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It takes courage to grow up and turn out

to be who you really are.
Unknown

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The Human
Life Span
The photographs that you see here are of the same individual taken 90 years

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apart. As you look at them, think of the immense changes this woman has
experienced in her lifetime. During her childhood, automobiles were just being

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introduced. As an adult, she saw the development of cars, airplanes, and computers.
She watched a man walk on the surface of the moon and NASA launch the
International Space Station. Imagine the different stages of her life. Think about

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the people who have influenced her, and those she has influenced. In this chapter,
you will study the stages of life that a human experiences. Essentially, all humans
develop physically in much the same way. But life stages also include emotional,

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cognitive, and social development. A persons culture influences this development in
many ways.

To help you start thinking about human life stages, we put a familys photograph

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album into motion. During the engage activity, you will think about the phases of life
through which an individual has progressed. Next, you will join with your teammates
to study a specific life stage by observing and interviewing people. You will continue

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to develop your understanding of the human life span by participating in a debate.
You will discuss how much your culture, environment, and genetic plan contribute to
your development. Finally, you will participate in a multicultural fair. Here your team

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will present information about certain life stages in a different culture.

ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITIES

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Engage A Century of Photographs

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Explore Growing UpWhat Does That Mean?

Explore A View of Life

Explain Life-Span Development: Examining the

Contexts

Elaborate
Cultural Diversity in the Human Life Span
Evaluate

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Engage A Century of Photographs

When you look through a photograph album, you are likely to see images of
friends and relatives caught in a moment of time. What would you see if you could
put those individual snapshots into motion and watch someones life progress? What
happens to a person during the process of aging? This activity will give you a sense of
what that might look like.

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Materials

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DVD and player (watch as a class)

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PROCESS AND PROCEDURES
1. Read through the Analysis questions. Keep them in mind as you view the
DVD segment Age Progression.

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2. In your journal, note 2 or 3 thoughts or additional questions that you had as
you viewed the images.

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3. Discuss your thoughts and questions with your classmates.

Analysis

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You have now discussed some of the changes associated with aging. Answer the
Figure 14.1 following questions in your journal:
Many physical, mental,
1. What are the stages in a human life?

emotional, and social
changes take place
during the human life
span.
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2. What do you think identifies particular life stages?
3. Is each stage clearly distinctive from the next? Explain your answer.

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Explore Growing UpWhat Does That

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Mean?
In the activity A Century of Photographs, you watched a baby grow into a little girl,
then into a mature woman, and finally into an elderly woman. As you watched, did you
wonder exactly what happens to people as they grow and develop? In this activity, you
will make observations of humans in a specific stage of life. You will then focus on
physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of their development.

PROCESS AND PROCEDURES

1. Join your team of 4. Decide which one of the following life stages your team
will observe:
Infancy (birth through 1 year)

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Early childhood (2 years through

6 years)
Middle childhood (7 years through
11 years)
Adolescence (12 years through 18 years)
Young adult (19 years through 30 years)

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Prime adult (31 years through 55 years)

Middle age (56 years through 70 years)

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Old age (more than 71 years)

2. Based on your current knowledge, record in

your journal your ideas about the following

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for the age-group you choose:
a. 3 physical characteristics Figure 14.2 Developmental psychologists learn a lot

b. 2 cognitive (processes of knowing)
characteristics
c. 2 emotional characteristics
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about patterns of child development by observing
children in a variety of settings.

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d. 2 social characteristics
Do this task individually.
3. Share with the rest of your team your journal entries for each category listed

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in step 2. Note the similarities and differences in your ideas.
4. With your team of 4, develop a plan for making observations that all team

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members will follow.
Your teacher will provide you with information about whom you will observe and
how you will accomplish this task. Read Human Development 101 (page 597). Take
PAGE 597
notes that will help you to plan and prepare for your observations. That essay is a

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series of journal entries from a fictitious college student who, at the time of the
entries, was just beginning her studies in human development. The information in
her journal will provide you with some background about aspects of physical,
cognitive, emotional, and social development. You will form pairs within your team

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and make your observations in these pairs.
a. With your team, hold a brainstorming session. Create a list of ways to
observe and obtain information about people in the age-group that you
chose to study.
b. Refine your list. Develop an outline with specific strategies, potential
questions, and potential tasks that you will use during your observations.
Agree on roles for you and your partner. You both should share the
responsibilities of recording observations and interacting as necessary Figure 14.3 Work
with the participants. with your team to
develop questions and
Follow the Guidelines for Observations in the following need to know box. tasks for gathering
data about the people
you will study.

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Guidelines for Observations

Introduction

1. Introduce yourself to the people you will be observing and to any teachers

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or supervisors present.
2. Describe your project in a way that is appropriate to the age of your

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subjects.
3. Reach an agreement with the participants or supervisors on the
approximate length of your observation session.
4. Answer any questions that your subjects might have. Make certain that

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each of them is willing to participate.
5. Remember that the participants have the right to stop at any time. You
must respect such a request.

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Making Observations

6. You must make specific observations in each of the following areas:

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physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. In general, you
should focus your observations on three different people for about 15
minutes each.

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Some of the things that you observe will cover more than one area.
Remember to record your observations, not your interpretations of the
observations.

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7. Provide a task for the participants to complete as you observe them.
8. Ask questions as needed to obtain the information that you want.
9. Ask the participants to perform tasks that will help you obtain the
information that you want.

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10. If you are observing 2- through 6-year-olds, ask the participants to draw
something that you can take back to your classroom with you. (Refer to
those drawings as you read the essay Physical Growth Influences Mental
Growth later in the chapter.)

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11. Record your observations clearly and completely.
12. Before you conclude your observations, look over your observation forms.
Make sure they are as complete as possible.

Conclusion

13. Thank the participants and supervisors for their time and cooperation.

c. When you think your plan is complete, ask your teacher to approve it.
Make revisions, if necessary, and have your teacher look at it again.
d. Based on your plan, create observation forms that will help you keep track
of the information you collect.
Review the Sample Observation Form, Figure 14.4, for some ideas.

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Figure 14.4
Sample observation form Sample observation
form.
Participant #1:
Age:
Description of setting:

Observations of physical growth and development

Description of task, if any:

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1.
2.
3.
4.

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5.
Observations of cognitive growth and development
Questions or description of task, if any:

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1.
2.
3.
4.

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5.
Observations of emotional growth and development
Questions or description of situation, if any:

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1.
2.
3.
Observations of social growth and development
Questions or description of situation, if any:

1.
2.
3.

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5. Conduct your observations in pairs.

You likely will conduct these observations after school or on the weekends. Your
teacher will set up the structure and arrangements. When the observations are
complete, each pair should have observed 3 people.
6. Meet with the rest of your team to share and summarize your observations.
Include information about each type of development (physical, cognitive,
emotional, and social). Discuss the following questions:

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a. How do your actual observations compare with your journal entries from
step 2?

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b. Between the 2 pairs of teammates, what were the similarities in your
observations? What were the differences?

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c. How might you explain the differences in what you observed?
7. With your class, share each teams summary. Begin with the earliest life stage.

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Analysis
Read the essay Growing Up through Lifes Phases (page 600). Then complete step 1
as a class. Next, complete step 2 individually. Your teacher will collect your journal

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PAGE 600 after you complete step 2.
1. Create a visual representation of human

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growth and development based on the
aspects of development that you and
your classmates observed. Your

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representation should
be chronological;

include aspects of physical, cognitive,

emotional, and social development; and

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include a written component.

Use any supplies that your teacher provides.

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Be creative!
2. In your journal, write a short, reflective
entry that describes your current
understanding of development during
the human life span. Address the
following questions in your entry:
Which characteristics of development
do you think are specific to the cultural setting?
Which characteristics of development do you think are found in most
cultures? In other words, which do you consider universal?
What other questions come to mind that you hope to answer as you
continue with this chapter?

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A View of Life Explore

Can you imagine what it would be like to have experienced all of the stages of
life? With a healthy lifestyle, the chances of a young person living an active life
extending seven or more decades are much greater today than they were several
generations ago. In this activity, you will have an opportunity to have an elderly guest
visit your class and answer some interview questions that you and your teammates

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develop. This will give you a look back in time from the point of view of someone
who has experienced most of lifes stages. The type of interview you will be doing is

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an autobiographical oral history. That is the most personal type of interview. It should
be relaxed and free-ranging.

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PROCESS AND PROCEDURES
Part A Interview Preparation

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1. Assemble into your team of 4 from the activity Growing UpWhat Does That
Mean?
2. Refer to the class project that you completed in the previous activity. Make a

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list of any additional information that would help you construct a more
complete representation of the life stages.

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Think about the insights that an interview could provide. What insights were not
apparent from your observations in the previous activity? For example, you collected
information about various phases of life. But you learned little about experiencing all
of them.

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3. Develop at least 5 interview questions for your guest. Use your list from step 2,
along with the need to know box Guidelines for Interviews.
You also might find the questions in step 2 of the Analysis helpful as you develop
your interview questions.

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Guidelines for Interviews

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A primary goal for an interviewer is to create a suitable environment in which to
carry out the interview. You should make the guest feel comfortable, and the
interviewers should be active listeners. The following tips might help you conduct a

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successful interview:
1. A good interviewer is not the star of the show; the guest is. The objective is
to get the guest to tell his or her story.

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2. Ask questions that give the guest an opportunity to tell stories.
For example, What was the most exciting time of your life? is a better
question than, Did you have an exciting life?

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3. Ask only one question at a time. Keep the questions brief.
4. Do not begin with controversial or sensitive questions. Save those for later
when the guest warms up to the class.

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5. Allow plenty of time for your guest to reflect on and to respond to your
questions. Be patient. Allow your guest to pause before answering.

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6. Allow time at the end of the interview for the guest to add whatever he or
she would like.

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4. Order your questions with respect to importance (1 = what you feel is most
important).
5. Have a representative from your team record your 1st question on the

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chalkboard or flip chart.
If there is already a question that is similar to yours, go to the next question on your list.
6. Continue to record questions in this manner until your class has about
15 questions listed.
With your class, suggest improvements for clarifying the wording or eliminating
repetitive questions.

Part B The Interview

1. Choose a spokesperson from your team. As your teacher calls on your team,
have that person pose 1 of the prepared questions to the guest.
2. You may pose other questions that your guests responses might raise. Your
teacher will invite these questions periodically throughout the interview.

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3. In your journal, record the major ideas from your guests responses.
You will have access to a tape recording of the interview. This will allow you to
review the responses and add detail to your notes. Make sure that you collect word-
for-word quotes as data to support your inferences.

Analysis

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Revisit the project that your class developed for the activity Growing UpWhat
Does That Mean? Then complete step 1 as a team and step 2 individually.

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1. Determine what new information emerged from the interview. Add it to your
class project.
2. Use the information from the interview to respond to the following in your

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journal:
a. How did the guests culture influence his or her growth and development?

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Explain how a different cultural setting might have had a different impact on this
person.
b. Provide examples of how technological change during the individuals

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lifetime influenced her or his development at each life stage.

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Life-Span Development: Explain

Examining the Contexts

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You have investigated how people develop through
the major phases of life on their dramatic journey from

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birth to old age. Where we are along that journey frequently
determines how we see those stages. By completing the
previous activities in this chapter, you have had an opportunity

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to broaden your perspective through observation, an
interview, and some analysis. In this activity, you will further
develop your understanding of human life stages. You will
prepare for and participate in a debate about the relative
contributions that a genetic plan and the environment make
to each individual.

PROCESS AND PROCEDURES

1. With your teammates, discuss the following 2 questions. Decide which
question your team would like to explore.
a. How much of the variation that we see in individuals can be attributed to
their specific genetic plans?

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b. How much of the variation that we see in individuals can be attributed to

their environment?
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Topic: human growth and

2. In your journal, begin to develop an answer to your question by outlining
development significant information. Also, record related questions that come to mind.
Go to: www.scilinks.org
Code: human3E572 Use the following essays as resources to help you complete this step. They will add to
what you already know and what you have learned in this program.

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Physical Growth Influences Mental Growth (page 604)
Physical Growth Influences Social and Emotional Growth (page 607)

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All Phases of Life Require Self-Maintenance (page 608)
PAGE 604 PAGE 607
3. Join with the other teams that selected the same question as your team.
Prepare for a class discussion of the 2 questions from step 1.

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PAGE 608
a. Choose a recorder for your new team.
b. Summarize what you already know.

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Take turns adding new information to the teams collection of information. Make
sure that you can support each statement. You may want to record your ideas on a
flip chart.
c. Make a list of other information that you would like to have. Explore the

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resources that your teacher has available to determine whether you can
answer your questions.

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d. Think about what the other group might say and how you might respond.
4. Participate in a class debate.
As the debate progresses, record notes and questions in your journal.

Analysis

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With your classmates, discuss the findings from the debate. Then, individually,
write a short essay in your journal that compares and combines the two sets of
responses. Briefly summarize the responses to each question. Relate how heredity and

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environment interact to make us who we are.

Elaborate
Elabotate Cultural Diversity in the
Evaluate
Human Life Span
In this activity, you will explore life stages in another culture. In doing so, you
will elaborate on what you have learned in this chapter. Each team will explore a
different culture. You will then create a display and a presentation for a multicultural
fair that will take place as part of the Unit 5 evaluate. At this fair, you and your
classmates will display what you have learned about growing up and living in another
culture. You also will present some feature of that culture for the rest of the class.

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After you have studied a culture, you will evaluate your understanding of human
development over a life span. You will do this by reflecting on the similarities and
differences in the process of development when it takes place in different cultures.
You also will explain the characteristics of biological development that permit those
similarities and differences.

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PROCESS AND PROCEDURES
1. To prepare for the multicultural fair, do the following:

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a. Think about the cultural setting in which you might want to explore
human life stages.
Your teacher will have a list of suggestions as well as some resources for you to
look through to help you choose.

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b. Join with other classmates who have chosen to explore the same culture.
Share with them your reasons for being interested in this particular group
of people.

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Use the information in the essay Culture: The Great Shaper of Life on page 610 as a
resource to help set the stage for your study. PAGE 610

2. Begin your study of another culture.

a. Look through the resources that your teacher has as well as additional
resources that you might want to find.
b. Divide the responsibility of reading and reviewing the resources in order
to develop a general overview of the culture.
You may want to find additional resources of your own. Remember, you are not
limited to books and magazines. You may want to look for Internet sites, films,
videos, music, or art. You may even know someone from the culture you have
chosen who might be willing to share some ideas with you.
c. Share what you have learned so far. Exchange resources if you wish.

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3. Develop a specific design for your entry in the multicultural fair. Refer to the
guidelines in the following need to know box.
Remember, your job is not just to learn about the life stages in another culture, but to
teach your classmates about them as well.

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Topic: ethnicity or human

culture Guidelines for Creating Your Entry

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Go to: www.scilinks.org
Code: human3E574
for the Multicultural Fair
Your entry for the fair should include a combination of visual displays and written
support material. You may want to include an audio portion as well. Displays may

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be arranged in your booth in any way that you want within the boundaries that
your teacher establishes. You also will need to create or develop some type of
presentation that includes all team members.

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As you create your entry, you should do the following:

1. Provide an overview of the culture that you studied. Include where this
group of people lives or lived and a description of their way of life.

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2. Present information about one of the following life stages:
Infancy and childhood

Adolescence

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Adulthood

Old age

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a. Describe the physical and social setting that is predominant at this life
stage.
Who is around the individuals at this stage? What do the individuals
do at this stage?

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b. Describe the cultural practices for individuals at this stage.
What is expected of the individual at this stage?

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c. Describe the cultural values surrounding this stage.
How are individuals in this stage perceived?

3. Explore some aspect of cognitive development that seems particularly

significant in the culture that you are studying. (For example, in American
culture, the point at which a child begins to speak is considered significant.)
Explain why you think this particular cognitive development
is highly valued. Describe the underlying biology that allows for this aspect
of development.
4. Choose and complete one of the following:
a. Describe the different forms of cultural expression that seem to be
significant during any life stagefor example, music, art, dance,
mythology, religion, or dress.

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b. Describe the celebration of at least one of the following rites of

passage:
Birth

Puberty

Marriage

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Death

c. Describe the differences in growing up male from growing up female in

the culture you are studying.

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5. Some part of your entry should be a presentation. You may, for example,
decide to portray in detail one life stage that you found most interesting.
You may want to incorporate music, literature, art, dress, or dance. This

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presentation does not need to take place in your booth.

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4. Obtain a rubric for the multicultural fair entry from your teacher. Participate
in a class discussion about the criteria that your teacher will use to assess your

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entry and knowledge.
5. Design and prepare your entry for the fair.
Be as creative as you want, but remember to follow the guidelines provided.

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Remember, your entry provides the evidence for all that you have learned in
this chapter.
6. Practice the presentation portion of your entry.

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You may want to schedule additional practice time outside of class. You will
participate in the fair as both visitor and exhibitor during the Unit 5 assessment.

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Analysis
After you have completed step 5, record in your journal your reflections on the

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following questions. Work individually.
1. Imagine that you are a young woman or man living in the culture that you
have just studied. Write two or three paragraphs that describe how she or
he might view your American culture. Which aspects of your life experience
would seem similar to her or his experiences? Which aspects would seem
different?
2. What have you learned about biological development in humans that may
help explain both these similarities and differences?

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