Unit/Lesson Plan
Unit Title: The Relationship of the
Environment to Family and Consumer
Resources
Unit/Lesson Sequence: Unit will
follow Sanitation, Nutrition, Culinary
Arts, and Measurements Units.
Subject/Topic Area: Family and Consumer
Science (FACS)
Grade Level 7 and 8
Introductory Unit for Exploratory
Arts
Unit Designer:
Key Vocabulary/Phrases
Reduce (Conserve), Reuse, Recycle, Food
Chain, Habitat, Ecology, Ecosystem,
Government Regulations, Natural Resources,
Scavenger, Hydroponic Farming
Susannah de Sousa
Time Frame: 3 Weeks
2
Unit Goal(s): Includes Concepts/Skills (Kudos), Cognitive levels, Big Ideas
and Essential Questions Concepts: Students will understand how nonbiodegradable substances created by technology have altered the Natural
Environment and the Relationship of the Environment to Family and
Consumer Resources. Students will be able to describe ways in which
technology has created changes in our personal lives, society, and the world
of work in both positive and negative ways. Students will demonstrate basic
computer operation skills in a variety of applications to access and organize
information. Big Idea: Students will make reasonable estimates using
arithmetic operations and be able to make wise environmental decisions.
Essential Questions: How do you conserve fuel by keeping clean
appliances/machines/vehicles? Why are small appliances more
energy efficient than the range top? Why is cooking an entire meal
in the oven energy efficient? What happens when you constantly
open the oven door? Why is it important to have leaking faucets
repaired? How should you dispose of household/vehicle chemicals?
Why should you fill a dishwasher with a full load? Why is food a
precious resource? How can you conserve food? How can trash be
reduced, reused and recycled? How do environmental decisions
made today affect future generations?
3
Content Standard(s): Include complete information for Priority Standards and
Performance Benchmarks for Mastery; include numbers of secondary standards
and benchmarks. New Mexico Family and Consumer Science Comprehensive
Standards: 2.0 Evaluate Management Practices Related to the Human, Economic,
and Environmental Resources. 2.2 Analyze the relationship of the environment to
family and consumer resources.
NM Career Readiness Standards and Benchmarks 5-8 18.3.6 Demonstrate
basic computer operation skills in a variety of applications to access and organize
information. 18.3.7 Describe ways in which technology has created changes in our
personal lives, society, and the world of individuals and family members. 18.4.6
Demonstrate positive behaviors, conduct, and social manners for school, work, and
community. 18.4.7 Demonstrate goal direction, self-discipline, and task
commitment in the completion of assignments. 18.4.8 Demonstrate an
understanding of ethical behavior and its importance in human relationships and
society. FACS Reasoning for Action: 3 Analyze practical reasoning components.
3.2 Analyze short-term and long-term consequences on self, family, culture/society,
and global environment.
NM 6-8 Mathematics Standards for Number and Operations: Students will
understand numerical concepts and mathematical operations. N.2: Understand the
meaning of operations and how they relate to one another 7.N.2.1, 7.N.2.6, 8.N.2.2.
N.3: Complete fluently and make reasonable estimates. 8.N.3.2
NM 6-8 Mathematics Standards for Data Analysis and Probability: Students will
understand how to formulate questions, analyze data, and determine probabilities.
D.1 Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and
display relevant data to answer them. 6. D.1.1, 8.D.1.3 D.2 Select and use
appropriate statistical methods to analyze data. 6.D.2.1, 7.D.2.3, 8.D.2.8
4
Activities and Proven Teaching Methods:
Conservation at Home: kitchen; clothing; donation of reusable materials;
recycling; yard and garden; machines and motor vehicles; recreation.
Activities include reading for understanding, graphic organizers, computer
research with mini-computers, PowerPoint presentations via minicomputers, designing board games for concept attainment via minicomputers, using on-line conversion computer programs to create line and
bar graphs and explain statistical conversion, answering critical thinking
questions, various forms of foldables to explain and review concepts and
vocabulary (pocket books, pop-up graphs, bill board projects, tab book
variations,etc).
Conservation and Environment: eco-cycle, unnecessary waste and trash;
recycling fuels and materials; alternative energy sources; water
environments; land reclamation and farming; International, state and local
laws providing environmental protection. Activities include reading for
understanding, graphs, charts, and moving between numerical, tabular and
graphical representations of linear relationships.
5
Differentiated Instruction: Students will be differentiated by student need:
Readiness differentiation, Interest differentiation, and Learning profile differentiation.
6
Assessment/Data Analysis: Formative and Summative Assessments inform
students of the following: Where am I going? Where am I now? How can I close
the gap? Assessments are based on varying levels of understanding: Knowledge,
Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation.
7
8
Re-teaching/Enrichment: Formats offering student choice, Student projects,
Paired reading and question responses, Mini- lessons, Tasks tiered by
demonstrated readiness, Reading Revision, Tasks supported with technology
resources.
Reflection: This unit is used in Home Economics and Health Classes. Students
are enthusiastic about learning about the earth as a habitant that was directly
related to their health and standard of living. This revised unit takes advantage of
mini-computers for research, game activities and to display and analyze data.