Digestive System Structure
Colour by Numbers Activity
The content in this activity aligns with Chapter 12: Digestive System (Gastrointestinal) in Building a Medical Terminology Foundation 2e.
Instructions: Review the illustration. This illustration displays the structures and organs comprising the digestive system.
Task: Colour each numbered structure using the colour indicated in the list below:
- mouth (orange)
- salivary glands (red)
- tongue (brown)
- sublingual gland (green)
- submandibular gland (dark blue)
- pharynx (grey)
- esophagus (yellow)
- liver (brown)
- stomach (purple)
- gallbladder (green)
- spleen (brown)
- duodenum, jejunum, ileum (yellow)
- pancreas (grey)
- transverse colon (pink)
- ascending colon (green)
- descending colon (red)
- cecum (orange)
- sigmoid colon (brown)
- appendix (dark blue)
- rectum (purple)
- anal canal (green)
- anus (light blue)
Image Attribution
The image used in this activity was sourced from OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology OER by Betts, et al., which is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Following OpenStax’s leadership and in the spirit of open education, we have licensed this OER with the same license.
Image Description
This illustration activity shows an anterior view of the head and torso of the human body with the anatomical organs and structures comprising the digestive system identified. From the top working clockwise, the illustration displays the sublingual gland and the submandibular gland, the pharynx, and stomach. The spleen is located under the left portion of the diaphragm and helps to filter blood. The large intestines include the transverse colon, ascending colon, descending colon, cecum, and sigmoid colon. A small finger-like projections hangs from the cecum known as the appendix. As a continuation of the sigmoid colon, a hollow structure known as the rectum is identified. The final segment of the digestive system is a structure measuring about 3 to 4 cm long, known as the anal canal. Fecal matter is expelled through the terminal opening in the digestive system called the anus. Labeled on the right of the diagram are the small intestines, divided into three distinct parts; the ileum, the jejunum, and the duodenum. The gallbladder is an accessory organ of digestion, and the liver is located in the upper right side of the abdomen. The esophagus connects the pharynx to the stomach. The tongue, located in the mouth, is responsible for moving the food around in the mouth during the chewing or mastication process.