Fundations

Description

Q. Does Fundations meet the requirements of Reading First? A. Yes. The Florida Center for Reading Research, one of three federally funded Reading First technical centers, conducted an independent review of Fundations and its effectiveness. The analysis confirmed the alignment with reading research, that Fundations addresses each of the five components required by Reading First (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension), and noted no weaknesses in the program. ( Read full report .) Fundations is not considered a core program, however, it can be incorporated into Reading First grants as a supplemental prevention or early intervention program. Q. How is Fundations implemented? A. School or District-Wide Implementation: Wilson Fundations provides schools or districts a means to teach students decoding and writing basics to all K-3 students. It is delivered to the general education classrooms in 25-30 minute lessons per day. This is appropriate when the core language arts program does not present a systematic phonics approach. Fundations is designed to be used with the existing literature-based reading instruction to provide a comprehensive language arts program. In addition to whole class instruction, students who are in the lowest 30th percentile, those with specific areas of weakness or a diagnosed language disability should work in small groups or 1:1 settings up to 30 additional minutes 3-5 times per week. Targeted Classroom and Small Group Implementation: In schools where Fundations is not used in the general education classroom, it is appropriate to select Fundations as an intervention program for students in the lowest 30th percentile. Students should have Fundations for 40-60 minutes each day, completing the 25-30 minute standard daily lesson, plus a double dose lesson up to 30 additional minutes 3-5 times per week. This can be conducted in a whole class, small group or 1:1 setting. Q. Since the program is sequential from one level to the next, do students have to complete each level? A. Fundations presents all skills in a systematic and sequential manner in four levels: Level K, Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. When Fundations is implemented as a prevention program in the general education class, it is best for students to have completed the previous level. However, when districts are first implementing the program, the following guidelines can apply: Q. How long is a Fundations lesson? A. The standard lesson is designed as a 30-minute daily lesson with the whole class. In addition, Fundations includes supplemental small group activities to reinforce and extend each lesson for students in need. These double dose lessons can provide up to an hour of specialized instruction. The Fundations website provides a recommended double dose lesson plan for each level. Q. Do teachers need training to implement Fundations? A. The manual, along with the corresponding CD provides the guidance necessary to teach Fundations successfully. Each Fundations Teacher’s kit includes an interactive multimedia CD that provides extensive, “real-time” lesson and activity demonstrations.

Products & services

Similar companies nearby