Class Descriptions for SY 2007-08

Adult/Single Living

This course is designed to assist individuals and families in achieving life satisfaction through responsible participation as adults in the home, community and workplace.  Emphasis is placed on the development of prevention strategies, which will assist individuals in responding to situations in terms of their identified values and goals.  The course content includes the following duty areas: developing short and long-range plans, demonstrating goal-setting and decision-making skills, evaluating and adapting basic needs to assume roles and responsibilities, recognizing and following health practices that assist in coping, selecting and using resources to enhance individual growth and development, developing effective relationships to promote communication with others, and evaluating family and career changes as to the impact on individuals.  Various resources to assist with life problems are explored.  Single Living experiences deal with developing the knowledge, skill and understanding needed by individuals and their families for the role of the consumer.  Comparison of prices, installment buying, budgeting, a basic understanding of our economic system, how we relate to it, and management skills using our financial resources so we may attain our individual needs and wants are covered.  In addition, management skills concerning wise use of time and energy along with awareness of community resources available will be investigated.

Child Development & Psychology

This course will focus on how children develop physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually from birth through preschool.  Pregnancy and childbirth are also covered.  Each student will have the choice of taking Baby-Think-It-Over for three days or completing another project and will have hands on experience during the playschool.

Consumer Ed.

This course meets the requirements of Senate Bill 997, which states that all public schools, grade 9-12, shall be taught and required to study areas of instruction including installment purchasing, budgeting, comparison of prices, and understanding of the goals of consumers interacting in a free enterprise system.  Other topics studied will be saving and investing, research of careers and credit fundamentals.  Students may have this required course waived by passing the Illinois Consumer Education Proficiency Test.

Interior Design/Textiles

In Interior Design, students are provided with the basic knowledge and skills needed to select, acquire, maintain and manage living environments that meet the needs of the occupants.  The course content includes the following areas:  architectural details, elements and principles of design, evaluating living space to meet basic needs, creating and maintaining living environments, selecting appropriate resources in creating living environments, and applying housing and home management choices relating to changing life styles.  Field trips and student projects will be used to demonstrate student knowledge.  Textiles provides students with the ability to perform basic construction processes and to have a basic understanding of textile fibers on the market.  Students will also be made aware of the art principles used in design.  Use of the embroidery machine will be emphasized.  Projects in the lab will include items of student choice, reviewed and approved by the instructor.  The course increases the level of knowledge and skills of students as they construct, purchase, care for, and work with clothing, accessories and textiles.

Occupational Child Care

This course is designed to provide students with related instruction and actual training in working with young children in a laboratory setting.  The students will have opportunities to apply their understanding about children through participation, observation of children individually and in groups, and planning and evaluation of group activities, which meet their needs.  Laboratory experiences are offered through supervised working in pre-school, and grade school classrooms.  (Prerequisite: Child Dev/Psychology)