Fundations

“Fundations” is an intensive phonics based program that teaches kids the spelling rules so they can figure out words when reading or how to spell them. Below you will find some useful information that could help your child. Let me know if you have any questions.

Helpful Links

What does a Fundations lesson look like?

  • Drill Sounds
  • Word of the Day
  • Word Talk
  • Trick Words
  • Echo/Find Letters and Words
  • Make It Fun
  • Dictation (Dry Erase)
  • Storytime

Program Highlights

  • Emphasis on systematic phonics and study of word structure
  • Skills taught explicitly and systematically
  • Instruction is cumulative and scaffolds presented skills
  • Motor-memory learning-fundations connects gross motor memory to learning
    • More memorable than fine motor memory
    • Examples include: sky-writing, tracing, and tapping
  • Teacher model with "Echo" the owl puppet directing students to repeat sounds, words, and sentences
  • Assessments monitor student learning and skill mastery throughout the program
  • Extensive practice provides multiple opportunities for skills application

Skill Development in Fundations

  • Letter Formation
  • Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
  • Sound Mastery
  • Phonics
  • Vocabulary
  • Irregular (trick) Word Instruction
  • Fluency
  • Comprehension Written Composition

Fundations Basic Keywords

Scope and Sequence

Unit 1

  • Letter-keyword-sound for consonants and vowels
  • Concept of consonant digraphs
  • Letter-keyword-sound for digraphs
  • Concept of consonant blends
  • Concept of digraph blends
  • 3 spellings for /k/ sound (c, k, ck)
  • Closed syllable type
  • Sample words: quilt, elf, shred, kick, crush

Unit 2

  • Bonus letter spelling rule: ff, ll, ss, and sometimes zz
  • Glued (welded) sounds: all, am, an, ang, ing, ong, ung, ank, ink, onk, unk
  • Blending and reading words with glued sounds
  • Segmenting and spelling words with bonus letters and glued sounds
  • Prosody
  • Story retelling
  • Vowel teams: ai, ay, ee, ea, ey
  • Sample words: spill, string, stand, toss

Unit 3

  • Concept of closed syllable exceptions
  • Glued sounds: ild, ind, old, olt, ost
  • Story retelling
  • Fluent passage reading
  • Vowel teams: oi, oy
  • Sample words: wild, find, cold, colt, post

Unit 4

  • Review suffixes: s, es, ed, ing
  • Comparison suffixes: er, est
  • Additional sounds of –ed /d/ and /t/
  • Spelling procedure for words with suffixes
  • Forming plurals
  • Forming present and past tense
  • Categorizing vowel and consonant suffixes
  • Fluent passage reading
  • Making judgements and predictions form given facts
  • Vowel teams: oa, oe, ow, ou, oo, ue, ew
  • Sample words: stronger, tallest, spilled, passed

Unit 5

  • Reading and spelling two-syllable words
  • Review syllable concept in multisyllabic words
  • Compound words
  • Syllable division rules for dividing between closed syllables
  • Spelling of ic at the end of multisyllabic words
  • New suffixes: ful, ment, ness, less, able, en, ish, au and aw
  • Sample words: catnip, habit, tonic, mascot, hundred, freshen, boldness

Unit 6

  • Review vowel-consonant-e syllables
  • s - /s/and /z/
  • Spelling option procedure
  • Two syllable words with closed and vowel-consonant-e syllables
  • Compound words
  • Vowel-consonant-e exception (-ive)
  • Suffix – ive
  • Sample words: hope, confuse, reptile, olive, inventive

Unit 7

  • Open syllable type
  • Y as a vowel
  • Combining open syllables with closed and vowel-consonant-e syllables
  • Additional syllable division rules
  • y, ly, ty suffixes
  • Sample words: no, music, relate, cry, baby, chilly

Unit 8

  • R-contolled syllable
  • Sounds of ar and or
  • Combining r-controlled syllables with other syllable types
  • Sample words: fort, part, orbit, party

Unit 9

  • Sound of er, ir, and ur
  • Spelling option procedure for /er/ sound
  • Combining r-contolled syllables with er, ir, and ur with other syllable types
  • Dictionary skills
  • Sample words: burst, termite, dirty

Unit 10

  • Double vowel syllable type
  • Sounds of ai, and ay
  • Use of spelling option procedure for /a/ sound
  • Combining all types of syllables
  • Homophones
  • Sample words: paint, display

Unit 11

  • Sounds of ee, ea, ey
  • Use of spelling option procedure for /e/ sound
  • Sample words: cheap, keep, chimney

Unit 12

  • Sounds of oi and oy
  • Spelling generalizations of /oi/ sound
  • Sample words: moist, toys, paperboy

Unit 13

  • The long o sound of oa, oe, and ow
  • Use of spelling option procedure for /o/ sound
  • Review of suffix endings
  • Sample words: road, doe, grown

Unit 14

  • The /ou/ sound of ou and ow
  • Flexibility in sound choices for reading
  • Spelling generalizations of /ou/ sound
  • Sample words: sample, drown, plow

Unit 15

  • The /ü/ sound of oo, ou, ue, and ew
  • The /u/ sound of ue
  • Use of spelling option procedure for /ü/ and /u/ sounds
  • Sample words: spoon, soup, overdue, blew, argue

Unit 16

  • Sounds of au and aw
  • Spelling generalizations for the /o/ sound
  • Sample words: claw, aunt

Unit 17

  • Consonant-le syllable type
  • Spelling consonant-le words
  • Review of all 6 syllable types
  • Favorite, sugar, trouble, couple, young
  • Sample words: gobble, tumble, noble