D. Healthy Living · Healthy Living

The Reproductive System and How the Body Changes at Puberty

D1.3 A1.5About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can name the parts of the female and male reproductive systems and say what each part does.
I can describe how the body changes during puberty, inside and outside.
I can use the correct names for body parts with respect.

Words to know

reproductive system
The body parts that make it possible to create a baby when a person is an adult.

hormones
Chemical messengers that travel in the blood and tell parts of the body what to do. Hormones start puberty.

ovaries
Two organs that hold egg cells and make the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

uterus
A hollow, muscular organ where a baby can grow. Also called the womb.

testicles
Two organs (also called testes) that make sperm and the hormone testosterone.

penis
The external organ that carries urine, and later semen, out of the body through the urethra.

sperm
Tiny cells made in the testicles that can join with an egg to start a baby. They can only be seen with a microscope.

Your amazing body

You already know a lot about how your body works: your heart pumps blood, your lungs take in air, your stomach digests food. Each is part of a body system. Today you'll learn about one more: the reproductive system. It's the system that, when a person is an adult, makes it possible to create a baby. It's also the system that changes the most during puberty.

These are the correct, scientific names. Using them helps you talk to doctors and trusted adults clearly. It's okay to feel a bit shy at first. Scientists and doctors use these words every day.

Remember from Grade 4

You learned that puberty is when a child's body starts changing into an adult's body, that it's started by hormones, and that it usually begins sometime between about ages 8 and 14. You learned the outside changes: growth spurts, body hair, sweat and body odour, skin changes, voice changes, breast development and changes in body shape. This year you'll learn what's happening inside.

The female reproductive system

Most of the female reproductive system is inside the body, in the lower belly (the pelvis).

Ovaries (2): hold hundreds of thousands of tiny egg cells (ova) from birth. At puberty they start making the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and about once a month, one ovary releases an egg.
Fallopian tubes (2): narrow tubes that carry an egg from an ovary to the uterus.
Uterus (womb): a hollow, muscular organ about the size of a fist that grows bigger during pregnancy. A baby can grow here.
Cervix: the narrow lower end of the uterus that opens into the vagina.
Vagina: a stretchy passage from the uterus to the outside of the body. Menstrual flow (a period) leaves the body through it, and a baby can be born through it.
Vulva: the outside parts. The vulva includes the openings of the urethra (where urine comes out) and the vagina. These are separate openings.

Female reproductive system as a flow chart (not a picture of the body): the path an egg travels (ovary, fallopian tube, uterus), and the path of a period (uterus, cervix, vagina, outside the body).

The male reproductive system

Part of the male reproductive system is outside the body and part is inside.

Testicles (2, also called testes): starting at puberty, they make sperm and the hormone testosterone.
Scrotum: the sac of skin that holds the testicles outside the body, where it's a little cooler. Sperm need this cooler temperature.
Epididymis: a coiled tube on each testicle where sperm grow up (mature) and are stored.
Vas deferens (2, also called sperm ducts): tubes that carry sperm from the epididymis toward the urethra.
Seminal vesicles and prostate gland: add fluid to the sperm. Sperm plus this fluid is called semen.
Urethra: the tube inside the penis that carries urine or semen out of the body, but never both at the same time.
Penis: the outside organ that the urethra runs through.

Male reproductive system as a flow chart (not a picture of the body): the path sperm travel, from the testicles, through the epididymis and vas deferens, to the urethra in the penis, and out of the body.

Changes during puberty	Mostly in people with a female reproductive system	Mostly in people with a male reproductive system	In everyone
Inside	Ovaries start releasing eggs; menstruation (periods) begins; clear or white discharge from the vagina may start	Testicles start making sperm; erections happen more often; wet dreams may happen	Hormones increase; brain keeps developing; feelings may get stronger
Outside	Breasts develop; hips widen	Testicles and penis grow; voice deepens a lot; shoulders broaden; facial hair	Growth spurt; hair under arms and in the pubic area; more sweat and body odour; oilier skin and pimples

How the body changes during puberty. Everyone's timing is different.

Every body has its own timing

Changes happen slowly, over several years, in a different order and at a different speed for each person. Starting earlier or later than your friends is normal. If you have questions about your own body, ask a parent, caregiver, doctor or school nurse.

Worked example

Let's match a part to its job

Match each part to its job: ovary, fallopian tube, uterus, testicle, urethra.

Ovary: holds eggs and makes estrogen and progesterone.
Fallopian tube: carries the egg from the ovary to the uterus.
Uterus: where a baby can grow; its lining is shed during a period.
Testicle: makes sperm and testosterone.
Urethra: carries urine (and in males, semen) out of the body.

Each part has a job, just like the parts of the digestive or respiratory system.

Worked example

Let's sort the changes

Sort these puberty changes: voice gets deeper, breasts develop, sperm production starts, growth spurt, periods begin, body odour increases.

Mostly female: breasts develop, periods begin.
Mostly male: sperm production starts. (Voices deepen in everyone a little, but much more in males.)
Everyone: growth spurt, body odour increases, and voices get a bit deeper.

Some changes happen to everyone, and some mostly happen to one sex. All are normal parts of growing up.

Hands-on activity

Label and learn

You need: paper, a pencil, and a trusted grown-up.

Without looking, write the parts of the female and male reproductive systems from memory.
Check your list against this lesson. Add any you missed.
Make flash cards: the part on the front, its job on the back. Quiz yourself, or have your grown-up quiz you.
Make a question box like you did in Grade 4: write any questions on slips of paper (no names needed), and go through them with your grown-up.

What to look for: correct names and one accurate job for each part. Calm, matter-of-fact use of the words is a great sign.

Your turn

What is the job of the reproductive system?

Name the parts of the female reproductive system.

Name the parts of the male reproductive system.

What do the testicles make?

Where does an egg travel after it leaves the ovary?

What starts puberty?

Name two puberty changes that happen to everyone.

More practice: warm-up

Another name for the uterus is the...

How many ovaries does a person with a female reproductive system usually have?

What holds the testicles outside the body?

True or false: the urethra and the vagina are the same opening.

True or false: everyone starts puberty at the same age.

More practice: on your own

Why are the testicles held outside the body in the scrotum?

What is semen?

Name the hormones made by the ovaries and the hormone made by the testicles.

Name one inside change and one outside change at puberty for each sex.

Why is it helpful to know the correct names of body parts?

Challenge

Explain the job of the cervix and the vagina, and how they are connected to the uterus.

Compare the reproductive system with another body system you know (like the digestive system). How are they alike? How are they different?

A friend is worried because she's taller than everyone and has started developing breasts, but her best friend hasn't. What would you tell her?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which organ makes sperm?

The tube that carries an egg from the ovary to the uterus is the...

What starts the changes of puberty?

Where can a baby grow?

Which change happens to everyone at puberty?

The urethra carries...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson covers the Grade 5 expectation to identify the parts of the reproductive system, and describe how the body changes during puberty (D1.3).

About this content: This lesson is part of Ontario's human development and sexual health expectations. In Ontario, parents may request that their child be exempted (opted out) from human development and sexual health instruction at school; ask your school about its process. If your child is exempted, you may skip this lesson at home too, or teach it in your own way.

The lesson uses correct anatomical names, describes what each part does, and shows simple flow charts rather than body drawings. It does not describe sexual activity; in Ontario, that comes in later grades.

How to help at home:

Use the correct terms calmly yourself. Your tone tells your child these are ordinary body parts.
Short, honest answers work best. It's fine to say, "Good question. Let me check and get back to you."
Share your family's values alongside the facts.
If puberty seems to start very early (before about age 8 in girls or 9 in boys), or hasn't begun by about 13 in girls or 14 in boys, check with your doctor.

Common difficulties: giggling or embarrassment (normal; stay calm and keep going); confusing the urethra and vagina; thinking everyone develops at the same pace. The lesson uses "female" and "male" reproductive systems, as most people are born with one or the other.

This lesson builds self-awareness and a sense of identity (A1.5).