Lesson Plan: Enzymes and Digestion
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to outline the role of enzymes in digestion; describe the location and action of carbohydrases, proteases, and lipases; and explain how bile helps digest fat.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- state that enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions inside living organisms, including the breakdown of food in the digestive system,
- describe the location of carbohydrases, proteases, and lipases in the human digestive system,
- outline how carbohydrases, proteases, and lipases break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats respectively,
- explain how bile from the liver helps lipase digest fat.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- the fact that the human diet requires carbohydrates, proteins, and fats,
- the organs of the digestive system.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- the lock-and-key or the induced-fit model of enzyme action,
- optimum conditions for enzyme action,
- denaturation of enzymes.
