STUDENT HANDBOOK
SECONDARY, CYCLE TWO, YEAR ONE
BY
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SEXU
ROMEO…
AND JULIET
The project
The story of Romeo and Juliet is probably the most famous love story ever
written. Although these two characters were created in the 16th century by
William Shakespeare, they could very well exist in the 21st century, be about
your age and go to high school, and, like you, have many questions about
sexuality and its related issues.
Yes, young people do have many questions about sexuality, but it’s an
embarrassing subject to discuss with your parents or other adults. It’s much
easier to talk about it with people your own age.
This is your chance to dream up, write and present a collective story featuring
Romeo and Juliet, with the ultimate goal of finding answers to teenagers’ questions.
Background
Romeo’s story begins even before his birth. As the years go by, he grows
up and, in his teens, he meets Juliet. Together, they discover affection, love,
and sexuality.
Student Handbook – Secondary, Cycle Two, Year One – Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition © Montréal Science Centre – March 8, 2010
Instructions
In this project, you must…
SCIENCE
Convey scientific information
•
The scientific content must be understandable by high school students.
You must therefore adapt the information you wish to convey into simple
and accessible language.
•
Each team must produce (at least) one visual aid to illustrate one of the scientific
concepts. This visual aid may be:
- a transparency,
- a PowerPoint presentation,
- diagrams written on the board,
- a poster,
- a 3D model,
- photographs.
ENGLISH
Make up a plausible, coherent and structured story
•
Verbs should be conjugated in the simple present tense.
•
Events in the story should be told in chronological order.
•
Number of words for each team: 400 minimum.
•
Use appropriate vocabulary (no vulgar words or expressions).
•
The story must portray love and respect for one’s partner in a positive light.
SCIENCE AND ENGLISH
Prepare a 3-to-5-minute oral presentation
•
Be creative and dynamic to grab the attention of the other students.
•
The presentation may take different forms:
- role-playing game,
- sketch,
- video.
Student Handbook – Secondary, Cycle Two, Year One – Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition © Montréal Science Centre – March 8, 2010
WORKSHEET
ROMEO’S
PARENTS IN LOVE
PREREQUISITES
Initial situation
It’s up to your team to develop
the start of the collective story.
However, it must start with the
following sentences:
Romeo’s parents have lived together for
a long time and want to have a child.
One evening […]
Your portion of the story must
end with the following sentence:
Romeo’s mother doesn’t know it yet,
but she’s pregnant.
•
ANATOMY OF REPRODUCTIVE
ORGANS (CYCLE ONE)
•
GENES AND CHROMOSOMES
(CYCLE ONE)
Story-writing tip
What if sperm cells and ova could think
and talk. What might they say?
Scientific content
•
Formation of reproductive cells
•
Meiosis: definition; role and phases
of meiosis
•
Spermatogenesis
•
Oogenesis
English constraints
•
Use of an omniscient third-person
narrator (singular or plural) to tell
the story.
•
Use of a dialogue sequence for
the roles of sperm cells, the ovum,
and the zygote (first-person singular
or plural).
Student Handbook – Secondary, Cycle Two, Year One – Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition © Montréal Science Centre – March 8, 2010
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WORKSHEET
ROMEO’S BIRTH
AND CHILDHOOD
PREREQUISITES
Setting the story in motion
The next part of the story must
start with the following sentences:
Romeo’s parents learn that they will
have a baby in less than nine months.
They’re on cloud nine. […]
Your portion of the story must
end with the following sentences:
Romeo is now 12 years old and
about to start high school. He begins
to notice that his body is changing.
•
STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
FROM 0 TO 12 YEARS (CYCLE ONE)
•
GENES AND CHROMOSOMES
(CYCLE ONE)
Story-writing tip
The big day arrives. It’s a boy! Romeo
discovers a new world. How does
he make bonds, learn to feel pleasure,
and develop his sexual identity
throughout his childhood?
Scientific content
•
Development of the zygote, embryo,
and fetus
•
Mitosis: definition; role and phases
of mitosis
•
How a baby’s sex is determined:
XX and XY chromosomes
English constraints
•
Use of an omniscient third-person
narrator (singular or plural) to tell
the story.
•
Use of a dialogue sequence
between two or three characters
(e.g., doctor, midwife, mother,
father, Romeo, etc.) to describe
the delivery, the birth of a boy, and
Romeo’s childhood (first-person
singular or plural).
Student Handbook – Secondary, Cycle Two, Year One – Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition © Montréal Science Centre – March 8, 2010
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WORKSHEET
ROMEO’S
TEENAGE YEARS
PREREQUISITE
•
Continuing action 1
The next part of the story must
start with the following sentences:
Romeo is now 12 years old and about
to start high school. He begins to notice
that his body is changing. […]
Your portion of the story must
end with the following sentences:
At the same time, Juliet, who is 12 years
old, starts high school. She also begins
to observe changes in her body.
ANATOMY OF REPRODUCTIVE
ORGANS (CYCLE ONE)
Story-writing tip
How does Romeo experience the
changes occurring to his body?
Does he feel different from the
other boys?
Scientific content
•
Puberty in boys
•
The role of hormones in adolescence:
- Pituitary gland
- FSH and LH
- testicles
- testosterone
- primary and secondary
sexual characteristics
English constraints
•
Use of an omniscient third-person
narrator (singular or plural) to tell
the story.
•
Change of narrator: main character,
Romeo, describes the physical
changes that teens go through in his
own voice (first-person narrative).
Student Handbook – Secondary, Cycle Two, Year One – Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition © Montréal Science Centre – March 8, 2010
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WORKSHEET
JULIET’S
TEENAGE YEARS
PREREQUISITE
•
Continuing action 2
ANATOMY OF REPRODUCTIVE
ORGANS (CYCLE ONE)
The next part of the story must
start with the following sentences:
Story-writing tip
At the same time, Juliet, who is 12 years
old, starts high school. She also begins
to observe changes in her body. […]
How does Juliet experience the changes
occurring to her body? Does she feel
different from the other girls?
Your portion of the story must
end with the following sentence:
Scientific content
Juliet’s body changes over time, and
one day, she has her first period.
•
Puberty in girls
•
The role of hormones in adolescence:
- Pituitary gland
- FSH and LH
- ovaries
- estrogens and progesterone
- primary and secondary
sexual characteristics
English constraints
•
Use of an omniscient third-person
narrator (singular or plural) to tell
the story.
•
Change of narrator: main character,
Juliet, describes the physical
changes that teens go through in
her own voice (first-person narrative).
Student Handbook – Secondary, Cycle Two, Year One – Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition © Montréal Science Centre – March 8, 2010
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WORKSHEET
A NEW STAGE
IN JULIET’S LIFE
PREREQUISITE
•
Continuing action 3
The next part of the story must
start with the following sentence:
Juliet’s body changes over time, and
one day, she has her first period. […]
Your portion of the story must
end with the following sentences:
Juliet is adapting well to adolescence.
She is meeting new people at school,
and for a little while now, she has had
a secret crush on a handsome boy
named Romeo.
ANATOMY OF REPRODUCTIVE
ORGANS (CYCLE ONE)
Story-writing tip
Juliet vaguely remembers having
a discussion with her mother about
menstruation. But now she wants
more information so she can
understand what is happening in
her body. How does she react to
having her period?
Scientific content
•
Ovulatory cycle
•
Menstrual cycle
•
Role of hormones in the ovulatory
and menstrual cycles:
- FSH and LH
- estrogen and progesterone
English constraints
•
Use of an omniscient third-person
narrator (singular or plural) to tell
the story.
•
Use of a dialogue sequence
between Juliet and her mother to
explain the ovulatory and menstrual
cycles (first-person singular or plural).
Student Handbook – Secondary, Cycle Two, Year One – Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition © Montréal Science Centre – March 8, 2010
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WORKSHEET
THE ROMANCE OF
ROMEO AND JULIET
PREREQUISITES
Continuing action 4
•
NEURONS
•
TRANSMISSION OF NERVE IMPULSES
•
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
The next part of the story must
start with the following sentences:
-
SENSORY RECEPTORS
-
SENSORY NERVES
As for Romeo, he is also attracted to
Juliet, but he is too shy to talk to her.
He often looks at her in the hall at
school, and he finds himself intoxicated
by the scent of her. […]
-
MOTOR NERVES
Your portion of the story must
end with the following sentences:
Romeo and Juliet are now 17 years old.
They are in love and have been
seeing each other for a few months.
They feel more and more desire for
one another.
•
ANATOMY OF MALE REPRODUCTIVE
ORGANS (CYCLE ONE)
Story-writing tip
What strategies do Romeo and Juliet
use in their pursuit of each other?
Scientific content
•
Vision (Pathways of stimulation
and nervous impulses):
- anatomy of the eye
- optic nerve
- area of the brain responsible
for vision
•
Smell (Pathways of stimulation
and nervous impulses):
- anatomy of the nose
- olfactory nerve
- area of the brain responsible
for smell
English constraints
•
Use of an omniscient third-person
narrator (singular or plural) to tell
the story.
•
Use of main characters, Romeo
and Juliet, to describe the use of
their senses during their romance
(first-person singular or plural).
Student Handbook – Secondary, Cycle Two, Year One – Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition © Montréal Science Centre – March 8, 2010
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WORKSHEET
THE FIRST TIME ROMEO
AND JULIET HAVE SEX
PREREQUISITES
Continuing action 5
•
NEURONS
•
TRANSMISSION OF NERVE IMPULSES
•
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
The next part of the story must
start with the following sentences:
-
SENSORY RECEPTORS
-
SENSORY NERVES
Romeo and Juliet are now 17 years old.
They are in love and have been
seeing each other for a few months.
They feel more and more desire for
one another. […]
-
MOTOR NERVES
Your portion of the story must
end with the following sentences:
After a few months, Romeo and Juliet’s
love fades away, and they decide one
day to separate. After a while, Romeo,
now 20 years old, meets Lilly, who has
had several previous sexual partners.
•
ANATOMY OF MALE REPRODUCTIVE
ORGANS (CYCLE ONE)
•
METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION
(CYCLE ONE)
Story-writing tip
Romeo has condoms with him and Juliet
is taking the contraceptive pill. What do
Romeo and Juliet feel before, during
and after the first time they have sex?
Scientific content
•
Touch (Pathways of stimulation
and nervous impulses):
- anatomy of the skin
- sensory nerves
- area of the brain responsible
for touch
- types of sensations
•
Erection
•
Ejaculation
English constraints
•
Use of an omniscient third-person
narrator (singular or plural) to tell
the story.
•
Use of dialogue sequence between
Romeo and Juliet to talk about the
first time they have sex.
Student Handbook – Secondary, Cycle Two, Year One – Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition © Montréal Science Centre – March 8, 2010
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WORKSHEET
ROMEO’S
NEW FLAME
PREREQUISITES
Denouement and
final situation
This last portion of the story must
start with the following sentences:
After a few months, Romeo and Juliet’s
love fades away, and they decide one
day to separate. After a while, Romeo,
now 20 years old, meets Lilly, who has
had several previous sexual partners. […]
•
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
•
STIs (CYCLE ONE)
Scientific content
You must mention the human
papillomavirus (HPV) and select
2 STIs among the following:
•
gonorrhea
•
AIDS
•
chlamydia
•
genital herpes
For each STI selected, answer
the following questions:
•
What causes the infection
(virus, bacteria, or other)?
•
What are the symptoms?
•
What are the methods of
transmission?
•
How does one protect oneself
from this STI?
You must mention the HPV vaccine:
Story-writing tip
Romeo and Lilly talk about their past
relationships and express their concerns
about STIs. They decide to learn more
about the most common STIs. Where will
they go to find information, and what
will they conclude?
It is now your team’s job to end
the collective story.
•
The body’s immune response
•
The role of vaccination
•
How vaccines work
English constraints
•
Use of an omniscient third-person
narrator (singular or plural) to tell
the story.
•
Use of a dialogue sequence
between Romeo and Lilly as
they look for information about
STIs and HPV vaccination.
Student Handbook – Secondary, Cycle Two, Year One – Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition © Montréal Science Centre – March 8, 2010
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