Lesson 4.4: The Digestive and Urinary Systems

Overview

This lesson focuses on learning about the digestive and urinary systems, common issues with them, and how to keep both systems health, as well as how food gets from your plate to the cells of your body.

Learning Targets

  • LO16: Explain how the organs of the digestive system work together to get nutrients out of food and to the body.
  • LO17: Identify the main organs and functions of the urinary system.
  • LO18: Explain common problems associated with the digestive system.
  • LO19: Describe what prebiotics and probiotics are and explain how they relate to gut health.
  • LO20: Explain the long-term risks of poor kidney health.
  • LO21: Describe how to maintain good digestive and urinary health.

Preparation

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the Journal Question on the board or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Make copies of the Lesson 4.4 Note-Taking Guide. Project the Lesson 4.4 PowerPoint slides.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 4.4 Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet: Promoting Digestive Health.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Journal Question: Which common digestive problems do you think most people experience at some point in their lives? Describe a time you experienced one of these problems. What did you do to feel better?
    • Option: Write or project the question and have students respond in their journal or on their “bell ringer” sheet as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to complete the Lesson 4.4 Vocabulary Review Worksheet
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 4.4 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quiz and use it alongside a posttest to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Lesson Focus: Promoting Digestive Health

  1. Give each student a copy of the Lesson 4.4 Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet: Promoting Digestive Health.
  2. Have students work individually to complete the worksheet.
  3. Once students are finished with their worksheet, tell them to find a partner. They will be tasked with sharing the message they focused on with their partner.
  4. Once each student has shared their message, tell students to provide feedback and reflect upon the effectiveness of the message.

Challenge Activity

Have students needing an additional challenge work on the following Thinking Critically task.

What happens to a bite of a hamburger as it travels through your digestive system? In one or two paragraphs, describe its journey by providing details of the bite’s route and what it might experience or encounter along the way. Be sure to consider the nutrients in the hamburger and bun in your response.

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you...

  • Explain how the organs of the digestive system work together to get nutrients out of food and to the body?

    Chewing and swallowing (mouth and esophagus), mixing, storing and moving food (stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder), absorbing nutrients (small intestine), absorbing water and eliminating waste (large intestine)

  • Identify the main organs and functions of the urinary system?

    The system is made up of two kidneys (filter waste from the blood) and two ureters (store excess fluid that needs to be removed from the body becomes urine and travels from the ureters to the bladder), the bladder (stores urine), and the urethra (carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body).

  • Explain common problems associated with the digestive system?

    Short-term challenges include indigestion (a general feeling of stomach discomfort), constipation (when the movement of stool in the large intestine slows down), gas (air entering the intestines when certain foods are digested), vomiting (food exiting the body through the mouth), heartburn (pain that happens when the acid in your stomach moves up into the esophagus), diarrhea (runny stool from not fully absorbing liquid in your large intestine), ulcers (small sores that occur inside your digestive tract), and hemorrhoids (swollen and painful veins in your anus and lower rectum).

    Long-term challenges include colitis and Crohn’s disease (both diseases cause swelling in the colon or small intestine), cirrhosis (damage and scarring of the liver), colon cancer (cancer in the large intestine), lactose intolerance (inability to digest lactose), and irritable bowel syndrome (occurs when the colon does not function normally; results in severe cramping, gas, diarrhea, and constipation).

  • Describe what prebiotics and probiotics are and explain how they relate to gut health?

    The bacteria in your system are living organisms and need fuel to survive. Prebiotics are foods that can feed the bacteria in your gut. Probiotics are the living bacteria found in food. Eating these live bacteria helps keep your gut healthy.

  • Explain the long-term risks of poor kidney health?

    When a person’s kidneys gradually lose function, it is called kidney disease. Often a person does not realize they have kidney disease until it has become serious. Kidney disease can’t be cured. Treatment for the disease tries to keep it from getting worse.

  • Describe how to maintain good digestive and urinary health?

    Eat foods higher in fiber like fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Exercise regularly. Eat on a regular schedule. Eat prebiotic and probiotic foods regularly. Manage your stress.

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.

Take It Home

Conduct a digestive health inventory of your home by surveying which over-the-counter medicines are stocked for common digestive problems as well as foods that support good digestive health. Pay attention to prebiotics and fiber (from fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, and whole grains) and probiotics (from yogurt, kefir, and fermented foods like sauerkraut and pickles) in your inventory. Make a list of your findings and identify areas in need of improvement to better support digestive health. Share your ideas with an adult member of your household.