Lesson Plan: Puberty Science
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to define adolescence and puberty and describe the changes that commonly occur in males and females during puberty.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- recall that adolescence is the period of change from child to adult and that it is accompanied by physical changes called puberty,
- describe some changes that commonly occur in males and females during puberty, such as the growth of pubic and armpit hair,
- describe some physical changes that take place in most males during puberty, including the growth of facial hair, the voice breaking, increased bone and muscle growth, and the male genitals becoming larger,
- describe some physical changes that take place in most females during puberty, including breasts developing and hips widening,
- recall that the menstrual cycle is a roughly 28-day cycle that indicates puberty in females and stops when menopause is reached,
- recall that changes that occur during puberty are due to sex hormones: testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen,
- state that the ovaries and testes are the organs that secrete the main sex hormones.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- the fact that the transition from child to adult comes with physical changes.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- the details of the menstrual cycle,
- the detailed action of testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.
