Digestion in the Mouth

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The early stages of human digestion.

Early stages in the human digestion process are shown - food is initially physically broken down by the teeth in the mouth. Saliva is added to the food and enzymes chemically digest it. Digestion breaks food down from large molecules to small soluble molecules.

From: Bitesize Revision Science 1 KS3

First Broadcast : 28 February 2008

Teachers' notes

Age Group : 9-11,11-14

Subject : Biology, Science

Topic : Humans as organisms

Keywords : Digestive System, Saliva, Enzymes, Physical digestion, Chemical digestion

Notes : Could be used as a lesson starter or plenary. The clip illustrates the process of digestion and attempts to make the abstract model more concrete. It also encourages the idea of a sequence of processes. Can use in combination with Digestion in the Small Intestine, which explores later stages in the digestive process.

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