ETV “Secondary Level Sex Education Thematic Series” Programme
Puberty
Teachers' Notes
Target Audience S1 – S7
SubjectsS1-S3 Science, S4-S5 Human Biology, S4-S7 Biology,
S1-3 Social Studies, S1-S7 Sex Education lessons
Duration 20 minutes
Production Aim
(1)This programme is a teaching resource produced especially for enriching the classroom teaching of the Syllabus for Science (Secondary 1 – 3) prepared by the Curriculum Development Council (1998).
The content of the programme serves to illustrate the following part of the Syllabus：
“Unit 3 – Cells and Human Reproduction
Topic 3.3 – Puberty
Key Points – Secondary sexual characteristics; Reproductive systems; Sexual maturity; Menstrual cycle; Nocturnal emission; Positive attitude towards individual differences in physical appearance.
Core Content –Secondary sexual characteristics; Male and female reproductive systems; Signs of maturation of the reproductive system (menstrual cycle and nocturnal emission); We reach sexual maturity at different ages.”
(2)This programme is also produced to meet the requirements of the classroom teaching of the Guidelines on Sex Education in Schools prepared by the Curriculum Development Council (1997).
The content of the programme serves to illustrate the following part of the Guidelines：
“Key Concepts and Topics for Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary
Puberty – Individual differences in the rate and timing of physical changes; Changes during puberty: menstruation, wet dreams, secondary sexual characteristics (e.g. development of breasts, pubic hair, etc.) as well as emotional changes in adolescence; Characteristics of puberty; Exercises and rest during puberty; Hygiene during puberty; Maintaining physical and mental health during puberty.
Key Points
- An introduction to the body changes in puberty;
- An introduction to the hormonal control of puberty;
- An exploration of the problems of puberty;
- Advice on hygiene in puberty.
Content Outline
This programme is divisible into 5 parts as follows:
- Adolescence and Puberty
A brief introduction to the eight stages in the human lifespan, namely: fetal stage, infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. This is followed by a discussion to distinguish between the terms ‘adolescence’ and ‘puberty’. With reference to the growth curves of a boy and a girl, the occurrence of growth spurts and the sexual difference in onset of the adolescent growth spurt are illustrated. This is followed by a demonstration of changes in body height and body form in twelve boys and girls in the age range of 10 to 20 years old. The segment is concluded by emphasizing that the major trend of body change in puberty is sexual maturity.
2. Body Changes in Puberty
The major changes in body height, breasts, body form, body hair and voice of boys and girls in puberty, as well as occurrence of menstrual cycle in the female body, are illustrated by computer animation with intercalated video segments of real human bodies. The concepts of primary sexual characteristics and secondary sexual characteristics are illustrated by the same technique.
3. The Onset of Puberty
Computer animation is employed to illustrate the endocrine control of the onset of puberty.
4.Problems of Puberty
The occurrence of individual differences in the rate and timing of physical changes in puberty is illustrated by videos segments of P6 pupils and S1-3 students. Dr. Angela Y.W. Ng comments on these individual differences in boys and girls in puberty. She emphasizes that these are merely temporary events affected by the individual person’s genetic makeup, nutrition and amount of physical exercise undertaken. She advises adolescent boys and girls to accept themselves, have a balanced diet and adequate sleep, and exercise more in body-stretching sports to facilitate the body to develop to its full potential.
Dr. Ng advises girls at P5 to S3 levels to be prepared for the coming of menses. She comments on the common features in the physical and mental development of boys in puberty, including curiosity towards the female body, the drive to reading sex magazines, masturbation, erotic dreams (wet dreams) and nocturnal emission. She argues that these are normal behaviours and advises boys not to treat sex magazines as guidebooks on sex education.
Dr. Ng also explains the physiological causes of acne.
5. Hygiene in Puberty
Dr. Ng advises boys and girls in puberty to develop a hygienic habit as follows:
(a)Keep the face clean by washing with lukewarm water three to four times daily.
(b)Don’t squeeze pimples.
(c)Alleviate acne by sticking to a light diet and eating more vegetable and fruits.
(d)Girls to take bath daily and change sanitary napkins frequently when menses come.
(e)Girls to carry on with their usual sports and activities in times of menstruation.
Suggestions for Utilization
1.The S1 Science teacher may show various parts of this programme to students in several lessons to match the topics in Unit 3 of the Science syllabus. The teacher may either use the segments of the programme as an introduction to the lesson, or
use them for consolidation and reinforcement of teaching at the end of the lesson.
- The S4-S5 Human Biology or S4-S7 Biology teacher may show the whole programme once as an aid to guide students to review their learning in S1 Science lessons as a preparation for learning in new topics relating to human reproduction.
- The S1-S7 Sex Education teacher may select parts of the programme and show them to students as a means to initiate discussion on relevant topics about sex.
- When the whole programme is shown once in one lesson, the teacher is advised
to spend 5 to 10 minutes at the beginning of the lesson to lead students to discuss
with reference to the Preparation before viewing the programme part of the
Suggested Activities. The teacher may then show the programme. After the show,
the teacher may spend another 10 to 15 minutes to discuss with students with a
view to consolidating the concepts and methods illustrated in the programme. The
teacher is advised to refer to the Activities after viewing the programme part of
Suggested Activities.
Suggested Activities
Preparation before viewing the programme
The teacher may hold a brief discussion with students. Students may be invited to tell the major differences in the bodies of secondary students as compared with those of primary pupils. In this connection, the teacher may guide students to discover the growth spurt in S1 students, the individual differences in the growth rates and other body changes in puberty. The teacher may then advise students to watch the programme to confirm or correct their ideas.
Activities after viewing the programme
The teacher may discuss with students on the following issues in the content of the programme:
(1)Individual differences in growth rate in puberty - to guide students to accept themselves and avoid embarrassing their peers because of the individual differences;
(2)Changes in the body immediately before and after menses – to guide girls to prepare for menses.
(3)Care for acne – to advise students not to squeeze pimples.
(4)Reading sex magazines – to guide students to understand that reading sex magazines is a normal behaviour of boys in puberty, it stems from curiosity under influences of sex hormones, hence it is neither a crime nor an immoral act. However, students should be advised not to indulge in reading sex magazines. They should be warned not to bring sex magazines to school, and that sex magazines are not guidebooks on sex education.
(5)Masturbation and nocturnal emission – to guide students to realize that both acts are not harmful to the body, but they should not indulge in the acts; to encourage students to take part in sports so as to relieve the drive to masturbation.
(6)To invite students to visit the Health Education Resource Centre of Central Health Education Unit, Department of Health (7/F, Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong) and the Sex Education Resource Library of Family Planning Association of Hong Kong (8/F, Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong), collect leaflets on issues in puberty and make use of them in preparation of a project work on puberty.
(7)To invite students to browse the following hotline or websites for searching of information relating to the various issues in puberty:
Dr. Sex Hotline (Telephone No.: 2337 2121)
HealthZone Website of Central Health Education Unit, Department of Health (
TeenAIDS Website (
Website of Family Planning Association of Hong Kong (
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