DOCSLIB.ORG

First Blood: a Cultural Study of Menarche

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
First Blood: a Cultural Study of Menarche First Blood First Blood A Cultural Study of Menarche Sally Dammery First Blood: A Cultural Study of Menarche © Copyright 2016 Sally Dammery All rights reserved. Apart from any uses permitted by Australia’s Copyright Act 1968, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the copyright owners. Inquiries should be directed to the publisher. Monash University Publishing Matheson Library and Information Services Building 40 Exhibition Walk Monash University Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia www.publishing.monash.edu Monash University Publishing brings to the world publications which advance the best traditions of humane and enlightened thought. Monash University Publishing titles pass through a rigorous process of independent peer review. www.publishing.monash.edu/books/fb-9781925377040.html Series: Cultural Studies Design: Les Thomas ISBN: 9781925377040 (paperback) ISBN: 9781925377057 (PDF) ISBN: 9781876924829 (ePub) National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: Creator: Dammery, Sally, author. Title: First blood: a cultural study of menarche / Sally Dammery. ISBN: 9781925377040 (paperback) Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Subjects: Menarche. Menstruation--Cross-cultural studies. Menstruation--Folklore. Menstruation--Religious aspects. Dewey Number: 305.4 CONTENTS About the Author .........................................vi Acknowledgements ....................................... vii Introduction .............................................ix Chapter 1 Of Blood and Bleeding ..................................... 1 Chapter 2 The Shocked and the Sanguine. 25 Chapter 3 Becoming Unclean ....................................... 42 Chapter 4 A Rather Special Ceremony ................................ 65 Chapter 5 Menstrual Lore .......................................... 92 Chapter 6 Concealing the Fact ......................................114 Chapter 7 What Should Every Young Girl Know? ....................... 140 Chapter 8 From Menarche to Where? ................................ 162 Conclusion ............................................ 183 Bibliography ........................................... 187 Index ................................................. 203 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sally Dammery practised clinical midwifery for many years, developing a deep interest in the diversity of cultural beliefs and traditions among the women she attended. Travelling widely increased this interest and led to for mal study of anthropology and history, with later PhD research form ing the ba sis of this book. Previous publications include the ethnography Walter George Arthur: A Free Tasmanian? which shared the Ian Turner History Prize in 2001, and the biography of her enigmatic grandmother, She Lived in Launceston: Isobel Horner of Waratah House, winner of the Lilian Watson Family History Award 2006. Sally is currently Adjunct Research Associate at the School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies at Monash University, Australia. – vi – ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book is about an atypical subject but one familiar to young women: the first menstrual period or ‘menarche’. ‘The monarchy?’ I have been asked, not infrequently, and then watched confusion on the faces of the questioner when I reply. So getting started was something of an obstacle course and one I look back on with considerable gratitude to those who dared take a chance and contribute in some way. The foundation for the book lies in the willingness of the women who volunteered to participate; their interviews provided valuable primary source material and I remain profoundly grateful to them, not only for their memories shared among laughter and tears, but for their time given, and the distances they travelled to the meeting places. My gratitude also goes to the managers of the various Neighbourhood Houses and Cultural Centres who permitted me to use the facilities and who provided comfortable and quiet spaces for the interview process. Help and support came from the School of Philosophical, Historical, and International Studies at Monash University, where David Garrioch and Marian Quartly drew my attention to certain historical reports of interest, and Mark Peel, Christina Twomey and Clare Monagle saw some potential in my early plans. From the School of Social Sciences, the anthropologists Matt Tomlinson and Brett Hough responded to my calls for help and directed me to wonderfully helpful Fijian and Indonesian women who closed the cultural gap among my interviewees. Very special thanks to Barbara Caine who read and commented on the chapter drafts. Her admirable intellectual energy, humour and wisdom never flagged, and she deserves a special mention, as does my husband David, who provided the physical and mental space to devote to the research and writing. I am grateful, also, to Nathan Hollier and the editorial group at Monash University Publishing for their help and suggestions and also, most importantly, to the two young women who were the motivation throughout – my granddaughters. – vii – INTRODUCTION I remember hearing the noise, a soft jingly sound, and then, on seeing her, my surprise at how young she looked and how detached from her surround- ings she seemed to be. At dawn she had been bathed and ritually dressed, each item blessed before touching her body. She wore the traditional two- piece buckskin, the buttery-coloured tunic fringed from below shoulder to wrist and decorated with symbols of the powers that would be called upon on her behalf. The skirt rippled as she walked, each of its ankle-length fringes finished with small pressed-tin cones, striking each other musically against her symbolically decorated buckskin boots. Two eagle feathers, symbols of strength, were fastened to the back of her long hair. Around her neck she wore strands of beads, including women’s colours of black and white. Attached to the right side of her skirt was a drinking straw made from cattail reed, and to the left, a wooden scratching stick. Most noticeably her face had been daubed with pollen, the Apache symbol of life and renewal.1 The year was 1996, and the place, the ceremonial ground at the Mescalero Apache reservation in southern New Mexico where I had been invited to witness a ceremony for the young girl now walking in front of me. The reason for this important cultural occasion was female biology. She had experienced her menarche (mɛˈnɑːkɪ), a term that remains unfamiliar outside medical circles – from the Greek words mēn, meaning ‘month’ and arkhē, ‘beginning’ – her first menstrual period. She would shortly commence the deeply symbolic and ritualised activities by which she would be initiated into the knowledge of a properly lived Apache woman’s life. In other words, she was to be given a pattern for living. For four days and four nights, the young girl would be attended by an older woman, her mentor, who had a specialised knowledge of the puberty ceremony. Having prepared her, this woman would continue to guide and reassure her, explaining and interpreting the classical Apache language and actions of the ceremonial practitioner – part priest, part shaman – known as a singer. For the duration of the ceremony, the girl would remain in her traditional dress, embodying the Apache cultural heroine White Painted Woman, whose ancient instruction established the rituals that celebrate a girl’s menarche (the Apache language has a separate naming term for this event, indicating its cultural significance). Although the 1 Author’s journal (unpublished), ‘Apache Puberty Ceremony 4–7 July 1996’, Mescalero Apache Reservation, New Mexico USA. – ix – FIRST BLOOD wider community is involved in this celebration, the major focus is on the ceremonial subject, the girl, believed at this time to have the dual powers of healing and destruction. While her ability to meet the needs of many others would be tested by demands for her touch, to bless and to heal, the same touch under other conditions was thought to be potentially destructive. Hence the cattail drinking straw, fastened to her skirt, to prevent her coming in contact with water, an act which was traditionally believed to cause destructive rains and floods. Similarly, the scratching stick to relieve itches prevented her destructive touch scarring her own body. These aspects of Apache belief about menarche are not magnified, and the general impression one gets from watching the ceremony is of good-humoured support by the onlookers and a sense of achievement by the girl in having officially reached the status of young woman.2 Much has been written about the Apache puberty ceremony and observing it added another dimension to my understanding of the cultural differences I increasingly encountered, both in my work as a hospital-based midwife and in my anthropological and historical studies. From time to time the media reports that menarche is occurring at a younger age in the Western world, paralleling increasing obesity in children.3 I read about it and vaguely considered the social implications, and then something happened that brought me into direct contact with the subject. My granddaughter, a ten year-old wisp of a girl, new to the state and to her school, and with no established circle of friends, had her first period. Knowing that determinants of age at menarche included genetic and environmental 4 factors, and situations of psychological stress, it was understandable. 2 For a detailed study of this complex ceremony see ‘The girl’s puberty rite’, in anthropologist
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Cultural Distance, Perception of Emotional Display Rules, And
    CULTURAL DISTANCE, PERCEPTION OF EMOTIONAL DISPLAY RULES, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SOJOURNER ADJUSTMENT A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science Nicole L. Gullekson August 2007 2 This thesis titled CULTURAL DISTANCE, PERCEPTION OF EMOTIONAL DISPLAY RULES, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SOJOURNER ADJUSTMENT by NICOLE L. GULLEKSON has been approved for the Department of Psychology and the College of Arts and Sciences by ________________________________________________ Jeffrey B. Vancouver Associate Professor of Psychology ________________________________________________ Benjamin M. Ogles Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 Abstract GULLEKSON, NICOLE L., M.S., August 2007, Experimental Psychology CULTURAL DISTANCE, PERCEPTION OF EMOTIONAL DISPLAY RULES, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SOJOURNER ADJUSTMENT (109 pp.) With increased globalization, more individuals temporarily leave home to work and study in foreign countries. These sojourners are confronted with societal norms different from their home cultures. The present study investigated the extent to which international student sojourners perceive differences in emotional display norms between their home and host cultures, as well as the influence of such perception on adjustment. Although accurate perception of the host culture’s emotional display rules was not related to adjustment, a “guest” effect existed. Specifically, international student participants reported that one should
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding the Value of Arts & Culture | the AHRC Cultural Value
    Understanding the value of arts & culture The AHRC Cultural Value Project Geoffrey Crossick & Patrycja Kaszynska 2 Understanding the value of arts & culture The AHRC Cultural Value Project Geoffrey Crossick & Patrycja Kaszynska THE AHRC CULTURAL VALUE PROJECT CONTENTS Foreword 3 4. The engaged citizen: civic agency 58 & civic engagement Executive summary 6 Preconditions for political engagement 59 Civic space and civic engagement: three case studies 61 Part 1 Introduction Creative challenge: cultural industries, digging 63 and climate change 1. Rethinking the terms of the cultural 12 Culture, conflict and post-conflict: 66 value debate a double-edged sword? The Cultural Value Project 12 Culture and art: a brief intellectual history 14 5. Communities, Regeneration and Space 71 Cultural policy and the many lives of cultural value 16 Place, identity and public art 71 Beyond dichotomies: the view from 19 Urban regeneration 74 Cultural Value Project awards Creative places, creative quarters 77 Prioritising experience and methodological diversity 21 Community arts 81 Coda: arts, culture and rural communities 83 2. Cross-cutting themes 25 Modes of cultural engagement 25 6. Economy: impact, innovation and ecology 86 Arts and culture in an unequal society 29 The economic benefits of what? 87 Digital transformations 34 Ways of counting 89 Wellbeing and capabilities 37 Agglomeration and attractiveness 91 The innovation economy 92 Part 2 Components of Cultural Value Ecologies of culture 95 3. The reflective individual 42 7. Health, ageing and wellbeing 100 Cultural engagement and the self 43 Therapeutic, clinical and environmental 101 Case study: arts, culture and the criminal 47 interventions justice system Community-based arts and health 104 Cultural engagement and the other 49 Longer-term health benefits and subjective 106 Case study: professional and informal carers 51 wellbeing Culture and international influence 54 Ageing and dementia 108 Two cultures? 110 8.
    [Show full text]
  • Rambo: Last Blood Production Notes
    RAMBO: LAST BLOOD PRODUCTION NOTES RAMBO: LAST BLOOD LIONSGATE Official Site: Rambo.movie Publicity Materials: https://www.lionsgatepublicity.com/theatrical/rambo-last-blood Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rambo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RamboMovie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rambomovie/ Hashtag: #Rambo Genre: Action Rating: R for strong graphic violence, grisly images, drug use and language U.S. Release Date: September 20, 2019 Running Time: 89 minutes Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adriana Barraza, Yvette Monreal, Genie Kim aka Yenah Han, Joaquin Cosio, and Oscar Jaenada Directed by: Adrian Grunberg Screenplay by: Matthew Cirulnick & Sylvester Stallone Story by: Dan Gordon and Sylvester Stallone Based on: The Character created by David Morrell Produced by: Avi Lerner, Kevin King Templeton, Yariv Lerner, Les Weldon SYNOPSIS: Almost four decades after he drew first blood, Sylvester Stallone is back as one of the greatest action heroes of all time, John Rambo. Now, Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission. A deadly journey of vengeance, RAMBO: LAST BLOOD marks the last chapter of the legendary series. Lionsgate presents, in association with Balboa Productions, Dadi Film (HK) Ltd. and Millennium Media, a Millennium Media, Balboa Productions and Templeton Media production, in association with Campbell Grobman Films. FRANCHISE SYNOPSIS: Since its debut nearly four decades ago, the Rambo series starring Sylvester Stallone has become one of the most iconic action-movie franchises of all time. An ex-Green Beret haunted by memories of Vietnam, the legendary fighting machine known as Rambo has freed POWs, rescued his commanding officer from the Soviets, and liberated missionaries in Myanmar.
    [Show full text]
  • IW-Auction Baskets.Pub
    International Weekend Auction Baskets Cold Hollow Breakfast (VT) - Puzzle House of Cards (NH) - Want your pantry to say Vermont? These are your 4 Disney puzzles, Wheel of Fortune puzzle card four "must have" items for breakfast: a pound of game and gift cards to Irving gas, Walmart, Ap- Fresh Vermont Honey, a pound of Apple Spice plebees, Starbucks, Panera, McDonalds & Pancake Mix (with a buttermilk base), a pound of Dunkins Homemade Maple Granola and a pint of pure Ver- mont Grade A: Amber Rich Taste maple syrup. The maple syrup and honey are great for adding flavor to your own breakfast baked goods. 31 bags & lantern (Ontario) - Flameless lantern, a Thirty One Hobo Bag in Caramel, Doggie goodie bag (NM) - a Thirty One All about the Benjamins Wallet and a Thirty One small utility tote Dog treats, plush toys, drying mat, bathing essentials, dishes, a pillow, and much more Picnic basket (NH) - Picnic basket: 2 wine glasses, 2 plates, cork screw, 2 knives, forks and spoons. Six mini bottles of Woodbridge Ice Cream (MA) - wine (3 red & 3 white). Hershey’s kisses, Ghirardelli chocolates, Lindt chocolates and assorted Halloween $25 Gift card to purchase Ice Cream and candy. Whipped Cream, Ice Cream Cones, Sauces (Hot Fudge, Butterscotch, Caramel, Chocolate, & Strawberry), Toppings (Marshmallow, M&Ms, Rainbow Sprinkles, Nuts, Cherries, Gummy Bears, Oreo Cookies & Chips Ahoy), Ice Cream scoops and Napkins International Weekend Auction Baskets Wine basket (NH) - Farinelli Pinot Grigot 2019 (Italy) CA*BEAR*NAY Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (California)
    [Show full text]
  • Strong Cultures and Subcultures in Dynamic Organizations
    02-091 The Role of Subcultures in Agile Organizations Alicia Boisnier Jennifer A. Chatman1 1 The second author wrote this paper while a Marvin Bower Fellow at the Harvard Business School and is grateful for their support. We also thank Elizabeth Mannix, Rita McGrath, and an anonymous reviewer for their insightful suggestions. Copyright © 2002 by Alicia Boisnier and Jennifer A. Chatman Working papers are in draft form. This working paper is distributed for purposes of comment and discussion only. It may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder. Copies of working papers are available from the author. The Role of Subcultures in Agile Organizations Alicia Boisnier and Jennifer A. Chatman1 Haas School of Business University of California, Berkeley May 24, 2002 To appear in, R. Petersen and E. Mannix, Leading and managing people in dynamic organizations. Forthcoming, 2002. 1 The second author wrote this paper while a Marvin Bower Fellow at the Harvard Business School and is grateful for their support. We also thank Elizabeth Mannix, Rita McGrath, and an anonymous reviewer for their insightful suggestions. 2 Organizations face increasingly dynamic environments characterized by substantial, and often unpredictable technological, political, and economic change. How can organizations respond rapidly to such changes or become more agile? Organizational agility, according to Lee Dyer, “requires a judicious mix of stability and reconfigurability” (2001: 4). We consider an unlikely source of agility: organizational culture. This may seem like an odd juxtaposition since strong unitary cultures exert a stabilizing force on organizations by encouraging cohesion, organizational commitment, and desirable work behaviors among members (e.g., Deal & Kennedy, 1982; Nemeth & Staw, 1989; O'Reilly & Chatman, 1986).
    [Show full text]
  • The Model Minority: Asian American Students and the Relationships
    The Vermont Connection Volume 31 Think Globally, Act Locally, Care Personally: Connecting Personal and Professional Article 16 Discoveries in Student Affairs January 2010 The oM del Minority: Asian American Students and the Relationships Between Acculturation to Western Values, Family Pressures and Mental Health Concerns Nathan Panelo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc Part of the Higher Education Administration Commons Recommended Citation Panelo, Nathan (2010) "The odeM l Minority: Asian American Students and the Relationships Between Acculturation to Western Values, Family Pressures and Mental Health Concerns," The Vermont Connection: Vol. 31 , Article 16. Available at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol31/iss1/16 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Education and Social Services at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in The eV rmont Connection by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Panelo • 147 The Model Minority Student: Asian American Students and the Relationships Between Acculturation to Western Values, Family Pressures, and Mental Health Concerns Nathan Divino Panelo As the Asian American student population grows in United States (U.S.) higher education, so does the demand for resources on campus. One major concern facing Asian Americans today is the cultural pres- sure from home which often leads to mental health concerns. Many Asian American students acculturate to Western values in United States colleges, and in doing so, sacrifice part of their traditional iden- tities. As Asian American students acculturate to Western values, it becomes difficult for them to relate to their immigrant parents or first- generation Asian American parents.
    [Show full text]
  • From the Chicago School to Post-Sub Cultural Carriage: a Review and Analysis of Contemporary Trends in Youth Culture Research
    Journal of Social Sciences Original Research Paper From the Chicago School to Post-sub Cultural Carriage: A Review and Analysis of Contemporary Trends in Youth Culture Research Mohd. Aslam Bhat Centre of Central Asian Studies, University of Kashmir, J&K, India Article history Abstract: The historicity of youth culture studies is much challenging to Received: 10-01-2015 date exactly. Sociologists however, trace its genesis from Chicago School Revised: 30-09-2015 and then leap to Birmingham’s Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. Accepted: 17-02-2016 Theoretically it was, with the works of post subculturists that youth culture research gained ascendency. Global youth culture posture further revamped the field. This paper constructs a critical dialogue between the wide-ranging theories and research on youth culture and global/local relations in this sphere. It is revealed that the current ascendancy of post- subcultural studies margins the significance of sociological research to broader youth queries and does little to extend the case that youth studies should be more sociologically relevant and important. Youth lives in no island of its own and it is not all young people- who have the possibility of engaging in the consumerism, central to some post-sub-cultures. Conversely, youth and their cultures are framed within and to large extent shaped up by social divisions and inequalities. Against this backdrop, it is suggested that youth culture research would prove fruitful only when clubbed with ‘transition approach.’ Possibly this refit would not only facilitate to widen and thrive the significance of contemporary youth culture studies, rather may help in theoretical sophistication, empirical renovation and a more holistic sociology of youth.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism and Holistic Versus Analytic Thought
    CULTURE, RELIGION AND COGNITION: BUDDHISM AND HOLISTIC VERSUS ANALYTIC THOUGHT by Alain Samson A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2007 University of London The London School of Economics and Political Science Institute of Social Psychology UMI Number: U615882 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615882 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author. I warrant that this authorization does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of 2 British ity<;(.
    [Show full text]
  • First Blood Redrawn Don Kunz
    Vietnam Generation Volume 1 Number 1 The Future of the Past: Revisionism and Article 7 Vietnam 1-1989 First Blood Redrawn Don Kunz Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/vietnamgeneration Part of the American Studies Commons Recommended Citation Kunz, Don (1989) "First Blood Redrawn," Vietnam Generation: Vol. 1 : No. 1 , Article 7. Available at: http://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/vietnamgeneration/vol1/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by La Salle University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Vietnam Generation by an authorized editor of La Salle University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. First Blood RecIrawn Don Kunz Nearly everyone speaking or writing about America's Vietnam soldier eventually feels compelled to mention Rambo. As David Morrell notes with pride, the name of the character he created in his novel. First Blood, has entered our nation's household vocabulary1. It resembles in this case the title of Joseph Heller's World War 2 novel. Catch 22. and the macho movie-star name of Marion Robert Morrison — John Wayne. There is more at stake in the popular adoption of those terms than a simple enlargement of the dictionary. The evolution of Rambo from character to icon illustrates the fictionalizing process by which history is accommodated to myth. Rambo is an ambiguous and contradictory epithet, its meaning shifting as a result of an elaborate revision process still underway. Morrell's protagonist has been appropriated variously as a symbol of American patriotism, mindless savagery, the frontier hero, and Frankenstein's monster.
    [Show full text]
  • Culture and Materialism : Raymond Williams and the Marxist Debate
    CULTURE AND MATERIALISM: RAYMOND WILLIAMS AND THE MARXIST DEBATE by David C. Robinson B.A. (Honours1, Queen's University, 1988 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (COMMUNICATIONS) in the ,Department of Communication @ David C. Robinson 1991 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY July, 1991 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL NAME: David Robinson DEGREE: Master of Arts (Communication) TITLE OF THESIS: Culture and Materialism: Raymond Williams and the Marxist Debate EXAMINING COMMITTEE: CHAIR: Dr. Linda Harasim Dr. Richard S. Gruneau Professor Senior Supervisor Dr. Alison C. M. Beale Assistant Professor Supervisor " - Dr. Jerald Zaslove Associate Professor Department of English Examiner DATE APPROVED: PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis or dissertation (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Title of Thesis/Dissertation: Culture and Materialism: Raymond Williams and the Marxist Debate Author : signature David C.
    [Show full text]
  • Grade 5 the Journey of an Egg
    Grade 5 The Journey of an Egg Learner Outcomes W-5.3 Identify the basic components of the human reproductive system, and describe the basic functions of the various components; e.g. fertilization, conception How To Use This lesson plan contains several activities to achieve the learner outcome above. You may choose to do some or all of the activities, based on the needs of your students and the time available. Some of the activities build on the ones that come before them, but all can be used alone. For a quick lesson, combine activities A, C, D and G. Classroom Activities & Timing A. Ground Rules (5-10 minutes) See also the B. Anatomy Vocabulary Matching Game (15-20 minutes) Differing Abilities C. Anatomy Diagrams (15-20 minutes) lesson plans on Puberty and D. The Egg’s Journey (20-30 minutes) Reproduction. E. Class Discussion (5-15 minutes) F. Eggs and Ovaries Kahoot! Quiz (15-20 minutes) G. Question Box (5-10 minutes) Required Materials POSTERS: Anatomy Definitions CARDS: Anatomy Vocabulary HANDOUT and ANSWER KEY: Reproductive System Diagrams HANDOUT: The Menstrual Cycle ©2020 2 Grade 5 The Journey of an Egg HANDOUT: The Egg’s Journey KAHOOT! QUIZ and ANSWER KEY: Eggs and Ovaries All the student handouts are also available in the Grade 5 Workbook. All the diagrams are also available as slides in Grade 5 Diagrams. Background Information for Teachers Inclusive Language Language is complex, evolving and powerful. In these lessons, inclusive language is used to be inclusive of all students, including those with diverse gender identities, gender expressions and sexual orientations.
    [Show full text]
  • Women's Menstrual Cycles
    1 Women’s Menstrual Cycles About once each month during her reproductive years, a woman has a few days when a bloody fluid leaves her womb and passes through her vagina and out of her body. This normal monthly bleeding is called menstruation, or a menstrual period. Because the same pattern happens each month, it is called the menstrual cycle. Most women bleed every 28 days. But some bleed as often as every 20 days or as seldom as every 45 days. Uterus (womb) A woman’s ovaries release an egg once a month. If it is Ovary fertilized she may become pregnant. If not, her monthly bleeding will happen. Vagina Menstruation is a normal part of women’s lives. Knowing how the menstrual cycle affects the body and the ways menstruation changes over a woman’s lifetime can let you know when you are pregnant, and help you detect and prevent health problems. Also, many family planning methods work best when women and men know more about the menstrual cycle (see Family Planning). 17 December 2015 NEW WHERE THERE IS NO DOCTOR: ADVANCE CHAPTERS 2 CHAPTER 24: WOMEN’S MENSTRUAL CYCLES Hormones and the menstrual cycle In women, the hormones estrogen and progesterone are produced mostly in the ovaries, and the amount of each one changes throughout the monthly cycle. During the first half of the cycle, the ovaries make mostly estrogen, which causes the lining of the womb to thicken with blood and tissue. The body makes the lining so a baby would have a soft nest to grow in if the woman became pregnant that month.
    [Show full text]