Grade 8 Family and Consumer Sciences

Grade 8 Family and Consumer Sciences – Teen Choices

Course Title: Grade 8 Family and Consumer Sciences – Teen Choices

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Course Description

Family and Consumer Education in the 8th grade is a hands-on, practical coverage of material about academic and career planning, healthy lifestyles, life-management, critical thinking, and decision-making.

A variety of experiences, activities, and projects are used to provide cross curricular relevance of Family and Consumer Sciences to the other subjects taught at the middle school. Students are taught skills that they can use to help them develop life skills while reaching their short-term and long-term goals.

Power Standards

  1. Student can demonstrate an understanding of FCS related vocabulary and concepts.
  2. Student can demonstrates proper planning, technical skills and final outcomes in foods labs and class projects.
  3. Student can apply academic experiences to the world of work, interrelationships, community, and/or life.

Course Outline

Academic and Career Planning

Guiding Questions Learning Objectives 
  • Why is it important to have have career and life goals?
  • What does multiple pathways to prosperity mean to you?
  • Where would you go to find information about various career clusters?
  • How can you find your specific career interests?
  • Who could be a valuable resource to you when you are looking to find out about different career options?
  • How does what you are doing now have an impact on your future?
  • What should be the components of an Academic and Career Plan?
  • Who would you share your ACP with?
  • Articulate how the students personalized SMART goals relate to their strengths, challenges, beliefs, etc. and career choice.
  • Understand connections to different careers, education, and training for multiple levels of jobs within the same career pathway.
  • Research identified career cluster area of interest
  • Interview with a person who has a career that represents students interests and career choices
  • Revise and edit the personalized Academic and Career Plan to include their experiences, skills, and areas of strength
  • Share personalized ACP with parents, counselor and mentor
  • Utilize the ACP plan as a tool to transition into high school while considering high school courses, both core and elective.
Summative Projects: Career Cruising, Career Fair Project, Roadmap of future

Food and Nutrition

Guiding Questions Learning Objectives 
  • What are preparation and safety techniques important?
  • What is your idea of a healthy meal?
  • How would you describe the purpose of the Food Plate?
  • Why is a healthy lifestyle important?
  • demonstrates food preparation techniques while practicing safety and sanitation in the kitchen
  • selects the best techniques for choosing and preparing healthy meals.
  • applies the Food Plate to daily life.
    investigates the effects of food and nutrients on the body.
  • appraises individual wellness lifestyle and sets goals for improvement.
  • evaluates the effects of eating disorders on personal and family lives
Summative Projects: Cooking labs, Evolution of the Food Plate, Nutrient bodies

Consumerism and Finance

Guiding Questions Learning Objectives 
  • Why is important to be a smart consumer?
  • How would you advise someone who is struggling with their money?
  • considers factors that influence buying decisions
  • uses comparison shopping techniques
  • determine the importance of money management skills
Summative Projects: Budget planner, Comparison shopping, Consumer evaluation

Choices and Decisions

Guiding Questions Learning Objectives 
  • What does “just say no” mean to you?
  • Why is it important to be in-tuned to your values?
  • How do values play a role in your decision making?
  • How does understanding the consequences of your actions influence your decision making?
  • integrates good decision making by following appropriate human values
  • selects guidelines that contribute to positive relationships.
  • understands the value of abstinence and how to say no to sexual pressure
  • defines STDs and understands how they can be prevented
Summative Projects: Reflection, Group discussion

Career and Life Skills
Social and Cross Cultural

The student respects and contributes to the diverse learning community by:

  • Honoring the ideas and opinions of others and
  • Interacting effectively and appropriately with others
Productivity and Accountability

The student takes ownership of work and actions by:

  • Completing assignments on time
  • Arriving prepared and on time
  • Managing time
Initiative and Self Direction

The student demonstrates independence by:

  • Self-advocating for assistance or resources
  • Persevering through rigorous/challenging tasks
  • Utilizing feedback