladder
Small Intestine
Large Intestine
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Body Outline
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
The Path of Food (Coloring)
Draw a line to show where the food goes!
👄
1. Mouth
🦒
2. Long
🥘
3. Stomach
🌀
4. Windy
Draw Your System Map Here
Grumble Guts Exit Ticket Digestive Exit Ticket
Quick Check for Understanding
NAME:
1
Using your teeth to chew food into small pieces is which type of digestion?
Mechanical
Chemical
2
Using stomach acid or bile to dissolve food is which type of digestion?
Mechanical
Chemical
3
Which organ was our "Plastic Bag" representing in the lab today?
4
What happened to the crackers when we added "stomach juices" (water)?
How do you feel about the digestive system today?
🤩 😐 🤔
