Lesson Plan

5 Digestive System
TEACHING FOCUS
Students will have the opportunity to learn the names of the organs of the digestive system, their locations
and functions, and disease processes and symptoms that affect the digestive system organs. Furthermore,
students will have the opportunity to learn how to define combining forms for organs, explain the meaning
of related terminology using word parts, and learn how to properly pronounce new terms.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Copies of IRM Diagram Quiz (Lesson 5.1)

Index cards (Lesson 5.1)
Overhead projector (all Lessons)
Paper (all Lessons)
Projector screen (all Lessons)

Transparencies or flash cards with a variety

of words from the Combining Forms Section
and Pathology Section (Lesson 5.2)
Unlabeled diagrams of digestive organs
(Lesson 5.2)

LESSON CHECKLIST

Preparations for this lesson include:

Lecture
Student performance evaluation of all entry-level skills required for student comprehension and
application of anatomy and terminology related to the digestive system, including:
o the names, locations, and functions of the organs of the digestive system
o diseases and symptoms of the digestive system
o medical terminology, combining forms, and suffixes related to the digestive system
o the proper pronunciation of medical terms

KEY TERMS

__________________________________________________________Chapter 5 Digestive System

Introduction (p. 142)
absorption
amino acids
digested
digestion
elimination
enzymes
fatty acids
gastrointestinal
glucose
triglycerides
Oral Cavity (pp. 142-145)
buccal
canine
cheeks
crown
cementum
deglutition
dentin
distal
enamel
enzymes
facial
gums
hard palate
incisal
incisor
labial
lingual
lips
mastication
mesial
molar
occlusal
papillae
parotid gland
periodontal membrane
premolar
pulp
root
root canal
rugae
saliva
salivary glands
soft palate
sublingual gland
submandibular gland
teeth
tongue
tonsils
uvula
Pharynx (p. 145)
deglutition
esophagus
pharynx
throat
Esophagus (p. 146)

bolus
peristalsis
stomach
Stomach (p. 147)
antrum
body
fundus
hydrochloric acid
lower esophageal sphincter (cardiac sphincter)
pepsin
pyloric sphincter
rugae
sphincters
Small Intestine (Small Bowel) (p. 147)
bile
duodenum
gallbladder
ileum
jejunum
liver
pancreas
small intestine (small bowel)
villi
Large Intestine (Large Bowel) (p. 148)
anus
appendix
ascending colon
cecum
colon
defecation
descending colon
feces
rectum
sigmoid colon
transverse colon
Liver, Gallbladder, and Pancreas
(pp. 149-151)
amylase
bile
bilirubin
common bile duct
cystic duct
duodenum
emulsification
gallbladder
glycogen
glycogenolysis
gluconeogenesis
glucose
hepatic duct
insulin
jaundice (hyperbilirubinemia)
lipase
liver
pancreas
pancreatic duct
portal vein

__________________________________________________________Chapter 5 Digestive System

protease
Terminology/Parts of the Body (pp. 155-159)
an/o
append/o
appendic/o
bucc/o
cec/o
celi/o
cheil/o
cholecyst/o
choledoch/o
col/o
colon/o
dent/i
duoden/o
enter/o
esophag/o
faci/o
gastr/o
gingiv/o
gloss/o
hepat/o
ile/o
jejun/o
labi/o
lapar/o
lingu/o
mandibul/o
odont/o
or/o
palat/o
pancreat/o
peritone/o
pharyng/o
proct/o
pylor/o
rect/o
sialaden/o
sigmoid/o
stomat/o
uvul/o
Terminology/Substances (pp. 159-160)
amyl/o
bil/i
bilirubin/o
chol/e
chlorhydr/o
gluc/o
glyc/o
glycogen/o
lip/o

REFERENCE LIST
PowerPoint slides (CD, Evolve): 1-53

lith/o
prote/o
sial/o
steat/o
Terminology/Suffixes (p. 160)
-ase
-chezia
-iasis
-prandial
Pathology (pp. 161-170)
anorexia
ascites
borborygmus
constipation
diarrhea
dysphagia
eructation
flatus
hematochezia
jaundice
melana
nausea
steatorrhea
achalasia
anal fistula
aphthous stomatitis
cholelithiasis
cirrhosis
colonic polyposis
colorectal cancer
Crohns disease
dental caries
diverticulosis
dysentery
esophageal varices
gastric carcinoma
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
hemorrhoids
hernia
herpetic stomatitis
oral leukoplakia
ileus
intussusception
irritable bowel syndrome
pancreatitis
periodontal disease
peptic ulcer
ulcerative colitis
viral hepatitis
volvulus

__________________________________________________________Chapter 5 Digestive System

Legend

CD
Companion
CD

iTerms

IRM
Instructors
Resource Manual
available on CD
and Evolve

Evolve
Evolve
Resources

PPT
PowerPoint
Slides

MTO
Medical
Terminology
Online

Class Activities are indicated in bold italic.

__________________________________________________________Chapter 5 Digestive System

LESSON 5.1
PRETEST
IRM Quiz B

BACKGROUND ASSESSMENT
Question: What are the three functions of the digestive system? Describe each function.
Answer: The three functions of the system are digestion, absorption, and elimination. In the first step,
digestion, food taken into the mouth is digested or broken down, mechanically and chemically, as it travels
through the gastrointestinal tract. Digestive enzymes speed up chemical reactions and aid the breakdown of
complex nutrients. In the second step, absorption, digested food passes into the bloodstream through the
walls of the small intestine. Nutrients such as sugar, fatty acids, and amino acids travel to all cells of the
body, which burn them for energy. The third function of the digestive system is elimination of solid waste
materials that cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream. The large intestine concentrates these solid wastes,
called feces, and passes them out of the body through the anus.
Question: What is the difference between the small intestine and the large intestine?
Answer: The small intestine connects the stomach to the large intestine. The small intestine is a 20-foot-long
narrow tube that has millions of microscopic projections called villi that line its walls. The tiny capillaries
(microscopic blood vessels) in the villi absorb the digested nutrients into the bloodstream and lymph vessels.
The large intestine extends from the ileum, the third section of the small intestine, to the anus. The large
intestine is 4 to 6 feet long and larger in diameter than the small intestine. It receives the fluid waste products
of digestion (the material unable to pass into the bloodstream) and stores these wastes until they can be
released from the body. Because the large intestine absorbs most of the water from the waste material, the
body can expel solid feces.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION

Frank, a 72-year-old man with suspected colon cancer, underwent a colonoscopy. A large mass was
found 12 centimeters proximal to the splenic flexure. In which part of the colon is this located? Trace
the route of the colonoscope to the location of the mass.
Guidelines: The mass would be located in the transverse colon, between the ascending and descending
colon. The colon is divided into several parts: the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending
colon, and the sigmoid colon. The colonoscope would pass through the rectum, the sigmoid colon, the
descending colon, and then finally past the splenic flexure to the transverse colon.

OBJECTIVES
Name the organs
of the digestive
system and
describe their
locations and
functions.

CONTENT

Anatomy and physiology (p. 142)

Oral cavity (p. 142)

Pharynx (p. 145)

Esophagus (p. 146)

Stomach (p. 147)

Small intestine (p. 147)

Large intestine (p. 148)

Liver, gallbladder, and pancreas

(p. 149)

TEACHING RESOURCES
PPT 4-33
MTO Module 5, Section I, Lessons 1-4
Figure 5-1 Oral cavity (p. 143)
Figure 5-2 Upper permanent teeth (p. 143)
Figure 5-3 Anatomy of a tooth (p. 144)
Figure 5-4 Salivary glands (p. 145)
Figure 5-5 Deglutition (p. 145)
Figure 5-6 The gastrointestinal tract (p. 146)
Figure 5-7 Parts of the stomach (p. 147)
Figure 5-8 Villi in the lining of the small
intestine (p. 148)
Figure 5-9 Liver, gallbladder, and pancreas
(p. 149)
Figure 5-10 Bilirubin pathway (p. 150)

__________________________________________________________Chapter 5 Digestive System

OBJECTIVES

CONTENT

TEACHING RESOURCES
Figure 5-11 The pancreas and its functions
(p. 150)
Figure 5-12 Pathway of food through the
gastrointestinal tract (p. 151)
Vocabulary Review (pp. 152-154)
Exercises A, B (pp. 171)
Divide the class into teams. Give
each team a blank copy of the IRM Diagram
Quiz. The goal is to be the first team to
complete the diagram correctly.
Class Activity

Divide the class into small teams

and assign each team a category such as Oral
Cavity, Pharynx, Esophagus, or Stomach. Ask
each group to study the anatomy and function
of the category, as well as investigate related
combining forms and other word parts such
as prefixes and suffixes. Have students
summarize their findings for the class.
Class Activity

Write all the labels on

Figure 5-12 (p. 151) on individual index
cards. Randomly assign each student
(or group of students) a card. Ask them to
assemble themselves in specific order of the
various systems in the digestion process.
Class Activity

Define
combining forms
for organs and
the meaning of
related
terminology
using these
word parts.

Vocabulary (p. 152)

Terminology (p. 155)

PPT 34-37
Exercise C (p. 172)

Parts of the body (p. 155)

Exercise D (pp. 172-173)

Substances (p. 159)

Exercise F (p. 173)

Suffixes (p. 160)

Exercise L (p. 177)

Divide the class into teams.
During a timed session, call out the name of a
combining form. Ask each team to create as
many digestive system medical terms from the
combining form as they can in a 60-second
period. After 60 seconds, announce another
combining form. If two teams have the same
term, eliminate it and assign points for only
the terms that appear once.
Class Activity

Using the diagram from the IRM Diagram

Quiz in the first module, ask the students to
label the diagrams using the combining
forms.

__________________________________________________________Chapter 5 Digestive System

5.1 Homework/Assignments:

Have students investigate the camera pill and report back to the class.

5.1 Teachers Notes:

__________________________________________________________Chapter 5 Digestive System

LESSON 5.2
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION
Anisha is studying her medical terms and is comparing examples. She finds the terms gastroesophageal and
esophagogastric. Should she assume that they are two ways of saying the same thing?
Guidelines: No! In systems that have directionality, gastroesophageal means pertaining to the stomach
and esophagus and indicates that the direction is from the stomach toward the esophagus. Esophagogastric
means pertaining to the esophagus and stomach and the direction is from the esophagus toward the stomach.

OBJECTIVES
Describe disease
processes and
symptoms that
affect these
organs.

CONTENT

Pathology of the digestive system

(p. 160)

TEACHING RESOURCES
PPT 39-53

Symptoms (p. 161)

IRM Multiple Choice Quiz

Pathological conditions (p. 162)

IRM Pathology Quiz

Oral cavity and teeth (p. 162)

IRM Exercise Quizzes D-G

Upper gastrointestinal tract

(p. 164)

Lower gastrointestinal tract

(p. 166)

Liver, gallbladder, and

pancreas (p. 169)

IRM Dictation and Comprehension Quiz:

Pathological Symptoms
IRM Dictation and Comprehension Quiz:
Pathological Conditions
IRM Spelling Quiz
IRM Crossword Puzzle
MTO Module 5, Section II, Lessons 1-7 and
Section III, Lesson 1
Figure 5-13 Stages of appendicitis (p. 155)
Figure 5-14 Sigmoid colostomy (p. 156)
Figure 5-15 Three types of anastomoses
(p. 156)
Figure 5-16 Mesentery (p. 157)
Figure 5-17 Ascites (p. 161)
Figure 5-18 Normal teeth and gums and
diseased teeth and gums (p. 163)
Figure 5-19 (A) Esophageal varices; (B)
Advanced gastric carcinoma (p. 164)
Figure 5-20 Hernias (p. 165)
Figure 5-21 (A) Anal fistula and two types of
polyps; (B) Multiple polyps of the colon
(p. 166)
Figure 5-22 Adenocarcinoma of the colon
(p. 167)
Figure 5-23 (A) Diverticula; (B) Diverticulosis
(p. 167)
Figure 5-24 Intussusception and volvulus
(p. 168)

__________________________________________________________Chapter 5 Digestive System

OBJECTIVES

CONTENT

TEACHING RESOURCES
Figure 5-25 (A) Gallstones; (B) Liver with
alcoholic cirrhosis (p. 168)
Figure 5-26 Gallstone positions (p. 169)
Figure 5-27 Trocars in place for laparoscopic
cholecystectomy (p. 170)
Exercises F-K (pp. 173-176)
Companion CD Exercise 5-9
Pronounce the terms that
describe the digestive system. Ask students to
spell them and to underline the stressed
syllable.
Class Activity

Show the class the drawings or

photographs in the figures listed above,
taking care to delete the labels. Ask the
students to describe the condition being
shown.
Class Activity

Class Activity Divide

the class into three

groups and have each choose a contestant for
a quiz show. Using transparencies or flash
cards, show the contestants a variety of words
one at a time. Ask them to pronounce each
word correctly and define it. The first
contestant to answer correctly wins a point.
When a contestant answers incorrectly, the
team chooses a new contestant. The team
with the most correct answers wins.
Define
combining forms
for organs and
the meaning of
related
terminology
using these
words.

Pronunciation of terms (p. 180)

Vocabulary and terminology

sections (p. 180
Pathological terminology
(p. 184)

IRM Pronunciation Quiz

Pronunciation Exercise (pp. 180-185)
Companion CD Exercises 5-10, 5-11
iTerms Chapter 05
Spell a medical term to the class.
Ask students to pronounce the word, along
with analyzing the term and underlining the
stressed syllable. Repeat this to cover 10 to 20
terms.
Class Activity

Divide the class into teams of

two. Have each student practice pronouncing
the terms on pp. 180-185 to each other.
Class Activity

Alternatively, have students take turns

reading the sentences in Exercise J of the text
to the class, correcting their pronunciation as
necessary. Ask them to analyze all terms that
are appropriate.

__________________________________________________________Chapter 5 Digestive System

OBJECTIVES

CONTENT

Performance
Evaluation

10

TEACHING RESOURCES
IRM Multiple Choice Quiz
IRM Combining Forms, Suffixes, and
Terminology Quiz
IRM Pathology Quiz
IRM Exercise Quiz
IRM Dictation and Comprehension Quiz
IRM Spelling Quiz
IRM Pronunciation Quiz
IRM Diagram Quiz
IRM Vocabulary Quiz
IRM Medical Scramble
IRM Crossword Puzzle
ESLR Body Spectrum Electronic Anatomy
Coloring Book: Digestive
ESLR Student Quiz Chapter 05
MTO Module 5, Sections I-III quizzes
MTO Module 5 Exam
Companion CD Exercise 5-12

5.2 Homework/Assignments:

Have students write a two-page paper about the hepatitis B vaccine that children and healthcare workers
receive. Why use that particular vaccine for those groups?

5.2 Teachers Notes: