Life Begins advanced – 6^th Grade  (go back)

Synopsis

Human Growth and Development helps students entering adolescence understand the changes they will experience in puberty as a natural part of everyone's life. We cover the fundamentals of male and female reproductive anatomy, physical changes that come with puberty, and the development of a fetus from conception to birth.

This session helps students to understand the following:

male and female reproductive anatomies;
changes that occur during puberty, including the menstrual cycle, production of sperm, spontaneous erections and wet dreams;
secondary changes such as: lowering of the voice, increased production of sweat and oil, acne, increased percent body fat, the growth of increased body hair, and female breast development and increased percent body fat;
self-care topics including hygiene, having a healthy body image, and proper nutrition;
fertilization, implantation, and embryology are discussed with state of the art photos that were taken inside the female reproductive system;
and development of the fetus from conception to birth.

Program Goals:

GOAL #1:  Students increase knowledge about human anatomy, the changes which occur during puberty, and the reasons for these changes, and the significant events of pregnancy.

GOAL #2:  Students will develop the attitude that the changes of puberty are a normal part of human development, and pregnancy and prenatal development are a normal part of the human life cycle.
GOAL #3:  Students will feel comfortable discussing the topics of human development, pregnancy, and prenatal development with trusted adults.

State learning standards addressed:

22.A.3a Identify and describe ways to reduce health risks common to adolescents
22.A.3b Identify how positive health practices and relevant health care can help reduce health risk
23.A.3 Explain how body systems interact with each other
23.B.3 Explain the effects of health-related actions upon body systems
23.C.3 Describe the relationships among physical, mental and social health factors during adolescence
23.C.2a Identify physical, mental, social and cultural factors affecting growth and develop­ment of children (e.g., nutrition, self-esteem, family and illness).
23.C.2b Identify stages in growth and development (e.g., stages in the life cycle from infancy to old age).

12.A.2a Describe simple life cycles of plants and animals and the similarities and differences in their offspring
12.A.3a Explain how cells function as “building blocks” of organisms and describe the require­ments for cells to live.
12.A.2b Categorize features as either inherited or learned (e.g., flower color or eye color is inherited; language is learned).
12.A.4b Describe the structures and organiza­tion of cells and tissues that underlie basic life functions including nutrition, respiration, cellular transport, biosynthesis and reproduction. 12.A.3c Compare and contrast how different forms and structures reflect different functions