are some questions. level and Group similar of discussion. the class. somewhere! Avoid offering 1. Is ways to make mean, it means that the a healthy

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1 Teaching Human Sexuality Answers to Sample Questions Elementary Grade 4, 5, 6 The inquiry process is an important strategy to use for effective human sexuality classes. Here are some tips when answering questions. At the end of each sexuality class, provide a few minutes forr students to ask anonymous questions. Provide each student with an identical piece of paper. Everyone writes something on the paper, even iff they have no questions. Take the questions away to answer next class. After taking questions away and ensuring that the questions can be answered at this curriculum level and that you know the answers: Group similar questions together to enhance flow of discussion. Read the question, if at all possible as it was written, aloud to the class. Define words, including slang and continue on using the correct terminology. Answer the question clearly, objectively and factually. Assume all questions, even shock ones, are reall questions after all, they came from somewhere! Avoid offering additional information or assumingg more than what the question asked. Even when the question is gendered, use inclusive language in the answers. 1. Is it natural to get a mood swing that makes me mad at my parents? Yes, it is normal for some peoplee to have mood swings and to be mad at their parents during puberty. This is because of hormones and the physical,, emotional and social changes that happen during puberty. Finding ways to manage the mood swings and keep family relationships strong can make puberty easier to go through. If you or your family is having a really hard time, you can talk to another adult, like a counselor or teacher, to find ways to make this time easier. 2. What if my friend bosses me around all of thee time and if I don t do what they want, they are a bit mean? When friends boss each other around or are mean, it means that the friendship is unhealthy. In a healthy relationship, people talk in a respectful way and both people get to make decisions. Unhealthy relationships do not feel good and they can even make you sick. It might help to let your friend know thatt the friendship is not healthy. You can tell them what you want and that you are not going to do what they are telling you to. Youu can let them know that you feel bad about the mean things they are doing and saying. Talk to an adult you trust for help to talk to your friend. When people learn to have healthy friendships, it helps them to become healthy adults. 3. What happens if my voice changed but I m not sure I m having puberty? When someone notices that their voice is getting deeper, richer and fuller, that IS a sign that they have started puberty. You can expect more puberty changes to come over the next few months and years. Sample Answers Elementary J:/Teacher Inservices/Public Boards/

2 4. I m 11 and no puberty. Is this ok? Different people start puberty at different ages and this is normal. Many people have not started puberty at age 11. Most people will start puberty sometimes between the age of 9 and 16. If a person has seen no signs that they are in puberty by age 16, it is a good idea for them to see a doctor just to make sure that that is normal for them. 5. Does everybody in puberty smell so bad all the time? Most people notice that they smell different once they are in puberty. This is because more sweat and oil glands develop in puberty and hormones are changing. Here are some things that can be helpful: Wash your feet, genital and bum area and armpits every day with unscented soap and water Wear clean socks, underwear and shirts every day Wash your hair and the rest of your body when you get very sweaty, oily or dirty Some people choose to wear deodorant. Ask your family if that is right for you. Some people use baking soda instead of deodorant. 6. Do I have to get zits in puberty? Zits are also called pimples, blackheads, whiteheads or acne. Acne happens when the pores in the skin get clogged up with too much oil, dead skin cells and germs. Acne is a normal part of puberty. Most people get some acne; some people get a lot, others get little. When people have very bad acne and it hurts or they feel very bad about it, it can be a problem. You can talk to an adult you trust and they can help you visit the doctor Things that can help your skin be as healthy as possible are: Wash your face and body with a facecloth and a mild, unscented soap and water Drink enough water Eat healthy Get enough rest Get exercise 7. Why is head hair one color but body hair another? Some people have hair color that is different than body hair color and some people have hair and body color that are the same. Both are normal. 8. What are wet dreams? Wet dreams are also called nocturnal emissions. They are when the penis gets hard and ejaculates semen when the person is sleeping. One sign that there has been a wet dream is waking up with a damp spot on the bed or pjs. Some people have many wet dreams, some have few. Both are normal. Wet dreams are one sign that puberty has started. 9. Can pee come out at the same time as sperm? Pee is a slang term for urine. Semen is the fluid that contains sperm. Semen only comes out during ejaculation when the penis is hard. A hard penis blocks urine from coming out, so urine and semen cannot come out at the same time.

3 10. What does circumcised mean? What if you re not? Circumcised is a word used to describe a penis that has had the foreskin removed. The foreskin is the skin and tissue that folds up over the head of a soft penis. Some people are circumcised, some are not. Both are ok. When people are not circumcised, it is important to gently pull back the foreskin a little bit and wash around the head of the penis every day. 11. What if I get erections at school? Is that ok? An erection is when a penis gets hard. It is normal to get erections. Sometimes they happen when a person is having sexy thoughts and feelings, but they can also happen for no reason at all. Many people get erections once in a while at school. Erections can go away on their own. They go away faster if the person stays calm and thinks about something else. Long shirts or baggy pants can hide erections. Sitting down can also hide an erection and help it go away. 12. How big can a penis get? Many people wonder about penis sizes. Because humans differ so much from each other, it is hard to say how big a penis could get, but for adults, the average penis is about 5 when erect. Average means people are above and below this number and are normal. 13. Is it normal to have one breast be bigger than the other? Yes. Many people have one breast that is bigger or a different shape than the other and many people have breasts that are quite similar. Both are normal. If you are worried about your breasts, you can talk to an adult you trust and they can help you visit the doctor. 14. Do boys get periods? Periods are also called menstruation. Only people with vaginas get periods. 15. Why do girls have to wear pads? Pads are menstrual products worn in the underwear to soak up blood and fluid as it leaves the vagina during menstruation (periods). 16. Does it hurt when you have your period? Period is another word for menstruation, which is the time of the menstrual cycle where the blood and tissue lining of the uterus are shed through the vagina. Most of the time, periods do not hurt. Many people feel light cramping, tender breasts, puffiness, tired, moody, or hungrier when they are menstruating. If periods really hurt, it can be a sign of a problem, so it can be a good idea to talk to an adult you trust and they can help you visit the doctor. 17. Do you have your period for the rest of your life? No. Around age 45-55, people stop getting their periods. This is called menopause. People also do not get periods when they are pregnant.

4 18. How should you act when you have your period? When someone has their period, they do not have to act any different than usual. They can still play sports, dance, exercise, go to school and bathe/shower like usual. If tampons or menstrual cups are used, people can swim and do gymnastics during their period. Menstruation is a normal part of body science. Other people cannot tell that you have your period. 19. Can I still shower if I have my period? Yes. When people have their period, it is important to bath or shower every day. If you can t bath or shower every day when you have your period, it is important to wash the genital area well with water. When people have their period, they can do the same things they can do when they do not have their period. 20. Does the period always come from the vagina or does sometimes it come from your bum? The hole in the bum is called the anus. The the blood and tissue that comes out during the period, is called menstrual fluid and it comes out of the vagina only. If blood comes out of the anus, it is not a period. It would be from something else and could be a problem. If you have blood coming out of your bum, you can talk to an adult you trust and they can help you visit the doctor. 21. What does sex mean? Does it hurt? Sex is a word that means different things to different people, but it is usually used to describe when one person s body comes in contact with another person s genital area. Sex is not supposed to hurt and if it does, it can be from a problem. If people have sex before they are ready, like if they are young or really scared, it can hurt. 22. What is masturbation? Masturbation is when a person touches their own genitals for pleasure. Some people do it, others do not. Both are normal. 23. What does gay mean? Gay is a word used to describe a person that is sexually or romantically attracted to people of the same sex. 24. Does the egg have a shell? No. The egg that is matured and released from a woman s ovaries does not have a shell. It does have 2 layers and a membrane that the sperm must pass through to fertilize it. 25. Does sperm have eyes? Do they use echolocation? How do they find the egg? Even though sperm look a bit like tadpoles under the microscope with a head, a cone-shaped mid-piece and a tail, they do not have eyes. The sperm cell travels by moving its tail back and forth in a swimming motion. It is not known for sure how the sperm finds the egg. Many scientists think that both the egg and sperm have a special chemical on them that attracts sperm to the egg.

5 26. Where do babies come from? A baby is made when a special cell made in the ovaries called the egg (ovum) is fertilized or joined by a special cell made in the testicles called the sperm. Once the fertilized egg implants into the wall of the uterus, the cells can develop into a baby. This usually happens through sex, where a penis is inserted into the vagina, there is a bit of movement and the penis releases special fluid called semen that contains the sperm. The sperm travel through the cervix at the back of the vagina, into the uterus then fallopian tubes. If the other person releases an egg from the ovaries into the fallopian tubes at about the same time that the sperm is there, the sperm joins with the egg and that fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tubes, into the uterus where it attaches to the wall and starts developing into a baby. 27. How can you tell if the baby will be a boy or a girl? The way that people find out the sex of the baby is if the mother has a test called an ultrasound that takes a picture of the fetus in the uterus. By looking at the picture, the doctor can usually see if the baby has a penis or not 28. How long does it take for the baby to get ready to be born? It usually takes about 40 weeks for a baby to be ready to be born. 29. How does the baby come out? Does it hurt? When babies are ready to be born, they usually come out of the vagina when the uterus squeezes with very strong muscle contractions called labor. If the baby is having problems coming out of the vagina or there are other concerns, sometimes the doctor will do a surgery called a caesarian section and take the baby out of the mother s abdomen. For most people the birth of a baby hurts. There are usually health care providers around to help the person having the baby feel more comfortable. 30. Can you have a baby when you are 12 years old? 12 year olds that are in puberty can create a pregnancy. For a pregnancy to happen there has to be a sperm and egg. A sign that someone has started to release eggs, or ovulate, is that their breasts are not flat and they ve started to menstruate (have periods). A sign that someone has started to make sperm is that their testicles are getting bigger and they have more erections or get a wet dream. 31. If a baby is born dead, why did it die? When a baby is born dead, it is called a stillborn baby. There are many reasons why a baby could be born dead, like problems when it was being born or problems with how the baby developed inside the uterus. 32. How does milk get into your breasts? When a person is pregnant, their body makes hormones that get the breasts ready to feed the baby after it is born. Just before the baby is born, the hormones signal the breasts to start making milk. When the baby breastfeeds, the breasts are emptied and the hormones signal the breasts to make more milk.

6 33. What if you re a boy and you pee blood? Pee is a slang term for urine. Anytime anyone has blood in their urine, it is a sign of a problem, so it is important to talk to an adult you trust and they can help you visit the doctor. 34. What is AIDS and how do people get it? AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and it is caused by a virus called HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus. If a person gets HIV, it can hurt the part of their body that fights germs. If this happens and the germs make the person very sick, the person has AIDS. People cannot catch AIDS; they can catch HIV. People can catch HIV through contact with the blood, semen, pre-ejaculatory fluid, vaginal fluid, anal fluid or breastmilk of a person with HIV. Then that fluid would have to get into the other person s body through a risk activity like sex, sharing needles or other drug equipment, blood contact or breastfeeding.