Novel Approach Additions

As I mentioned in my last post, I am in the final stages of updating our resource for incorporating fiction into the FACS classroom.  When I originally wrote A Novel Approach to FACS, I was blissfully unaware of how rapidly teen novels go out of print.  I spent the better part of a year reading teen novels to select what I thought was a great collection of FACS-friendly novels.  Imagine my surprise when I found that several of those carefully chosen titles went out of print after only a year or two of publication!  Arrrrggghhhh!!!  Apparently, teen readers have very short interest spans.  Now who should that surprise?

Anyway, I had no choice but to update Novel Approach, deleting the novels that are out of print and adding new ones.  The novels that will be eliminated from Novel Approach 2011 are:

Sister of the Bride by Beverly Cleary. (This one is a classic that I expect to be republished, but not in the foreseeable future. Sigh.)

Chicks with Sticks—It’s a Purl Thing by Elizabeth Lenhard  (This is the first book in a series of three teen novels based on knitting.  So well written and engaging, but sadly no longer available.)

Stirring It Up—Dish #1 by Diane Muldrow  (A great series for middle school and reluctant readers all about learning to cook and develop recipes.  There are, I think, about 12 books in the series.  I’ve found them on clearance tables in books stores.  If you see them, you might want to pick them up for your classroom.)

I was just about to give Rules by Cynthia Lord the axe when a new paperback version was released.  Yeah!!  It’s a great easy read that will generate lots of discussion about autism and family dynamics.  Great for parenting and child development classes.

The novels that will be added to the new version of Novel Approach are:

Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee  (Great novel for dealing with the topics of nutrition, weight loss, eating disorders, etc.) http://www.suzannesupplee.com/index.html

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer  (Oh my gosh, I can’t tell you how much I love Joan Bauer’s novels!!  They’re amazing!  This one deals with a young girl’s challenges after her dad is killed fighting in Iraq and how she finds solace and confidence in becoming a great baker!  Fabulous!  http://www.joanbauer.com

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer (A teenaged girl abandoned by her mother, a waitress, and raised by her aunt, a restaurant cook copes with life on the move and an uncertain family history.  Joan Bauer shares more about the food service industry as well as great practical wisdom in this novel than you’ll find in the pages of any culinary arts textbook!  You’ll love it and so will your students.  I promise!)

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper  (Funny, poignant, and full of insights into running a bakery—you’ll rout for Penny, the heroine of the story as she makes new friends, deals with her parents divorce and outsmarts the mean girls in her new school.  Great book!)  http://www.heatherhepler.com/

Lynn Visible by Julia DeVillers  (This is a charming tale of individualism, creativity and sewing!  Perfectly reflecting the current pop culture while still dealing with some of the challenges of following your own must as a teenager when all you really want to do is “fit in”.  Delightful!)

Now, I know I took out only three novels and added five new ones to Novel Approach 2011.  I just could not decide which of the novels above didn’t make the cut, so I kept them all.  In upcoming posts, I’ll give you a plot summary of each novel and some ideas of how they can be used in the FACS classroom  In the meantime, I hope you’ll check out the author websites I’ve provided.

I’d love to know what you think of my new selections!  Do you have any books to recommend for use in the FACS curriculum?  We’d all love to hear from you!

Have a Fresh FACS day!

Ramona

Can We Talk?

I’ve been writing this blog for nearly two years now and I truly enjoy sharing information, project ideas, articles I’ve found, and experiences that I think might interest my readers.  My one big disappointment has been the lack of participation from you.  I know from the data that’s available to me as the blog administrator that between 200 and 300 FACS teachers and others read this blog on a regular basis.  While that fact is definitely encouraging, I  would still love to hear your opinions and experiences related to the topics I choose as my subjects.

In an effort to encourage you to comment on my blog posts, I’ve removed the comment restrictions that I put in place when I created this blog.  You no longer need to register in order to be able to post a comment.  I chose to require registration initially because I am very concerned about inappropriate comments being posted by spammers and others who take some inexplicable pleasure in leaving obscene remarks in public forums like this one.

It is my sincere hope that you will feel free to share your thoughts, ideas and experiences with the readers of this blog.  As I have stated many times, I am not an expert in the field of teaching Family Consumer Science or any of the related topics that fall under that very broad umbrella.  I am simply a FACS professional who has a deep passion for FACS and FACS education.  Your input will make this blog a much richer and more meaningful endeavor.  So please, feel free to join the conversation!  We will all benefit from the free exchange of ideas!

Just to give you a preview of upcoming posts—I plan to give you an overview of the novels that will be included in the new version of A Novel Approach to FACS—Fiction in the FACS Curriculum.  I’ve discovered some wonderful new teen novels that fit the FACS curriculum so perfectly.  Can’t wait to tell you about them and give you some ideas of how that can be used in your classroom. 

Are you currently incorporating reading into your FACS classroom?  Do you have a teen novel that you would like to recommend to our readers?  If you have experiences to share on this or a related topic, we’d love to hear from you!

Have a Fresh FACS day!

Ramona

A Dream Comes True

Sorry that it’s been a while since I posted.  You all understand how life is.  From time to time things just get so busy that you have to let something go.  That’s been the story of my life for the last few weeks.  It’s all good!  I love to be busy and everything that’s been going on has been positive. 

I’m working feverishly on revisions to existing resources and writing a brand new one as well.  FACS on Board will be a resource for making the most of the interactive whiteboard in the FACS classroom.   FACS on Board will be available for purchase January 1.  To be alerted when it’s available, Like us on Facebook.  http://www.facebook.com/FreshFACS  Our FB Fans receive first notification of all new Fresh FACS products, activities and events plus useful links, info and more.  We’d love to count you as one of our FB fans.

Just thought I’d share with you the home improvement project that has kept us very busy for the last week.  I’ve wanted a pergola added to the patio of our house for over ten years and now it’s finally a reality.  Enjoy this gallery of project photos.

 

 

A dream realized!  If you’re ever in the Pinckneyville area, drop by and sit a while with us!  Have a Fresh FACS day!

Ramona

Food Rules

I’ve just finished reading Food Rules by Michael Pollan and I consider it a must read for anyone interested in eating better or teaching students to make better food choices. 

This very readable, easy-to-use guide boils down all of the nutritional hype and conflicting advice that constantly assaults us into practical terms.  This handbook lays out a set of straightforward, memorable rules for eating wisely.  I highly recommend reading for your personal information and using it with your students.

Food Rule # 5 is one of my favorites. 

“Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.” 

Reading food labels we often come across words like ethoxylated diglycerides, xanthan gum, calcium propionate, ammonium sulfate, and fructo-oligosaccharide.  Crazy right?  Much of our food currently more closely resembles something you’d find in a chemistry lab than on our dinner table.  The jury is still out on exactly the long-term ramifications of this disturbing trend.

Here’s an idea for making your students aware of the extent to which food scientists have invaded our daily diet.  Select a variety of packaged foods that have long lists of chemical additives as part of their ingredient list.  Ask students to create a “word cloud” by entering all of the ingredients in their assigned product at the website http://www.wordle.net/. 

Print out the word art designs generated from the activity and then create a display in a high-traffic area of your school.  Ask students to attempt to match up foods with the word clouds of ingredients.  The display should generate some good discussion and draw attention to not only the composition of common foods but your program as well.

If you implement this activity, please share your feedback with us on this blog.  Have a great week and make it a Fresh FACS day!

Ramona