📘 Inside the Classroom: Building Strong Foundations

The first weeks of school focused on setting our students up for success by teaching routines and procedures. Our teachers were intentional about giving explicit directions because we know behavior often arises from the gap called assumptions. By making expectations observable and predictable, we help students step into their best selves every day.

At the same time, students began the i-Ready diagnostic in reading and math. It provides us with the data we need to close gaps, accelerate growth, and ensure every student moves forward with confidence.

ELA Forecast

• Grade 7: Students are beginning HMH Unit 1, with close readings of texts like Mirror Image and Monster. They are learning to analyze plot, character traits, author’s purpose, and theme while strengthening grammar and writing skills. Later this fall, they will transition into Unit 3: The Terror and Wonder of Space, reading science fiction texts and exploring how authors build mood and theme.

• Grade 8: Students are diving into Unit 6: The Holocaust, reading excerpts from The Diary of a Young Girl and After Auschwitz while analyzing rhetoric, tone, and author’s purpose. As the marking period continues, they will move into Unit 5: The Bronx Masquerade, studying perspective, characterization, and poetry, with writing tasks that push them to craft strong arguments and personal reflections.

Math Forecast

In math, students are working through the enVision program, which blends whole-class instruction, small groups, and independent practice. Over the coming weeks, expect to see your child:

• Using journals to reflect on problem-solving

• Rotating through small-group lessons guided by i-Ready data

• Engaging in hands-on activities and inquiry-based problems to deepen conceptual understanding
  This mix of structure and exploration ensures students don’t just learn the “how” but also the “why” behind math.

Science Forecast

Our science classrooms are shifting away from memorization and toward figuring out the world around us. Using OpenSciEd resources, students are:

• Building interactive notebooks with three entries a week

• Conducting investigations where they gather evidence, model ideas, and analyze data

• Connecting lessons to real-world events and phenomena
  Expect to see more labs, inquiry-based projects, and discussions where students use science vocabulary to make sense of what they observe.

Social Studies Forecast

• Grade 7 (Democracy & Citizenship): Students will be learning the foundations of government, comparing forms of government, and exploring the roots of American democracy. They will soon move into the creation of the Constitution, examining how laws and rights are shaped and protected in a democracy.

• Grade 8 (Ancient Civilizations): Students are beginning with the foundations of history and archaeology—learning how historians use evidence to understand the past. They will move into the rise of ancient civilizations, from Mesopotamia to Egypt, focusing on geography, trade, and early systems of government.

• Grade 8 Honors (World History): Students will launch the year with the Renaissance and Reformation, examining how new ideas reshaped societies. They will soon transition into the Age of Exploration, analyzing the Columbian Exchange and the global impact of exploration on trade, culture, and indigenous peoples.

Together, these experiences are laying the foundation for a year of growth. Thank you for reinforcing routines at home and encouraging your child to take i-Ready seriously. It’s one of the best ways we can partner to accelerate learning.