Home Economics

Introduction to Home Economics

Home Economics aims to develop students’ knowledge, understanding, skills and competences to achieve optimal, healthy and sustainable living for every person as an individual, and as a member of families and society.

Home Economics aims to develop students’ practical food and health literacy skills so that they are enabled to adopt a healthy lifestyle and make informed decisions that positively impact their health and wellbeing as individuals as well as within their families and society.

It aims to cultivate students who are creative, innovative, adaptable and competent consumers.

Home Economics aims to develop students who are environmentally conscious and dedicated to a sustainable and responsible way of life.

Junior Cycle Home Economics Strands:

• Food, Health and Culinary Skills
• Responsible Family Living
• Textiles and Craft

Assessment for Home Economics:

Classroom- Based Assessments:

• CBA 1– Creative Textiles– This involves the student applying the design brief process and the principles of design and sustainability. The student is required to make a textile item for an individual/the home. Further more the student can recycle or upcycle a textile item for an individual/the home.
• CBA 2– Food Literacy Skills Brief– Students will use the design brief process to demonstrate their culinary and creative food literacy skills and nutritional knowledge by researching, analysing and planning the requirements for the brief.

Final Examination:

• Practical Food Skills Examination — weighing 50%
• Written Examination — weighing 50%

Useful Tips

• Ensure that you know and understand the keywords for each topic / section
• Create Spider diagrams / mind maps for each topic. Your study of the topic is not complete until you have done so.
• Make use of exam questions after you have studied a topic/section. Practise questions keeping to the time suggested
• Make a study plan / timetable for each term revising the topics completed during the term using strategies 1, 2 and 3 above!
• Practical work — Do implementation and evaluations exercises for good studies practical classes that night and file carefully in your folder. Practise tasks in Food Studies.
• Remember practise makes perfect and can also improve your confidence.

Useful websites for students

• www.bordbia.ie — information on all food commodities
• www.fsa.ie — Food Safety Authority
• www.citezeninformation.ie — Information on peoples rights with regard to consumer issues
• www.revenue.ie — Information on the tax system in Ireland
• www.welfare.ie — Information on State Benefits

**Columba College Killucan and LWETB are not responsible for the content of third party websites**