This is a picture of a human body model found in one of our classrooms at Roosevelt Middle School. The mouth, teeth, stomach, greater omentum, small and large intestines can clearly be seen in this model. It is always useful to use one of these models when constructing your GI model for the competition. It helps you understand where all the organs fit inside the body. Ask your teacher if you can have access to a similar model for your competition.
This diagram is useful when studying the relationshipo between the upper GI tract and the lower GI tract. Food travels down the esophagus into the stomach where food is broken down further through chemical and mechanical means. The gall bladder and pancreas add chemicals such as bile to the food mixture to break down food components such as lipids (fats). After breaking down food in the stomach, it enters the small intestines. Absorption of energy, vitamins and minerals occurs in the small intestine. Absorption of water occurs mostly in the large intestine and waste matter begins to solidify. The anus is the last body part in the GI tract and is used to excrete solid waste from the body.
Permission granted by Nicole Cline; http://people.heidelberg.edu/~jhunt1/DigestiveSystem.bmp