"Cuts of Beef: What's in a name?"

"Cuts of beef: What's in a name?" is a great article to have your students read about the different cuts of beef.  It does a great job of explaining from where the cuts of beef come and how to cook them.  After the students have read the article, provide the students with an assignment (i.e. a one page paper defending the cut of beef and cooking method they would use for a holiday celebration providing evidence from the text or the students read the article, choose a cut of beef and a cooking method, go to the lab and use the cooking method for the cut of beef, and then write a lab report evaluating and defending their choice).  If the assignment you provide for your students also involves writing, then cross walk the assignments using both the Reading and Writing Science and Technical standards from Appendix D in the ELA course of study.  Reading by itself does not utilize the reading standards, the reading assignment must accompany another type of assignment.  Be sure to document the standards in your lesson plans.  At the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, all teachers will be required to teach the new reading and writing literacy standards, this will help you to get started and hopefully provide you with a better understanding of how to use the standards within the FACS subject matter.

ENC-Teacher Exchange: an Egg Nutrition Center program

ENC-Teacher Exchange offers
new resources to combat obesity
January 22, 2013, Park Ridge, Ill.— Color-coding foods into three categories that mimic a traffic light to help elementary school students distinguish good foods (green light) from unhealthy foods (red light) is proving to be a very successful nutrition education device in Colorado and elsewhere.

And that’s precisely why the "Go Slow Whoa" color-schemed system introduced three years ago at Laredo Elementary School in Aurora, Col. is featured this month by
ENC-Teacher Exchange , a free web-based program for teachers that offers new and updated teaching methods that can help combat rising obesity trends in K thru 12 schools.

The success of Laredo Elementary’s "
Go Slow Whoa" program is illustrated on the ENC-Teacher Exchange web site in a brief video that is accompanied by instructional tools that teachers can download at no charge. Laredo is one of 18 schools so far in Colorado that is participating in the education initiative offered by Denver-based LiveWell Colorado, a non-profit organization committed to preventing and reducing obesity in the state by promoting healthy eating and active living.

ENC-Teacher Exchange was introduced a year ago by
Egg Nutrition Center(ENC), science division of The American Egg Board in Park Ridge, Ill. Egg Nutrition Center’s contribution to America’s battle against obesity in elementary and high schools is expressed in two ways:

• Showcasing teachers and schools that have created successful programs for combating obesity.

• Encouraging teachers to create and submit new ideas so that other teachers can learn and benefit from them.

Health, nutrition and physical education teachers in all 134,000 U.S. schools are invited to become members of ENC-Teacher Exchange, whereby they’ll receive E-mail notification when new video stories or teaching tools are added. Click here for easy online application. 

ENC-Teacher Exchange is supported by
The American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (aafcs.org). More than 800 AAFCS members are currently enrolled.

K thru 12 teachers are invited to submit new obesity-fighting ideas to ENC-Teacher Exchange, with the understanding that concepts must be developed by teachers into practical teaching tools that can be shared with other teachers in order to qualify for a $500 honorarium. New teaching tools must be worthy of publication on the ENC-Teacher Exchange web site to merit the honorarium. That process usually requires a teacher to begin by sending a one-page concept description to info@encteacher.org. For more information, please E-mail ENC-Teacher Exchange membership manager Linda Tinoco, or phone her at 708-974-3153.
ENC-Teacher Exchange Website address: www.encteacher.org
 
 

Reading Informational Text in the Food Industry

There are several articles about the 2012 food industry that could be used as informational text resources.  Urschel cutting machine company also has a link on this same page that allows for comparison research of various foods for which cutting machine may be best for use.  This same page also has a link for food processing multimedia which has a variety of vidoes you may chose as resources.  The US Highbush Blueberry Council is a good one.

Deema's Easy Curry Chicken from Stir It Up by Ramin Ganeshram!

Deema's Easy Curry Chicken from Stir It Up by Ramin Ganeshram!

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh shado beni or cilatro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 Tablespoons Trinidad curry powder
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 medium yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut milk

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken by mixing the onions, garlic, shado beni/cilantro, cumin and 2 teaspoons of the curry powder. Set aside in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or overnight.

2. Heat oil in a deep saucepan and add the chicken mixture. Add the remaining curry and mix well. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add chicken stock, potatoes and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes and continue to cook until the sauce thickens, for about 5 minutes more.

4. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 3 minutes more. (Note: I had some peppers from the garden, so a sliced them up and added them at the end for color) Taste to adjust seasonings. Serve with rice or rotis.

Makes 4 servings.

Beginners Guide to Sushi

Beginners Guide to Sushi is an article about the different types of sushi.  The article also explains how sushi is made.  This a great way to incorporate ELAs Reading Standards into the FACS curriculum.

How to Prevent the Effects of Bullying

This is an article on How to Prevent the Effects of Bullying.  It is very informative and could be used with Family Consumer Sciences, Family Wellness, and etc.

Cooking the Perfect Turkey

Check it out!  Top chef's provide tips on how to cook the perfect turkey. 

Fashion - Reading for Informational Text

Reading for informational text is becoming a requirement in all school curriculum.  Fashion Watch has several articles about fashion, as well as, several photos on its Web page.  The articles could be used as a source of informational text in FACS courses that teach fashion. 

**It would be advised to preview which articles you would like for your students to read and then either print the article or provide them with a direct link to the article.

ADHD, What Is It?

If you are dealing with ADHD, it may be overwhelming.  This article about How to Help a Child With ADHD could be helpful.  The article could be used as a source of informational text in the following courses Parenting, Child Development, Family Wellness, Education and Training and etc. 

Healthy Bed Time Snacks

Do you like eating a snack before going to bed?  If so, you may find this article on Bedtime Snacks That Help You Fall Asleep to be quite informative.  It is a good source of reading for informational text within a FACS lesson about nutrition.  It would be especially useful to those who teach nutrition standards that are included in the courses such as Parenting, Child Development, Food and Nutrition, and etc.