Male Reproductive System

Overview

This lesson focuses on the purpose of and importance of caring for the male reproductive system as an adolescent. Taking time to learn about the male reproductive system helps to ensure teens are aware of the different diseases and disorders that may impact them and their partners now and into the future.

Learning Targets

  • Explain the function of the male reproductive system.
  • Assess the purpose of the male reproductive system.
  • Explain how to care for the male reproductive system.
  • Discuss the importance of a monthly testicular self-examination.
  • Differentiate between the different diseases and disorders of the male reproductive system.

Preparation

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the journal question on the board or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use.

For the Content Focus: Open the Male Reproductive System PowerPoint slides or make copies of the Male Reproductive System Note-Taking Guide.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Accessing Information Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Journal Question: Name five male reproductive organs and briefly describe the function of each.
    • Option: Write or project the question and have students respond in their journals as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to complete the Male Reproductive System Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Male Reproductive System Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quiz and use it alongside a posttest to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Lesson Focus: Accessing Information

  1. Provide each student a copy of the Accessing Information Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.
  2. Students will be using information from the lesson and their accessing information steps to find information on a disease or disorder found in the lesson to create a public service announcement.
  3. Students will answer the accessing information questions individually or with a partner.

Challenge Activity

Have students needing additional challenge work on the following critical thinking task:

If you knew there was a family history of prostate cancer and you or someone you care about began to have trouble urinating or found blood in their urine, what would you tell them to do and why?

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you...

  • Explain the function of the male reproductive system?

    The testes or testicles are responsible for making testosterone and for producing sperm. Sperm production begins at puberty and continues throughout a male’s lifetime. Each day there are several million sperm produced in the seminiferous tubules within the testes, and it takes approximately 68 days for sperm production and maturation to take place, which is known as spermatogenesis. The epididymis is where sperm mature and is also responsible for storing and carrying sperm that are created in the testes. During sexual arousal sperm move from the epididymis into the vas deferens tube, which transports mature sperm to the urethra. The urethra carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body as the opening of the urethra is at the tip of the penis and is the tube that ejaculates semen, the fluid that carries the sperm, from the penis. The penis is the male organ for sexual intercourse. Semen is the fluid that protects and transports the sperm. During sexual excitement, the sperm move from the epididymis through the vas deferens tube, where they combine with fluids from the seminal vesicles, prostate gland, and bulbourethral gland or Cowper’s gland; this mixture of sperm and fluids is called semen.

  • Assess the purpose of the male reproductive system?

    The purpose of the male reproductive system is to produce maintain, transport, and discharge sperm and semen and to produce and secrete testosterone.

  • Explain how to care for the male reproductive system?

    To care for the male reproductive system males should do monthly testicular self-exams to check for lumps, swelling, or soreness as well as a continuing dull ache in the groin without cause. Males should shower daily and when playing sports, they should wear an athletic cup to protect the scrotum and testes from injury.

  • Discuss the importance of a monthly testicular self-examination?

    A testicular self-examination can be an important way to find testicular cancer early. Self-examinations should be done in combination with physical exams by a doctor.

  • Differentiate between the different diseases and disorders of the male reproductive system?

    Erectile dysfunction is the inability to get and keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse. Having difficulty getting an erection from time to time isn’t necessarily a cause for concern, yet if it is an ongoing problem, it is a good idea to seek treatment. Peyronie’s disease is a result of scar tissue developing on the penis causing curved, painful erections. This can lead to erectile dysfunction due to stress and anxiety. Peyronie’s disease rarely goes away on its own. Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, yet it is unclear as to what causes this cancer. Risk factors that may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer are being over the age of 50, race, family history, and obesity. Testicular torsion is usually an inherited trait that allows the testicle to rotate freely inside the scrotum, which can twist the spermatic cord that brings blood to the scrotum. This is most common between the ages of 12 and 18 and causes sudden, severe pain and swelling. Male infertility can be caused by low sperm production, abnormal sperm function, or blockages that prevent the delivery of sperm. Testicular cancer is rare, yet it is the most common cancer in males between the ages of 15 and 35.

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.