Lesson Plan for Junior Secondary 2 - Home Economics - Purchasing, Processing, Preservation And Safety

**Lesson Plan: Home Economics - Junior Secondary 2** **Topic: Purchasing, Processing, Preservation, and Safety** --- **Objective:** By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: 1. Understand the principles of purchasing quality food items. 2. Identify various methods of food processing and preservation. 3. Recognize and apply safety measures in food handling and storage. **Duration:** 80 minutes --- ### **Introduction (10 minutes)** 1. **Greeting and Attendance:** - Greet students and take attendance. 2. **Engage:** - Ask students to share their experiences with purchasing and handling food at home. - Discuss any observations they might have about how their families store and preserve food. ### **Part 1: Purchasing Quality Food Items (15 minutes)** 1. **Explain:** - Discuss the importance of purchasing quality food items. - Introduce the factors to consider when purchasing food (e.g., freshness, expiration date, packaging). 2. **Show and Tell:** - Use real food items or images to illustrate points about food quality, such as identifying fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, and packaged goods. 3. **Activity:** - In small groups, have students examine sample grocery lists and identify high-quality versus lower-quality items. ### **Part 2: Food Processing Methods (15 minutes)** 1. **Explain:** - Define food processing and discuss its purposes (e.g., improving taste, extending shelf life). - Introduce different methods of food processing (e.g., drying, freezing, canning, fermenting). 2. **Demonstration:** - Show a quick video or live demonstration of a simple food processing technique, like making fruit preserves or freezing vegetables. 3. **Hands-On Activity:** - Have students participate in a small food processing activity, such as drying fruit slices using a dehydrator or preparing simple pickles. ### **Part 3: Food Preservation Techniques (15 minutes)** 1. **Explain:** - Discuss why food preservation is important. - Introduce various preservation methods like refrigeration, freezing, canning, drying, and vacuum sealing. 2. **Interactive Discussion:** - Discuss the pros and cons of each preservation method. - Relate them to different types of food items. 3. **Chart Activity:** - Create a chart with the class categorizing different foods and the best preservation method for each. ### **Part 4: Food Safety Measures (15 minutes)** 1. **Explain:** - Discuss the importance of food safety. - Introduce key food safety practices (e.g., hand washing, avoiding cross-contamination, proper food storage temperature). 2. **Interactive Demonstration:** - Demonstrate proper food handling techniques, such as washing hands, using separate cutting boards for raw meat and vegetables, and checking fridge temperatures. 3. **Scenario Role-Playing:** - In pairs, have students role-play different kitchen scenarios, focusing on identifying and correcting food safety mistakes. ### **Conclusion and Review (10 minutes)** 1. **Review Key Points:** - Recap the main points covered: purchasing quality food, processing, preservation, and safety. 2. **Q&A Session:** - Allow students to ask questions and discuss any uncertainties. 3. **Assignment:** - Assign a short project where students must document a meal's journey from purchase to preservation, noting the steps they’d take to ensure quality and safety. **Homework:** - Have students keep a food safety journal for one week, noting any practices they or their families follow and improvements they could make. --- **Materials Needed:** - Real or sample food items/images - Video or equipment for demonstration - Materials for simple processing activity (e.g., fruit, dehydrator) - Chart paper and markers - Handouts on food safety practices **Assessment:** - Participation in activities and role-plays - Completion and quality of the homework assignment - Responses during the Q&A session **Reflection:** - What went well in today’s lesson? - What areas need improvement? - Were the students engaged and comprehending the material? - How can I adjust the lesson for better understanding in the future?