Page 30 - 新思维科学学生用书6 样章

1.3 The reproductive system

Activity

What do you know or want to know about puberty?

1 Write one or two sentences to explain in your own words

what puberty is.

2 Make a table to compare your body before puberty with the
changes you can expect in your body during puberty.

3 Write down a question you have about puberty on a piece

of paper. Fold up the paper and give your question to your
teacher. In the next lesson, your teacher will discuss

answers to the questions your class has asked.

How am I doing?

Answer ‘Very well’, ‘Quite well’ or ‘I need help’ to these questions:

• How well can I explain what puberty is?
• How well can I identify the body changes that happen during puberty?

Changes in the reproductive system

There are also important changes that take place inside the bodies of boys and girls
during puberty. These changes happen in the reproductive system and make it possible

for a boy to become a father and for a girl to become a mother when they are older.

The main function of the reproductive system is to make special cells called sex cells
that are needed for reproduction. In males, the sex cells are called sperm. In females,

the sex cells are called eggs or ova (one egg is called an ovum). During reproduction, a

sperm and an egg join together to form a new living being that will grow into a baby.
This process is called fertilisation.

A boy’s body starts to make sperm during puberty. In girls, ova start to develop.
Menstruation in girls starts about a year after puberty begins. This is when an

unfertilised egg is released from the body together with the lining of the uterus, which

causes some bleeding. Menstruation happens about once a month but is often not
regular until a girl is older. Menstruation stops if an egg is fertilised.

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