NCERT Class 7 Science Curiosity Chapter 06 Adolescence A Stage of Growth and Change PDF Download

Chapter 6: Adolescence: A Stage of Growth and Change

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.

6.1 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.

[Figure: Two teenagers meeting, with speech bubbles showing observations about physical changes, See in your textbook]

Let us try to understand this interesting conversation between Venkatesh and Devyani.

Activity 6.1: 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.

What were the most commonly observable changes among students, as mentioned on the slips? List these in Table 6.1.

Table 6.1: Most common changes during growing up

Have you also experienced some of these changes? If yes, then it is because you are also reaching this stage gradually. This stage starts around 10 years of age and can continue up to the age of 19. It is usually a stage of development between childhood and adulthood, and is called adolescence.

Teacher's Note

Adolescence is not a single event but a continuous process. Different people reach different milestones at different times, and that is completely normal. When you read about physical changes during adolescence, remember that you might not experience all of them at the same rate as your friends, and this variation is expected.

While analysing Table 6.1, you might have noticed the following:

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.

Teacher's Note

In questions about puberty and adolescence, do not confuse the changes that happen in boys with the changes that happen in girls. Boys typically develop broader shoulders and facial hair, while girls develop breasts. Make sure you can identify which changes apply to whom when answering exam questions.

Key Points

• Adolescence is the stage of life between childhood and adulthood, typically occurring between ages 10 and 19, when the body grows rapidly and prepares for adult life.
• During adolescence, both boys and girls experience changes in height, weight, body shape, and strength, though the specific changes differ between the sexes.
• Physical growth during adolescence is more noticeable than in earlier stages, with some individuals reaching these milestones earlier or later than others.
• The changes during adolescence are not only physical but also emotional and behavioural, as the body reaches maturity and develops the ability to reproduce.

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