Your Amazing Digestive System
Have you ever eaten a crunchy red apple? You might wonder where it goes after you swallow.
Your body has a special path for food. This path is called the digestive system.
It turns your food into energy for your body to use. This energy helps you run, jump, and think.
First, your mouth gets to work. Your teeth crush the apple into tiny bits.
Your spit makes the bits soft and wet. Your tongue pushes the food to the back of your mouth.
Then, you swallow the food to start its long journey. It goes down a tube called the esophagus.
This tube is very long and narrow. It moves the food down to your stomach.
It is like a slow-moving elevator for your lunch. Muscles in the tube push the food along.
Your stomach is a very important part of your body. It looks like a stretchy bag.
Inside, there are juices that break the food down. It turns the food into a thick liquid.
It is like a blender making a thick soup. This takes a few hours to finish.
Next, the food goes into the small intestine. This is a very long and twisty tube.
It is where your body takes out the vitamins. These good parts go into your blood.
- Digestive system:
- The special path in your body that turns food into energy.
- Esophagus:
- A long, narrow tube that moves food from the mouth to the stomach.
- Intestine:
- A long tube that takes vitamins or water out of the food you eat.
- Vitamins:
- Good parts of food that help your body grow big and stay strong.
- Waste:
- The parts of food your body cannot use that are sent out of the body.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What does the digestive system turn food into for your body to use?
- 2Which part of your mouth is responsible for crushing food into tiny bits?
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About this explanatory article passage for Lower Elementary
“Your Amazing Digestive System” is a explanatory article reading passage about Digestive System, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (289 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.