Year 7 Puberty Assessment Task

Task 1: Response to a letter

1. Read both letters below, and choose one that you would like to respond to
2. Write a letter of response that is at least 300 words in length
3. Follow the format shown below to write your letter:

 Begin your letter appropriately

 Paragraph 1:
o Introduce yourself (name, age, etc) and why you are able to answer
their letter.
 Paragraph 2:
o Explain what puberty is
o Name the male or female hormones involved.
o List three other changes that occur during puberty for males or
females that are not discussed in the letter.
 Paragraph 3:
o Advice and reassurance to the person who wrote the letter
o Describe how young people can better cope with the changes that
come with puberty
 Finish your letter appropriately

Letter 1 (Male)

Dear My Body Magazine

My name is Shane; I’m a 12-year-old boy who has just started going through puberty. Over the past
year or so I’ve noticed a lot of changes to my body and it’s starting to confuse me.

Just last month I began to feel an itching sensation down below, I then discovered that a small
portion of hair was growing around my penis. I’m the only one in my friendship group that has this
weird hair below. Is this normal? Hair has also started to grow under my armpits causing me to
sweat more and now I smell when I exercise. Does this mean I am really unfit, how can I reduce how
much I smell?

My friends also have deeper, manlier voices than I do. My voice cracks a lot and I have trouble
speaking aloud, this make me feel extremely embarrassed and fearful that my voice will remain like
this for life. When will I start to sound like a man?

Lastly I’d like to find out if I’m ever going to grow to 6 feet tall, the same height as my dad? I haven’t
grown much taller in the last few years and I am the shortest boy in my class. Will I start growing
soon?

Please help me I am really confused by all these changes I would love to know why this is all
happening and what is causing these changes?

Thank you My Body Magazine, I hope to hear back from you soon.

From Shane
Letter 2 (Female)

Dear My Body Magazine

My name is Lauren; I’m a 12-year-old girl who has just started going through puberty. Over the past
year or so I’ve noticed a lot of changes to my body and it is starting to confuse me.

Just last month I began to feel an itching sensation down below, I then discovered that a small
portion of hair was growing down there. I’m the only one in my friendship group that has this weird
hair below. Is this normal? Hair has also started to grow under my armpits causing me to sweat
more and now I smell when I exercise. Does this mean I am really unfit, how can I reduce how much
I smell?

At school my friends keep talking about their period pain and what it feels like to experience your
menstrual cycle for the first time. When they speak about it I don’t say much and I start to feel
anxious because I haven’t got my period yet.
Is this normal for a 12-year-old girl to not have their period yet? What is happening to my friend’s
bodies? What hormones are causing them to get their periods??

Lastly I’d like to find out if my breasts are going to develop? They have only grown a little over the
last few years. What age do women’s breasts usually start to develop? Will they start growing soon?
What hormones will cause them to develop more? Should I be worried they wont grow?

Please help me I am really confused by all these changes I would love to know why this is all
happening and what is causing these changes?

From Lauren
 Task 2: Changes during puberty diagram
Students are to label the diagram on the following page with at least three changes
that occur to the human body during puberty. You must include the following:

 The name of the change

 An arrow pointing to where the change occurs

Example: Human Body

Growth of pubic hair

Changes during puberty diagram