Curriculum
Home Economics Scientific & Social
Here in Belvedere College we are delighted at how Home Economics is going from strength to strength. It is now the most popular option for Elements students and it’s great to see our state-of-the-art Food Lab buzzing all the time. Our goal is to inform our students about how important not just diet and nutrition are but also how up-cycling, recycling and living sustainably are important to them, their families, communities and their environment. See our comprehensive subject guide below for more information.
But we like to have fun too! We have been really lucky to welcome top level chefs, Neven Maguire and Ross Lewis to our Food Lab to chat to and inspire our students. We run competitions and encourage our students to enter a variety of cookery & craft events. This consolidates their skills and allows them to explore new areas of their creativity. We are so much looking forward to what the future brings and encouraging the next generation of Belvedere boys to navigate around a consumer orientated society and provide an opportunity for them to learn about, and enjoy, a self-directed approach to cooking, nutrition and potential careers in the Food, Healthcare and Hospitality industries.
Teachers:
Lorna Brennan
Tracy Kelly
Overview of Course
What is Home Economics?
When we hear the term, ‘Home Economics’ most of us think about cooking and food. However, Home Economics is about much more than food. Home Economics combines aspects of science, nutrition, cooking, parenting skills and finance. Students learn about the inter-relationships between: diet, health, family, home, choice and the efficient management of resources.
Home Economics gives students a valuable insight into:
• What’s really in the food we eat every day?
• How to plan and cook nutritious and economical meals
• How to choose the best food for themselves and their family
• The importance of good nutrition and health
• The role of the consumer in modern eating patterns
• Using money – how to spend it wisely, how to save it, and consumer rights
• Your home – about design in the home, safety and hygiene
• Design and craftwork, child development, textiles
• Home Economics delivers vital skills that enable students to lead effective lives as individuals and family members as well as members of the wider community.
How is ‘Home Economics’ useful to Students?
Home Economics will prepare students for a consumer-oriented society and provide a learning foundation for a wide range of careers in areas such as: the food industry, healthcare, hospitality and tourism.
How is Junior Certificate Home Economics Examined?
In Junior Certificate Home Economics students will be examined in three ways:
1.) Practical Cookery Examination – 50%. Students complete a one and a half hour practical cookery exam, which involves preparing and cooking food
2.) Written Examination – Written paper 50%. This is a common level paper. The exam duration is 1 hour, 30 minutes. it covers resource management, food and nutrition and textile and craft.
There are 2 CBA’s to be completed in Junior Cycle HE.
CBA 1 which is run from after October midterm to Christmas of second year.
CBA 2 is a two Week duration run directly after Christmas of Third year.
Senior Cycle Home Economics Scientific & Social
For the past five years Home Economics has been offered as an alternative subject to a limited number of senior-cycle students. It has proven to be a very successful option for the students who studied it. By completing the subject at Junior Cycle, it will provide students with an excellent foundation for the Leaving Certificate.
How is Leaving Certificate Home Economics Scientific & Social Examined?
Leaving certificate Home Economics is examined in two ways:
1.) Practical Course Work Journal
Students are required to complete five mandatory practical assignments which involve a large amount of research. They document each assignment in a Food Studies Practical Coursework Journal, which is worth 20% of their final examination. Different assignments are issued each year by the State Examinations Commission. The assignments are based on the following five areas of practice:
o Application of Nutritional Principles
o Food Preparation and Cooking Processes
o Food Technology
o Dishes Illustrating the Properties of Food
o Sensory Analysis
2.) Written Examination
Students complete a two and a half hour written examination which is worth 80% of their grade.
