Good Learning Co.
SavannahYear 8
← RSHE
RSHEEveryday physical health20 min★ difficulty

A changing body

Puberty is a set of physical changes driven by hormones, running on wildly different timetables for different people. Being early or late is normal.

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Understand the changing adolescent body and personal hygiene

Key learning points

  • • What changes
  • • Hygiene, practically
  • • Periods

This lesson at a glance

  • 20 minutes
  • 16 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

changingadolescentpersonalhygienechanges

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 16 · Discover6%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 16

Watch first

A changing body

An English teaching video on this topic from ClickView. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Understand the changing adolescent body and personal hygiene

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 16

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · What changes

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 16

Learn

What changes

Growth spurts, body hair, changes in skin and sweat, voice changes, breast development, periods and erections and ejaculation are all typical parts of adolescent development. The order and timing vary between individuals, and comparing timetables is not useful.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 16

Learn

Hygiene, practically

More active sweat glands mean daily washing, clean clothes and, for most people, deodorant. Skin changes are hormonal, not a sign of being dirty; gentle washing twice a day helps and a pharmacist can advise if acne is persistent or distressing.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 16

Quick check

What drives the changes of puberty?

6

Quick check

Part 6 of 16

Quick check

Is being early or late to puberty a problem?

7

Reset break

Part 7 of 16

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 16

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Periods

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 16

Learn

Periods

Periods usually start between about nine and fifteen, and cycles are often irregular at first. Pads, tampons and period pants are all options. Severe pain that stops you doing normal things is worth seeing a GP about — it is not something to simply endure.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 16

Quick check

What causes acne in adolescence?

11

Quick check

Part 11 of 16

Quick check

When should period pain be discussed with a GP?

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 16

Worked example

Worked example: when to ask for help

Normal: spots, a growth spurt out of step with friends, an irregular early cycle. Worth asking about: pain that stops you attending activities, a change that worries you, or feeling distressed about your body. The rule is simple — if it is affecting daily life, ask a GP, school nurse or trusted adult rather than waiting.

13

Challenge round

Part 13 of 16

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

14

Challenge round

Part 14 of 16

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

Growth spurts, body hair, changes in skin and sweat, voice changes, breast development, periods and erections and ejaculation are all typical parts of ____ development.

Skin ____ are hormonal, not a sign of being dirty; gentle washing twice a day helps and a pharmacist can advise if acne is persistent or distressing.

15

Mastery quiz

Part 15 of 16

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: A changing body

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. What drives the changes of puberty?

  2. 2. Is being early or late to puberty a problem?

  3. 3. What causes acne in adolescence?

  4. 4. When should period pain be discussed with a GP?

16

Lesson round-up

Part 16 of 16

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Case study

The group chat

Ellie is added to a class group chat with twenty-six people in it. At first it is jokes and homework questions. Then someone screenshots a private message from a girl in another class and posts it. Several people laugh. Two people leave the chat. Ellie says nothing, and feels bad about it that evening.

The next day the girl is off school. A teacher asks the class about the chat. Nobody wants to be the one who tells.

Staying silent can feel like the safest choice in the moment. It also leaves the person who was hurt on their own.

Written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. What choices did Ellie have at the moment the screenshot was posted?
  2. Who could she tell, and what would each of them be able to do?
  3. Write what you would do in this situation and why, in 6–8 sentences.

  • Thinking it through

    Writing

    Write what you would do in this situation, who you would ask, and why.

    6–8 sentences

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 16 · Watch & discover

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