Junior Cycle Home Economics encourages students to:
- Develop essential life skills and foster independence through its subject matter and practical elements of the subject.
- It supports the development of students who are critical, creative thinkers and encourages students to be problem-solvers capable of making ethically and socially responsible decisions.
- Junior Cycle Home Economics develops the knowledge, understanding, skills, and values necessary to achieve optimal, healthy and sustainable living for every person as an individual, and as a member of a family and society.
Home Economics draws on diverse disciplines integrating social, physical and human sciences. It strives to solve everyday challenges using a blend of knowledge and skills acquired from multiple disciplines. Home Economics education develops students’ essential life skills and personal independence. Students develop integral practical skills through the cookery and textile elements of the course. In cookery classes, students learn a vast range of skills which allows them to produce a wide range of dishes with an emphasis being placed upon healthy eating. Hand and machine sewing skills are developed in the textile module which enables students to make, mend and upcycle textile items. The skills learned can be carried throughout their life and provide rich learning experiences, Through the Junior Cycle Curriculum Home Economics students are placed at the centre of their learning experiences and can explore contemporary issues that are happening around them. For example examining environmental issues linked with the textile industry, exploring a weekly budget for a family of four or understanding how a food item is processed to end up in their fridge. Students can apply their learning in Home Economics to their own lives to further their understanding of principal issues.
Home Economics is split into three strands.
STRAND 1 - Food, health and culinary skills
This strand focuses on developing students’ food, health and culinary skills. Students are enabled to develop a healthy, sustainable attitude and positive relationship with food. This is developed through practical and experiential learning. Students apply their understanding of nutrition, diet and health principles in order to adopt a healthy lifestyle and make informed decisions that promote health and wellbeing. The application of practical food literacy skills is integral to this strand and includes menu planning; shopping; cooking; health and safety food skills; portion control; reading food labels; dietary analysis; costing; sensory analysis; and food waste. The skills developed within this strand are integral to the promotion of healthy eating and healthy lifestyles among young people.
STRAND 2 - Responsible Family Living
Students develop an understanding of the different forms and role of families as the core social unit. They develop an understanding of the roles within the family to understand how to manage conflicts within the family. Students develop life skills to enable them to manage resources responsibly and sustainably in the home, family and community. Students examine the key aspects of being a consumer and the influence of different advertising and marketing strategies might have on their consumer choices. Students will learn how they as a consumer are protected and what agencies support consumers. Students also explore money management skills and will understand the importance of budgeting and being responsible with their money. They are facilitated to become discerning, competent consumers who are able to apply effective decision-making skills in everyday contexts.
STRAND 3 - Textiles and crafts
This strand focuses on developing students’ textile skills, knowledge and creativity. Students explore areas such as the fashion industry and trends as well as examining the different uses of fabrics. Practical textile and craft skills are integral to this strand and include hand and machine sewing skills, and fabric texturing and embellishment techniques. Students are enabled to make sustainable decisions as consumers in the choice and maintenance of clothing and textiles. Students will apply the design brief process in designing and making a textile item for an individual or the home. Through this strand students are empowered with the skills to create upcycle and mend textile items in the home.
Assessment and the learning journey
Classroom Based Assessment 1: Creative Textiles.
- Students will make a textile item or upcycle a textile item for an individual or for the home.
- Each student will apply the design brief process which they will have been developed in year one.
- Each student will apply the principals of design and principality.
As part of the project, students will show evidence of:
- Applying the design brief process.
- Applying the principles of design and sustainability.
- Using basic hand sewing and/or machine sewing techniques in the making of the product.
- Fabric embellishment techniques (where applicable).
- Appropriate textile care and maintenance.
Classroom Based Assessment 2: Food Literacy Skills Brief.
Using the design briefs issued by the State Examinations Commission
- Each student is to apply the relevant stages of the design brief process.
- Each student is to demonstrate culinary and creative food literacy skills and nutritional knowledge in researching, analysing and planning the requirements of the brief.
- Each student is to discuss and present an outline of the proposed solution to the brief.
- Students utilising the design brief process will generate ideas and possible solutions for the chosen brief.
- Students will use the prepared material to share their thoughts on how to approach the practical food skills examination associated with the brief through a discussion with their peers.
Practical food skills examination.
Students will be required to demonstrate the application of nutritional knowledge and practical culinary skills in the execution of one of the briefs issued by the State Examinations Commission.
- The practical food skills examination will be of one hour and thirty minutes’ duration with an additional thirty minutes of preparation time prior to the commencement of the timed examination.
- It is an individual examination and will be completed by the end of year three.
- The examination is worth 50% of the marks available.
As part of the practical examination, students will:
- Apply the relevant stages of the design brief process in the preparation, implementation and evaluation
- Use technology, as appropriate, in the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the brief.
- Demonstrate a range of cooking principles and techniques
- Apply sustainable resource management practices
- Apply safe and hygienic practices in food handling, preparation, storage and serving
- Demonstrate culinary and creative skills in preparation, implementation and presentation.
Written Examination
- Students will sit a written examination of one and a half hour's duration.
- The written examination will take place at the end of third year.
- This examination is worth 50% of the allocated marks.
- The final examination will be set and marked by the State Examinations Commission.