Where Does Lunch Go? Following Nutrients Through Body Systems
Students trace one nutrient from a food to the place it does its job, naming each body system it passes through.
Aligned to: NGSS MS-LS1-3: argue from evidence that the body is a system of interacting subsystems.
Materials
- A food label from home or the cafeteria per student
- Large paper and markers per group
- The exit ticket
Lesson steps
| 5 min | Hook. Ask: you ate a glass of milk. Where is the calcium in an hour? In a year? Collect guesses. |
| 10 min | Model one journey. Calcium: swallowed (digestive), absorbed in the small intestine, carried in the blood (circulatory), most of it stored in bone (skeletal). Note: about 99% of the body's calcium is in bones and teeth. |
| 20 min | Group journey maps. Each group takes one nutrient (iron, vitamin C, protein, calcium) and draws its route: eaten, absorbed, carried, used. Label every system it touches. |
| 10 min | Gallery walk. Groups compare maps. Which systems show up on every map? Why? |
| 5 min | Exit ticket. Students answer on their own. |
Exit ticket
Name: ____________________
- Name three body systems a nutrient passes through.
- Where is most of the body's calcium stored?
- Write one sentence explaining why the body is a system of systems.
Answer key and teacher notes
- Digestive, circulatory, and the system where it's used (for example skeletal).
- In bones and teeth (about 99%).
- Example: Digestion can't help the body unless the circulatory system carries nutrients to the cells that use them.
Keep practising
Body Unpacked: Health Atlas
Body Unpacked: Health Atlas animates these routes for 14 nutrients across 44 everyday foods, with values from USDA FoodData Central and a source for every step. It works well on a projector for the modelling step.
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Yes. Print and copy it for your class or group. No sign-up.
How long does it take?
About 50 minutes, with timings for each part so you can trim it to fit.
What do I need?
Only everyday classroom materials, listed under Materials. No app or device is required to teach it.