Pancreas

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/pancreas

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the developmental origin?Derived from ventral and dorsal buds of the primitive foregut endoderm
2. What is the key hormonal regulators?Insulin (lowers blood glucose) and Glucagon (raises blood glucose)
3. What does the pancreas do in our body?The pancreas helps us digest food by making enzymes that break down carbs, fats, and proteins. It also makes hormones that keep our blood sugar steady.
4. Where is the pancreas located inside the body?It sits behind the stomach, in the upper belly, and is split into a head, neck, body, and tail. The main duct from the pancreas joins the bile duct and goes into the small intestine.

Retroperitoneal: Located behind the peritoneum, the membrane lining the abdominal cavity.
Acini: Small clusters of cells in the pancreas that produce digestive enzymes.
Islets of Langerhans: Clusters of endocrine cells within the pancreas that produce hormones like insulin and glucagon.
Glucose Homeostasis: The maintenance of stable blood glucose levels within a narrow range.