Changes during puberty
I can describe changes in humans as they develop through adolescence.
Changes during puberty
I can describe changes in humans as they develop through adolescence.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Adolescence is the stage of growth and development between childhood and adulthood
- Puberty is when a child's body begins to develop and change as they become an adult and are able to reproduce
- Puberty usually happens between ages 10 and 14 for girls, and ages 12 and 16 for boys
- Signs of puberty for girls include changing body shape, additional body hair and starting periods
- Signs of puberty for boys include changing body shape, additional body hair and a deeper voice
Keywords
Human - People are a type of animal called humans.
Adolescence - Adolescence is the time that a human spends as an adolescent.
Adolescent - An adolescent is a human in the process of developing from a child into an adult.
Puberty - Puberty is a time when human bodies go through changes to become adults that are able to reproduce.
Reproduce - When living things reproduce they create their offspring.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that everyone goes through, or should go through puberty, at the same time.
Using the lesson resources to support, explain that everybody is different and will go through puberty at different times.
To help you plan your year 5 science lesson on: Changes during puberty, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 science lesson on: Changes during puberty, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 science lessons from the Human development unit, dive into the full secondary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
None required
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions







Start eating solid food
Start learning to walk
Start speaking in short sentences
Start learning to recognise letters and numbers
Exit quiz
6 Questions
Able to digest foods other than milk
Start learning to walk
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Body hair grows in new places, such as under the arms