Home Economics Group Activities
I really like the idea of news program. I have done this in social studies classes during high school several times, but never in Home Economics. We can bring in news stories on food and nutrition. This will make it a more engaging way to bring current events into the classroom and it will allow the students to actually interact with the content and make it relevant to them and the class. There is so much that students can learn from this activity. There is role playing involved – another one of Zwiers’ suggestions, students can get really creative by dressing up, using props, making backdrops, designing the set, and also practice making a video if they wish, or perform it live. If a news story is too difficult, students can also do a cooking segment. Both will help students practice speaking. Students will also have to be aware of how the use of language and reporting will differ between these two even though they can both be on the same topic eg.how are you going to talk about potatoes in a cooking show vs. a news report?
The expert panel is also another great discussion activity suggested by Zwiers to encourage use of academic language. In a family studies class for example, we could be looking at a topic such as life course development and have a panel of experts talk about the different needs of family members depending on where they are in the life course (eg. child, adolescent, adult etc.)
I also really like Pro-Con. It is important to be able to think about both sides of a question. We could look at a product, an issue, or even a lifestyle. I remember in Planning 10 learning about decision making and in family studies as well during my undergrad. Pro-Con is an activity that can definitely be used during this lesson. It will also encourage students to revisit other topics covered related to consumption such as values, attitudes, and lifestyles.