Fresh FACS Publishing

We’re in Stitches

Appliqué, fat quarter, sashing, trapunto, squaring up, strip piecing. . .

These terms are part of the language of quilting.  Do you speak quilting?

Quilting is the fastest growing segment of home sewing in America today and it’s become very specialized and high tech.  There’s more to the art of quilting than your grandmother could ever have imagined.  If you haven’t tried quilting recently, you really should give it a try.  New tools and techniques make creating beautiful quilted items easy for even the most novice sewer. 

If quilting isn’t already a part of your FACS curriculum, this month would be a great time to give it a try.  March is National Quilting Month and this Saturday, March 20, is National Quilting Day.  As you consider making quilting a part of your FACS program, check out these resources.

At the National Quilting Association, Inc. website, you’ll find ideas for celebrating National Quilting Month and National Quilting Day.

http://nqaquilts.org/

Here’s a worthwhile project you and your students might want to consider.

http://www.quiltsforkids.org/

Here’s a collection of quilting lessons

http://www.quilterbydesign.com/lessons.html

This is a very comprehensive website about all things quilting.

http://www.bearpawproductions.com/QuiltingBasics.htm

FACS By Numbers, our resource for teaching quilting and geometry, is a complete curriculum that will have your students creating fabulous quilting projects as they apply core math concepts.  I wrote this curriculum with my quilting buddy who is also a geometry teacher.  To learn more about FACS By Numbers go to http://freshfacs.com/facs_by_numbers.htm.

“Quilting with a friend will keep you in stitches.”

Ramona

Wrap Up and Forecast

It’s almost the weekend and I’m looking forward to some time spent relaxing with my guy and, of course, Betty. As usual, Dusty and I will be spending a lot of time in the office catching up on some business tasks.  We’re also hoping for some nice weather so that we can do some yard work.  Whatever, you have planned, I hope you have a great weekend doing things that you bring you pleasure.

“Taking joy in life is a woman’s best cosmetic.” Rosalind Russell

As we continue to count down the days in this month, I hope that you will continue to consider the important role that women have made in the history of our nation.  For more inspiration, check out these websites:

http://www.nwhp.org/

http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/How-to-Help-Women-and-Children-for-Free

http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/h/hearth/about.html

http://www.halftheskymovement.org/

There are three important and timely topics I plan to blog about in the next couple of weeks—National Nutrition Month, National Quilting Month and National Craft Month.  I hope you will check back regularly and maybe even join the conversation.

Yesterday’s broadcast of the Oprah show was an outstanding one.  It was focused on food, an analysis of the American diet and nutrition.  Excellent.  If you have the opportunity to catch a re-broadcast of this program, it will be well worth your time.  If that’s not possible, check out this section of Oprah’s website for a summary of the program’s main points.  Much of the program referenced the documentary Food Inc.  Check out the movie’s website, too.

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/The-Truth-About-Food-with-Michael-Pollan

http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ramona

Women I Admire

Well, here I am again—just me, my computer, and Betty, the office cat.  I don’t know if I’ve told you all about Betty or not.  She’s this adorable little stray cat that adopted us last winter and has slowly taken over our office space and our hearts.  She spends a lot of her time overseeing my work at the computer.  Her favorite activity is strolling across the keyboard, often totally wiping out what I’ve been working on and then thoroughly enjoying the show when I shriek and scramble to try to retrieve my work from the electronic black hole inside my CPU.  (Thank goodness for the Undo key!!)  Betty seems to assume that it’s her job to keep me alert and on the job.  I think she worries that I’ll become complacent and pedestrian in my writing.  Anyway, Betty is never far away and on duty.  She makes sure that I don’t get lonely when it’s just me and my computer.  

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I have to tell you that writing this blog is a rather surreal part of my day.  This process feels very much like writing a letter to myself every day.  That’s one step up from talking to myself, which I tend to do from time to time, unfortunately.  Maybe it comes from all those years in the classroom where the feedback was constant and instantaneous, but I would really like to hear from you, my loyal but silent readers.  I know you’re out there because we’ve pulled the traffic data from our service provider and the blog gets a lot of hits.  However, it sure would be good to actually receive a comment from you once in a while.  My goal for this blog is to provide you with information and inspiration that will:

• give you ideas for classroom activities.
• provide you with interesting facts that will enrich your instruction.
• connect you with websites, publications and products that you may not have discovered.
• save you time in preparing your lessons by directing you to quality resources.
• keep you up to date on news and events related to the FACS classroom.
• provide a forum where you can share your ideas and experiences with other FACS professionals.  Collaboration is so important and valuable!
• and most of all to remind you that what you do is important and valuable.  That’s a fact that I’m concerned often gets lost in the stress of trying to survive each day in an overworked, underfunded environment.  It’s important to believe in yourself and what you’re doing.

I’ve been writing this blog off and on for about a year and though I enjoy it, it would inspire me to receive some feedback from you.  I’m still struggling to find my blog style, and I appreciate your patience with me.  Anyway, suffice to say that Betty and I are waiting to hear from you.  Won’t you please talk to us and let us know how we’re doing?

Anyway, back to the topic of Women’s History Month.  Since I’m making this post more personal than informational, let me just share a little bit about the two FACS women I admire most—one is a historical figure and one a living inspiration.  These two women will always be inextricably linked in my mind—Ellen Swallow Richards and Joyce Beery Miles.

Ellen Swallow Richards is widely recognized as the founder of Home Economics.  As the first woman to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Ellen broke down barriers that had previously stood in the way of women receiving access to higher education and career opportunities.  I passionately believe that every FACS professional should know about Ellen’s remarkable.  We have devoted an entire section of our website to Ellen and her accomplishments.  Check out http://www.freshfacs.com/Ellen/ellen_swallow_richards.htm.

Joyce Miles is a dedicated FACS professional who literally travels the world spreading the good word about the heritage and importance of Family and Consumer Science.  If you attended any of the events celebrating the the centennial of AAFCS, there’s a very good chance that you have seen Joyce’s dynamic dramatization of Ellen Swallow Richards’ life and legacy.  I snapped this photo of Joyce in full Ellen attire during one of her presentations at the New York State AAFCS centennial conference in lake Placid, New York in October of last year.  I have had the opportunity to see Joyce’s performance on a few occasions and she never fails to inform and inspire her audience and this performance was no exception.  At the same conference, Joyce and I collaborated on a presentation titled Home Ecology: What Would Ellen Do? .   I was honored to share the stage with Joyce/Ellen.  Joyce writes a blog which is a wealth of information.  You’ll find a link to the Ellen Blog in our blog roll.  Check it out.  It will be worth your while.

Who are the women who have inspired you?  I would be happy to share your stories.  Have a wonderful afternoon.

Ramona

Playing Hooky

I have to confess to having succumbed to a case of spring fever this morning, the result of which was several happy hours enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures in my garden.  The abrupt arrival of spring caught me totally off guard, so I just couldn’t resist indulging my love for digging in the dirt and it was glorious!  Pulling back the dried leaves and other debris to reveal the green sprouts of perennial flowers and herbs is so restorative and satisfying.  It was a wonderful way to spend the better part of the day. 

If you’re wondering why I’m sharing all of this with you, it’s to explain the brevity of this post.  I had planned to share much more information about Catharine Beecher, a strong-willed dedicated educator who did much to advance the education of women.  Ms Beecher deserves more “ink” than I’ll share here, but maybe this will be just enough information to spark your curiosity and inspire you to read more at the websites that appear at the end of this post.  Anyway, here’s a brief (very brief) summary of the life of Catharine Beecher.

Catharine Beecher (1800 – 1878)

American author and educator Catharine Beecher was responsible for creating a new social attitude that placed greater value on women’s work in the home and their role as educators and moral guides for young people.  Her book Treatise on Domestic Economy (1841) was a best-selling work that provided practical household advice while extolling the virtues of domestic life.  She also was an active proponent for the creation of schools for women, arguing that for their special role as instructors of children, women required a thorough education.

Catharine Beecher was a nineteenth century proponent of women’s rights and education for women.  While she did not advocate a radical change in women’s roles, she did fight for increased recognition of the importance of the work women did in managing homes and raising families.  She also believed that women should expand their place in society by becoming teachers, allowing them to use their nurturing skills and moral conscience in a professional sphere.

In 1824 Catharine Beecher opened the Hartford Female Seminary, a private school for girls.  She taught classes there and started to lobby for woman’s rights.  She left the school in 1831.  She founded the American Woman’s Educational Associate in 1852.  in addition, she was instrumental in the founding of women’s colleges at Burlington, Iowa, Quincy, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

http://www.nwhm.org/Education/biography_cebeecher.html

http://www.answers.com/topic/catharine-beecher

http://newman.baruch.cuny.edu/digital/2001/beecher/catherine.htm

I’ll try to get my work ethic back on track tomorrow as we look at the life of another remarkable woman.

Ramona

Celebrating Great Women

In commemoration of National Women’s History Month, I’ve selected a few influential women to spotlight this week.  The first may seem a little quirky, but I would be remiss if I let this one pass.  Today, March 9 is Barbie’s birthday.  This iconic fashion doll, which has been an integral part of the lives of little girls around the world for more than half a century, turns 51 today.  Lookin’ good, don’t you think?  Just a few quick facts you might find interesting about everyone’s favorite doll.

• In her 50 years on the planet, Barbie has enjoyed 100 different careers and had more than 40 pets including cats, dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub and a zebra.
• It is estimated that more than 1 billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in more than 150 countries since she was first introduced.
• Barbie was created by Ruth Handler (pictured above).  She named the doll after her daughter Barbara.
• The first Barbie dolls sold for $3 each.  One of those dolls in its original box, would be worth over $5,000 today. 

Happy Birthday, Barbie!

The Heart and Soul of Sesame Street

Continuing today’s toy theme, I’d like to introduce you to the remarkable woman who created the Children’s Television Workshop, Joan Ganz Cooney.  Most notably associated with the enduring children’s classic, Sesame Street, Ms. Cooney’s innovative experiment in children’s programming changed forever the landscape of educational television.  It’s a little ironic that the Muppet characters that populate Sesame Street are universally recognized by children and adults alike.  However, few people know the woman who brought them into our living rooms.

Joan Ganz Cooney began her career in media as a newspaper reporter.  In the mid-1950s, she moved to New York City where she worked as a publicist for several years.  She got her first opportunity to create television programming as a documentary producer for public television in 1962.  While Cooney enjoyed her work, she saw the potential for using television to make more of a difference in people’s lives.  With a degree in education from the University of Arizona, she began to think about television as a teaching medium.  Cooney conducted a formal study on the subject.  She used her findings to help convince others of television’s potential for positively impacting the lives of children.  The end result was the creation of the Children’s Television Workshop in 1968.

Cooney saw the CTW’s first television series, Sesame Street, as a learning opportunity for all preschool children.  Taking inspiration from the style of commercial television, the show had a quick pace, presenting a variety of educational segments in each episode.  Featuring a multiracial cast of actors, the series introduced us to the Muppets, which were created by the late Jim Henson.  Sesame Street began broadcasting in November 1969 and has remained on the air for over 40 years.

With her creative vision and drive, Cooney revolutionized children’s television programming.  In 1989, she received an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 for her contributions to educational television.  Today Cooney serves on the board of trustees and the executive committee of CTW, which is now known as the Sesame Workshop.  To learn more about Ms. Cooney’s ongoing dedication to preschool education, visit the website for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop at http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/about/index.html.

As professionals dedicated to early childhood education, FACS teachers should applaud the life and work of Joan Ganz Cooney!

HerStory 360°Challenge

The year 2010 is the 30th anniversary of Women’s History Month and the 90th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, giving women across the US the right to vote.  Through the end of Women’s History Month, the HerStory 360°Challenge will feature the story of a different woman who fought for suffrage.  Check out the stories posted at http://www.herstoryscrapbook.com/360Announcement.htm.  Reading these stories dramatically illustrates that every woman’s efforts made a difference in the success of the campaign to win the right to vote.  While only the names of a few brave women are remembered for their roles in this struggle, the victory belongs to countless numbers of women whose names may never make it into the history books.  This project is a wonderful way to celebrate their achievements.

Make the HerStory 360°Challenge Personal

The right to vote isn’t the only challenge that women have faced in the past and currently face today.  Why not recognize the women in your own life and the lives of your students by having them write a HerStory profile?  If we examine the lives of the women close to us, we all know remarkable women who have made a difference in their homes and families, in their communities and in their careers.  Let’s celebrate the remarkable women in our lives!

More on great women in FACS tomorrow!  Have a great Tuesday!

Ramona

Today is International Women’s Day

As I’ve mentioned before, March is National Women’s History Month.  All this week I’ll be devoting my posts to women influential in FACS history emphasizing not only their achievements, but also activities that you can present in your classroom that will elevate and recognize their achievements.  Today has special significance because International Women’s Day.  The days will be marked by events and activities around the world.  For information on International Women’s Day go to http://www.womenforwomen.org/bridge/index.php.

In the modern world in which we live, you would think that the plight of women and girls would be one of the less urgent causes that we might address.  Unfortunately, women and girls are suffering worldwide as never before.  Read these startling statistics reprinted from the website www.she-power.com to begin to see the scope of the problem.

80% of the 50 million people around the world who are affected by violent conflicts, civil wars, disasters, and displacement are women and children.

In 76 countries, less than half the eligible girls are enrolled in secondary school.

Women own only 1% of the world’s land.

Over half a million women die in childbirth every year in Africa and Asia.

In the USA, unintended pregnancies account for almost half of all pregnancies.

According to The World Health Organization, 40 percent of girls aged 17 or under in South Africa are reported to have been the victim of rape or attempted rape.

In Sweden, 76% of mothers work outside the home, the highest percentage in the developed world.

As FACS teachers we are charged with preparing our students to build strong families.  We all know that women are the cornerstone of the family unit.  I hope that you will check back on this blog each day this week for information that you can use to encourage the young women in your classes to respect themselves and set brave goals for their future.  I also hope that you will equip the young men in your classes to respect and appreciate the women in their lives.  That’s quite a goal, I know but we can do it together.

Reading, Relationships and More

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Before I begin my wrap-up post for Read Across America Week, I have a few websites to share with those of you who teach consumer education, money management or personal finance.   If you are looking for reliable information regarding the recently enacted credit card laws, check out http://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/wyntk_creditcardrules.htm.  This website is provided by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, so you can be confident in sharing the information you’ll find with your students.  Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, has created a very useful website www.defendyourdollars.org.  You’ll find information about the new credit card rules here, too, as well as other useful consumer information.  Finally, http://www.consumerjungle.org/ is a website devoted to promoting consumer literacy among your adults.  You students will find this website appealing and easy to navigate.

“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.”

James Bryce

On the FACS Bookshelf on our website www.freshfacs.com you’ll find an extensive list of novels with relationship as a theme.  However, these two novels by Megan Kelley Hall capitalize on the current popularity of the Twilight series. The Lost Sister has received very high praise from the teachers on our FACS Reading Team.  The sequel, Sisters of Misery, which will be released in August is sure to be just as popular.  The novels deal with the theme of bullying and can be a very impactful tool for combating this growing problem in our schools.  You might want to read the article on the subject from the December/January issue of Teen Vogue in which author of The Lost Sister and Sisters of Misery comments on the novels and bullying.  The article is available on our website.

Novels that deal with family and relationships are great vehicle for stimulating class discussion about some very sensitive topics such as teen pregnancy, divorce, death, and illness.  I think you’ll find that students will share their thoughts and feelings regarding these often painful topics more openly when they relate to the character in a novel.  These novels are well written and could be easily incorporated into the FACS curriculum.

(*Denotes that text includes discussion questions.)

Entertaining Angels* and Mulberry Park* by Judy Duarte are tender and touching novels dealing with single parenthood. 

One September Morning* by Rosalind Noonan tells the story of a wife coping with the loss of her soldier husband killed in Iraq.  The story is very powerful and timely.

Sunnyside Blues* by Mary Carter tells the story of the bond that develops between a restless young woman seeking peace of mind and a young boy who has recently lost his mother.  It’s a charming story of how familial love can grow even when no biological links exist.

The Ocean Inside* by Janna McMahan is the story of a family dealing with the catastrophic illness of their nine-year-old daughter.  The family struggles to find treatment for their child while meeting the needs of their teenaged daughter.  This book is a moving portrait of a family in crisis.

One Week in December* by Holly Chamberlain is a heartfelt novel that tells the story of a family reunited for the holidays.  During the visit they are forced to explore the price of secrets, the power of regret, and the choices that can change everything.

Confessions of a Teen Nanny by Victoria Ashton is an amusing story of the challenges of being a teenaged babysitter in charge of a pampered eight-year-old girl.  The story is amusing but could also stimulate discussion of how to handle challenging situations as a care giver.

So many books, so little time!!!  The FACS Bookshelf is an extensive list of novels for use in the FACS classroom.  I have made every effort to ensure that the books on the list are appropriate.  However, I really need your help to evaluate the constant flow of new novels sent to me for consideration by publishers.  If you enjoy reading, I invite you to join our FACS Reading Team.  When you join, we will send you one or more novels to read and evaluate.  The novel is yours to keep and use in your classroom.  To learn more about the FACS Reading Team go to http://www.freshfacs.com/reading_team.htm.  Happy reading!

I’d love to hear about any novels you are currently using or planning to use in your classroom.  Please share your ideas with the readers of this blog!  Your input is valuable and remember that we’re all interested in improving instruction in FACS classrooms.

That’s all for today.  Hope you have a great weekend!  More on Monday.

Ramona

Fiction’s in Fashion

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only.  Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

Coco Chanel

As promised, we’re still looking at strategies for incorporating reading into the FACS curriculum through fiction with teen appeal.  Today, we’re going to look at a few titles that link to the content areas of textiles, apparel, fashion design, sewing and quilting.  Though you won’t find the quantity of titles available in this area compared to food, there are lots of options available.  In this post I’ll share a few of my favorites, but I’m constantly coming across titles that have great possibilities for classroom use.

Quilting/Relationships/History

I highly recommend the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop series by Marie Bostwick for use in the FACS classroom.  I’ve read the first two books in the series—A Single Thread and A Thread of Truth and am anxiously awaiting the release of the next volume in the series, A Thread so Thin which will be published this spring.  Set in historic New Bern, Connecticut this series follows the lives of the women who own and staff the Cobble Court Quilt Shop.  Readers will learn much about the art and craft of quilting and even more about building relationships.  Ms. Bostwick does a remarkable job of depicting the real life struggles of her characters and revealing many life lessons in the process.  To learn more about Marie Bostwick and the Cobble Court Quilt Shop series, go to our website www.freshfacs.com.

In a totally different vein, The Queen’s Dollmaker by Christine Trent.  Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, the Claudette Laurent employs her talents as a doll maker to survive.  The references sewing and crafting references as well as descriptions of the fashions of the period make this historical novel a colorful and exciting read.  The 300+ pages of the novel will make it most appealing to students reading at or above grade level.  You’ll find discussion questions at the end of the novel’s text.  You can read the transcript of an interview with author Christine Trent on the FACS Bookshelf on our website www.freshfacs.com.

Much like the Cobbled Court Quilt novels, The Elm Creek Quilts series by Jennifer Chiaverini feature stories centered the lives of a circle of friends who share a passion for the art of quilting.  Most of the novels are set in present day, however a few are more historical.  I created activities to go along with one of those historic novels, The Sugar Camp Quilt for my resource A Novel Approach to FACS.  Each of the books in the series is pleasant to read and would be appropriate for classroom use.  Here’s the complete list of books in the series.  For information about each of the titles, go to http://elmcreek.net/index.php.   The series also offers books of quilt patterns and instructions to coordinate with the series novels.

The Quilter’s Apprentice

Round Robin

The Cross-Country Quilters

The Runaway Quilt

The Quilter’s Legacy

The Master Quilter

The Sugar Camp Quilt*

The Christmas Quilt

Circle of Quilters

The Quilter’s Homecoming

The New Year’s Quilt

The Winding Ways Quilt

The Quilter’s Kitchen

The Lost Quilter

A Quilter’s Holiday

The Aloha Quilt (coming in April)

Fashion and Fun

Finally, I recommend that you consider these titles for use in your clothing and textiles classes.  They’re fun and very appealing to teen readers.

Chicks with Sticks (It’s a purl thing) by Elizabeth Lenhard is another title included in our resource A Novel Approach to FACS.  In this teen novel a group of teenage girls from very different backgrounds forge a tight-knit circle of friends as they learn and share the art of knitting. 

The Fashion-Forward Adventures of Imogene are a fashionable romp written by Lisa Barham.  In these super trendy novels, the main character, Imogene, bounces from one chic boutique setting to another from New York to LA and Paris.  These hip novels are a perfect way to introduce students to fashion design and marketing.  Even the watercolor style illustrations are cool.  Check out all three titles in the series.

A Girl Like Moi

Project Paris

Accidentally Fabulous

Falling Out of Fashion by Karen Yampolsky is a loosely biographical story of the dog-eat-dog world of fashion publishing.  Very revealing to any students considering a career in fashion.

Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison is the story of a group of shoe obsessed women and the financial lengths to which they’re willing to go to own the latest pair of Jimmy Choo’s.  This novel is very entertaining, but would probably not be appropriate for classroom use.  This title would best be given as an option to students for outside reading related to fashion merchandising.

Well, tomorrow we’ll wrap up our week reading emphasis.  Hope you’ll come back for the last installment.  Have a great day and remember that what you do is important so do it with passion and purpose.

Ramona

Food and Fiction

“Don’t go into a restaurant for something you can do better at home.”

Nicolas Freeling

Today I’d like to give you some ideas about incorporating reading into the food preparation and culinary arts area of the FACS curriculum.  Thanks to the general appeal of food and cooking, this area of the FACS curriculum offers the most options for using fiction in the classroom.  For the past ten years or more, the publishing world has cranked out a steady stream of culinary mysteries.  Authors like Joanne Fluke and Diane Mott Davidson have introduced us to female chefs who moonlight as clever sleuths and the reading public has bonded with these characters on a very personal level.  The fact that the novels are often seasoned with original recipes is an irresistible bonus. 

My favorite of culinary mystery series for classroom use is the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke.   I like this series for many reasons, not the least of which is readability.  The novels are very light and easy to read and can be easily adapted to a variety of reading levels.  A second characteristic that makes this series good for the FACS classroom is that all of the recipes that appear in the books are for cookies.  This makes the recipes inexpensive and simple to prepare, helping to ensure students’ success in the foods lab.  Finally, the characters in the novel are likeable and humorous.  Once you’ve read the first novel in the Hannah Swensen series, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, you can’t wait to see what happens next to our heroine and the other quirky residents of Lake Eden, Minnesota.  There are currently fourteen novels in the Hannah Swensen series and Joanne Fluke shows no signs of closing out the series.   

If you want to begin emphasizing reading in your FACS classroom, the Hannah Swensen series is a great place to start.  You might want to check out our resource Recipe for Reading to help get your program up and running quickly.  In this newly updated resource, I’ve created classroom activities based on Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder and the bonus novella, Candy for Christmas which is included in the latest paperback version of CCCM.  I hope your students will enjoy these activities as much as mine did.  For more information about Recipe for Reading, go to our website www.freshfacs.com. 

If you’re looking for novels with a food theme,you definitely are not limited to culinary mysteries.  There are many other wonderful choices available.  Three novels that have real teen appeal are:

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Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw 

This cleverly written novel is a modern teen version of the story of Cyrano de Bergerac.  The main character is a young man who aspires to be a chef and his use of food to woo the young woman of his dreams.  It’s charming and full of delicious sounding recipes.  This one will appeal to both genders, guaranteed.

Girls Dinner Club by Jessie Elliot

Three teenaged girlfriends cook their way through the challenges of adolescence. There are no actual recipes included with the text, unfortunately, but recipes for the dishes mentioned in the book can be easily located.

The Sweet Life of Stella Madison by Lara M. Zeises

The child of chef parents, Stella Madison wants no part of the restaurant scene.  However, when she’s offered a summer job as a restaurant critic for the local newspaper and falls for the chef’s assistant in her Mom’s restaurant, Stella learns that there’s more to cooking than meets the eye. 

More Tasty Selections

Peter Pezzelli’s heartwarming series based on his Italian heritage is rife with food imagery.  You can almost smell the oregano, garlic and basil simmering in the pasta sauce on the stove.  Your students will ikely identify with the main character in Italian Lessons.  Carter Quinn is a recent college graduate who wants to learn to speak Italian so that he can communicate with the beautiful Italian girl he has fallen for.  It’s a coming-of-age story with a twist.  Delightful!  The other books in the series:  Francesca’s Kitchen, Every Sunday, and Home to Italy are equally appealing.

Finally, combining the theme of Italian cooking and the culinary mystery genre, I recommend A Slice of Murder by Chris Cavender.  In this witty and winsome text, sisters Eleanor and Maddy serve up savory pizza while they solve crimes.  Very clever.  Your students are bound to find this one appealing, because who doesn’t like pizza, right?

The selections that I’ve presented here are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  Once again, I urge you to check out the FACS Bookshelf on our website.  Also keep you eyes open to the possibilities the next time you’re perusing the bookshelves at your favorite bookstore.  Reading and FACS truly are a perfect match, if we work hard at building the relationship.

Enjoy this recipe for pizza.  It’s one that I used in my foods lab very successfully!  Tomorrow we’ll explore fiction in fashion, apparel, and clothing and textiles.

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust

1 package active dry yeast (fast-acting, preferably)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

2 1/2 cup bread flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt.

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a medium mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Let stand about 5 minutes.

2.  Stir in oil.  Add flour and salt.  Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  Let rest 5 minutes.

3.  Place dough on greased 13-inch pizza pan.  Pat out dough to completely cover pan.  Pinch outer edges of dough to form outer crust.  Spread with your choice of toppings. 

4.  Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

It’s Read Across America Day!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!  I hope you take the opportunity today to acknowledge the importance of reading across the curriculum.  Incorporating reading into the FACS curriculum is one of my passions.  I believe that the FACS content areas offer a fabulous vehicle for presenting reading in a fun and positive light, if we do it thoughtfully.  I plan to devote the remainder of this week’s posts to strategies for FACS literacy. 

Common educational wisdom would tell us that Read Across America Day is an event most appropriate to elementary classrooms.  The high school where I taught for 25 years disproved that theory when we celebrated with our students in grades 9 through 12.  We sponsored activities emphasizing reading throughout the day that were enthusiastically received by our students.  My Food Service Occupations classes prepared and served breakfast (green eggs and ham, of course) to the entire school.  It was great fun.  The NEA has a wonderful website where you’ll find tons of ideas for activities that can be adapted to many educational levels.  Check it out at http://teach.fcps.net/trt4/Dr.Seuss.htm

Reading and FACS

If reading isn’t currently a component of your FACS curriculum, you may need some inspiration and guidance to get started.  We’ve provided lots of resources for you on our website www.freshfacs.com .  I suggest you start by checking out the Good Reads section of our website.  There you’ll find instructional strategies that helped me build a successful FACS literacy program.  You can also read about our resources for incorporating reading into FACS—Recipe for Reading and A Novel Approach to FACS.  Each of these curriculums use fiction to teach basic reading skills in conjunction with FACS concepts.

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Check out the FACS Bookshelf, another section of Good Reads on our website http://www.freshfacs.com/The%20FACS%20Bookshelf.htm  This is a list of novels that have been screened for content and classroom appropriateness.  Each title is linked to one or more of the FACS Content Areas.  The possibilities are endless!  Reading skills are so important to our students’ success in school and in life.  There’s some wonderful works of fiction out there and I think that we as FACS teachers can make our students enjoy reading and that will have an impact on the rest of their lives.  How can we ignore a challenge with that kind of reward?!

I hope you’ll join me each day this week as we explore reading in the FACS classroom.

One more Thought on the Home and Garden Show

In my post yesterday I forgot to tell you about something that I saw that warmed the cockles of this old FACS teacher’s heart.  As we were about to leave the show, I decided to use the restroom.  Outside the door of the ladies’ room there was a young couple with a baby stroller.  Inside the baby stroller was a crying baby and the young couple was intently working to soothe the baby and stop it from crying.  Not such an unusual sight, right?  Well, it turned out that the baby in the stroller was Baby Think It Over and the young couple were students in a FACS class.  The kids were doing such a good job and taking the task so seriously!  I was really proud of them.  I have no idea who their teacher is, but I hope word gets back to her that she’s doing a really good job preparing her students for parenthood. 

That’s all for today!  Have a great Read Across America Day!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”  Dr. Seuss

Ramona