Digestive System Pathway Card Sort Activity

When it comes to eating, I enjoy the anticipation of the taste to come as I savor the aroma. I also enjoy the texture and taste of many foods I consume. Students know the location of the mouth as a starting point for digestion. What about the rest of the pathway through the winding hollow tube we call the digestive tract?

This card sort activity for anatomy and physiology students consists of twenty-one cards on two grids on two sheets of 8 x 11-inch paper. Each card features a different segment of the digestive tract. It is the students’ mission to cut out the squares and then to line them up in sequential order on a table. Upon accurate completion of this activity, students will have mapped out the pathway food takes through the digestive system. The names on the card cut-outs consist of the following – digestive organs, organ fold junctures, canals, valves, and sphincters.

Here is a list of the digestive organs, organ fold junctures, canals, valves, and sphincters this activity covers.

• Lower esophageal or cardiac sphincter                                 
• Jejunum
• Anal canal                                                                                       
• Transverse colon
• Splenic flexure                                                                                 
• Esophagus
• Ileocecal valve 
• Stomach - fundus                                                                               
• Mouth
• Internal anal sphincter (Involuntary)                                                    
• Descending colon
• Pyloric sphincter                                                                               
• Rectum
• Ascending colon                                                                               
• Hepatic flexure
• Sigmoid colon 
• Stomach - body                                                                                 
• Ileum
• External anal sphincter (Voluntary)                                                       
• Duodenum                                                          
• Cecum
• Stomach - body                         

This PDF file will become editable upon conversion to Microsoft Word using an Adobe Acrobat Reader DC app. This activity comes with an answer key.

This product complements the following five-star activities in my store.

Digestive System Latin Root Word Worksheet

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