To Produce and To Consume Food: Photosynthesis and the Digestive System Living Things Living Things need To Produce (verb) = To Make Producer (noun) = uses energy to make its own food To consume (verb) = To Use, to eat or to drink Consumer (noun) = living thing that eats other living things Living things are humans, animals and plants.** Living things are (1) made up of cells, (2) get and use energy, (3) grow, (4) reproduce (have babies), and (5) respond to or adapt to changes in the environment or stimulus (singular) or stimuli (plural). Stimuli are anything in the environment that changes a plant or animal s behavior. For example, if you hear a loud noise at night, your heart may beat faster. A dog is hot, so it sits under a tree. When it rains, you use an umbrella. A plant will grow towards the sun or light. To survive or to live, living things need: Sunlight: (1) as a source of energy, and (2) for heat. Food (nutrients): (1) for energy or fuel to grow, reproduce, move and work; (2) to fix or repair cells Water: (1) to hydrate to keep it wet; (2) (plants) to stay firm and upright and to get nutrients; (3) (animals) to digest food and keep cells healthy. Air: (1) (animals) oxygen (O2)to survive (breathe); (2) (plants) carbon dioxide (CO2) to survive Habitat (home or shelter): (1) the right or correct temperature; (2) safe and secure home **Microorganisms or viruses, bacteria and fungi are also living things. 1
How plants produce or make food: Photosynthesis Photo = light Synthesis = make Plant (noun) To plant (verb) Put in the ground (soil) so it will grow Plants use light from the sun to make food. The sun is the energy. The energy changes water (H 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into oxygen (O 2 ) and sugar (glucose). The plant eats the sugar (glucose). Animals, including humans, breathe the oxygen. Photosynthesis takes 5 30 seconds. Plants get nutrients from the soil. How humans consume or use food: Energy Food gives people energy. We need food to grow and live. We need nutrients. Nutrients are in food. We need nutrients to be healthy. Nutrients are (1) carbohydrates, (2) fats or oil, (3) proteins, (4) vitamins and minerals and (5) water. To nourish (verb) Nourishment (noun) Nutrition (noun) Nutrient (noun) Nutritious (adjective) CO s + H 2 O + Energy (Carbon Dioxide) (Water) (Sun) O 2 (oxygen) + Glucose (sugar) Chlorophyll is the green color (pigment) in leaves. It helps plants absorb (soak up) or caputure (take and hold) light energy from the sun to make sugar. Sugar is a nutrient that mixes with water. The sugar is the plant s food. 2
How humans consume or use food: Nutrients Carbohydrates Carbohydrates or starch give you energy. Carbohydrates have starch and sugar. Your cells break down carbohydrates for energy. Carbohydrates are in foods like bread, rice, pasta, and fruit. Fats or Oil Fats or oils give your body energy. Fats insulate your body they keep you not too hot and not too cold. Fats protect your organs like your brain, stomach, heart and lungs.your body does not need a lot of fat. Fats are in oil, fish, and beans. Protein Protein builds and repairs or fixes your body. Protein helps your body fight disease. Most foods have some protein. Protein is in meat, fish, nuts, eggs, beans, seeds and milk / cheese. How humans consume or use food: Nutrients Vitamins and Minerals Minerals help your bones, teeth and muscles grow. Minerals are in salt, food and drinking water. Vitamins help your body use energy from food. Vitamins repair, or fix, damaged, or hurt, tissues and cells. Tissues are a group of cells that work together. Tissues keep our bodies together and help us move. Vitamins are in many fruits and vegetables. Water Your body is 50% - 70% water. Water keeps your body temperature safe. Water transports or moves nutrients through your body. Water cleans your body when you urinate. Water is in fruits and vegetables. 3
How humans process food: Digestion To digest (verb) to change food you have eatten into a simplier form so your body can use the food for energy and nutrition. Digestion (noun) the process or steps of breaking down food into a simplier form after you eat it. Digestive System (noun) the organs (mouth, stomach) in your body that work together to break down food for energy and nutrition. Digestion lets or allows your body to get nutrients and energy from food and water. The digestive system processes or breaks down the food. The digestive system excretes or gets rid of waste (urine, feces / excrement). First: Mouth Teeth chew or mash the food into small pieces. Saliva or spit helps make the food moist or wet. This helps break the food into small pieces. Teeth Throat Tongue Saliva or spit The tongue sends taste information to your brain. The tongue pushes food to the back of the mouth. The throat connects or joins the mouth to the esophagus. It helps you swallow food. Second: Esophagus Food The esophagus is a pipe or tube that that pushes or moves food from the mouth to the stomach. It has muscles that push or force the food down. waste 4
Third: Stomach The stomach breaks down foods into tiny particles or pieces. The acid and muscles in the stomach break down and grind up the food. Food stays in the stomach for about 4 hours. Fourth: Liver, Gallbladder and Pancreas The liver has bile. The bile is stored or kept in the gall bladder. Bile breaks up fat into smaller parts. The pancrease makes hormones like insulin. The pancrease has enzymes that digest proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The gallbladder and pancreas inject or put enzymes into the small intestine. Fifth: Small Intestine The small intestine is a long, thin tube or hose. The small intestine has chemicals called enzymes. Enzymes break the food into fats, proteins and sugars. These are nutrients. The nutrients are absorbed, or sucked or soaked up, by your blood. This is called absorption. Seventh: Rectum and Anus Sixth: Large Intestine The large intestine is a short, fat tube or hose. Any food that your body does not need or can not use goes to the large intestine. It leaves your body as waste. The rectum stores or keeps feces or solid waste until you go to the bathroom. The muscle in the rectum pushes it out of the anus. 5
Human Digestive System How long is the human digestive system? Organ Centimeters Inches Esophagus 25 cm about 10 inches Small intestines 7 meters (700 cm) about 23 feet Large intestines 1.5 meters (150 about 5 feet cm) Stomach 20 cm about 8 inches --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Word box: mouth, small intestine, rectum / anus, esophagus, stomach, large intestine. Human Digestive System How long does food stay in your body? Organ** Mouth Esophagus Stomach Small intenstine Large intestine TOTAL: How long? 10 seconds 5 6 second 2 4 hours 5 6 hours 12 24 hours **An organ is a group of tissues that has a specific function or role. A tissue is a group of cells that work together. For example, muscle tissues make up your muscle. Photosynthesis Photosynthesis takes 5 30 seconds. Word box: carbon dioxide, sugar (glucose), oxygen, water 6
7