Who is this course for?
Foundations is for every homeschool educator, tutor, and classroom language arts teacher who teaches students reading, writing, and spelling. Other subject teachers who support the development of language arts skills will also benefit from this course.
The content is foundational for any student at any age, but the reading materials were designed for students from grade 2 and above. Foundations covers the essential skills you need to teach your students as they develop into good readers, writers, and spellers.
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What is unique about Foundations?
- Teaching strategies based on the latest research in reading, writing, and spelling
- Delivered through the organized online learning platform for flexible engagement with course content
- Syllabus/table of contents for easy course navigation
- Module format, delivering content in manageable segments
- Support materials and activities to apply lessons
- Reading Kit with word lists, sentences, passages, word study derivative lists, and comprehension discussion prompts
- Qualitative assessment tools to determine which concepts have been mastered vs. concepts where students need more targeted practice. Assessments are also a means to measure growth over time.
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Should I take Foundations or use the Pinwheels Curriculum?
The Foundations course begins with basic CVC words with short vowel sounds (i.e. cat, tin, got). The Pinwheels program is designed for younger and struggling students and covers every aspect of literacy instruction, including skill-appropriate reading and writing practice. If your student is still learning their alphabet and learning to read and spell basic short vowel CVC words, then we recommend Pinwheels Year 1.
If your student has basic alphabet and word knowledge but still needs to practice blends, reading and spelling two-syllable words, introductory sentence structures, and basic word structure, we recommend completing Pinwheels Year 2 before starting Foundations.
If you have a middle grade learner who has gaps in their fundamental reading skills and is not writing, we recommend starting with either Pinwheels Year 1 or Year 2, depending on which level of skills needs to be strengthened.
If you have a middle grade or older student who struggles with fundamental literacy skills, but is writing, we recommend starting with this Foundations course.
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Can Foundations be used with much older students?
Yes. Research supports the need for students to practice spelling and word study throughout the high school years. The Foundations course begins with basic concepts in phonics, phonemic awareness, word study, and spelling, but continues to complex reading, writing, and spelling skills. This allows educators to review key concepts while also advancing their students in these vital skill areas.
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Can Foundations be used with students who struggle in literacy and spelling?
Yes. The Foundations course is based on research in the Science of Reading and provides evidence-based instruction that is explicit and systematic. It has everything you need to meet your students where they are so that you can move them to where they need to be! Use the provided assessments to gauge your student’s current skills and identify areas of struggle. We demonstrate how you can make the most of the effective strategies taught in the course. Then you use the course materials to provide explicit instruction and support as your student practices and grows key skills.
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Do you offer other educator training classes?
Yes. Our Foundations course is generally the recommended starting place. Depending on your students’ needs, we suggest the following classes for your continued educator development:
- Handwriting Struggle & Intervention Educator Class
- Grammar & Mechanics Educator Class
- Reading Accuracy, Fluency & Comprehension Educator Class
- Supported Writing & Editing Educator Class
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Do you offer a Certificate of Completion for continuing education?
Yes. After finishing the course, you have the option to download a Certificate of Completion. Your Certificate can be submitted for CEU’s; however, acceptance is subject to each governing body’s rules and approval.
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For schools or classroom teachers: We have several teachers in our school who need to take the Foundations course? Do you offer group pricing?
Yes. Refer to our Professional Development Group Licenses for all the details.
