PowerPoint Presentation

Fundations Level 1Maria Reiss

Fundations is an adaptation of the Wilson Reading System, created by Barbara A. Wilson.The Wilson Reading System was published in 1988. Fundations was published in 2002. (FCRR)1

Three Potential ImplementationsWhole ClassWith additional instruction for struggling students

Students in Lowest 30th PercentileDaily lesson, plus supplemental activities

Students with a Language Learning DisabilityOne to one instruction, or small groupBased on Principles of Orton-Gillingham MethodologySystematic, sequential, and multi-sensory

Method

Lowest 30th Percentile

40-60 min. per day

Language Learning Disability

20-30 min. daily lesson25-30 min. 1:1 instruction30-60 min. decodable textWhole Class

20-30 min. per day

Fundations is an adaptation of the Wilson Reading System. The WRS is a remedial program based on the principles of Orton-Gillingham methodology. Intended to teach reading and writing skills to students who struggle, including those with language learning disability or dyslexia.Fundations, however, is intended to provide the foundations for life-long literacy for all children.Whole Class: Fundations would be the core program. The 20-30 min. instruction should be combined with literature-based instruction. The struggling students (30th %ile) should have additional targeted instruction in a small group setting.Lowest 30th %-ile: 40-60 min. per day includes the 20-25 min. lesson and then supplemental activities. This is when Fundations is not used in the general classroom.Language Learning Disability: to be combined with a literature-based program. An alternative to a non-WRS core LA program.Language Learning Disability: to be combined with a literature-based program. An alternative to a non-WRS core LA program.2

Phonemic AwarenessPhonicsVocabularyFluencyComprehensionComponents EmphasizedThe 5 Key Components, along with others

Letter FormationPhonological AwarenessSound MasteryLetter to soundSound to letterSight Word InstructionWritten Composition

Wilsons Fundations claims to cover all 5 of the key reading components identified by the National Reading Panel, as well as some others.3

Instructional DesignStructure of a 5 Day WeekDrill soundsSegment and blend words

Day 1Day 2Day 5Day 3Day 4Word talk vocabulary wordsTrick Words

Dictation soundsFluency drills (sounds/ words)

Drill sounds with sound cardsGroup Practice

Drill soundsEcho find letters and words

Fluency drills (sounds, words, non-real words, TW, phrases)

Drill soundsWord talk vocabulary words

Trick WordsFluency drills (trick words)

Group PracticeProsody (unit story)

Drill soundsFluency drills (phrases)

Day 1: Drill sounds with focus on student needs; Segment and blend words for reading; Word Talk vocabulary words; Flash cards for Trick Words.Day 2: Drill sounds using large and standard sound cards; fluency drills with sounds, words, non-real words, Trick Words, and phrases; Group practice and chart success for individuals.Day 3: Drill sounds; Echo find letters/words; Dictation sounds, words, and Trick Words (on dry erase boards); Fluency drills sounds and words.Day 4: Drill sounds with focus on student needs; Word Talk vocabulary words; Flash cards for Trick Words; Fluency drills trick words and non-real words and chart success for individuals.Day 5: Drill sounds; Fluency drills for phrases; Group practice and chart success for individuals; Work on prosody with Unit story.

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Sound CardsStudent NotebookSoundsSpellingVocabularyABC orderMagnetic Letter Board

Materials Used

Fundations Teachers Manual

Student Composition Book

Fundations Teachers Manual, Student Composition Book (daily writing, unit assessments), Student Notebook (sounds, spelling, vocabulary in ABC order), Magnetic Letter Board, Sound Cards, White Board (for letter/word writing practice), Alphabet on a sentence strip, Mother Echo, Baby Echo5

Sound CardsWhole group example of students saying and echoing with sound cardsFundations DictationAn example of small group work on dictation, tapping out words, spelling and writing

Videos

Sound Cards: so explicit that students are able to help lead the group. Students love playing the teacher. (Show only the first 30-45 seconds.)Fundations Dictation: a small group example (2 girls) but this is identical to what would be done in a whole group as well.6

Scope and Sequence Level 1: 14 Units (2-3 weeks each)

1234567891011121314New Skill Introduction..............Blending/reading new sounds......Segmenting/ spelling/ syllable types..........Phonemic Awareness Skills..Sentence Dictation..Trick Words.............Prosody with Echo Reading............Story Re-telling..........Baseword/suffix....Story Structure/ Text Types.......Composition Skills...

This is a simplified version of what is given in the teachers manual on pg. 158-159. Each level has its own scope and sequence which builds upon previous levels and brings back skills from previous levels/units to review. 7

StrengthsExplicit and SystematicEngages with all 5 Key Components of ReadingTeaches for Mastery of ConceptsInteractiveMulti-sensoryTeacher FriendlyWhole Group or IndividualizedAligns with Common Core State StandardsNo Literature-based instruction

WeaknessesStrengths and Weaknesses

Great for first-year or veteran teachers. Not only does the program promote explicit instruction for students, but it provides explicit instruction for teachers as well. Fundations itself claims to be a non-comprehensive program because it does not have the element of literature based instruction. However, I believe that if having literature which corresponds to those skills being taught, it would have immediate practical implications for the students and therefore provide more motivation for the students to learn, rather than simple rote repetition. 8

Does Fundations do what it claims?YES!It is extremely systematic and explicit. Its repetition and routines encourage growth in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Evaluation

As long as the teacher is prepared, everything should work wonderfully. Preparation is a key element in the success of this program. This program is meant to work in conjunction with a literature-based program, so it is important to do these programs in tandem. One without the other will not be as successful.9

What Works ClearinghouseNo studies of Fundations that fall within the scope of the Students with Learning Disabilities review protocol meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. The lack of studies meeting WWC evidence standards means that, at this time, the WWC is unable to draw any conclusions based on research about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of Fundations on students with learning disabilities.

WWC found two studies.Pang, R. V. (2007). The effects of the Wilson Reading System and Fundations on the decoding skills of elementary students with reading disabilities. Unpublished master's thesis, California State University- San Marcos.Ineligible because of study design and unequivalent group comparisons.Robinson, C., & Wahl, M. (2004). Fundations. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Center for Reading Research.Ineligible because it is a secondary analysis.

Research

WWC found only two studies on Fundations, but neither were eligible for review within their standards. Therefore, they cannot determine if Fundations actually works.10

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the national reading panel. Teaching children to read: an evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.Robinson, C., & Wahl, M. (2004). Fundations. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Center for Reading Research.Wilson, Barbara A. (2002). Fundations teacher's manual grades k-1. first edition. Oxford, MA: Wilson Language Training Corporation.WWC Intervention Report (2010). Fundations: students with learning disabilies. What Works Clearinghouse. Retrieved from: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/interventionreport.aspx?sid=196

References

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