Contents
Key Stage 1
Meaning
The mouth is the part of the body an animal uses to eat food and to breathe.
About Mouths
- Not all mouths have teeth.
- The tongue is the part of the mouth we use to taste.
Examples
The mouth of a cat. | A crab's mouth. |
A bird mouth with beak and tongue. | The mouth of a goldfish. |
Key Stage 2
Meaning
The mouth is the part of the body an animal uses to eat food and to breathe.
Examples
The mouth of a cat. | A crab's mouth. |
A bird mouth with beak and tongue. | The mouth of a goldfish. |
Key Stage 3
Meaning
The mouth is an organ in both the breathing system and the digestive system.
Adaptations of The Mouth
- The mouth contains teeth for the mechanical digestion of food.
- The mouth has salivary glands which makes the food moist so it is easier to swallow.
- The saliva in the mouth also starts chemical digestion of food.
Key Stage 4
Meaning
The mouth is an organ in both the breathing system and the digestive system.
About The Mouth in the Digestive System
- The mouth contains teeth for the mechanical digestion of food known as mastication.
- The mouth has salivary glands which makes the food moist so it is easier to swallow.
- The saliva also contains a digestive enzyme called salivary amylase which begins the chemical digestion of starch into maltose.
- The saliva has a pH of between 6.2 and 7.4 to provide the optimum pH for the salivary amylase which works best at pH 6.7.
About the Mouth in the Breathing System
- The mouth is an opening which allows air into the breathing system.