Fundations

Fundations is a subprogram of the Wilson Reading System, published in 2002, specifically designed for K-3 students. It was designed for use in three situations: (1) preventatively, in grades K-3, for whole class instruction; (2) as an intervention for the targeted lowest 30th percentile of student readers; or, (3) for students with language based learning disabilities, as intensive instruction.

Fundations’ primary focus is on phonemic awareness activities, letter recognition, phonics, and studying syllable types and affixes as a part of the decoding process. Vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension instruction are included in the program as well. In Level K, students learn letter formation by using “sky writing” involving gross motor movements, before they practice writing on paper. The letter names and sounds are learned, the alphabetic principle established and phonological awareness is emphasized. Through the use of multi-modality methods involving auditory input, manipulation of tiles and sound cards, “tapping” phonemes on their fingers to learn to blend words, and writing, students learn to read CVC words and the fundamentals of early reading and writing. At Level 1, phonological principles in reading and spelling continue to build systematically, leading the student through digraphs, long vowel sounds, two syllable words with short vowels, base words and suffixes, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and continued writing instruction.

When implemented preventatively with a whole class, a basic Fundations lesson is 25-30 minutes long. This 30-minute lesson is supplemented by an additional 30-minute 1:1 or small group session when used with students in the lowest 30th percentile. Students with learning disabilities receive not only this supplementary 1:1/small group lesson, but an additional 30 minutes to an hour session with a literature-based program and decodable text as well. In all situations, Fundations is designed to be combined with literature-based instruction.

Strengths of Fundations:

• Fundations is highly systematic, both within lessons and across lessons.

• Fundations is derived from research that has been proven to be successful with a wide variety of learners.

• Multisensory methods are employed in teaching children sounds, their representative letters, and their combination into words, phrases, and sentences.

• Students learn a variety of techniques to analyze multisyllabic and unknown words, and words with spelling options.

• Frequent practice and review build mastery in students.

• Fundations can be taught in a 1:1 setting, a small group, or to a whole class, and can be used for preventative, intervention, or immediate, intensive intervention purposes.

• Many lesson activities and games are geared toward whole class or group participation.

• Materials are very teacher-friendly, and the accompanying CD-ROM gives excellent demonstrations of each of the teaching activity types used in the program. A teacher can thus review each technique as needed.

Weaknesses of Fundations:

• None were noted

Source: Florida Center for Reading Research