Grade 5Human Growth

and Development

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Department of Mathematics and ScienceOffice of Academic Transformation

Adapted from: The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC)

GIRLSGIRLS

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• Here we will talk about:• What is puberty?• When changes happen to girls? • What are the sex organs?• What are periods and why do they happen?

• For more information you can visit: www.kidshealth.org

What’s Happening?

What is Puberty?

• It is the time when our bodies change toward an adult body.

• Start to develop new feelings and interests

• Start to make sperm cells or start to make egg cells

What is Puberty?

• The cells necessary to make a new human:

Egg + Sperm = Baby

We will talk about the changes that happen that others can see.

And changes that are private.

When we talk about these things it is normal to feel

ComfortableCurious

Embarrassed

Disgust

ExcitedShy

When do changes happen?

• Anywhere between 8 and 17.• Most people begin between the ages of

10 and 14.• When you start makes no difference to

how you develop.• No age is better than any other one.

When do changes happen?

• For some, most of the changes happen in a few years.

• For some, changes happen slowly over lots of years.

This is normal.

What changes happen to girls?

• Get taller and heavier• Bones grow bigger

and heavier• Hips get wider and

more curvy• Face changes shape• Voice gets a little

deeper

What changes happen to girls?

• Hair grows under the armpits, around the genitals (pubic hair)

• Hair on arms and legs grows darker

• Breasts and nipples get larger• Body sweats more• Internal and external sex

organs grow• May have mood swings,

sexual thoughts and feelings

What causes these changes?

• Hormones – chemical messengers that travel in the blood stream from the place where they are made (called glands) to the place where they do their work.

• Each hormone has a specific job.

• The pituitary gland, deep inside your brain, gets things started. It sends out hormones to our sex organs to get them to start making sex hormones.

What causes these changes?• It is the sex hormones that

make the changes that cause children’s bodies grow into adult bodies.

• Both boys and girls make the same sex hormones. The main ones are testosterone and estrogen.

• Boys make lots of testosterone, not so much estrogen.

• Girls make lots of estrogen, not so much testosterone.

What will I look like when I grow up?

• That depends mostly on your heredity, the genes you got when an egg cell and a sperm cell from your birth parents came together to make the cells that developed into you.

What will I look like when I grow up?

• Genes mostly determine how tall you will grow, the color of your hair, the size and shape of your breasts and your overall body shape.

• Other things that affect our body are the foods we eat, how active we are and how much sleep we get.

What are the sex organs? (Refer to AIMS foldable)

• These parts are also called the reproductive organs and genitals.

The parts on the outside are:

Vulva • The area of soft skin between a female’s legs.

Clitoris • Small organ made of nerves and tissue.• At the top where the lips join.• Only the tip is on the outside, the rest is hidden inside.• Sensitive to touch. Can feel tingly • Labia • Soft folds of skin that cover the inner parts • Grow darker and bigger at puberty.

Urethra • Not a sex organ.• Tiny opening that urine comes out from the bladder.Vaginal opening • Entrance to the vagina.

Hymen • Thin piece of skin that may cover part of the opening to the vagina.• Often small or missing.

Anus• Between the two cheeks of the buttocks.• It is where bowel movements come out.

What are the sex organs? (Refer to AIMS foldable)

The parts on the inside are:

Uterus• Sometimes called the womb.• Muscular organ about the

size of a pear.• Where developing baby,

called a fetus, grows and is fed.

• Where the period comes from.

Vagina• Warm, soft, moist

passageway joining outside and uterus.

Fallopian tubes • Narrow tubes between the uterus

and the ovary.

Ovaries• Glands that make egg cells and

female sex hormones.

Cervix • The lower part of the uterus.• Makes mucus to keep sperm alive.• Has opening where sperm enter

uterus and where the baby comes out of the uterus.

The parts on the inside are:

• Girls are born with hundreds of thousands of tiny eggs, called ova – one is called an ovum.

• These egg cells are only half formed.

• At puberty, hormones tell the ovaries it is time to start releasing ova.

• Usually one egg at a time matures (develops) and is released from an ovary.

So what are periods and why do they happen?

• At the same time, the uterus starts to grow a thick lining on the inside wall.• The lining has lots of tiny

blood vessels.• The lining is there to protect

and feed an egg that has combined with a sperm to form a fertilized egg.

So what are periods and why do they happen?

• If an egg does not meet a sperm, the lining is not needed.• It breaks up.• Mixed with some blood it comes

out the uterus into the vagina and then out the vaginal opening.

• This is called menstruation but lots of females just call it their period.• If a woman is not pregnant then her

ovary will release another egg, the lining build up and, if the egg is not fertilized, she has another period.

• This is called the menstrual cycle.

So what are periods and why do they happen?

How do girls feel about having periods?

• Nervous

• Scared

• Excited

• Curious

• Weird

• Mature

All feelings are normal

When will I get my period?

• No one can tell exactly when it will start.• Many girls get some white or yellow stuff

on their underwear. • It is mucus and tells the girl that her period

is coming sometime within the next year.

How long will the bleeding last?• Each female is different. It can vary from 3 – 8 days.• During a period we only lose a few tablespoons to

about half a cup of blood in that time – not a lot.

How often will I get a period?• At first there may not be any pattern to

when you will get your next period.

• Some women never have a regular pattern.

• Most women eventually have a regular cycle – they know approximately when their next period will happen.

• The length of a cycle is from the first day of bleeding one month to the first day of bleeding the next time it happens.

• Each person is different so some women may have a period every 23 days, some every 28 days and some every 35 days.

Lots of girls keep a calendar to help them keep track of

when they have their period and how long it lasts.

Will it hurt?

• The bleeding is like a nosebleed – we don’t know it is happening until we become aware that we have blood on our underwear.

• Some girls get cramps – tight pains around the uterus – before and for a day or two during their period.

• Some girls get cramps every period, some once in awhile and some never.

• If you get them, talk to your mom or another woman about what to do for them.

Will people know when I get my period?

• Not unless you tell them.

• The blood usually dribbles out a bit at a time, it doesn’t gush out in a puddle.

What do I do when I get my period?

• Females use pads or tampons to catch the blood that comes from the vagina.

• Sanitary pads are made of material that absorbs the blood.

• Most have a sticky strip on one side to hold the pad to the underwear.

• Pads come in a variety of sizes and shapes.

What do I do when I get my period?

• A tampon is a small plug of material that fits inside the female’s vagina to absorb the blood.

• Some girls like to use tampons, especially if they are doing physical activities.

• Some girls only use pads.

It is up to you.

People say you get PMS with periods. What is it and will I get it?

• PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome.

• Some females start to feel weepy, “headachy” and bloated.

• Before and when their period comes. It happens because the hormones are changing.

• Some females never have PMS.

• Everyone is different!

• If this happens to you talk to an adult you trust.

So what about Breasts?

• Lots of girls feel nervous when their breasts start to grow, other girls are thrilled.

Will they be too big or too small?,

Will they be the right shape?

YES - finally theyare growing!

So what about Breasts?• Your genes determine the size and

shape of breasts.

• The size does not affect how much milk a mother can make to feed a baby.

• The first thing you may notice is a bump behind the nipple.

• Then there will be swelling underneath

• The nipple are gets darker.

• Breasts grow slowly and one side may be bigger for awhile.

• They may feel sore at times while they are developing.

Do I have to wear a bra?

• That is up to you.• Some girls never wear bras.• Some girls feel more comfortable

wearing one.

I’m worried that I will get fat when I go through puberty. Can I stop it?

• Females’ body shape changes and hips widen to make more space for a fetus to develop.

• At puberty, both guys and girls gain weight and develop different strengths.

• Guys put on more muscle. Compared to a girl of the same height, weight and build, the guy may be able to lift more weight and run faster.

I’m worried that I will get fat when I go through puberty. Can I stop it?

• Girls build up “adipose tissue” – fat, which is energy stored in our body in our upper arms, breasts, thighs and buttocks.

• Energy is needed for breast feeding and looking after a newborn child.

• Girls can survive things, like hunger and extreme heat and cold, better than a guy of her size.

What about feelings?

• Both girls and guys can experience lots of feelings as they grow up.

What about feelings?

• You may have mood swings – happy one day, sad

the next.

• You may love your friends or family at times and not

want to have anything to do with them at other times.

• Sometimes you may feel grown-up, other times like

a kid

• There may be lots of tears and arguments.

• Changing hormones cause some of these feelings.

BOYSBOYS

Here we will talk about:• What is puberty?

• When changes happen to boys?

• What are the sex organs?

• What are erections and why do they happen?

For more information you can visit:

What’s Happening?

What is Puberty?

• It is the time when our bodies change toward an adult body.

– Start to develop new feelings and interests

– Start to make sperm cells

– Or start to make egg cells

What is Puberty?

We will talk about the changes that

happen that others can see

And changes that are private

When we talk about these things

IT IS NORMAL to feel

ComfortableCurious

Embarrassed

Disgust

ExcitedShy

When do changes happen?

– anywhere between 8 and 17– most people begin between the ages

of 10 and 14– when you start makes no difference to

how you develop– no age is better than any other one

When do changes happen?

• For some, most of the changes happen in a few years

• For some, changes happen slowly over lots of years

THIS IS NORMAL

What changes happen to boys?

• Grow taller and heavier

• Bones grow bigger and heavier

• Nose and jaw get bigger and face gets longer

• Get more muscles

• Hair and skin can become oily and you may get pimples

• Body sweats more

• Hair grows on the face, under the armpits, around the genitals (pubic hair).

What changes happen to boys?• May get more hair on

arms, legs and chest. • Voice gets deeper• Penis and testicles

grow• Scrotum changes • May have mood

swings, sexual thoughts and feelings

• Breasts may grow

What causes these changes?• Hormones – chemical messengers that

travel in the blood stream from the place where they are made (called glands) to the place where they do their work

• Each hormone has a specific job• The pituitary gland, deep inside your

brain, gets things started. It sends out hormones to our sex organs to get them to start making sex hormones 

What causes these changes?• It is the sex hormones that make the

changes that cause children’s bodies grow into adult bodies.

•  Both boys and girls make the same sex hormones. The main ones are testosterone and estrogen

• Boys make lots of testosterone, not so much estrogen

• Girls make lots of estrogen, not so much testosterone

What causes these changes?

What will I look like when I grow up?

• That depends mostly on your HEREDITY, the GENES you got when an egg cell and a sperm cell from your birth parents came together to make the cells that developed into you.

What will I look like when I grow up?

• Genes mostly determine how tall you will grow, the colour of your hair, the size and shape of your penis or breasts and your overall body shape.

• Other things that affect our body are the foods we eat, how active we are and how much sleep we get.

What are the sex organs?(Refer to AIMS foldable)

These parts are also called the reproductive organs and genitals.

 Urethra

Penis 

Testicles or Testes

Scrotum

The parts are:

What are the sex organs?(Refer to AIMS foldable)

 Urethra

- the tube through which urine and semen leaves the boy’s body

Penis

- tube-like organ that hangs outside the body

- come in all sizes and shapes, determined by our genes

Testicles or testes

- usually two, one hangs lower

- Sometimes called balls or nuts

- Where sperm are made

Scrotum

- bag of skin that holds testicles

- keeps them at right temperature to make sperm, slightly cooler than body’s temperature

- gets bigger and baggier and turns a darker color

What happens on the inside?

• Hormones from the pituitary make the testicles grow and they start making more testosterone and producing sperm 

• After puberty you make 200,000 - 400,000 sperm cells a day for the rest of your life

• Sperm build up in tubes around the testicles– They travel along some tubes and mix with fluids from

glands

What can cause an erection?• Boys get erections for all kinds of

reasons – they might happen if you :– When you wake in the morning and have

to pee– When you are relaxed – When you are anxious or frightened – For no reason at all

What can cause an erection?

• Boys get their first erections before they are born!

When does ejaculation happen?

• If a boy wakes up and finds a wet, sticky spot on his bedclothes semen came out when he was sleeping. This is called a “wet dream”

• Some boys have wet dreams, some don’t

• However it happens is okay

To learn more about your changing body please visit:

Reference

Human Growth and Development

Additional Resource Links• www.healthteacher.com Family Health &

Sexuality: The Passage into Puberty

• Needham Public Schools Grade 5 Puberty Unit:

       http://rwd1.needham.k12.ma.us/wellness/Grade%205%20Puberty

• Puberty and Growing Up:    http://kidshealth.org/kid/

• Growing Up Ok Puberty:       http://www.health.alberta.ca/documents/growing-up-ok.pdf

• Proctor and Gamble (Co-ed Video)       http://www.pgschoolprograms.com/programs.php?pid=1 63

Reproductive System

Review

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The Endocrine System

Glands and Hormones

• Hormones- chemical messengers carried by blood-.

– May stimulate other glands

– Regulate growth, development, metabolism, sex processes

Major Glands of the Endocrine System

•Pituitary•Thyroid•Parathyroid•Adrenal•Pancreas•Ovaries•Testes

Pituitary gland• Master gland of body• Located in the depression of sphenoid

bone• Produces many hormones that affect

other glands– thyroid stimulating hormone– Somatotropin- growth hormone– Lutenizing (LH)- causes ovulation– ICSH- causes testes to secrete testosterone– Melanocyte stimulating- distribution of

melanin in skin– ADH- antidiuretic hormone

• Giantism- oversecretion of somatotropin before puberty

• Dwarfism- undersecretion of somatotropin. Cause: tumor, injury, infection, genetics

• Diabetes insipidus- decreased ADH

• Thyroid- produces hormones that control metabolism and calcium in blood.

• Thyroid gland must have any source of iodine

– goiter- not enough iodine

– hyperthyroidism– hypothyroidism

Adrenal Glands

•Located just above the kidney•Secretes many hormones•Epinephrine •Norepinephrine•Many steroid hormones, inc estrogen and androgens.

Pancreas •pancreatic juices into the intestine•secretes insulin, a hormone that transports glucose into cells.•Also secretes glucagon- increases glucose in bloodstream

• Diabetes Mellitus• Cause- decreased secretion of insulin• Symptoms

– Excessive thirst, excessive urination, hyperglycemia, slow healing of skin infections

– Affects 21 million in US: 7% of population– Estimated 1/3 of people who have

diabetes don’t know it– 225,000 die each year– 132 billion/year- 10% of our health care

spending

• Insulin was the first hormone identified (late 1920's) which won the doctor and medical student who discovered it the Nobel Prize (Banting and Best)

• 1982 - Human Insulin - First ever approved genetically engineered human therapeutic by Genentech

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HealthyHealthy BodyBody

SystemsSystems

Health Tips• Don’t skip breakfast.

– Eat a healthy breakfast every day.• Exercise (physical activity) at least 60

minutes each day.• Limit screen time (ex. tv, video games)• Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies

each day. Choose foods from all the different food groups.

• Pay attention to portion sizes.• Drink water and low-fat milk instead of

juice or soda.• Sleep 8-10 hours each night. 76

Good Nutrition

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Food Pyramid

78

Exercise

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