Common Sense Review
Updated August 2012
Center for Young Women's Health
Common Sense Rating
3
Teacher Rating
(4 Teacher Reviews)
4
Price
Free
This grade range is a recommendation by the Common Sense Education editorial team, not the developer/publisher.
Grades
5-12 Platforms
Website
Subjects
Science
- biology
- balanced diet
- body awareness
- fitness
- mental health
Skills
Character & SEL
- self-reflection
- self-control
- humility
Purpose
Reference Standards
Common Core State Standards 
Center for Young Women’s Health homepage.
Social networking quiz helps teens identify whether they’re online too much.
Health Guides give practical information on a wide range of issues that affect kids.
The companion blog, teenspeak.org, addresses health issues in a casual format.
Pros
The well-written articles cover many topics and have accurate and relevant information.Cons
Unless you're looking for something specific, the encyclopedic format may be a bit difficult to navigate.Bottom Line
Girls can go here to get answers on health and wellness issues that affect them.
Setup Time
Less than 5 minutes
Teacher Dashboard
None
Tech Notes
None
Common Sense Rating
3
Engagement
Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?
3
Kids who know what they're looking for will find accurate, thoughtful information about the health issues they care about. The site isn't built for casual browsing, so guided use could be helpful in the classroom.
Pedagogy
Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?
3
Encyclopedic site offers a good range of content that concerns its target group of teen and tween girls. The site doesn't offer any built-in teaching modules beyond some superficial quizzes and a page with articles aimed at parents.
Support
Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?
4
Spanish and English versions are available for all of the written content. Parent Guides provide useful articles for parents on a wide range of issues that affect their daughters.
How Can Teachers Use It?
There are no supplementary materials for the classroom, but teachers could assign articles as lesson supplements, discussion starters, or research on projects and assignments. You can also encourage girls to go here on their own to explore sometimes awkward topics.
The Quizzes section helps girls ask the right questions about health, social, and emotional issues. In "Are you street smart?" girls try to give appropriate responses to suspicious strangers. Both right and wrong answers get a text explanation. Quiz content is appropriate, and quizzes vary in style and quality. It would be nice if they were scored at the end to give teens an overall idea of how health-savvy they are.
Read More Read Less
What's It Like?
Teen and tween girls get quality health info at Center for Young Women's Health, a website sponsored by Boston Children's Hospital. Articles are arranged alphabetically and by topic, and each is available in English and Spanish. Overall, they're well-written and reliable. Quizzes address topics like "Are you ready for sex?" and "Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Quiz."
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Is It Good For Learning?
This straightforward reference site has quizzes and parent guides, as well as health guides divided by topic such as Nutrition & Fitness, Sexuality & Health, Health & Development, Gynecology, and Emotional Health. The long list of articles may be easier to browse alphabetically. For a more casual format, teens can follow a link to a sister site, Teenspeak.org, which has similar topics.
Some highlights include an extensive section on puberty and menstruation, a great resource for younger girls. They can read about evergreen issues like PMS and more contemporary concerns like finding environmentally friendly menstrual products.
Read More Read LessKey Standards Supported
Reading Informational | |
| RI.8: Craft and Structure | |
| RI.8.4 | Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. |
| RI.8.5 | Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept. |
| RI.8.6 | Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. |
| Integration of Knowledge and Ideas | |
| RI.8.7 | Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea. |
| RI.8.8 | Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced. |
| RI.8.9 | Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation. |
| Key Ideas and Details | |
| RI.8.1 | Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. |
| RI.8.2 | Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text. |
| RI.8.3 | Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories). |
| Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity | |
| RI.8.10 | By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. |
| RI.9-10: Craft and Structure | |
| RI.9-10.4 | Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper). |
| RI.9-10.5 | Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter). |
| RI.9-10.6 | Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose. |
| Integration of Knowledge and Ideas | |
| RI.9-10.7 | Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account. |
| RI.9-10.8 | Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. |
| RI.9-10.9 | Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington’s Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”), including how they address related themes and concepts. |
| Key Ideas and Details | |
| RI.9-10.1 | Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. |
| RI.9-10.2 | Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. |
| RI.9-10.3 | Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them. |
| Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity | |
| RI.9-10.10 | By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. |
| RI.11-12: Craft and Structure | |
| RI.11-12.4 | Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10). |
| RI.11-12.5 | Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging. |
| RI.11-12.6 | Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text. |
| Integration of Knowledge and Ideas | |
| RI.11-12.7 | Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. |
| RI.11-12.8 | Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses). |
| RI.11-12.9 | Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features. |
| Key Ideas and Details | |
| RI.11-12.1 | Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. |
| RI.11-12.2 | Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text. |
| RI.11-12.3 | Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text. |
| Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity | |
| RI.11-12.10 | By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. |
Speaking & Listening | |
| SL.8: Comprehension and Collaboration | |
| SL.8.1 | Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. |
| SL.8.1a | Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion. |
| SL.8.1b | Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. |
| SL.8.1c | Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas. |
| SL.8.1d | Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented. |
| SL.8.2 | Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation. |
| SL.8.3 | Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced. |
| Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas | |
| SL.8.4 | Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. |
| SL.8.5 | Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest. |
| SL.8.6 | Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. |
| SL.9-10: Comprehension and Collaboration | |
| SL.9-10.1 | Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. |
| SL.9-10.1a | Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. |
| SL.9-10.1b | Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed. |
| SL.9-10.1c | Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions. |
| SL.9-10.1d | Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented. |
| SL.9-10.2 | Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source. |
| SL.9-10.3 | Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence. |
| Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas | |
| SL.9-10.4 | Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task. |
| SL.9-10.5 | Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. |
| SL.9-10.6 | Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. |
| SL.11-12: Comprehension and Collaboration | |
| SL.11-12.1 | Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. |
| SL.11-12.1a | Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. |
| SL.11-12.1b | Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. |
| SL.11-12.1c | Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. |
| SL.11-12.1d | Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task. |
| SL.11-12.2 | Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data. |
| SL.11-12.3 | Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used. |
| Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas | |
| SL.11-12.4 | Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks. |
| SL.11-12.5 | Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. |
| SL.11-12.6 | Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. |
See how teachers are using Center for Young Women's Health
Teacher Reviews
- Informative and pertinent to teens2April 19, 2013
