Puberty
This page is not technically part of the current high school curriculum but a good review resource is never a waste of time. Scroll down to get resources about Puberty and recall what you went through at it's peak.
Puberty is generally defined as changes that occur during adolescence as a child changes to an adult.
It is fueled by the primary sex hormones Testosterone and Estrogen and Biological Fctors/Genetics. In the grand scheme of things but to simplify the definition even more, Puberty is the preparation of the body for reproduction. Thus, Puberty itself is routed in biological sex rather than gender identity. For purposes of the remainder of this page, students reading should understand the binary of male and female will be used for descriptive purposes.
Despite the definitions being so simple to understand, Puberty itself is anything but simple. The extremely complicated process is triggered by the Pituitatry Gland which communicates to the reproductive system to create a surge of the hormones Testosterone and Estrogen. Testoterone is generally called the male sex hormone and Estrogen is generally called the female sex hormone, though both are present regardless of biological sex.
With timing, males begin physical changes in puberty around 10 years old and finish physically growing around 18-19. Females typically begin physical changes in puberty between 8-10 and finish generally
around 15-16. As you can see, Females typically mature sooner and faster than their male counterparts and the changes they go through tend to be more major and life changing though males actually have more changes that occur. There is a graphic organizer made on google sheets just below that lists many of the changes that occur (it was created by students at Central East Middle School, in Philadelphia PA, 2005)
CHART BELOW: Typical Puberty Changes
Featured Videos
Inside Puberty = stages (Well Cast)
Puberty: All about boys (Well Cast)
Decoding Puberty for Girls (Well Cast)
Always Changing (produced by Always brand feminine hygiene products and posted on Bloomfield School District )
Periods....Period
Kids Explain Periods (Flex)
Why Do Women Have Periods? (Ted Ed)
First Moon Party (Hello Flo)
What Happens if you leave your Tampon in too long? (Seeker)
This Unit is a comprehensive although not all inclusive Unit on various topics in Human Sexuality (listed in the drop down navigation menu) that could be developed into a full course. Content in the Unit ranges from GRADES 5-12 but OBVIOUSLY some of the content is NOT for all grades. For a Top 10 list of reasons to include a comprehensive program for sexuality / Sexual Health education rather than just Abstinence only Education, please CLICK HERE.
Some lessons are required by the School District of Philadelphia via adoption of program created by the CDC called "3R's". Information about this can be found on the main unit page here. This link will show you the information at the top of the page once you click on it
ALTHOUGH ALL EDUCATIONAL, STUDENTS NOT ENROLLED IN MR. CORABI'S HEALTH CLASS OR HEALTH CLASS AT THE ARTS ACADEMY AT BENJAMIN RUSH, SHOULD GET THEIR PARENT'S PERMISSION BEFORE OPENING ANY LINKS OR DOWNLOADING ANY HANDOUTS. Other Teachers choosing to use information in this unit should use their discretion based on District Level, Community Level and School Level curriculum guidelines and policies.
It is assumed that students assigned to Mr. Corabi's class or Health Class at the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush have their parent's permission based on weekly communication via google classroom posts, email or letters given to students for parents/guardians. Note: A child can consent on their own for Sexual Health Education and testing at age 14 in Philadelphia, PA.
Some lessons are required by the School District of Philadelphia via adoption of a program created by the CDC called "3R's".
This link will show you the information at the top of the page once you click on it