Creating a Foundation for STAR Events

This entry has been contributed by Kaye Bluntzer, National Executive Council Adviser, Texas.

Using STAR Events in class sure is a great way to get students involved and motivated to become an active member in FCCLA.  All of the STAR Events can be used as a project within any of the Family and Consumer Sciences courses.  I assign my entire class one of the Foundational STAR Events to complete as a project.  One of my favorite Foundational STAR Events to use in any of my classes is Illustrated Talk.  I hold class in the computer room or library in order for students to be able to research and type up their documents for the project.  This is a wonderful way to become familiar with the planning process and how to use it for its intended purpose.  Students are also allowed to help each other and ask questions about any part of the project which allows for great peer-to-peer interaction.  Once projects are complete there is a rubric to help make grading easy and precise.

The Foundational STAR Events, as stated earlier, seem to me as the basics.  Focus Children, Interpersonal Communication, Job Interview, Life Event Planning to name a few are the core of most FACS courses and can be used as a class project.  As teacher and adviser, using these events as a class project promotes a great way for members and advisers to learn and understand the events better.  I use the Foundational STAR Events as a way to model to the students how they can complete and be successful in any one of the events.