Are you interested in helping children to be the best they can be? Whether you have a desire to be a great parent, social worker, teacher, or just a supportive aunt or uncle, this is the course for you! Child Development is a course designed to help students think through the responsibilities, stresses, and satisfactions of caring for children. Units will relate to considerations before becoming a parent; teen pregnancy; prenatal development, care, and childbirth; physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers; child abuse; child care options; and more. Child observations, field trips, guest speakers, and projects reinforce learning.

A hands-on way to be creative! This project-based class will involve learning about sewing for a variety of purposes. Students will do projects based on the following concepts: sewing for a cause, sewing “green”, sewing for a living, and learning by sewing. Students will strengthen academic skills, provide community service, learn about careers, and be stewards of the environment while participating in this class. This laboratory class will involve sewing “non-garment” items.

If you want to learn what it would be like to work in the world of culinary arts and hone your chef skills, Culinary Arts I will give you a taste of the industry. Whether that is your career path or not, you will learn higher level skills in the kitchen while learning the basics of the hospitality industry. Students will follow the national ProStart I curriculum that is offered by the National Restaurant Association. The course may include guest speakers, field trips, and a college tour. Food labs will allow students to work in a professional manner while preparing food for a target market

Culinary Arts II uses the ProStart II curriculum that is sponsored by the National Restaurant Association. This industry-driven curriculum launches students into their restaurant and foodservice career. Students will extend their professional skills into areas such as breakfast food and sandwiches; salads and garnishes; meat, poultry, and seafood; desserts and baked goods; and global cuisine. Students will also learn to market their products.

MMMM Good! This is a fun introductory course in nutrition and food preparation. Learn preparation techniques of cookies, pastry, breads, eggs, milk, grains, fruit, vegetables, poultry, and meat. Food labs for each unit, guest speakers, and a variety of learning activities are included in this course. Students will learn to apply the principles of good nutrition to their diet and to practice food safety and sanitation skills.

Do you think you might enjoy a career working with children? Through hands-on experience, students will become acquainted with the job opportunities, personal qualifications needed, and responsibilities of various careers related to the care of children. After enhancing their understanding of preschool-age development, students will learn how to set up a preschool environment and how to create and teach an optimal Pre-K curriculum. Students will create a teaching portfolio to be used as they practice their early childhood skills in the laboratory Pre-K in our school, WFHS Pre-K, teaching various lessons to children ages 3-5. In addition to WFHS Pre-K, each student will be placed at multiple community early childhood facilities to volunteer service as a field experience student. In addition to practical experience, students will learn about special education, developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), early childhood assessment, emergent literacy, and the business side of early care and education. A student who successfully completes this program is qualified for employment as a child care aide and earns a certificate of completion from the North Dakota State Board for Career and Technical Education.

Are you interested in how diverse students learn? This class is a study of the characteristics of the exceptional student which includes gifted and talented, culturally diverse, and those with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. Students will learn techniques to use to differentiate lessons for a variety of learners. Students will also learn skills needed to be a paraprofessional. (Optional dual credit – VCSU EDUC240) (Students could also go on to complete additional 40 hours of training toward an Applied Behavior Analysis, which could lead to industry certification.)

Interested in fashion and personal image? This class focuses on making the most of your appearance through fashion, as well as on becoming a wise clothing consumer. In this laboratory class, students will learn the basics of clothing construction while completing two fashion projects. The course provides a creative outlet for students and teaches logical thinking skills, and how to improve their personal image.

You ate what? Sharpen your cooking skills as we have labs in every unit to prepare food from the past, present, and for the future. Join us to see how food affects us socially, environmentally, and for healing. We will learn to modify recipes to suit different food lifestyles. Learn to throw a dinner party! Field trips and guest speakers are a possibility. There are many opportunities for student choice in this class.

Design your own living space! This class will introduce students to housing styles, design techniques, and housing elements, such as furniture, backgrounds, and floor plans. Students will enjoy a variety of field trips during the course. A final project will involve using the computer to design and decorate a home, with students being responsible for everything from choosing wallpaper, paint, and carpet to arranging furniture and fixtures. This course will sharpen creativity skills and give students a better understanding of various aspects of housing.

Bonjour,” “Ciao,” “Nihao,” “Howdy!” Take a trip around the world by learning about food customs from foreign countries and the USA and by preparing their traditional dishes. Labs will focus on combining the familiar with the exotic to create foods of the world. Field trips and guest presenters will enhance this experience. This class will improve food preparation skills by incorporating a 1-2 day food lab into each unit.

Are you interested in becoming a teacher? This course is a study of the teaching profession, including historical, philosophical, and social foundations of education. Students will have opportunities to apply knowledge and skills through peer teaching activities and required 30-hour field experience at an elementary or secondary school site. Emphasis is placed upon the knowledge and skills needed to prepare pre-service teachers to become knowledgeable-based decision makers can provide learning experiences for K 12 students effective use of planning, implementing, evaluating, and reflecting. (Optional dual credit: VCSU EDUC251)

Anxious to get out on your own? Living on Your Own is a course on developing skills for living on your own. You will experience guest speakers, field trips, and a variety of hands-on activities. Students will learn about decision-making, career planning, financial decisions (budgeting, checking accounts and credit), car buying, home buying, renting apartments, furnishing apartments, and decisions about food, insurance, and consumerism.

This course is an extension of the Intro to Education course to fulfill 40> hours of field experience toward college teacher education coursework. The program is designed for students who are interested inworking with young people, or who are interested in teaching as a career. Application for a particular grade level or subject preference and school is make through the COURSE coordinator. Up to five periods per week are spent in one of the West Fargo Public Schools observing, working with children and assisting the classroom teacher by correcting papers, making bulletin boards, locating materials and performing other classroom duties. (VCSU EDUC252)