Adolescent Growth and Development

1. Adolescent Growth and Development 7th Grade Health

2. Your Changing Body Lesson 1

3. Summarize the role of the endocrine system in growth and development The changes that happen during puberty are caused by hormones. A hormone is a chemical made in one part of the body that is carried through the bloodstream and causes a change in another part of the body. Hormones are made and released by the endocrine system

4. Adolescence is the stage of development between childhood and adulthood • Puberty is the part of adolescence when the reproductive system becomes mature • The hormones that cause sexual maturation are called sex hormones • Testosterone is the main male sex hormone • Progesterone is the main female sex hormone Both hormones are found in both the males and females but males have more testosterone and females have more progesterone

5. Compare the changes that happen in males with the changes that happen in females during puberty Everyone goes through puberty at different times, but for boys, puberty generally occurs between age 13 and age 15. Girls generally begin puberty earlier than boys do. In girls, puberty usually occurs between age 9 and age 16.

6. Physical Changes in Boys Physical Changes in Girls • Rapid Increase in height and weight • Hair begins to grow on body and face • The voice gets deeper • Bones become denser, and muscles grow bigger and stronger • Fat is deposited on the back of the neck and lower abdomen • Develop acne or pimples • Breast development • Body hair begins to grow shortly after the beginning of puberty • Hips widen, and bones become more dense • Develop acne • Menstruation begins

7. Your Changing Mind Lesson 2

8. Development of Mental Abilities During adolescence, you begin to to rely more on critical thinking, particularly your ability for abstract thought. Abstract thought is thought about ideas that are beyond what you see or experience. You learn: • To form and evaluate hypotheses • To think critically about topics that are not part of your current surrounding or that don’t directly affect you • To consider complex moral and ethical ideas

9. Describe how changes during puberty can affect risk-taking behavior By taking some of these risks, adolescents may feel more in control of their lives. Sometimes, adolescents wrongly think that taking risks will make others like them better.

10. Your Changing Feelings Lesson 3

11. Identify emotional and social changes that happen during adolescence Adolescents often experience emotional and social changes. Learning to deal with these changes is another important task of adolescence. Mood Swings Attraction to Others Belonging Independence Responsibility

12. Describe how peer pressure can affect your opinions and attitudes. Peer Groups and Cliques Your peers are those people of about the same age or grade as you with whom you interact every day. These are your class- mates, your friends, and your brothers and sisters. Peer pressure can be positive or negative. Negative peer pressure encourages you to do unhealthy or unsafe things. Positive peer pressure encourages you to do healthy and safe things. Choosing good friends will help you avoid negative peer pressure to do things you may not want to do. A clique (KLIK) is a group of people who accept only certain types of people and exclude others. Cliques can keep you from developing friendships with people who look or think differently than you. Acting in a cliquish, snobbish way shows a lack of respect and kindness toward others.

13. Preparing for the Future Lesson 4

14. List two ways to identify and explore your interests. Discovering Your Interests Doing well in school is an important part of preparing for the future. Activities other than studying can be just as important. Extracurricular activities are activities that you do that aren’t part of your schoolwork. Clubs, sports, and volunteering are all extracurricular activities. These activities are a great way to make friends and to identify and explore your interests and talents. Elective classes are classes that you can choose to take for a grade but are not required. Some electives may include band, choir, shop, and keyboarding. Elective courses enrich your education and help you learn new skills.

15. Describe how organization and study skills affect your success in school. Getting Organized To be organized, you need both skills and supplies. Most importantly, you need discipline. You must be willing to spend a little time planning in advance, to save a lot of time later. Sometimes, taking the time to be organized seems like too much trouble, but in the end you’ll be glad you did.

16. Explain how exploring career opportunities can help you plan for your future. Planning for Your Future You will soon have to make decisions about what you will do with your adult life. You can explore careers in many ways. • You could go to work with an adult. • You could volunteer at a hospital or charity. • You could get a part-time or summer job. If you are interested in a certain career, look for ways to gather information about that field. Keep in mind that most people change their mind about their career at least once after finishing high school. But thinking about your future now will help you make good decisions later.