Topic – What Does Your Tongue Do?

What Does Your Tongue Do?

Your tongue works hard. It does many different jobs.

Talking

Your tongue helps you make different sounds. For example, to make the sound for the letter k, the back of your tongue touches the roof of your mouth. When you make the sound for the letter d, the tip of your tongue touches the roof of your mouth.

Eating

Your tongue helps you eat by moving food around in your mouth as you chew. When you are ready to swallow, your tongue moves the food down into your throat.

Tasting

The top of your tongue is bumpy. These bumps contain your taste buds. The taste buds help you taste food. Your tongue does not do all the work when it comes to tasting food. Your nose helps, too. If your nose is stuffed up, you will have a harder time tasting what you eat.

Fighting Germs

The very back of your tongue helps to keep you from getting sick. It helps to kill germs before they travel down into your body.

Did You Know?

• You might sleep at night, but your tongue does not. It helps you swallow when you are asleep so you do not drool on your pillow.

• Your tongue contains many different muscles. That is why you can move your tongue in many different ways.

---

Now, show what you know!

Complete some questions about the reading selection by clicking “Begin Questions” below.