Week 1: Specialisatons and Concept Map

This was our first week of our TAS specialisation class. 

• Stage 6 Syllabus was downloaded and printed for hard copy for future reference
• My TAS specialisation is Food Technology. The units of food are taught from the start of high school in stage 4, then becoming an elective in stage 5 and stage 6 for the HSC.
• In order to teach the subject successfully, techniques and strategies should be incorporated into the lessons to make it student centered and the learning experience much more challenging and exciting for the students.
• Summary of Syllabus Contents was discussed and the table below highlights adjustments that are required. 

The Preliminary Course: FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Rationale: As humans, everyone consumes food, this course allows students to study, understand and analyse what is in our food and the processes it goes through before being a finished product.

Topic	Indicative Hours	Weeks (30 weeks)	Number of lessons			% Course Time	Assessment weighting
			60 min	50 min	40 min
Food Availability and Selection	36	9	36	43.2	54	30%	30%
Food Quality	48	12	48	57.6	72	40%	40%
Nutrition	36	9	36	43.2	54	30%	30%
TOTAL	120	30	120	144	180	100%	100%

The HSC Course

Rationale: As humans, everyone consumes food, this course allows students to study, understand and analyse what is in our food and the processes it goes through before being a finished product.

Topic	Indicative Hours	Weeks (30 weeks)	Number of lessons			% Course Time	Assessment weighting
			60 min	50 min	40 min
The Australian Food Industry	30	7.5	30	36	45	25%	25%
Food Manufacture	30	7.5	30	36	45	25%	25%
Food Product Development	30	7.5	30	36	45	25%	25%
Contemporary Nutrition Issues	30	7.5	30	36	45	25%	25%
TOTAL	120	30	120	144	180	100%	100%

• Adjustments that were discussed and used for the above tables are 

- public holidays

- sporting events

- exam period

- work placement

- school excursions/camp

- incursions

• Big Ideas from the stage 6 Syllabus 

- Pick a country from around the world and study their major nutritional disease and issues associated with it. For example, heart disease or diabetes is most common in western countries such as USA or Australia, or Obesity? 

- Prepare a meal to suit the chosen country and include diet plan, what foods were chosen and why? 

- This sort of activity is about different cultures, diets and importance of food. Students will be able to prepare meals and understand different foods have various advantages, and also the importance of preparing meals to reduce the risk of diseases. 

Concept Map for stage 6 Preliminary: Nutrition

Graphic Organiser: Food Quality

• Through students studying food safety at school it allows them to prevent illness from occurring due to contaminated foods i.e. food poisoning
• Through learning the importance of use by dates the students are able to make educated decisions on whether or not the food is safe to eat
• Having a clean and clear working space to prevent cross contamination
• The importance of washing hands before you commence your cooking
• The danger zone and ensuring that food is kept in the fridge at between 0-5 degrees.
• How to prevent cross contamination through the use of the different chopping boards for different food stuffs and where to put the different foods in a fridge.
•  Are encouraged to clean their work benches at the end of each class. This will highlight the importance of disinfecting the work space and preventing contamination next time you go to cook
• Students also learn how to cook meats properly i.e. poultry, pork, burgers etc with no pink meat left inside and the juice runs clear.
• How to prepare and cook food safely