Tag: Middle School

Mindful Eating: A Talking Point Lesson & Activity

by  •  • 1 Comment

Talking point lessons may just become a reoccurring series!  I love when I stumble upon a topic that is both interesting and engaging, but doesn’t require a lot of time and effort. These types of lessons are great for sub plans, unexpected assemblies, early dismissals or weather delays that can wreak havoc on keeping classes on the same timeline. Many districts are requiring teachers to present their students with e-lessons on snow days.  What better way to do this than with a talking points lesson that you can cater and adapt to your needs!  This lesson and activity revolve around “mindful eating” because most of us often do the opposite!  So, learn more about how you and your students can become more mindful of your eating! On a side note, if you have a topic that might lend itself well to a talking points lesson and/or activity, please let me know in the comment section below and I’ll see what I can do!

Read more →

Insurance Lessons for Middle & High School Teachers

by  •  • 4 Comments

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!

Read more →

FACS Content Related Documentaries

by  •  • 1 Comment

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.

Read more →

The Basics of Cake!

by  •  • 2 Comments

Students always want to bake cakes!  Maybe it’s because the cakes they get at home are typically prepackaged or out of a mix!  Don’t get me wrong…those are great once in awhile and have saved me on more than one occasion, when time was at a premium!  However, when talking to students, I get the impression that most only get scratch baked cakes in rare instances or on very special celebratory days!  I guess I was lucky growing up because my family baked cakes often, as desserts were a delicious way to end the evening meal!  Because of this, I was fortunate to be exposed to a variety of different cakes.  The funny thing is that while growing up, I thought there were tons of different types of cakes, but in reality there are only a couple! This lesson focuses on a cake overview of history, types, solving cake problems and includes some labs, focusing on the two basic types of cakes!

Read more →

Food Labeling Claims

by  •  • 2 Comments

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.

Read more →

Digital Version: Human Reproduction & Anatomy Breakaway

by  •  • 5 Comments

Always wanted to do a breakout but didn’t have the locks or boxes to do so?  Now, thanks to Sahvanna Mease and Mary Mullikin of Colorado, you can do just that using Google Forms!  How cool is that…less prep, less expense, but just as fun!  Even cooler, the same materials are used as in the original version of Human Reproduction & Anatomy Breakaway!  Thank you for the adaptations, ladies!

Read more →

#ShowMeYourOvernightOats

by  •  • 2 Comments

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!

Read more →

HANGRY: A Healthy Eating Talking Points Activity

by  •  • 0 Comments

Have you ever needed a short activity to fill time due to a “surprise” assembly, early dismissal or one class finishing before another?  This activity can be stretched or shortened depending on your needs!  Hangry is a real concept that most of us have experienced at one time or another and because of this, it can be a very relatable topic for students to talk about and make connections to. I’ve included some activities that work well with this topic, so, pick and choose or do them all!  

Read more →

Food Influences Intro Group Activity to Culminating Home Scavenger Hunt Portfolio Project

by  •  • 1 Comment

Why do you eat what you eat?  For some this is an easy question and for others it’s a bit more complex.  After all, there are many things that influence our food choices and they may be completely different from one person to the next!  When I teach about food influences in the junior high, it’s often one of my very first lessons with them.  This introductory group activity is a great way to get students up, moving around and communicating with you and their peers right away.  The middle of this lesson consists of an overview of the influences and application activity. Finally, the culminating project is a scavenger hunt portfolio that students complete outside of class and can be digitally or hand-generated but gets students sleuthing around their homes, looking for some of the influences as they relate to their own families.

Read more →

Fashion Styles Project

by  •  • 2 Comments

Are your students into fashion?  Do any of your students sport a specific fashion style?  This is a two part project, however, the second part could be optional.  It’s an easy introductory activity to use at the beginning of a school year or course especially if your classroom is a revolving door with schedule changes. It could even be used as a sub plan because it doesn’t involve a lot of fashion lingo or background fashion information in order to complete. These assignments get students researching and creating immediately with some additional extensions that can be used to further add to the activity!

Read more →