Foster
Forum
October 2016
In the weeks we have been together, our math classes have gotten to know each other’s needs and expectations.
We’ve examined prior knowledge and explored some new areas as well.
We are working to complete our "Accentuate the Negative" unit, in which students are learning how to operate
with negative quantities (including fractions and decimals). Students are seeing the value in practice and attention
to detail. Solving problems involving negative quantities is nearly as fundamental to our future work as math facts
were in elementary school, so the more we use the skills, the better.
Soon we will begin a review of angles and polygons in our "Shapes and Designs" unit. The geometry topics
from "Shapes and Designs" will lead us into our investigation of similar figures, which are used to introduce the
idea of proportion. Students will learn about scale as it relates to enlarging or reducing the size of a figure. This
unit, from the text “Stretching and Shrinking,” leads naturally into our next textbook called “Comparing and
Scaling,” which has students solving problems of scale in non-geometric situations (e.g., scaling a recipe to feed
fewer people or more people).
As we settle into the year, some students are already making it a habit to check in regularly with teachers,
including staying after school for extra help (or just for a quiet place to work).
Remind your students to make use
of the resources posted in the “about” section of Google Classroom, and to take advantage of all opportunities for
revising their work. Most graded assignments are revisable prior to the end-of-unit assessment. We encourage
students to seek help early if they begin to feel overwhelmed.
I​n World Geography, Foster team students began the year with a review of basic geography concepts and skills
including reading maps, building geographic vocabularies and working with thematic maps they will be using
most often throughout the year.
Students have just begun learning about economic development and the differences between developed and
developing countries. At the end of this unit, students will write their first World Geography essay, using country
data to support a claim about whether a that country is developed or developing. Following this unit, we will
begin studying our first region of the world: Latin America.
The study of each geographic region includes a Mapping Lab where students will create and use maps to learn
about physical and political features, climate, natural resources and the impact that each of these has on settlement
and economies. In the Latin America unit students will also learn about land use conflict in the Amazon by
working cooperatively to represent an interest group with a controversial idea about how the rainforest should be
used or preserved.
Students will be ‘traveling’ around the entire world in only 180 school days, so completing work on time is
imperative. Please encourage your child to stay for extra help if necessary!
W​orld language classes are completing a review of sixth grade material: days of the week, months, seasons and
weather, colors, numbers up to 100... They also started to use a French program called Duolingo. Students have
learned to identify body parts and how to describe themselves and other people with the verbs être and avoir. They
finished up this unit by writing a little autoportrait describing basic information about themselves.
In the next unit, they will learn how to describe their family.
I​n science class, the students spent the first few days getting to know one another and the science classroom.
We began the year by practicing the skills that scientists use to be successful, such as making careful observations.
We recently discovered the numerous organelles found inside of plant and animal cells. Students will be
investigating more about cell organelles by completing a project and a lab. Cell projects will have the students
make analogies between the parts of a cell and something in their ‘outside world’, like their homes, sports teams,
or a shopping center. Further, we will be observing onion and cheek cells under the microscopes to compare plant
and animal cells.
In science, we have frequent quizzes, labs, and projects. Each student is encouraged to keep a section of a
larger binder dedicated to science. Further, students have a composition notebook (stored in the classroom) where
notes and vocabulary are recorded. Finally, many notes and assignments are distributed and collected through
Google Classroom. The Google Classroom is a great resource for students to use. The year is off to a good start
and I look forward to many more months of science fun!
I​n Language Arts class, the students have hit the ground running! We kicked off the year reading short stories
as part of our, “Finding Your Character” thematic unit. The students read several classic short stories including,
“The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken, “Charles” by Shirley Jackson, and “A Retrieved Reformation” by O. Henry.
While reading, students practiced using critical thinking skills to examine characterization, plot, and theme. These
stories are also serving as anchor texts for Writing Workshop.
Students just began the preliminary planning for their realistic fiction stories. They are doing a lot of free-writes,
engaging in personal reflection, and focusing on small, meaningful moments in their lives to use as inspiration for
their workshopped pieces. They will be working on their stories in class throughout the rest of November and will
celebrate the completion of their stories with a “launch party” the day before Thanksgiving break.
Following the realistic fiction unit, the students will read a drama adaptation based on the classic ​A Christmas
Carol​ by Charles Dickens. As a culminating activity to this drama unit, students will actually experience seeing a
performance of this classic at the North Shore Music Theater.
W​elcome to seventh grade Spanish! Your child is now in the second year of our language program. During
September and October we have been reviewing the curriculum from grade six Spanish. In the sixth grade,
students learned greetings, the Spanish alphabet, numbers, months, days of the week, dates, season, weather,
adjectives, activities and the Spanish speaking countries.
The seventh grade curriculum is based upon thematic units from our textbook Avancemos. The students have
received their web book accounts so that they can access the textbook from home. The theme of our first unit is
spending time with friends. Students will learn the vocabulary for after-school activities, snack foods and
beverages, and will learn how to describe their personality traits. They will also learn to talk about their likes and
dislikes. We look forward to working with your child to develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening
skills in Spanish. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
A​re you tired of missing important information because it has been lost in your child’s backpack or binder?
The Foster Team teachers would like to remind you that we are online! To check for homework assignments,
assessment dates and important events, log on to Foster Team Homework Calendar found on the HRMS website.
It is extremely important for students to do their homework each night. We are looking for each student’s best
effort. Another essential component of the learning process is being prepared for class. Students must come to
class with the necessary materials every day textbooks, binders, pens, pencils, erasers, SSR books, and anything
else that a teacher may have requested.
When a student returns to school following an absence, it is his/her responsibility to obtain the missed
assignments, and then to return the completed work to teachers.
Homework club/extra-help time is from 2:00-2:45. Be sure to check the teacher’s availability before coming.
Typically, teachers are available on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of each week, and each teacher’s after school
hours are posted on the homework website on Monday.
Progress reports comments are now viewable! The grade and comments represent the student’s progress thus
far in the trimester. Variations may occur by term’s end, based on further performance on future assessments and
class work. Please feel free to contact the team teachers with any questions or concerns.
In addition to checking PowerSchool on a regular basis, we offer the following suggestions:
*Check homework website daily assignments as well as teacher availability.
*On Mondays, when availability has been posted, make a plan with your child to stay after school for extra
help.
*Encourage your child to take advantage of pre-test study sessions, as well as re-take and revision
opportunities.
*Check your child’s assignment notebook daily or weekly, as needed.