Version: 1991 (original) + 2026 updates
Target: Ages 9–13 | Co-ed classroom or separate sessions
Format: 4 modules, each 20–30 minutes (total ~120 minutes)
Materials: Illustrated booklet, Q&A cards, parent guide, anonymous question box
The original 1991 English29L curriculum was a product of its time: clinical, binary, and silent on pleasure, consent, or digital life. But it succeeded in one way: it normalized talking about puberty at all.
Your job now is to layer this update on top: Version: 1991 (original) + 2026 updates Target: Ages
What is Puberty? Puberty is the time when your body becomes capable of reproduction. It is started by chemical messengers called hormones (for boys: testosterone; for girls: estrogen).
When will it start?
Common Changes for Everyone:
1991 focus: Physical changes, hygiene basics, mood swings.
2026 updates: Brain development (prefrontal cortex remodeling), emotional literacy, normalizing timeline variation.
Key terms: Hormones (testosterone, estrogen), pituitary gland, growth spurt. The original 1991 English29L curriculum was a product
1991 curriculum: Nothing.
2025 mandatory lessons (starting age 9–10):
Key phrase to teach both boys and girls: “If you’re afraid to ask clearly, you shouldn’t be doing it.” What is Puberty
1991 language: “Boys have penises and testicles; girls have vaginas and ovaries.”
Updated language: “Most people assigned male at birth have testes and a penis; most assigned female have a uterus and ovaries. But intersex variations (e.g., XY with androgen insensitivity) occur in 1.7% of births – as common as red hair.”
Updated include: