Bacteria in the human digestive system
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the important roles of bacteria in the human digestive system.
Key learning points
- Bacteria are living organisms; each bacterium is a microorganism made of a single living cell.
- Some bacteria are pathogens that cause diseases, but many bacteria are harmless and some are helpful.
- Helpful bacteria live inside the human digestive system.
- They release enzymes that digest food we cannot digest ourselves.
- They also help to protect us against pathogens that enter the digestive system by competing against them.
Keywords
Bacteria - Bacteria are unicellular organisms.
Microorganism - A microorganism is an organism that can only be seen using a microscope.
Pathogen - A pathogen is a microorganism that causes disease.
Enzyme - An enzyme is a biological catalyst that speeds up the rate of reaction such as digestion.
Competition - Competition occurs between living organisms, e.g. bacteria competes for food and space to live.
Common misconception
All bacteria are bad for us and make us unwell.
The lesson looks at how helpful bacteria in the gut help us digest our food, provide vitamins, and outcompete harmful bacteria.
Teacher tip
Encourage students to add their own opinions into the discussion of the three students in Task B, and explore this verbally before writing a response.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The smallest living part of an organism (such as plant, animal or bacteria) is called a...
Q2.Which of the following are found in a bacteria cell?
Q3.After we have swallowed food it moves through the oesophagus and then moves into the...
Q4.In which of these parts of the digestive system does most digestion take place?
Q5.Match the food type to the nutrients it is broken down into.
sugars
fatty acids and glycerol
amino acids
Q6.Enzymes the rate of a chemical reaction, such as digestion.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What are pathogens?
Q2.Which people are correct?
Q3."Gut flora" means the in our digestive system.
Q4.Bacteria produce that digest food we can't digest ourselves.
Q5.Which of the following do bacteria compete for?
Q6.Which of the following will help us maintain a healthy gut flora?
To help you plan your 8 science lesson on: Bacteria in the human digestive system, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 science lesson on: Bacteria in the human digestive system, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 science lessons from the Human digestive system unit, dive into the full secondary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.