Topic: What does it mean to be a woman or a man?

Target group

4th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

General aim of education

Students describe the structure and functions of the reproductive system.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• describe the role of the reproductive system;

• explain the importance of the reproduction process;

• exchange basic organs building the reproductive system of a woman and a man and give their functions.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers;

• cards with definitions of reproduction;

• mini flip charts.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Students get acquainted with the content of the abstract. They prepare to work on the lesson in such a way to be able to summarize the material read in their own words and solve the tasks themselves.

Introduction

• The teacher explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

Realization

• The teacher distributes the cards with several similar reproduction definitions. Students, working in pairs, choose this definition, which is the most accurate according to them. Then they read the fragment „Why do we reproduce?” And use the methodologies to evaluate the correctness of the selected definition (green means that the chosen definition is correct, the red color - that it is incorrect or that it does not contain all relevant information).

• The teacher explains what sex reproduction is and then displays an illustration of the egg and sperm. Together with students, he discusses the features of their construction..

• Students read the fragment „Female reproductive system”. They write in the notebooks organs building this system and determine their role.

• The teacher displays an interactive illustration showing the female reproductive system. The students compare the notes they have made with the illustration, correct any errors..

• Students read a fragment devoted to the male reproductive system. They write in the notebooks organs building this system and determine their role..

• The teacher displays an interactive illustration showing the reproductive system of a man. Students compare their notes with her, make necessary corrections..

• The teacher asks students to carry out the recommended interactive exercise themselves.

Summary

• The teacher asks students to finish the sentence: „I'd like to find out more about ...”.

Homework

• Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

What does it mean to be a woman or a man?

Reproduction makes it possible to give birth to the offspring and thus preserve the existence of the species. A different structure of the reproductive system in both genders – woman and man – are adapted to fulfill this important task. To do this the reproductive system is used.

Humans, like other mammals, reproduce sexually. This means that special female and male reproductive cells are involved in the reproduction process. They are produced in organs that are part of the reproductive system.
Male reproductive cells are called sperm, They are characterized by microscopic size and high mobility. Female reproductive cells are called egg cells – are much larger than sperm (a single egg can even be seen through a magnifying glass). The female cells are spherical and can not move independently. They are equipped with nutrients necessary to develop a fetus in the first stage of pregnancy. The reproductive cells contain information about the traits the child will inherit from the parents.

The female reproductive system consists of two ovaries, two fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina. This system produces egg cells and it is in it that fertilization, growth and development of the embryo up to the moment of birth.
Egg cells are produced in two organs called ovaries. On average, one egg cell matures every 28 days in one of the ovaries. It is released from the ovary and goes into the fallopian tube – which allows it to enter the uterus. If the egg meets sperm in the oviduct, then it connects with one of them, which is called fertilization. The fetus develops in the uterus.

The male reproductive system is designed to produce the male reproductive cells – sperm – and to introduce them to the female reproductive system where fertilization occurs.
Sperms are produced in two, oval organs called the testes. They are in a protective skin bag called scrotum or scrotal sack. Inside them, millions of sperm are produced every day. From the testicles, sperms get through long, thin, elastic tubules, called vas deferens or sperm duct to the urethra, which runs inside the penis. Through the urethra they are expelled outside the body of a man. Another important organ of the male reproductive system is the prostate, producing sperm nourishing substances, and semen, in which they can be collected.

• Humans reproduce by means of male reproductive cells (sperm) and female cells (egg cells).

• Egg cells are produced in the ovaries and sperm in the testes.

• The organs of the female reproductive system are: ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina.

• The organs of the male reproductive system are: testicles, vas deferens, and a penis with a urethra.