April 14th, 2016 Monster by: Walter Dean Myers

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Directions: ANSWER USING COMPLETE SENTENCES! Use the information you have been given to answer questions about: The Female Reproductive System: The Menstrual Cycle

Level#1: In sexually mature women, one or more eggs are released each month. The uterus also changes each month. The walls of the uterus thicken and become swollen with blood. This change prepares the uterus to support a developing baby if the woman becomes pregnant. Most of the time, the woman does not become pregnant. So, the extra lining of the uterus breaks down. The lining is made of mucus, blood, and dead cells. The material leaves the woman's body through the vagina in a process called menstruation.

1. What is released each month in the reproductive system of a sexually mature woman?





2. What happens to a woman's uterus each month?





3. What does the change in the uterus prepare a woman's body for?






Level#2: In sexually mature women, one or more eggs are released each month. The uterus also changes each month. The walls of the uterus thicken and become swollen with blood. This change prepares the uterus to support a developing baby if the woman becomes pregnant. Most of the time, the woman does not become pregnant. So, the extra lining of the uterus breaks down. The lining is made of mucus, blood, and dead cells. The material leaves the woman's body through the vagina in a process called menstruation. Menstruation usually lasts 3 to 6 days. Shortly after menstruation, another egg cell matures in the ovary. Ovulation usually occurs about 14 days after menstruation. Then, in another 14 days, menstruation occurs again. The menstrual cycle repeats monthly.

1. What occurs in the reproductive system of a mature female each month?





2. What happens to the uterus of a sexually mature female each month?





3. What does the change in the uterus prepare it for?








Level#3: In sexually mature women, one or more eggs are released each month. The uterus also changes each month. The walls of the uterus thicken and become swollen with blood. This change prepares the uterus to support a developing baby if the woman becomes pregnant. Most of the time, the woman does not become pregnant. So, the extra lining of the uterus breaks down. The lining is made of mucus, blood, and dead cells. The material leaves the woman's body through the vagina in a process called menstruation. Menstruation usually lasts 3 to 6 days. Shortly after menstruation, another egg cell matures in the ovary. Ovulation usually occurs about 14 days after menstruation. Then, in another 14 days, menstruation occurs again. The menstrual cycle repeats monthly. Most girls begin menstruating between 10 and 14 years of age. Between the ages of 45 and 55 a woman's menstrual cycle stops happening each month. This permanent end of menstruation is called menopause.

1. Explain what happens in the reproductive system of a mature female every month, and what happens to the uterus each month.






2. Explain what the monthly change in the uterus prepares a woman's body for.






3. Explain what happens to the uterus, and the lining of it, when a woman does not become pregnant.










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