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Digestive System

The Esophagus (Grades 5-6)

The Esophagus (Grades 5-6)
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.74

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    longitudinal, sphincter, rhythmic, digestion, circular, burning, esophagus, outer, connective, heartburn, therefore, windpipe, layer, liquid, properly, travels

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The Esophagus
By Jennifer Kenny 		  
1     Digestion begins in the mouth. After food is broken down into small pieces, the tongue pushes these pieces into a round lump called a bolus so it is ready to travel from your mouth to your stomach.
 
2     Well, when the time is right, the epiglottis, a flap of tissue, closes to prevent food from going down your trachea. The trachea is also called the windpipe. Therefore, the food can go down the tube it needs to enter, the esophagus, and not your windpipe, which would cause you to choke.
 
3     The esophagus, the tube that goes from the mouth to the stomach, can be found behind the windpipe and heart. The esophagus is made of muscular walls and is about ten inches long in an adult.

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