Class 7 Science Chapter 6 Notes Adolescence A Stage of Growth and Change
In a Nutshell
→ Adolescence is the period of change from childhood to adulthood. It generally begins around the age of 10 years and usually lasts until 19 years.
→ Adolescence is marked by significant and characteristic physical, biological, and emotional changes.
→ Features that help to distinguish the male from the female but are not directly involved in reproduction are called secondary sexual characteristics.
→ Puberty is the stage in which the body of a child undergoes observable and internal changes to develop into an adult capable of reproduction.
→ Adolescence in girls is also marked by start of the menstrual cycle, during which there is a discharge of blood generally after every 28-30 days, a process called menstruation. Menstruation begins at puberty and generally ends by the age of 45-55 years.
→ Adolescents face several emotional and behavioural changes.
→ Eating a balanced and healthy diet, maintaining good personal hygiene, and participating in physical activities help adolescents to stay healthy.
→ Addictive substances, such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, have adverse effects on the body and mind. It is wise to say ‘NO’ to these substances and stay away from them.
→ Changes that take place in the body during adolescence are primarily controlled by certain chemicals produced in the body. These chemicals are called hormones.
→ Proper guidance and awareness help adolescents manage physical, emotional, and behavioural changes effectively.
The journey of a plant generally begins with the germination of a seed. With proper nourishment, the seed becomes a sapling and matures into a young plant. This journey is marked by some specific changes. Some of the visible changes are an increase in its height, the appearance of more leaves, and the development of flowers, fruits, and new seeds. From these seeds, new plants emerge.
It is quite unlikely that a seedling will develop the capabilities to produce its own seeds immediately after germination. It needs to grow and reach maturity to become capable of producing seeds. Similarly, animals also need to grow and reach maturity before they can reproduce. Some animals lay eggs that hatch into young ones, while others, like humans, directly give birth to young ones. In both cases, the young ones gradually grow in size and develop over time.
The journey of life of a human can be divided into different stages—infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Each person experiences these stages at their own pace, and the duration of each stage may vary from one individual to another. From infancy to adulthood, our bodies undergo various changes. Until around 10-12 years of age, most changes are related to height and weight. After this, other noticeable changes begin to occur, marking the onset of adolescence. This is a period of rapid growth and development, typically occurring between the ages of 10-19. During adolescence, the body prepares for adulthood.
Humans, like most other living beings, can not reproduce immediately after their birth. Their bodies need to grow and reach a stage of maturity to be able to reproduce.
As humans grow and develop, they experience significant physical, emotional, and behavioural changes, along with the ability to reproduce. Some of these changes may be quite clearly observable, while others occur internally and may go unnoticed. In this chapter, you will explore adolescence, understand its importance, and learn how to handle it with a sense of responsibility.
Growing With Age: The Teenage Years
During the summer vacation, Venkatesh visited his grandparents. As he entered the house, his 12-year-old cousin, Devyani came running to greet him.
Let us try to understand this interesting conversation between Venkatesh and Devyani.
Let us discuss
- Take a jar and some paper slips.
- Write down the changes you can notice among students as they go from Grades 5 to 8. These could be related to height, strength, behaviour, or any other aspect. Please avoid writing names on the slips.
- Fold the slips and place them in the jar.
- Mix all the slips received from the students in the class and unfold the collected slips one by one. Based on the information on the slips, discuss the changes with the students in the class.
Increase in height
From birth, our body undergoes continuous growth and development including an increase in height. However, the increase in height becomes more prominent during adolescence.
Changes in body structure, weight gain, and strength
As boys grow, it might be seen that along with growing taller, they gain weight, their shoulders might become a bit broader, and their chests may get wider. Girls also undergo changes in height and weight, and other body changes like development of breasts.
Changes in voice
In adolescent boys, the growth of the voice box leads to a voice that sounds hoarse. The voice box is a structure in our throat that helps us to speak. The growth may be seen as a bump in the throat region and is called the Adam’s apple. However, it is not noticeable in every individual. The voice box also grows in adolescent girls but it is not as big as in the boys, leading to only slight changes in voice.
Appearance of hair in different parts of body
Both boys and girls experience the growth of hair in different parts of their bodies, such as the armpits and pubic region.
Boys often develop facial hair, which later grows into a moustache and a beard as they move towards adulthood. Some boys may also develop chest hair and back hair, though few boys may have no significant hair growth. Variations in and timing of appearance of hair growth is completely normal.
Changes in facial skin: emergence of pimples
Another common occurrence during the adolescent years is a skin condition called acne, in which small, reddish pimples appear. These are commonly visible on the face. Acne occurs due to an increase in oily secretions from the skin during adolescence that can clog the skin pores and lead to infections. While acne is a condition, pimples are a manifestation of it.
A key point to remember
Whether it is a change in height, voice, or facial hair, it is important to recognise that the timing, nature, and extent of these changes vary among individuals. These variations are completely normal.
- Each person experiences adolescence at his or her own pace, and its duration also varies from one person to another.
- Now, we have understood some of the changes that take place during adolescence, particularly those that are easily observable. Some of these characteristic changes, like change invoice, the growth of facial and chest hair in boys, and the development of breasts in girls are not directly involved in the process of reproduction.
- However, these characteristic changes help distinguish males from females. For this reason, they are called secondary sexual characteristics.
- Secondary sexual characteristics are natural signs that the body is preparing for adulthood. They mark the onset of puberty. Puberty is the stage in which the body of an adolescent undergoes external and internal changes to develop into an adult capable of reproduction.
Changes that Indicate Reproductive Capability
Adolescence is marked not only by observable changes but also by internal changes that are not visible from the outside. One such change is the maturation of various parts involved in the process of reproduction.
Both boys and girls experience such changes gradually, and these changes are a natural part of the process of growing up. An important internal change associated with adolescent girls is the onset of the menstrual cycle. It recurs generally every 28-30 days and is more commonly known as ‘the period’. Many healthy girls may have longer or shorter menstrual cycles ranging from 21-35 days. The menstrual cycle is an important natural process and is one of the signs of good reproductive health. The phase of the cycle when blood discharge occurs from the body is referred to as menstruation. It may last for three to seven days. Some girls may feel pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen during these days. Usually, by the age of 45-55, menstruation stops naturally, marking the end of the reproductive capability in a woman’s life.
Breaking myths about menstruation
There are many wrong beliefs about menstruation that often lead to unnecessary fear, shame, or even guilt. These beliefs have given rise to certain myths and taboos. Among such myths and taboos, physical isolation of menstruating girls is unfortunately still quite prevalent. Menstruation is a natural process, and such myths have no scientific basis. By encouraging a scientific outlook towards menstruation, we can help society appreciate the need to promote good reproductive health of women and contribute positively towards a healthier lifestyle for women.
Adolescence is not just about physical changes or changes associated with reproductive capability but also about emotional and behavioural changes. Let us discuss them!
Emotional and Behavioural Changes in Adolescents
Let us list
Take a moment to think if there are any changes in your emotions or behaviour or that of your classmates and friends in the past one or two years. These changes may be exciting, confusing, or both.
Let us list some emotional changes in Table 6.2 along with their probable effects on behaviour and ways for positive growth and development.
Emotional changes, their probable effects on behaviour, and _j/va ys for positive growth and development
Key emotional changes Probable effects on behaviour Ways for positive growth and development
Mood swings Engage in varied activities like music, dance, or sports Self-exploration and involvement in activities that may lead to creativity and innovation
Strong emotions Increased sensitivity Compassion, involvement in social work
Any other
Making Adolescence a Joyful Experience
The journey of adolescence is a unique experience. Heightened curiosity and excitement during this stage of life give adolescents a new viewpoint towards almost everything around them. Good habits, thoughtful decisions, and small actions can have a powerful positive impact on the overall well-being of adolescents. Let us know about them!
Meeting nutritional needs
In Grade 6 chapter ‘Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body’, you learnt about the need for a healthy diet. Since adolescence is a period of growth and development marked by several changes in the body, a nutritious diet is of utmost importance.
Science And Society
Adolescents, especially girls, may sometimes suffer from blood-related health problem(s) because of a deficiency of iron or vitamin B12 in the body.
- Find out about such health problem(s).
- How can we manage iron deficiency in our body?
- Find out about government schemes aimed to prevent such deficiencies.
Know A Scientist
Dorothy Hodgkin was a brilliant scientist who studied the structure of vitamin B12. In 1964, she became the third woman to win the Nobel Prize in the field of chemistry. Did you know that vitamin B12 is required for the proper functioning of the human body? Like most vitamins, it cannot be made in the human body and has to be obtained from the food we eat. Discuss the sources of vitamin B12 with your teacher.
Personal hygiene
Besides nutrition, personal hygiene is also crucially important during adolescence. Maintaining body hygiene, particularly in the armpits and the pubic region, may protect us from potential infections.
For girls, maintaining proper hygiene during menstruation is essential for both comfort and health. Menstrual hygiene can be maintained using items such as sanitary pads (Fig.) and reusable cloth pads designed for this purpose.
Fig. Sanitary Pad
The government also attempts to provide these products free of charge or at a low price to improve the menstrual hygiene of girls and women. As a society, we should all make efforts to ensure the availability of necessary facilities in schools and public places to promote menstrual hygiene. Collectively, we should move forward, reducing any stigma around sanitary pads and helping in menstrual hygiene.
It is important to dispose of used sanitary pads properly by wrapping them in newspaper and disposing inside a dustbin. This is to ensure community health and environmental cleanliness. These days, biodegradable sanitary pads are also available that are environment-friendly.
Science And Society
To support menstrual hygiene, the government has introduced several initiatives—
- Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS): Under this scheme by the Government of India, sanitary pads are provided free of charge or at a reduced price to adolescent girls in rural areas. Awareness programmes are also conducted to educate girls about menstrual hygiene and health.
- Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK): It aims to improve the overall health of adolescents, including menstrual health and hygiene. It encourages peer education, where older students help younger ones learn about these topics.
- Suvidha Sanitary Napkin Initiative: Under this initiative, biodegradable sanitary pads are provided at affordable prices through Jan Aushadhi Kendras. The initiative aims to improve access to menstrual hygiene products for women and adolescent girls.
- State-Level Initiatives: Various state governments have their own programmes, such as the ‘Shuchi Scheme’ in Karnataka and free sanitary napkin schemes in states like Tamil Nadu and Odisha. These programmes aim to distribute free sanitary pads in government schools.
Physical activities
Regular exercise and physical activities are also very important during adolescence. Do you exercise regularly or participate in games and sports? What kinds of exercises do you do? These activities will keep your body and mind fit and healthy, build up your stamina and boost your mood (Fig.).
Fig. Physical activities for fitness
Balanced social life
We all live in a society and interact with each other in our day-to-day life. We should all be polite and respectful towards each other (Fig.). This helps create a favourable and safe environment.
Since adolescence is a stage of life marked by new experiences and emotions, we must be thoughtful and responsible while interacting with others—whether in person or through social media. This is the time adolescents may feel attracted to their peers, and mimic their behaviour. Today, they often interact with each other online.
Fig. Collaborative learning in action
Modern technologies have made online platforms available for all to obtain information, make connections, interact, and share information with each other. We should use these platforms responsibly for the collective well-being of all. Sometimes, we, knowingly or unknowingly, use social media platforms carelessly. Seeking guidance from elders and teachers can help use these platforms positively.
Science And Society
Cyberbullying involves the use of digital devices such as phones, computers, or online platforms to harass others by sending misleading messages, spreading false rumours, or sharing personal information without consent (Fig.). However, if someone tries to bully you, it is important not to feel scared or helpless. Rather, handle it wisely and seek help from parents and teachers.
Additionally, you should be cautious when uploading any picture online or sharing personal information with strangers.
Avoiding harmful substances —learn to say NO
Some people, including your peers, may tempt, persuade, force or, create pressure on you to consume harmful substances such as tobacco, gutka, cigarettes, beedi, alcohol, or even life-threatening illegal drugs. Since adolescence is marked by curiosity and excitement, adolescents might get influenced by such people and try these substances.
These substances are not just harmful to physical and mental health but are also addictive. This means that once people start consuming them, they develop a strong urge to take them again and again. Over time, they start using them regularly. This is called substance abuse.
Fig. Condition of the lungs before and after prolonged exposure to bidi/cigarette smoke
Using these substances can cause serious health problems, such as breathing difficulties, memory loss, and damage to the lungs (Fig.), depending on the substance. To stay healthy, it is important to completely avoid these substances and make healthy choices instead. It is important to remain firm and confident in your decision to say ‘NO’.
The first step to overcoming addiction is seeking help and support from family and friends, and talking to trusted people, such as parents or teachers. Counselling and medical advice can also be helpful in handling such situations. Remember, your health and your future are in your hands—choose wisely!
Science And Society
- Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan
- The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan was launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. It intends to reach out to the masses and spread awareness on the issue of avoiding substance abuse through active participation of the youth, women, and the community. The special focus is on the prevention of substance abuse among early-age children.
- The Government has launched a National De-addiction Helpline— 14446, to deal with drug addiction and to help drug addicts.
The ‘Why’ Question for Adolescence
We now understand the differei changes in adolescence and also knoi some ways to handle it with a sense c responsibility.
But I wonder why these changes occur at this stage of life!
Many changes in adolescence, including menstruation and other signs of puberty, are mainly due to hormones—certain chemicals produced in our bodies. Hormones play a crucial role in regulating various aspects of growth and development, contributing to the proper functioning of the body. They are produced in different parts of the body and are released at an appropriate time in response to signals from the brain. Some hormones influence mood and behaviour.
By staying informed, seeking support and guidance when needed, and making healthy decisions, you can build a strong foundation for your life ahead.
Class 7 Science Notes
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