home ec assignments 2021

Learn How to Menu Plan

Dear Home Ec 101, I need to get our food budget under control, and we spend a ton of money eating out. It’s starting to cause fights. I can’t cook. I can’t plan, and even if I could, I would just quit. Can you teach me how to menu plan? Can you teach me to follow a menu plan and stick to it? I know this would help a lot, I just don’t know where even to start when I’ve screwed it up so many times before. Signed, Hopeless in Hopeswell

Dear Hopeless,

We have all been there. Please don’t be too hard on yourself.

Why did menu planning fail before?

First, you need to figure out why menu planning has failed you in the past. By the way, did you happen to notice that I said that the plan failed you?

Was the plan too sudden of a shift from drive-through windows to four-course dinners?  A couch potato doesn’t turn into a marathon runner overnight. It takes time, effort, and a plan.

Eating at home every night sounds simple, but it’s really a lot of changes in habits and practices. To meet your goal, you’re going to have to break it down into something more manageable.

At my day job, when I am training my colleagues, I often ask them to find out our client’s end goal rather than what they are trying to do in that moment.

If I understand your email correctly, you have two achievable goals:

• Stop eating out.
• Save money spent on food.

Learning how to menu plan will help you accomplish both goals.

Achievable goals are SMART

Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-bound

So to set your first SMART goal, you could plan to eat at home for at least five nights for each of the next two weeks. Your stretch goal(s) could be to have leftovers on night six and then some kind of treat for night seven.

Do you see how this is specific? Eat five meals at home.

Measurable? Did you eat five meals or not?

Attainable? Yes, as we go over planning your first weekly menu, you are not going to plan crazy complicated meals this week. Simple is the name of the game.

Relevant? Yes

Time-bound? One week.

Learn how to plan your very first weekly menu

The first two weeks of your menu planning endeavor are spent getting used to eating at your table.

Yes, that thing that is buried underneath the bills and overdue library books.

Ready for your first mission? You are going to set yourself up for success. To get started with meal planning, you will:

• Clear the table
• Get a piece of paper
• Get a writing utensil of your choice
• Sit down for ten minutes.
• List the days of the week and any activities that may make meal preparation difficult.  

Here is our printable menu planner to make life easier . (It’s one sheet)

What do I mean by activities that make meal preparation difficult? Do you have kids? They make meal preparation difficult by default when they are really little. The more you can involve them, the earlier, the easier things get later, BUT that early step required a herculean effort on my part. (I also don’t think they hand out parenting awards for martyrdom. If you don’t have the patience to deal with a toddler and dinner preparation, hand the toddler a safe activity, yes, even screen time, and do what you need to do with your sanity intact.

Do you have activities that interfere with dinner timing: class, work, meeting friends for a drink, church, etc.? Those things can affect when meals are served and how much time you have time to prepare them.

Plan accordingly.

In our case, our family deals with joint custody based on a rotating shift, most of the kids are home all of the time now, but our difficult nights still vary from week to week. 

Allow one night for leftovers. We call it CORN: C lean O ut R efrigerator N ight, and one night that is a complete break from cooking. As you gain experience with learning how to plan your menu, the night off could be a meal pulled from the freezer, but for now, a frozen pizza or lasagna, sandwiches, or even bougied up Lunchables, aka charcuterie fits the bill. Even regular Lunchables work and are cheaper per person than the drive-through.

Look at that, meeting both goals. How SMART.

Remember, these first two weeks are about getting used to being in the kitchen and dining room. 

Try not to overthink things like nutrition. Remember that perfect is the enemy of the good, and that food is food.

Of course, if you have allergies or intolerances, you have to keep those in mind, but right now, when you are just learning how to menu plan, you will need to give yourself some grace and not try to be perfect in every way. You aren’t Mary Poppins; you don’t have support staff. You are just learning a new skill. To get into the habit of cooking at home and sticking to a menu plan, you will need to start with the basics and keep the plan as simple as possible at first.

Don’t worry if the nutrition isn’t perfectly balanced. Eat an apple for a snack, if it makes you feel better.

Remember, this is just your first step.

What are some ideas for your first menu plan?

If you can read (and you are right now, so quit playing), you can handle making spaghetti with jarred sauce. 

Not enough? You could bake a couple of frozen chicken patties, sprinkle on some parmesan cheese, and you have a cheater’s chicken Parmesan.

Pre-made salads can be jazzed up with hard-boiled eggs, canned tuna, or grilled chicken and shrimp. 

Ground beef and brown gravy (yes, use a jar or packet if you want) can be served over egg noodles or instant mashed potatoes with corn or green beans. 

Baked potatoes with chili or omelets (or why frustrate yourself, just scramble those bad boys) with fruit.

Grilled cheese with a can of tomato soup.

Are these fancy meals? No, but no one needs fancy to survive.

No, but they are edible and won’t break the bank as you find your kitchen legs.  You only need ten to get you through the first two weeks of your first menu plans. I have faith that you can do this.

List your plan by day, and remember that it is simply a guide to help you avoid the drive-through. If you change your mind and opt to eat something else from the fridge or pantry, that is still a success. Just shuffle your plan accordingly. Nothing has been lost. You did not fail.

Each night before bed, glance at your menu and make sure nothing needs to be done the night before.  There have been many days where I have kicked myself for forgetting to get meat from the freezer or place beans to soak. Sure, the world doesn’t stop, but it’s just one more thing to deal with.

Bonus Tip: If you have any dinner successes, write the name on the front of an index card. On the back, list key ingredients you will probably need from the grocery store and where you put the recipe. Then, punch a hole in the corner of the card and add it to a loose-leaf binder ring (also called a book ring) .

Check out the entire meal planning series:

How to Menu Plan

The Home-Ec 101 Introduction to menu planning

Learn How to Menu Plan (part 2)

Having a plan does not make you a boring person. Having a plan will reduce the amount of energy you spend making decisions by constraining all of that decision-making into one task and making that a routine. You'll find a lot of freedom when panic isn't running the show..

Meal Planning: A Primer (Part 3)

A deep pantry is one way to ensure you are only buying your staples on sale. The secret is to only buy your staples only on sale. Learn how to do this

Choosing Sides, Meal Plan Primer Part IV

Sides can bring a lot to a meal. Here are some tips and ideas to keep your side items interesting without them turning into a burden.

Meal Planning with a Busy Schedule

You say you have no time to meal plan. It's more like you have no time not to! Reduce your stress and overwhelm by planning ahead and making your busy evenings more streamlined.

Menu Planning When Going to the Store Is a Bad Idea

COVID-19 was a learning experience for many of us. However, menu planning is a great tool to ensure you are staying out of the stores as much as possible

Have a domestic question? Please send it to [email protected] .

PS If you know someone who would find this handy, there is an option to email this post directly to them. Thank you for sharing the love.

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16 thoughts on “Learn How to Menu Plan”

I make the weekly menu on Wednesday. Why Wednesday? Because the grocery ads in my area run from Tuesday to Wednesday. That way if there are good buys I can work them into the menu.

I also have a column for any holidays, special events and outings that may happen during the week. So if we have a day trip scheduled for one day then I’ll know that I should fire up the slow cooker or make that leftover night.

I used to hate cooking–HATE HATE HATE it.

I only began to enjoy it recently — believe it or not, it took menu planning to get me to this point.

In the meantime, honey, I have a hundred different “cheater” meals. Stuff that take few ingredients, few skills, few dollars and a few minutes to throw together.

NO, they aren’t the healthiest meals in the book, but they are hot, filling and will save you money. Like Heather said, they’ll help to get you to the next step.

Campbells Soups has some quick recipes on their site. Two of my kids favorites came from the back of soup cans years ago. http://www.campbellskitchen.com/

Oh, and Crock pots are lifesavers. These recipes use only 3 ingredients! http://busycooks.about.com/cs/crockpotrecipes/a/3ingredcrock.htm

If I can turn into a decent cook, so can you. Good luck!

You have given very sound advice to this reader, Heather. I think the suggestion about “getting used to eating at your own table” is probably a good place to begin. At first, it won’t matter as much what is going on the table….just so the meal is being eaten at home. And not all convenience foods are bad. Bagged salads, (as you said) are a great example. A chef’s salad can come together in no time with a few goodies thrown in. Start slow…give yourself time….prepare for a certain amount of failure. I prefer whole meats, like a chicken or roast beef, as a starting place for many meals. You can live off the leftovers for a good 2-3 days.

I never mentioned it before, but thanks for your e-mail back at the end of April!! What a nice surprise!

I really enjoy checking this blog….lots of good ideas. :o)

many thanks, & good luck to Hopeless in Hopeswell, Brenda

I used to be awesome about cooking, but since my daughter was diagnosed with food allergies I’ve lost my interest in meal planning altogether.

She can’t eat dairy, nuts, most fruit, eggs and she’s -just- outgrown her wheat allergy (that one was hard). So what do I make? When I love veggies, hubby is a carnivore and picky toddler has food allergies! Oh, and we have a new baby.

Where’s my phone? I’m hungry…

May I add my 2 cents to this awesome advice by Heather – learn to relish raw foods. A whole apple, a handful of cashew and raisins easily tide me over a “need to eat NOW!” phase and give me a chance to fix something in my kitchen instead of driving down that Burger King. there are so many things that can be enjoyed raw or with under a minute of preparation. Chop up a cucumber, peel a banana, microwave a corn-cob, crack open some peanuts, microwave a bowl of sprouts and sprinkle some lemon zest…the possibilities are endless and so is variety.

@Jasi I sent you an email. I completely understand your situation. We only have an intolerance and I’m the carnivore, but I get it. Hang in there.

@Brenda and everyone else, sound advice, thank you for adding to the post. 🙂

I agree with the raw foods suggestion, many times I reach for the convenient when I’m hungry and I force myself to stop and open the produce drawer instead. A crisp apple with a smear of cheese is much more satisfying, and healthy, than the handful of chips!

Since most of us agree it’s not the cooking we hate, it’s the planning, why do it weekly. I set down with my family and planned out 21 meals that they all like. (Some repeat twice because I have a picky eater-hubby).

Then I set down in Outlook and I planned out the first week of meals so that they made the best use of our shopping. I created an all day task, for each day and made it that meal. Then I had it repeat every three weeks. I did each of my 21 meals that way. Now all I have to do is when I read my email each morning, is look and see what is on the menu that week. I then lay out the meat to thaw.

I also got a cheap to do list software off the internet. I made a to do for each meal, making a list of ingredients for that meal. When I go to the store, I check each meal that we are eating for that week and print the to do for that meal. That gives me the grocery list. I then mark off things I still have on hand, and I am off to the store.

The only problem is you have to follow your plan. And be flexible. Last night we were supposed to have Grilled Chicken Salad. BUt hubby and I haven’t had anytime to ourselves for a while, so we had dinner out, the kids had whatever looked good to them, (pizza). If the kids have band practice, then I will move a dinner or two around. Because the meals rotate every three weeks, and they always practice on Tuesdays, our Tuesday meals are easy to fix, don’t require us all to eat together, and can be eaten on the road. (i. e. hotdogs.) And like Ivy said, don’t plan 4 course meals. Just because we are planning ahead, doesn’t mean we are different people. Plan meals your family will eat. Don’t have chicken on the plan three nights in a row. While that may be fun the first time, when it repeats three weeks later, your family is going to balk. I promise. Our meals are things like pork chops, steak tips, chicken wings, hamburgers, hotdogs, throw in a salad, or a few veggies, and you’ve got a meal that can be fixed in 20 minutes or less, and the planning is done for you. If you get sick of a meal, or find you like something else, it’s easy to change the task out and have a new rotation set up in seconds.

Dear Helpless: Get your husband in the kitchen. It’s fun to cook together. Take a cooking class with your guy. Make it a hobby. Look at making dinner as a nice way to chill out after the day. Good conversation, time to communicate, a glass of wine….. Hope he’ll cooperate. I’ll get into a meditative zen state chopping vegetables, setting the table, doing the whole thing. Not so good on the cleaning up, though. Ask the meat department in your favorite supermarket when they mark down their meat. My market cuts the price early in the morning, and late afternoon. If I’m there, sometimes I can score steaks for half price. Careful of the dates, though.

The mark down meat idea is one I have been using for the last 20 years. My mother taught me this trick. As soon as I buy the mark down meat, I freeze it and I can serve top dollar meats for half the cost or less weeks and months later. Really helps my food dollar go further in this time of economic decline.

Heather, you’re the greatest. Thanks for the encouragement.

Rapunzel and Learning: Great idea on the raw food.

I actually took mine out of the crisper (where I had a tendency to forget about it) and stuck “munchies” in a glass bowl on the top shelf. That way it’s in my face every time I open the fridge.

Actually helped my food budget since things didn’t get forgotten about nearly as often.

I would like to get into menu planning again. We got away from it for a few reasons: 1) Hubby travels alot. 2) Karate and theater practices – so meals I have are “too heavy” or there isn’t enough time to make & eat before it’s time to go. 3) Fussy eaters – I’m talking all three of us here. There are nights, even if I buy something everyone likes, that we (or someone) just doesn’t want that particular thing. HELP!

I’d love to see the advice you sent to the new mom whose toddler has food allergies because I am in the EXACT same boat here!!

I absolutely have to agree with this, although I currently don’t have a real dining room or table at the moment. In undergraduate, meal planning was a lifesaver for my roommates and I. As a graduate student, I just can’t express how useful and wonderful having a menu for a week is. @Learning the ropes, those are fantastic ideas. Raw foods are absolutely perfect for killing those hunger pains and even for actual meals.

Hello! I recently found your website when looking for neighborhood or community center home economics classes. I recently graduated college and have been living with my parents while I continue to look for work. While being away for school and not being preoccupied with the next assignment or test, I found that I haven’t developed skills like cooking for myself or financing. I want to get a job, pay off my school debt, and get a house of my own, but what will I do if I can’t manage myself? Is what I started to think, so I’m happy I found your website! It’ll be a slow ramp up, but I’ll be following the articles on Cooking, Cleaning, Laundry, Basic home repair, Emergency Preparedness, and Life Skills as provided on the home page! Thank you for making this website 🙂 Cheers!

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Home Economics Predictions for Leaving Cert 2024 (Higher Level)

Remember that these are a series of educated guesses and not to take too many risks.

The Leaving Cert Home Ec course is quite broad, so it can be difficult to give a huge amount of time to all topics. I would definitely recommend covering all topics at some stage during 6th year. As you get closer to June, decide what your preferred long questions are (mine were Q2 and Q5) and start to focus in on them. Home Ec is a multi-disciplinary subject, so work smart by linking questions and topics together to save time. For example, if you do Biology, maybe consider studying the 5 kingdoms chapter well in biology so that you are covered for Q3 in Home Ec if microbiology comes up. To add to that, just because something is predicted to come up in one of the optional questions, does not mean that it will not make an appearance in one of the core questions!

You may also like our guide to Leaving Cert Home Economics .

Course Breakdown

Core Area 1: Food Studies

Core Area 2: Resource Management and Consumer Studies

Core Area 3: Social Studies

Elective 1: Home Design and Management

Elective 2: Textiles, Fashion and Design

Elective 3: Social Studies

All students must study the three core areas and then you pick an elective to study (your teacher will make this choice for you)

Traditional Exam Breakdown

The final exam is marked out of 320 marks (or 280 marks for those candidates taking the Textiles, Fashion and Design Elective). The exam lasts 2.5 hours and is broken into three sections.

Section A: Short Questions (60 marks) – answer 10 out of 12 questions. These questions are based on the core area 1 and 2. Food studies make up a huge part of this section

Section B: Long Questions (180 marks) – answer 3 out 5 questions. Question 1 is compulsory, based on food studies and worth 80 marks. Pick two questions out of question 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Section C: The Elective (80 marks/40 marks) – Elective 1 and 3 are worth 80 marks. Elective 2 is worth 40 marks as there is a project component

Home Economics Predictions 2024

Section B Q1

• Current patterns in the Irish diet
• Recent studies on food choice/food habits
• Fibre/Bowel Disorders
• Carbohydrates
• Minerals (calcium and iron)

Section B Q2

• Food commodities such as meat and dairy
• Production of food
• Nutritional value of food
• Functional/fortified foods

Section B Q3

• Food preservation
• Micro-organisms and food spoilage
• Aesthetic awareness/sensory analysis
• Irish food agencies and food legislation
• Methods of cooking food

Section B Q4

• Cost of living and home management
• Money studies – saving, budgeting, borrowing
• Household appliances
• Consumer behaviour

Section B Q5

• Sociological terms
• Functions of family
• Rights and responsibilities of family members
• Family as a caring unit
• Conflict and conflict resolution

Section C Elective Q3

• Education (all education levels, returning to education, accessibility, changes occuring in Junior Cycle and Leaving cert)
• Work (flexibility in working hours, job-sharing, part-time work, work from home options)

Track record

Home economics predictions 2023.

• Vitamins (watch out for B12, A and C)
• Dairy – milk, cheese, yoghurt
• Meat – nutritional value, processing, bord bia
• Food poisoning
• Irish food agencies
• Food legislation
• Consumer law (CCPC, CAI etc.)
• Consumer studies – rights and responsibilities
• Saving/budgeting
• Current affairs (e.g., cost of living)
• Marriage breakdown
• Family – structure, functions
• Change in work hours (e.g., job-sharing, part-time work)
• Education (all education levels, returning to education, accessibility)
• Social Change
• Leisure – work/life balance

Home Economics Predictions 2022

Although it’s not possible to “predict” the short questions, by studying the core areas 1 and 2, you’ll have yourself fully covered. The long questions however are much more predictable. The home ec course is so long and broad that it’s very difficult to give a huge amount of time to all topics in the weeks leading up to the exam so predictions can be very helpful. These predictions below are based on the patterns of the exam papers over the last number of years (what’s due to come up, what hasn’t come up before) as well as current affairs (covid-19 pandemic, the economy etc.) Everyone knows that predictions are not guarantees but I would suggest having these topics covered very well as they are very likely to appear.

Best of Luck with your studies and with the exams!

·      Table analysis style question ( very likely that there will be a return to the traditional table analysis after the backlash over the 2021 Q1 )

·      Carbohydrates

·      Fibre

·      Lipids

·      Current dietary guidelines

·      Dairy – milk, cheese, yoghurt

·      Calcium

·      Meat

·      Vitamins (haven’t appeared in a long question since 2019, watch out for fat-soluble vitamins)

·      Meat – nutritional value, processing, bord bia

·      Microbiology

·      Food preservation

·      Food spoilage

·      Sensory Analysis

·      Consumer Studies – environment, rights and responsibilities

·      Housing

·      Mortgages

·      Household finances – savings, budgeting

·      Marriage

·      Marriage breakdown

·      Family – structure, roles, dealing with conflict

·      Family law

·      Making a will

·      Work

·      Unemployment

·      Education

·      Leisure – work/life balance, different types of activities depending on cost, age etc

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Food studies assignments, home economics study guides, food studies, home design & management, osteoporosis, resource management & consumer studies, social studies, library annual report 2023-2024, recommended reading lists..., author visit: professor stephen kelly, author visit: nicola pierce.

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Why Home Ec Deserves Respect

Most people don’t think of science, feminism or cultural influence, but Danielle Dreilinger ’99 is determined to change that. In her debut book, The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of the Home and Changed the Way We Live (W.W. Norton & Co., $27.95), Dreilinger engagingly tells the stories of the field’s founders and describes the creation of a home economics movement that instructed and inspired generations of women. She also shines a light on the racism that existed within the movement and the strides made by women of color who were influential leaders and innovators; highlights what the field brought to the 20th century (hello, seven food groups, school lunches, clothing-care labels); and makes a solid case for home economics as a necessary source of study today.

In the 19th century, home economics education was an avenue for women to enter the sciences; one of the field’s founders was a chemist, Ellen Swallow Richards, who was the first woman to graduate from MIT (the book includes an amazing photo from 1890 of a petite Richards holding space among 25 heavily mustachioed colleagues). From the beginning, the movement’s intent was to change the world through the household, and to help people live better lives. “In 1899 home economists argued for school gardens, STEM education for girls, takeout food, and affordable day care,” Dreilinger writes. “And yet home economics has been denigrated over and over again as ‘just stitching and stirring.’”

By compellingly spotlighting the heroines of the movement and outlining the practical benefits offered by modern home ec curriculums, Dreilinger makes the case for a comeback. “Home economics is, can, and should be an interdisciplinary, ecological field that explores the connections between our homes and the world,” she writes.

Danielle Dreilinger ’99

KATHLEEN FLYNN

Dreilinger spent three years doing intense research, which she says was an enormous pleasure (fun fact: she found a number of helpful documents in the Butler Library archives); it’s the kind of work she’s enjoyed since her time at the College. “What I loved about Columbia was finding a place where I could talk about books and problems,” she says. “The more I’ve been able to do that since, the happier I’ve been. And the research and reporting for this book was tons of books and tons of problems.”

It was also at the College that she learned how to cook for herself. “I didn’t have a meal plan after my first year, and my dorm was a converted apartment building with a kitchen,” Dreilinger says. “So I got an early start on that practical matter. And that’s really what home ec is — it’s not Gourmet magazine; it’s about basic cooking and how to feed yourself, and also about culinary career preparation and learning how our food systems work.”

Dreilinger is hoping her book will help to kickstart a national dialogue about bringing home economics back into visibility and relevance; she’d love to see the teaching of practical life skills become mandatory for middle- and high-schoolers. “As an education reporter, I know what a tall order it is to tell states to make something mandatory, but I also think that’s how you bump something up the priority list,” she says. (She urges interested parents to speak out at their local Board of Education meetings. “I’ve covered I don’t know how many state and school board meetings, and they really do matter,” she says.)

This a promising moment, Dreilinger says, because we are thinking more about home economics than we have in a long time. The last two decades have seen dramatic growth in homemaking media — thousands of DIY and cooking blogs, Real Simple, the Food Network, Project Runway, Michelle Obama’s health and fitness initiatives, and more. We’ve also spent an inordinate amount of time in our homes recently because of the Covid-19 pandemic: “People are more aware than ever about the permeability of those four walls; the home may be a refuge, but it is also political and economic,” Dreilinger writes. “We are recognizing the importance and the inescapability of the work that takes place inside the home.”

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Home Economics

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Home Economics is an interdisciplinary field of study that comprises three major options: Family and Resource Management; Textiles, Clothing and Fashion; and Food, Nutrition and Health.

Students pursuing this syllabus will develop competencies in an appropriate mix of knowledge, skills and abilities. The syllabus is geared towards helping learners matriculate to higher learning, sustain lifelong learning, integrate readily and attain employment in industry in a wide variety of careers in Family Support Services, Health Sector Food and Hospitality industries, Fashion and Interior Design.

This field of study incorporates competencies and experiences which are responsive to the Caribbean context of vulnerability to natural disasters, food insecurity, and instability in family life and lifestyle diseases. Additionally, the availability of a variety of materials which can be transformed into products that contribute to economic growth and sustainability underscores the need for this syllabus.

Home Economics is offered for examination as three options:

Family and Resource Management

Textiles, clothing and fashion, food, nutrition and health.

Each option is organised in seven sections and provides articulation into tertiary level education programmes, which allow students to acquire skills for advanced learning and for industry and business.

• Mark Scheme HE 3H
• Plan Sheet HE 5
• Record of Marks HE1A (Revised Jan 2024)
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• Assignment 1 – Mark Scheme
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• Practical Assignments 1, 2, and 3 – Record of Marks (Revised Jan 2024)

Syllabus, Specimen Paper, Mark Scheme, Subject Reports

Past Papers

NOTE : The SBA for the Home Economics cluster will be returning to the use of three (3) assignments instead of two (2) which were used in 2020-23.

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Home Economics Class Approach to Hands-on Activities From Home Through Distance Learning

Cake made by Ashley Tjaarda, made with only cake mix and a can of soda

Alina Garcia , Contributor March 23, 2021

Home Economics is a very popular class offered at Tracy High School, many take the class because of the abundance of hands-on activities and assignments conducted: cooking, sewing, drawing, etc. However, due to distance learning, many of these activities that students look forward to for this class have been adjusted to fit new strategies in teaching.

Debbie Johnson, the Home Ec teacher at Tracy High, looks forward to interacting with so many students and teaching her skills and relaying her vital knowledge every year. However, distance learning has forced her to alter her method of teaching and has formed teaching barriers she had to break through. Johnson said, “It has taken some time to adjust to doing everything online. I have had to learn a lot of new technology in order for Microsoft Teams to work. Distance learning has required that all of my assignments be digital so that students can complete the assignments.”

Johnson has had to make some specific adjustments regarding her class as a whole which has been a large shift in what content she is able to include in her lessons. She claimed, “The curriculum for Home Ec has required some changes due to distance learning: adjustments to the amount of topics that are discussed and covered, and overall changes to how the class is structured. Since the second semester has started, I am able to cover more of the curriculum. I have tried to make distance learning more interesting and engaging.”

Not only did distance learning effect Johnson’s method of teaching, but if took some of the joys that came with doing her job, one being student interaction. Johnson stated, “Teaching every day on Teams without students having on their cameras and having them respond is difficult. I miss the face to face conversations with students, and having them in my classroom.”

Even with the struggles of distance learning, students have still been able to have fun and success in Johnson’s class. One of the favorite units in Johnson’s Home Ec class is cooking, Johnson has always supplied really fun recipes for students to showcase their culinary skills. When speaking about the cooking unit, Johnson said, “The students are assigned a cooking assignment to cook at home, they submit pictures of the item they make. overall, students have enjoyed cooking at home. Some of the items they have been assigned to make are as follows: twice baked potatoes, two ingredient cake, pancakes, biscuits, and cookies.

Johnson has been able to navigate through the obstacles of distance learning very effectively. Although there have been alterations to her curriculum that she has taught for years, she persevered and was able to teach her lessons with the most effectiveness possible, always maintaining a positive attitude for her students.

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How to Be a Home Economics Teacher (USA and Canada)

Last Updated: May 6, 2021 References

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 25,547 times.

Home economics, or Family and Consumer sciences, is the study of managing a home, career, and family, as well as day-to-day living. Topics in home economics include menu planning, money management, food and nutrition, and child development. Home economics is generally taught at the high school level, but there are middle school and universities that also teach this subject. By earning a bachelor’s degree, completing the necessary teacher certification, and by taking the final steps to secure a job, you can be a home economics teacher.

Completing a Bachelor’s Degree

• If Home Economics is offered at your high school, be sure to take it.
• Other courses that may help you, include: sociology, health, family and consumer studies, and chemistry.

• In the US, these include: Ball State University, Antelope Valley College, Baylor University, and many others. [3] X Research source
• In Canada, these include: University of Prince Edward Island, Carleton University, and others. [4] X Research source
• Select the best school for you by speaking to current students and professors, looking at op-to-date course catalogs and reading about classes, and considering the cost of tuition (and availability of financial aid).

• Before selecting an undergraduate program, visit several campuses to find the right one for you.
• Speak to the chair of each department you are considering to get a feel for the program. Inquire about the job placement rates for graduates of each program.
• You will need to check to make sure that the teaching program is approved by your state or province to be eligible for state certification.

• Consider a minor in a related field, such as psychology, sociology, or nutrition sciences.
• Seek out extra-curricular opportunities, such as volunteering with a local high school or working as a research assistant for a university professor.

Becoming Certified

• You can research the requirements for US teachers by state on the UK College of Education site. [6] X Research source
• You can research the requirements for Canadian teachers on the Canada Education Network site.

• Keep in mind that you may someday want to change locations.
• Furthermore, certifications that go beyond the bare minimum may make you a more attractive job candidate.

• Paying the required tuition and/or fees.
• Attending class.
• Studying and completing assignments.
• Passing necessary exams.

Taking the Final Steps to Employment

• Often times, teachers will continue to pursue further education through night school while they teach.

• These include state or province-based organizations, such as HETAC (Home Economics Teacher Association of California) or OHEA (Ontario Home Economics Association).
• This also includes national organizations, such as AAFCS (the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences).
• Perform an internet search for organizations in your area and complete an online application.

• If you move to the next level, you will likely participate in a phone interview, and then an in-person interview.

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You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/majors/family-consumer-sciences-family-consumer-sciences
• ↑ https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search?major=673_Family%20and%20Consumer%20Sciences
• ↑ http://www.bachelorsportal.eu/study-options/269353016/family-consumer-science-canada.html
• ↑ http://www.teaching-certification.com/home-economics-teacher-certification.html
• ↑ https://education.uky.edu/acadserv/pdac/certification-by-state/
• ↑ http://study.com/articles/Home_Economics_Teachers_Career_Info_and_Requirements_for_Becoming_a_Home_Economics_Teacher.html
• ↑ http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/346/Family-Consumer-Science-Teacher.html

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Home Economics - Higher

A long and diverse course, this subject is a lot more than just cooking. 

Don't forget to practice Question 1(a) from Section B where you have to analyze a graph or chart. These type of questions will not appear in your textbook. Don't forget to study all topics in your elective. Part (a) is compulsory so if you cut corners you can get caught out. Students who do Biology and Business will find some overlapping topics which makes things easier. 

Higher Level Course Content:

• Consumer Studies
• Diet & Health
• Elective 1: Energy & Emissions
• Elective 1: Heating, Water, Lighting..
• Elective 1: Housing (Planning, building..)
• Elective 1: Interior Design
• Elective 2: Fabrics
• Elective 2: Patterns & Fashion
• Elective 3: (un)employment & Poverty
• Elective 3: Education in Ireland
• Elective 3: Family Life & Leisure
• Environment
• Food Assignments
• Food Industry & Packaging
• Food Spoilage & Food Safety
• Foods: Meat, Fish, Cereal, Fruit/Veg, Dairy, Eggs
• Household Appliances
• Household Finances
• Marriage & Family Law
• Meal Planning & Preparation
• Nutrition: Carbohydrates
• Nutrition: Lipids
• Nutrition: Protein
• Nutrition: Vitamins and Minerals

Ordinary Level Course Content:

• Elective1: Energy & Emissions
• Elective1: Heating, Water, Lighting..
• Elective1: Interior Design
• Elective1: Irish Housing
• Elective2: Fabrics
• Elective2: Patterns & Fashion
• Elective3: (un)employment & Poverty
• Elective3: Education in Ireland
• Elective3: Family Life & Leisure
• Older Persons

Practical Coursework   - 20%

This is worth 20% of the final mark this is submitted in journal form in sixth year.

Written Exam paper – 80%

The written examination is a two-and-a-half hour exam at both levels and has three sections:

Section A (60 marks)

12 short questions and you're marked on you're best 10.  These deal mainly with all the core areas. 

Section B (180 marks)

5 questions of which you must answer question 1 (Food Science and Nutrition) and any other 2 questions (from the other Core Areas).  

Section C (80 marks)

3 questions of which you must answer one question, an elective question based on your chosen elective.

Future Careers with Leaving Certificate Home Economics

Home Economics is not an essential requirement for any courses in the CAO system but teaches useful cooking skills that will be used by all. Future careers include Fashion, Cookery, Chef, Tourism, Business, Social Work.

Download the Leaving Cert Home Economics Syllabus

Download the Leaving Cert Home Economics Chief Examiner's Report (2017) 

Download the Leaving Cert Home Economics Guidlines for Teachers

Past Papers

Created by studyclix.

Community Activity

WELCOME TO THE 2021/22 ACADEMIC YEAR

HOME ECONOMICS

Mrs richards, face to face 👩‍🏫 and home learning 🏠.

A warm welcome and hello to all students at Kingussie High School and anyone else who is interested in developing their knowledge, understanding and practical cooking skills at home.

check out this 360 of the home economics room

Click on the photo.

Subject Choice

Leaving certificate, home economics, career zone.

The Home Economics syllabus provides students with knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes necessary for managing their own lives, for further and higher education and work. The learning experiences in home economics develop flexibility and adaptability in students, prepare them for a consumer-oriented society and provide a learning foundation for a wide range of careers in food, textiles, science, design, social studies and tourism.

Why Study Home Economics

Students should study this subject in order to:

• Be able to research, study, analyse and interpret material.
• Be able and willing to learn Nutrition and Culinary skills.
• Be able to communicate well.
• Be organised.
• Be able to discuss topics and work in teams.

Home Economics is a popular subject choice for Leaving Cert Students.

What kind of student would Home Economics suit?

This subject suits a practical student who enjoys making things, doing things and knowing how things work.

It is be advisable for students opting for Leaving Certificate Home Economics to have completed the Junior Certificate course.  Some of the areas covered on the Junior Cert Home Economics course are continued at Leaving Certificate level.

• Practical cookery assessed through written exams only
• Textile Electives—fashion design, social studies, home design and management
• There is a lot more Sociology e.g. Family /marriage/ relationships/ family problems e.g. alcoholism, gambling, the elderly, housing, problems facing teenagers/ child care development
• In-depth Study of Nutrition, Resource Management and Consumer Studies

Much of the course is theory based – students are often under the illusion that “it’s all cooking” and find it quite a shock when they realise even the Practical Section has to be written up and presented – because there is no Practical Examination as at Junior Cycle Level.

Recommendations/Tips

This is a wide-ranging course, covering many life skills areas. Students enjoy the subject but they must be willing to learn and to undertake what is quite a substantially theoretical subject.

There is both an Honours and Ordinary level within the subject.  Students can opt to take the written exam at Higher or Ordinary level, however the Coursework Journal is at a general level and is corrected as such.

There is also a link with other subjects: Biology, Business Studies and Building Construction. being aware of this cross-curricular advantage is helpful when choosing subjects.

Subject Group: Social

These subjects explore common issues faced by all people living in society. They develop the skills and knowledge used to manage personal resources and guide human behaviour.

• Career Sectors

This subject builds skills and knowledge that are particularly useful for careers in the following Career Sectors:

• Farming, Horticulture & Forestry
• Biological, Chemical & Pharmaceutical Science
• Public Administration, Politics & EU
• Clerical & Administration
• Tourism & Hospitality
• Law & Legal
• Leisure, Sport & Fitness
• Sales, Retail & Purchasing
• Security, Defence & Law Enforcement

Grades Awarded

Explore marks distribution for all subjects:.

Course Overview

The subject is an applied subject combining theory with practice. It is concerned with the management of resources (material and human) to meet the physical, emotional, intellectual, social and economic needs of individuals and families. The study of home economics emphasises the interdependent relationships that exist between individuals, families and their immediate and distant environments.

Course Content

The syllabus consists of Core Areas and Three Electives:

The Core Areas 1. Food Studies - 45% 2. Resource Management and Consumer Studies - 25% 3. Social Studies - 10%

Electives 1. Home Design and Management - 20%                   or 2. Textiles, Fashion and Design - 20%                   or 3. Social Studies - 20% Students opt for one elective area only.  Those choosing the Textiles, Fashion and Design elective must produce a garment which will be inspected and graded.

The elective areas are extensions of the content contained in the Core Areas and provide students with the opportunity to study certain topics in more depth.

As part of the Core Areas, a mandatory section comprises of Practical Coursework which must be completed during the two years and will be sent to the Department of Education and Science for inspection.  This is 20% of the final examination marks.

Exam Structure

The Leaving Certificate Home Economics syllabus is examined as follows:

1.  Written Exam paper  – 80% The written examination consists of three sections:

Section A 12 short questions – Students answer 10.  These deal mainly with all the core areas of practice. (60 marks allocated)

Section B 5 questions - Students are to answer Question 1 (Food Science and Nutrition) and any other 2 questions (from the other Core Areas).  (180 marks allocated)

Section C 3 questions - Students are to answer 1. Elective question, based on which Elective was chosen to do in class.  (80 marks allocated)

2.  Practical Coursework  - 20% This is worth 20% of the final mark; this is submitted in journal form earlier in the Leaving Certificate year.

Career Possibilities

This subject provides a good foundation for careers in a wide range of areas including Health, Nutrition, Education, Tourism, Textiles, Design, the Food industry, Science and Social Studies.

3rd Level Requirements

Required for 3rd level,   home economics, guide to subject choice, exam papers, marking schemes, full curriculum, hear from people who have studied this subject?, what subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path.

Ejiro O'Hare Stratton, Clinical Nurse Manager 2

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