Gestation and Pregnancy

The scene lets students explore the development of a human offspring from fertilisation to its final stages as a foetus. Here, students will observe the different stages of development in chronological order and compare the zygote, embryo, and foetus to better understand the changes that occur during pregnancy, known as the gestation period.

# Learning objectives

1: Be able to describe the process of fertilisation.{.info}

2: Be able to describe the stages of embryo and foetal development{.info}

# Fertilisation{.objective .objective1}

In this section, a description of the process of fertilisation will be provided. Both cells involved, the sperm and egg cells, also known as gametes, provide half the number of chromosomes needed to make a complete organism. Fertilisation ensures that the chromosomes from both calls fuse to form a zygote. Exploring the scene, students should observe and identify the process taking place.

# Embryo Development{.objective .objective2}

In this section, the stages in embryo development will be outlined. As this is the first 9 weeks of gestation, the models will illustrate the stages by showing how an unrecognisable clump of cells divide, multiply and gradually build the body parts of that offspring. While the size remains relatively small, the main focus of development is the construction of the vital organ and other body parts.

# Foetal Development{.objective .objective3}

In this section, the final stage of gestation will be described. Once the embryo has develop most if not all the body parts, the organism will be recognisable. From this stage the main focus of development will be growth. Some body parts will be completed, but most of the energy goes into growth in preparation for the birth of the offspring.

# Teacher Resources

### Download Teacher Notes

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/792225/files/Gestation%20and+Pregnancy+Teacher+Notes+Only.pdf?date=1676289013&size=690588&md5=16f421a7042bd0095f268c3b5a8a10dd)

### Student Quiz Answers Document

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/792226/files/Gestation%20and+Pregnancy+Quiz+Answers.pdf?date=1676289145&size=393776&md5=4f2a52f7258c91e319ba7e9926f3ef54)

### Download Student Quiz Document

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/792227/files/Gestation%20and+Pregnancy+Quiz+Only.pdf?date=1676289309&size=95989&md5=e575d7cf9f8df674037a8c3b95006587)