Puberty

If you have an older brother or sister, you may have heard of the term puberty, but what is it?

The first thing to understand is that everyone goes through puberty at different stages. There is no exact age that you will go through puberty.

Adolescence is where your body changes from a child to an adult.

This can be a confusing and emotional time for some people, since their bodies are undergoing a dramatic physical change.

During Adolescence your body undergoes physical changes. These changes are called puberty.

Your body goes through puberty from roughly 9 - 14 years of age.

Girls will start puberty before boys but end before boys.

So what are the changes? There are some changes which are common to both boys and girls.

• Pubic hair and under arm hair growth
• Body odour
• Emotional changes
• Growth spurt.

In girls, there are some specific changes that occur.

• Breast development
• Ovaries release egg cells
• Period starts
• Hips widen

In boys

• Voice breaks
• Testes and penis grow
• Testes begin to produce sperm
• Shoulders widen
• Facial and chest hair growth.

Quick Questions

1. What is puberty and what happens?

2. What are the differences between girls and boys during puberty

3. What age do you enter puberty?

4. What is Adolescence ?

So what causes puberty?

During the ages of 9 - 13 your body releases sex hormones. Hormones are tiny chemical messengers which travel around the body, and tell cells what to do.

Oestrogen and Testosterone are the main sex hormones in the body. Oestrogen brings out feminine traits, while testosterone causes masculine characteristics.

Questions

Short Answer Questions

1. Copy and complete the sentence below

The period of time when a person develops from a child into an adult is known as ________ . The _______ changes that take place are known as _________ . These changes are caused by _______ . In males __________ is released while in females ________ is released.

2. Create a Ven-Diagram comparing male and female changes during puberty.

3. Define the term ‘Hormone’.

4. A boy/girl in year 7 has noticed that his body is changing. Create a leaflet which details all the changes he should expect to happen and why they will occur.

OR

Create a poem, song or rap about the changes
that take place during puberty. (Include, key
changes for boys, girls and both, why they
happen and why we should not worry about
the changes).

Extension

5. Observe the above graphs. Each show the height gain over age for girls and boys. Answer the following questions using the graphs.

a. At what age is height increase largest in boys/girls?

b. What is the range of ages at which pubic hair starts to grow for boys?

c. What is the range of ages at which menstruation starts?

d. Between the ages of 12 - 14 what is the maximum a male is expected to grow?

6. Explain what growing pains are. How and why do they occur in some people but not everyone?