Unit 5 Reflection

This unit focused on metabolism and the different types of the body's systems that affect it. We learned about subjects such as fuel metabolism by studying how the body uses certain molecules and biochemical pathways to meet energy demands. There are three main stages. The fed state is where food is being absorbed. The fasting state is when molecules are being broken down and stored. The starvation state is when the body starts using secondary energy supplies in order to keep functioning. We also discussed how metabolism could be disrupted by diabetes. Type 1 causes the immune system to attack beta cells and require people to take insulin shots. Type 2 begins as insulin resistance and leads to the body not being able to respond properly to insulin at all. The endocrine system controls processes that are involved in equilibrium with the use of hormones, which are controlled by specialized organs. The lymphatic system's purpose is for lipid absorption, immunity, and fluid recovery. The lymph flows like blood with the use of lymph vessels.
During this unit, I felt like I was able to learn a lot of different subjects that I could apply to me own life, but I still need to work on my active learning because I am not retaining as much information I should be.
I really enjoyed the activity of creating the model of the digestive system because it helped me visualize how long it was ,and how the different parts compared to each other.
http://ezanatandphys.blogspot.com/2016/01/digestive-system-lab-questions.html
I also enjoyed the readings and the different articles we had to read about metabolism because it gave me a more real world and in depth perspective on what we were learning in class.
For this unit, I still want to learn more about how different foods can affect metabolism and still wonder how age can affect it.
I have been working on my new year goal of being healthier by sleeping more than I used to and by exercising more consistently, but for my other goal I still need to work on keeping up with my classes and staying organized.

Posters to review stages of metabolism and the organs and hormones associated with them.

Digestive System Lab Questions

1. In this lab the length of the parts of the digestive system were estimated by using different lengths that could be measured outside of the body. Using these lengths and different color string, we created a model of our own digestive systems. It helped us visualize the length of each part and the entire digestive system.

Digestive Organ	Color and Length(cm)
Mouth	blue 13 cm
Esophagus	red 52.3 cm
Stomach	green 19 cm
Small Intestine	711.2 cm
Large Intestine	blue 177.8 cm
Total	973.3 cm

2. My digestive system is about 5.5 times longer than my height. It is able to fit inside my abdomen because it is folded multiple times, so it takes up less space.

3. I predict that it takes about 12 hours for food to move through the entire digestive system. The actual number is about 24 hours. Factors that affect this time is what is being digested ,and the health of the person. 

4. Digestion is basically breaking down food into smaller parts. Organs that help with digestion are the mouth, saliva glands, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, and gall bladder. Organs that help with absorption, which is how nutrients are taken from food, are the small intestine and large intestine.

5. I still want to learn how different types of foods are treated by the digestive system. 

New Year's Goals

This semester I will put in the effort to be healthier. Because I am a second semester senior, there is less pressure to get high grades, so I will have the opportunity to live a healthier life style. While getting consistent exercise, I will keep track of the type of foods I eat and make sure that I get enough sleep. This means that I will make sure to manage my time better in order to weed out any type of procrastination that will cause me to sleep past midnight. I will make sure to get the same amount of sleep every night.
For this class another goal I have is to make sure I become a more active learner. This means not only listening in class and doing the assignments but also reviewing what I learn each day and taking the time to connect what I learn in class to things outside of class. I will take the time to read through the notes and make flash cards of concepts that I have a hard time grasping. This type of learning will help me actually learn and retain material while getting more out of the class. Active learning will also help during nights before the test which usually meant a night of desperate cramming, but because I will have retained the information I needed I won't have to stay up late studying. With this type of learning I will gain a deeper understanding of the material in class.