Susan G. Igoe

Giving your child the tools to empower their education

Fundations

Fundations is adoptive from the Wilson Reading System and is designed for the younger student. The program offers four levels: K, 1, 2, and 3. In Level K, the student begins with writing lower case letters using sky writing and tracing.

In Level K first, consonants are learned and then vowel sounds. Then Finger Tapping is used to tap out sounds. Vocabulary is developed through reading stories that correspond to each level, while sight word instruction is exercised. To aid in the writing process, proper pencil grip and writing positions are practiced. Students also practice phonemic awareness using verbal cues. The student is also taught blending and segmenting sounds from words which contain three sounds. Fluency is practiced through echo reading and choral reading. Comprehension is practiced by reading a story to themselves silently, retelling the story and then reading the story out loud to check for accuracy.

Level I is cumulative. The student continues to blend segment words and manipulate sounds with words that contain up to six sounds. Finger Tapping is used to tap out sounds. Vocabulary development continues with the Word of the Day that is studied, in conjunction with corresponding concepts taught. These words are put into sentences by the student and entered into their notebooks. At the end of Level 1, students will have practiced 150 sight words from the American Heritage Word Frequency Book. Fluency work continues with timed drills that focus on words, sounds, phrases, trick words, and controlled text. Controlled narrative texts are used to practice comprehension. The focus of the narrative texts concerns the setting and characters, what transpired first, what transpired in the end, and how did the charters feel about it. Two syllable types are learned: closed, and vowel consonant e.

Level 2 continues with blending and segmenting up to six sounds in a syllable. The following vowel teams are introduced : ai, ay, ee, ea, ey, oi, oy, oa, oe, ow, ou, oo, ue, au, and aw. Closed and vowel consonant E syllables are reviewed and four new syllables are introduced. Basewords and suffixes are also added to unchanged words. Word of the Day continues as well as Finger Tapping to tap out sounds of words. Dictionary skills are introduced. Sight word comprehension work is expanded.

Fundations is suitable for the younger student from grade Kindergarten through second.

Fundations Services Offered