Digestion Relay

By Justin Schiltroth

Secretion

Organ

Function

Amylase

Mouth (Salivary Glands)

Initiates breakdown of polysaccharides

Hydrochloric Acid

Stomach

Converts Pepsinogen to Pepsin, Kills microbes

Pepsinogen

Converted to pepsin, initiates protein digestion

Renin

Coagulates proteins in milk

Mucus

Stomach + Large Intestine

Protects stomach

Helps movement of food

Bicarbonate ions

Pancreas + Small Intestine

Neutralizes HCl from stomach

Secretin

Acids in small intestine convert prosectetin to secretin absorbed in blood and carried to pancreas to signal release of bicarbonate ions

Enterokinase

Converts trypsinogen to trypsin

Trypsinogen

Activated to trypsin, converts long-chain peptones into small-chain peptones 

Disaccharases

Breaks down disaccharides into monosaccharides

Lipase

Breaks down fats to glycerol and fatty acids

Erepsin

Completes protein breakdown

Bile

Liver + Gallbladder

Emulsifies fat

In the digestion unit of biology 20 students are responsible for understanding the function of many enzymes and secretions, as well as which organs produce them. The above table summarizes most of the secretions covered. You can use the following activity at the end of the unit as a review. This activity can also be adapted to be used in any unit.

Digestive System Relay

  1. Divide the class into teams of 10 or so students.
  2. On the board, write a list of vocabulary terms or comprehension questions for each team. (In this case, the secretions of the digestive system will be used as terms).
  3. Have the students line up in their teams at the side of the room opposite the board.
  4. The race begins with the teacher’s signal. You can have the students run up to the board, or if you don’t want kids running in your classroom, have them walk or hop on 1 foot to the board or walk. Once at the board they must fill in the definition of the term at the top of the list.
  5. If the answer is correct, the term is erased from the board and the student returns to his/her team to pass off the marker (baton) to the next team member.
  6. However, if the answer is incorrect the student must rewrite the definition of the last term answered correctly by the team, and then return to his/ her team.
  7. The team that finishes first wins.