HIV/Sexual Health

BAM - Body and Mind
http://www.bam.gov/sub_yourbody/yourbody_bodysmartz.html>
Grade Level: 4th-6th
This is a puberty section of a great website by the Centers for Disease Control. It gives the basics about why the body changes during puberty and provides Q & A, and further resources.

Strengths:
• there is a great interactive quiz that helps to get rid of misconceptions and has interesting factoids that make this embarrassing topic (to kids) a bit more fascinating.
Weaknesses:
• this website has a ton of information, but it is not all about sexual health. This could prove a distraction if not monitored or scaffolded with the kids.
• there are no real photos or images of real people, the whole site is animation or cartoons. This seems to not give kids accurate information.

Youth Embassy
http://www.youthembassy.com/default.asp
Grade Level: 4th-6th
Youth Embassy provides honest information and advice to youth and teens. This site provides access to science-based, realistic responses to questions regarding sexuality, health and human development.

Strengths:
• this sit covers a vast amount of information on sexual health and HIV in a very direct and uninhibited way, this site is almost exclusively about sexual health
• there are also great resources for parents, Spanish speakers and continued learning
Weaknesses:
• this website is designed for kids with higher reading skills, it just lumps text in paragraphs and is not very interactive or interesting

KidsHealth - Puberty & HIV/AIDS
http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/body_stuff/puberty.html
Grade Level: 4th-6th
This site provides kid-friendly discussions to questions that might be embarrassing to some. It is a wealth of information and further resources for kids to continue to learn about their bodies. The search feature will lead you to all information about sexuality and STD's.

Strengths:
• this site is designed for both English and Spanish speakers
• this site is also organized for either kids, teens or parents to choose the amount or type of information they need.
Weaknesses:
• I don't like how all the imagery are cartoons, that is not something kids can relate to and take seriously

HealthyChildren.orgS
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/puberty/Pages/default.aspx
Grade Level: 4th-6th
This is a website run by pediatricians and is a dense site, but with some scaffolding, could be used by students.

Strengths:
• this website was created by pediatricians, so the information is very accurate
Weaknesses:
• this website is more designed for adults, with articles and vast amounts of text to read

GirlsHealth.gov
http://www.girlshealth.gov/body/
Grade Level: 4th-6th
This site includes information targeted specifically for girls and women.

Strengths:
• this site is designed for a female audience only, this may help girls feel more comfortable an not alone with their questions
Weaknesses:
• this site pushes abstinence only and does not do a good job educating girls what safe sex is