Category: Consumerism

Plotagon Credit Card Scenarios

Scenarios are great tools to engage students! However, sometimes you have a group of students who love to role play and perform skits and other times you have groups that are as quiet as church mice. When that happens let Plotagon Story, a free animation app, come to your rescue. Sharing below how I incorporated it into a Take Charge Today credit card activity titled “What Would You Do?” into Plotagon credit card scenarios.

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Convenience Foods & A Can Do Struggle Meal Challenge

“Convenience Foods & A Can Do Struggle Meal Challenge” was another lesson I shared with Missouri FACS teachers during their July conference. This challenge was a big hit with my students! As a teacher, I love to see my students in full collaboration mode as they create, plan and execute their ideas!

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Starter Pack Meme Ideas

My son recently introduced me to “starter pack memes” which I had to look up! He had to create one for a college “get to know you” activity and once I knew what it was, I thought it would make a great, fun and interactive activity. So, below you will find my starter pack meme ideas for topics that can be used in a variety of different content areas along with instructions for creating.

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Activities for Teaching About Identity Theft

In today’s day and age where so much of what we need to do requires us to use personal information, it’s critical that we teach students about protecting themselves from identity theft.  In this post I will share some of the resources and activities I use with my students when teaching this topic. What I especially like about what I’m about to share is the project extension menu that allows students to have a choice in the way they choose to complete their final project.  Because of the personal choice option, students can choose according to their ability, their learning style and their knowledge of technology…and personally, I think I get better projects because I’m letting them decide!

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Escape the Pay Check Conundrum

Back again with another breakout style review activity!  This time the escape or breakout centers around pay check deductions and math calculations.  Created because, honestly, even though teaching about pay checks is important, it can be boring!  This review jazzes things up because student teams are competing against each other as well as the clock to get to the prize box!  In the process, they are honing their math skills.  Win-win for those of us who need to incorporate core concepts into our curriculum!  The beauty of this breakout is that it can be done both with locks and boxes if you have them or digitally if your don’t!

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Plant Based Proteins Part I: Beans & Legumes

I am a big fan of Michael Pollan’s work!  I especially like what he has to say about food in his documentary “In Defense of Food”.  Even if I don’t have time to show my students the documentary in its entirety, I do like to focus on certain parts of it.  One in particular are his 7 words that he uses to sum up healthy eating: “Eat foods–Not Too Much–Mostly Plants”.  It’s a great way to introduce students to different plant based foods!  Read on to learn more about how those 7 words equate to a lesson about beans and legumes.

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Insurance Lessons for Middle & High School Teachers

This lesson plan, shared by Taylor Covington of The Zebra, introduces students to a broad overview of insurance. The concept of this website is to make understanding insurance as ‘black and white’ as possible, hence the name ‘zebra’. At the end of the lesson, students will be familiar with basic insurance terms and concepts. This curriculum will provide supplemental information for a unit on Personal Finance. The lesson can be covered in two 50-minute class periods, and hopefully, is as easy for the teacher to follow as it is for the kids to learn!

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FACS Content Related Documentaries

There are a ton of documentaries out there related to Family & Consumer Sciences.  I’ve compiled a list by content area and included links to both the documentary and a viewing or discussion guide, if it was available, for easy access. Documentaries can make great sub plans especially when you know you are going to be gone for a few days!  Please share, in the comment section below, any documentaries that you use that you do not see listed and I will add them along with any viewing or discussion guides.

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Food Labeling Claims

Do you know the difference between a health claim and a nutrition claim?  Most of my students don’t!  This lesson explores the difference between the two as well as why it is so important to understand what food labeling claims actually mean when reading a food label.  This lesson includes some informative and creative activities, incorporating the information learned so that others might be enlightened.

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#ShowMeYourOvernightOats

Oats are a staple most cooks cannot live without!  How many other whole grains pack as much healthful variety into their product?  The thing I love about oats is the fact that they can be customized in so many recipes from breakfast foods, baked goods, healthy snacks, and even used in place of bread crumbs when making things such as salmon patties or meatloaf!  I wanted my students to see, taste and appreciate the goodness that oats have to offer so when I saw a YouTube ad by Quaker Oats promoting an oats contest, I knew how I wanted to incorporate this information into my grain unit.  However, if you don’t teach a unit specifically about grains, no worries as this can easily be incorporated into a breakfast  or healthy snack unit!

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