The shape of the lesson
By the end of the lesson, learners can
- Puberty: testosterone and oestrogen: In the reproductive systems tab, switch between female and male and read the puberty box under the parts list.
- The menstrual cycle: Drag the day slider (or the day line on the graph) from day 1 to 28, or press Play.
- Hormones in control: Extended.
- Puberty: testosterone (testes), oestrogen (ovaries) cause secondary sexual characteristics.
- Cycle: menstruation days 1 to 5, lining thickens, ovulation about day 14, lining kept thick.
- Extended: FSH and LH from the pituitary; oestrogen from the follicle; progesterone from the corpus luteum, then the placenta.
- Extended: FSH develops follicle; LH triggers ovulation; oestrogen builds the lining; progesterone keeps it.
One picture every idea returns to
Testosterone (from the testes) and oestrogen (from the ovaries) cause the development of secondary sexual characteristics at puberty. In the menstrual cycle, of about 28 days, the uterus lining breaks down (menstruation), then repairs and thickens while an egg matures in a follicle; the egg is released at ovulation, about day 14, and the lining is kept thick ready for an embryo. Extended: FSH and LH come from the pituitary gland; oestrogen is made by the ovary (follicle), progesterone by the corpus luteum and, in pregnancy, by the placenta.
Forty-five minutes, phase by phase
| Time | Phase | What happens in the room | Grouping |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 min | Hook: predict | Open with the question in the title, Hormones that run the cycle.. At puberty testosterone and oestrogen bring about the changes that make the body able to reproduce. Put the figure on the board: it is the one picture every idea in the lesson returns to. | Whole class, then pairs |
| 5 to 13 min | Teach and check: Puberty: testosterone and oestrogen | In the reproductive systems tab, switch between female and male and read the puberty box under the parts list. Project tab 1 of the lab (Sex hormones at puberty) and let a student drive it while the class predicts. | Whole class, then pairs |
| 13 to 21 min | Teach and check: The menstrual cycle | Drag the day slider (or the day line on the graph) from day 1 to 28, or press Play. Project tab 6 of the lab (The menstrual cycle) and let a student drive it while the class predicts. | Pairs |
| 21 to 30 min | Teach and check: Hormones in control | Extended. | Jot Thoughts |
| 30 to 36 min | Check | The four Stage 1 questions from the student lesson, answered on mini whiteboards or by show of fingers. Re-teach the one most get wrong. | Individual, then whole class |
| 36 to 43 min | Plenary | The exam-style questions from Stage 2, one at a time: thirty seconds alone, then a random call. The feedback lines in the key give the examiner's wording. | Individual, random call |
| 43 to 45 min | Exit and homework | Set the worksheet below (6 questions, 19 marks). Learners self-assess against the objectives before they leave. | Individual |
Protect the parts that carry the learning
The sequence carries about fifty minutes of material, so the lab is driven by one student while the class predicts rather than explored freely. Times are a guide.
Protected: the check at 30 minutes. It is the only individual read on whether the key idea landed, and it is not cut.
Cut first if the build overruns: the last check in Hormones in control, never the check or the plenary.
In a 60 minute block: run worksheet questions 1 to 3 in class as a Rally Coach set and model both the hardest worked example and its check live.
Jot Thoughts
Teams write ideas on slips, one idea per slip, as many as they can in two minutes, saying each aloud as they place it in the middle. Then they sort the slips, which is where the structure of the topic appears.
The full structure, with its variations and the other twelve, is on the cooperative-learning page.
What to head off, and how
| Trap learners fall into | Teaching move that pre-empts it |
|---|---|
| Secondary sexual characteristics develop at puberty. | They are not the reproductive organs themselves, which are present from birth (primary sexual characteristics). |
| FSH and LH come from the pituitary gland, not the ovary. | Oestrogen and progesterone come from the ovary (follicle and corpus luteum), and later in pregnancy from the placenta. |
Sex hormones and the menstrual cycle: worksheet
6 questions, 19 marks. Written in the style of the papers; no past paper question is reproduced.
Describe the role of testosterone at puberty.
Describe the changes in the ovary and in the lining of the uterus during a 28-day menstrual cycle.
Extended. State where each hormone is produced: (a) FSH, (b) oestrogen during the menstrual cycle, (c) progesterone in late pregnancy.
Extended. Explain how FSH, oestrogen and LH bring about ovulation.
Extended. A graph shows that a woman's progesterone level rose after day 15 of her cycle and then stayed high for the next 10 weeks. Suggest what has happened and explain why she did not menstruate.
Extended. Explain why no new eggs mature during pregnancy.
Answer key and marking notes
- Testosterone is made by the testes.
- It causes the development of male secondary sexual characteristics.
- For example: voice deepens, facial and body hair grows, muscles develop, sperm production begins (any two).
- Days 1 to 5: the uterus lining breaks down and is lost (menstruation).
- An egg matures in a follicle in the ovary while the lining repairs and thickens.
- About day 14 ovulation: the egg is released from the ovary.
- After ovulation the lining stays thick (the follicle becomes the corpus luteum); if no embryo implants, the lining breaks down again.
- (a) Pituitary gland.
- (b) Ovary (the developing follicle).
- (c) Placenta.
- FSH from the pituitary gland stimulates a follicle to develop in the ovary.
- The follicle secretes oestrogen, whose level rises.
- A high level of oestrogen triggers a surge of LH from the pituitary gland.
- The LH surge causes ovulation, the release of the egg from the follicle.
- She is pregnant: an embryo has implanted.
- Progesterone stays high (from the corpus luteum, then the placenta).
- Progesterone maintains the uterus lining, so it does not break down and there is no menstruation.
- High levels of progesterone (and oestrogen) stop the release of FSH (and LH) from the pituitary gland.
- Without FSH, no new follicles develop, so no eggs mature or are released.
8 multiple-choice questions on this lesson
From the topic question bank. Assign them in the app for a marked score in your gradebook, or run the topic as a class game.
Which hormone causes the development of facial hair and a deeper voice at puberty?
- Atestosterone
- Boestrogen
- Cprogesterone
- Dinsulin
Which is a female secondary sexual characteristic caused by oestrogen?
- AWidening of the hips
- BProduction of sperm
- CGrowth of the ovaries at birth
- DDeepening of the voice
What happens during menstruation?
- AThe uterus lining breaks down and is lost with some blood
- BAn egg cell is released from the ovary
- CThe uterus lining thickens ready for an embryo
- DThe embryo implants into the uterus lining
A woman's cycle is 28 days and her period starts on 1 March. On about which date is ovulation most likely?
- A14 March
- B1 March
- C5 March
- D28 March
Which statement correctly describes the ovary and the uterus lining between days 6 and 13 of the cycle?
- AAn egg matures in a follicle; the lining repairs and thickens
- BThe corpus luteum forms; the lining breaks down
- CThe egg is released; the lining is lost
- DNo changes happen in the ovary; the lining stays thin
Extended: the graph shows three hormones during one menstrual cycle. Which hormone is curve X?
- ALH
- BFSH
- Cprogesterone
- Doestrogen
Extended: where is progesterone produced late in pregnancy?
- Aplacenta
- Bpituitary gland
- Cfollicle
- Duterus lining
Extended: some contraceptive pills contain progesterone-like hormones. How might these prevent pregnancy?
- AThey stop FSH and LH release, so no egg matures or is released
- BThey make the uterus lining break down every week
- CThey increase FSH so many eggs are released at once
- DThey destroy sperm in the oviduct
Quiz key
Testosterone from the testes causes male secondary sexual characteristics. Oestrogen causes female characteristics, progesterone maintains the uterus lining, and insulin controls blood glucose.
Oestrogen causes hips to widen and breasts to develop at puberty. Sperm production and a deeper voice are caused by testosterone; the ovaries are primary sexual organs present from birth.
Menstruation is the breakdown and loss of the uterus lining. Egg release is ovulation; thickening happens after menstruation; implantation only happens if an egg is fertilised.
Day 1 is 1 March, so day 14 is 14 March. 1 to 5 March is menstruation, and 28 March is the end of the cycle, just before the next period.
After menstruation a follicle develops around a maturing egg and the lining rebuilds. The corpus luteum forms after ovulation; the egg is released about day 14; and the ovary is far from inactive.
X has a sharp peak at about day 14: the LH surge that triggers ovulation. W, rising before ovulation, is oestrogen; Y, high after ovulation, is progesterone. FSH rises a little mid-cycle, but the large, sharp surge that triggers ovulation is LH.
The placenta takes over making progesterone (and oestrogen) to maintain the lining. The pituitary makes FSH and LH; the follicle makes oestrogen in the cycle; the uterus lining is the target, not the source.
High progesterone inhibits FSH and LH from the pituitary, so follicles do not develop and ovulation does not happen. Progesterone maintains the lining rather than breaking it down; it lowers FSH rather than raising it; it does not destroy sperm.
What to project
The student lesson embeds these tabs. Open them full screen on the projector; every slider has a drag handle on the stage.
Slides for this lesson
A projectable deck for every pack is on the way. Until then, present the student lesson full screen: its sections, figure and lab tabs follow the same order as the plan above.