Year 4 Science: The parts of the digestive system
Part of the Year 4 Science teeth and the digestive system chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
The parts of the digestive system
The digestive system is a long tube, with several parts, that breaks down the food we eat. Food goes in at the mouth and comes out at the anus. The picture shows the parts in the order that food passes through them.
Key ideas
- Food enters the digestive system at the mouth.
- Food passes through the oesophagus and the stomach, then the small intestine and the large intestine.
- Waste is stored in the rectum, and leaves the body at the anus.
- The digestive system is one long tube, so food moves from one part to the next.
Method. Look at the top of the picture.
- Find the first part. Food goes in at the mouth, which is the first part.mouth
- Check the order. The mouth is at the top of the list in section 5.1.top
- Write the answer. Mouth
Check. Food is swallowed after it has been chewed in the mouth. ✓
Method. Find the stomach in the order.
- Find the stomach. The stomach is the third part in the order.third
- Read the next part. The part after the stomach is the small intestine.small intestine
- Write the answer. small intestine
Check. The large intestine comes after the small intestine. ✓
Method. Find the part between the mouth and the stomach.
- Find the part. The oesophagus lies between the mouth and the stomach.between
- Name it. The tube between the mouth and stomach is the oesophagus.oesophagus
- Write the answer. oesophagus
Check. The oesophagus is also called the gullet. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: the stomach is not the first part of the digestive system. Food is chewed in the mouth, and then passes down the oesophagus into the stomach.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). Look in a mirror with a grown-up, and find your mouth and your teeth. Then think about the order of the digestive system. Do not touch anything sharp, and wash your hands after eating.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “Where does the food go after your mouth? What is the last part?” Let your child say the parts in order, using the picture.
Exercise 5A The parts of the digestive system
Method. Read the order of the parts.
- Read the order. The list in section 5.1 starts with the mouth.mouth
- Write the answer. Mouth
Check. Food goes into the mouth first. ✓
Method. Read the order of the parts.
- Read the order. The list ends with the anus.anus
- Write the answer. Anus
Check. Waste leaves the body at the anus. ✓
Method. Find the part between the mouth and the stomach.
- Read the list. The oesophagus is the tube between the mouth and the stomach.oesophagus
- Write the answer. oesophagus
Check. The oesophagus is also called the gullet. ✓
Method. Read the order.
- Read the order. After the stomach comes the small intestine.small intestine
- Write the answer. small intestine
Check. The large intestine is later in the order. ✓
Method. Count the rows of the table.
- Count the parts. The parts are mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus.seven parts
- Write the number. So there are seven parts.7
- Write the answer. 7
Check. Check: mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anus. ✓
Method. Read what each part does.
- Read the part. The rectum stores the waste before it leaves the body.stores
- Write the answer. rectum
Check. The rectum comes just before the anus. ✓
Method. Find the two parts in the order.
- Find the small intestine. The small intestine comes before the large intestine.before
- Find the rectum. The rectum comes after the large intestine.after
- Write the answer. large intestine
Check. The large intestine sits between the two. ✓
Method. Read the start of section 5.1.
- Read the sentence. The digestive system is a long tube with several parts.tube
- Write the answer. tube
Check. The parts are joined together in one long tube. ✓
Method. Check the order.
- Read the order. The list starts with the mouth, and the stomach is the third part.third
- Decide. So the mouth comes before the stomach, and Ali is not right.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Food is chewed in the mouth first. ✓
Method. Look at the picture.
- Find the part. The second box in the picture is the oesophagus, the tube between the mouth and the stomach.second box
- Write the answer. oesophagus
Check. The picture shows the order of the parts. ✓
Method. Use the order in the picture.
- Find the stomach. The stomach is the third box in the picture.third box
- Write the prediction. The food moves on to the next box, which is the small intestine.small intestine
- Write the answer. Accept any prediction that names the small intestine.
Check. Check your prediction against the picture. ✓
Method. Think about how food moves.
- Think about the parts. The parts are joined, so food moves from one to the next.joined
- Write the reason. Food enters at one end, and waste leaves at the other end.other end
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says food passes through one continuous tube from the mouth to the anus, from one part to the next.
Check. The digestive system is one tube with parts along it. ✓