NAME:Maia Deluz 8A

Grade 8 Health Puberty Interview

The purpose of this assignment is to discuss changes associated with
puberty with a trusted adult and to reflect on the similarities and
differences between your experiences.
The assignment has three parts:
1. Pre-Assignment Reflection (Approximately 300 words)
2. Interview with a trusted adult (Should take approximately 15
minutes, do not forget to have completion record attached signed by
your trusted adult)
3. Post- Interview Reflection (Approximately 500 words)
* Note: you are not required to record the interview question answers
and share these private answers as apart of the assignment with your
teacher, but you should take notes to be used to complete your
reflection. Your trusted adult must sign the attached form to declare
that the assignment was completed.
Interview completion record (and to be submitted with assignment). Include this page as
the cover sheet.
To be completed by the
trusted adult

I confirm that we completed I confirm that we completed

the interview.
the interview

________________
Date

______________________
Adult Signature

____________________
Student Signature

DUE DATE:
8A- February 5 at the start of period 2
8AR- February 6 at the start of period 2

NAME:Maia Deluz 8A

Pre- Assignment Reflection: K/T

1. How do you feel about completing this assignment?
Truthfully, I am a little apprehensive because I will have to learn
and potentially probe into someones private experiences, which
makes me slightly uncomfortable. I am also excited because this
is a subject which I have not gone into much depth with my
mother, so I wonder how her experiences will differ with mine.
2. What challenges or successes do you think you might face when
completing this assignment?
As I generally start to have irregular behaviors when I get
nervous (like giggling uncontrollably), I think I will have to try and
stay calm as I discuss matters that I may not be entirely
accustomed to talking about with my mother. Also, I am just
hoping my mother will not say anything, which may make me
uncomfortable or awkward since puberty can be a delicate
subject.
3. For what reasons did you choose this particular trusted adult to
interview?
I chose my mother since I feel like she can relate to what I am
going through the most since she is also a woman and was once
a young teenager like me. She also makes me feel more at ease
when I become agitated so I can relax instead of being scared or
nervous. Her responses to questions are also always mature and
generally straight to the point, which I like since I can write down
clearer and more concise answers which I can understand.
4. Have you had similar discussions about puberty with a trusted
adult before?
Truthfully, I have always been too nervous to ask my mother
about her experiences with puberty since I wanted to respect her
privacy. I also realized that I would want not such questions being
asked to me so I refrained from questioning her teenage years.
5. How will completing the interview be useful for our future?
I believe this interview will be useful for my future because I will
know how to deal with any problems my mother went through
since I will have learned how to deal with them. It will also
benefit my understanding of how puberty can affect my
behaviors and hormones and how I may/may not be able to
prevent unwanted changes in my body.
Interview Questions: K

NAME:Maia Deluz 8A

1. What do you remember most about growing up and going

through puberty?
2. How old were you when you started puberty? What changes did
you experience?
3. How did you handle going through puberty? How did it make you
feel?
4. How did you feel about girls/boys when you were my age?
5. What did you like best about your body when you were my age?
6. When did you start to feel grown up?
7. When did you have your first experience with a relationship?
What happened?
8. What is the best piece of advice you can offer as I am going
through puberty?
Post-Assignment Reflection: T/A
1. How easy or difficult was this assignment compared to what you
anticipated?
This assignment, contrary to what I had believed, was extremely
informative yet educational even though the interview itself was
very easy going and fun. I know my mother had a little bit of
trouble trying to conjure up her memories of her adolescence but
overall the interview went quite well. I was a little worried that
the conversation would be slightly stilted but we thoroughly
enjoyed taking a look at my mothers past.
2. Did the answers of the interview surprise you?
A few answers surprised me since her experiences differed from
mine quite a bit. I never knew that she would constantly lose
consciousness when she had her menstrual cycle since mine are
quite light, if I am not doing anything too strenuous or physical. I
was also surprised at the fact that my mother had acne since
there is little to no trace of skin irritation in any of her
photographs. Im not sure if this is just my experience, but
hearing a few of my mothers answers, I was more than a little
bit shocked since I hadnt really imagined it being annoying or
stressful for others as well as myself. I know that sounds slightly
conceited, but since I only knew how I felt when I ,say, had my
period, hearing my mother speaking of her own issues really
made me realize that everyone has various concerns of their own
which they struggle to deal with too. Since my mother is not
biological, I know I will not develop at the same rate or in the
same way as my mother but her advice on how to deal with
things like cramps were extremely useful and explanatory.
3. What similarities and differences do you see between you and
your trusted adult?

NAME:Maia Deluz 8A
I did not grow as much as she did at her age. My understanding
is that when she grew, the speed of her growth actually impaired
her eyesight since it could not keep up with the sudden growth
spurt of her body. I, on the other hand, am rather short, and my
growing and developing is quite gradual as I am one of the
shortest in my class. Also, the effects of our menstrual cycles are
different since I generally get minor cramps whereas she would
be plagued with headaches, heavy cramps, and dizziness. The
one subject we both agree on is the opposite gender. Currently I
am not sexually or emotionally attracted to boys as I feel I am
content with my friends and family before I add any romantic
interactions into the mix. My mother felt the same- she preferred
to focus on her studies rather than form relationships until much
later.
4. What did you learn by completing this assignment? How might it
inform my future?
I learned a lot about what my mother went through when she
was my age and how she learned to cope with her issues like
acne and unexpected growth. Doing this with my mother, I
realized that if I ever have kids (specifically daughters), I would
want to talk about this with my kids since I know now it takes a
lot of strain off of your shoulders, knowing youre not the only
one dealing with raging hormones and complications. Obviously,
the information doesnt give a lot of foresight on how my
forthcoming puberty will act like, but I still enjoyed listening to
someone elses experience as an adolescent.
Level 1
Demonstrates
limited
knowledge of
the
information

Level 2
Demonstrates
some
knowledge of
the
information

Level 3
Demonstrates
considerable
understanding
of the
information

Level 4
Demonstrates
thorough
understanding
of the
information

Thinking
- feelings about
interview,
similarities and
differences,
reflection
Communication
- spelling, grammar,
content organization

Uses thinking
skills with
limited
effectiveness

Uses thinking
skills with
some
effectiveness

Uses thinking
skills with
considerable
effectiveness

Uses thinking
skills with a
high degree of
effectiveness

Communicates
information
and ideas with
limited clarity.

Communicates
information
and ideas with
some clarity.

Application
- lessons learned

Makes
connections
with limited
effectiveness

Makes
connections
with moderate
effectiveness

Communicates
information
and ideas with
sufficient
clarity.
Makes
connections
with
considerable
effectiveness

Communicates
information
and ideas with
considerable
clarity.
Makes
connections
with a high
degree of
effectiveness

Knowledge
- basic facts about
interview

Level 5
Demonstrates
a very
thorough
understanding
of the
information
Uses thinking
skills with a
very high
degree of
effectiveness
Communicates
information
and ideas with
a high degree
of clarity.
Makes
connections
with a very
high degree of
effectiveness