This curriculum guide for grades 7 and 8 presents a one-semester course in the practical arts to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary for everyday living. A unit is devoted to each of the four following topics: (1) food and nutrition, including meal preparation; (2) shelter, focusing on the financial aspects of housing, household repairs, appliances, and the basics of carpentry and electronics; (3) clothing, encompassing fabric knowledge, simple repairs, and the use of sewing machines and other tools; and (4) living in society, discussing babysitting, parent-child relationship, and peer relations. For each unit a rationale is given, followed by lists of the unit's goals, student skills required to meet the goals, a general time plan, suggested activities, and discussion topics. Among the suggested activities are guest speakers, field trips, games, role playing, bulletin board displays, and essay writing. Various teaching methods are discussed, emphasizing ways to confront sexism and sex stereotyping both in the classroom and in textbook or supplementary materials. An exercise is included to evaluate the students' achievement at the end of the course. Besides the bibliographic references, resource materials are listed with names and addresses of government and private sources. (ELG)