Logic of English Foundations

[ajfries]

I've watched these teacher training videos & I really like the concepts behind this curriculum. I was wondering, though, if kids ever find it confusing to learn all the letter sounds at the outset?

[ajfries]

Bump.

[silver]

My kids have not had a problem with it. Before I started, I had heard it explained that kids have no issues with a dog making more than one sound ("bark", "woof", etc), so why should a letter making more than one sound be any different?

[mamamin]

My 5 year old DS will be completing level A this week (we started in September). Last year he went to a public school morning pre-k program where the learned the letter names, but he had no problem learning that they also all make different sounds. He is doing fantastic with it and his reading is really coming along. So far, I think it's a fantastic program. I also use the app on the iPad for extra practice and I have just always referred to the letters as their sounds and he got the idea quick enough. Repetition is the key because as you know, some of them have 3 or 4 different sounds but it hasn't been an issue at all. 

[Above The Rowan]

Both my kids have just started it and neither have any issue with learning the phonograms even after years in PS knowing the letter names. My oldest is sailing through it as he is an older struggling reader. My younger is moving at a lesson per day and both are just loving the curriculum.

 

I'm a LOE fangirl after today's lesson - after the lesson my I-hate-anything-to-do-with-language son begged me to print some more handwriting practice paper so he could keep working on his cursive. He sat in on my youngers lesson instead of playing on his xbox that i offered - so he could practice more. Really that is just unheard of in my home. I am in love with this program.

[Soror]

I started Foundations last year w/ dd (we were beta testers) there hasn't been any issue and I find that it makes it much easier when they come across words using the different sounds as they already have it in their memory bank that the phonograms make multiple sounds.

[RootAnn]

While I don't use LoE, I teach mine with something that also teaches all the sounds of each letter at the beginning (Spell to Write & Read - which I think the LoE author used when she started out). So far, it hasn't been a problem. Now, deciding which sound to use when sounding out a word can sometimes cause them some anxiety (why does the 'o' in do & to say /oo/ but it says /O/ in so?). . . 

 

I've had one or two show some confusion when teaching the multiletter phonograms because they think they should say one of their other sounds, so 'ow' makes them look at me funny, for example.

 

They 'get it' much better than we do.

[ajfries]

I'm so glad to hear all the positive reviews! It's (what I consider) quite expensive, but it seems to be just what I'm looking for in a program. I ordered a used TM so I can look it over a little better before buying all the resources, but I'm anxious to get started with it.

[Above The Rowan]

I coughed up a good chunk of change for the whole Foundations curric. And being in Canada the shipping was quite high. But it's already worth it. It's nicely scripted but still a lot of ideas you can use to redo lessons if a little one needs more practice (my youngest for instance).

[Korrale]

I always teach letter by sound. My son never learnt letter names until way after learning to read.

[FromA2Z]

My ds had no trouble whatsoever.  I was a bit skeptical starting but have had no issues.  He had no problem transitioning to long or broad vowel  sounds in words.  I really love this program.  We started with level A last Jan at 4.75 yo.  We are now 1/2 way through C and he has learned about 60 of the 70 phonograms.

 

[AimeeM]

For those who have used it, do they teach blending CVC words in A? Do they teach it in a *different* way, that a child who is having problems (with multiple different programs tried) with that area would benefit from it? He's having problems with fluidity, although he did swimmingly with CV two-letter blends.

[Above The Rowan]

For those who have used it, do they teach blending CVC words in A? Do they teach it in a *different* way, that a child who is having problems (with multiple different programs tried) with that area would benefit from it? He's having problems with fluidity, although he did swimmingly with CV two-letter blends.

I haven't gotten there yet to judge how well it works but CVC reading is introduced in lesson 21 of Foundations A. After only learning a handful of phonograms this week my son (seriously struggling reader) is already making more sense of CVC words - so far the method seems to be working but this is the only we have used since leaving PS (where they used sight reading only). Not sure if that is helpful or not :)

[Soror]

I don't know that LoE does blends any differently than other programs, it was(is) my understanding that a childs ability to blend is generally just developmental and they get it when they are ready.

[silver]

For those who have used it, do they teach blending CVC words in A? Do they teach it in a *different* way, that a child who is having problems (with multiple different programs tried) with that area would benefit from it? He's having problems with fluidity, although he did swimmingly with CV two-letter blends.

 

There are many phonemic awareness activities that prepare children for blending. They could help, depending on what issues your child is having. I skipped A with my son (he already knew the letters and all their sounds) and my daughter is only about 14 lessons into A (writing/reading of words doesn't start until lesson 21).

 

One thing to keep in mind is that it might be a developmental thing. At age 4, my son could spell CVC words using the leap frog fridge phonics, but he could not read them. I didn't push it and then tried again at the start of K (when he was a young 5) and then could blend--without any extra instruction on my part, just time. He wasn't fluent (he had to sound out each letter), but he could do it and tell me the word. Getting to be able to read a word without sounding out every single phonogram came with time/practice. I do think LOE provides plenty of practice in a fun way for kids.

[AimeeM]

There are many phonemic awareness activities that prepare children for blending. They could help, depending on what issues your child is having. I skipped A with my son (he already knew the letters and all their sounds) and my daughter is only about 14 lessons into A (writing/reading of words doesn't start until lesson 21).

 

One thing to keep in mind is that it might be a developmental thing. At age 4, my son could spell CVC words using the leap frog fridge phonics, but he could not read them. I didn't push it and then tried again at the start of K (when he was a young 5) and then could blend--without any extra instruction on my part, just time. He wasn't fluent (he had to sound out each letter), but he could do it and tell me the word. Getting to be able to read a word without sounding out every single phonogram came with time/practice. I do think LOE provides plenty of practice in a fun way for kids.

 

That i wouldn't need half of A makes me hesitate. He is picture perfect (every time) with letter recognition (upper and lower) and sounds (but not long vowels yet - when is that approached in LOE A?).

I do plan on putting off formal phonics for now until this fall. In the mean time, we'll work on some auditory exercises - I've noticed that while he knows his sounds and can blend two letter blends very, very well, he doesn't know rhyme and can't separate letter sounds in words (if I say "c is cat; the beginning sound is c - what other words have the same beginning sound", he is lost); when I read the Reading Rescue book I have, that leads me to believe that he needs work on the auditory part of phonics.

 

[Korrale]

Supplement with www.readingbear.org. It is free.

[Soror]

Aimee, Considering the fact that he needs work on phonemic awareness I would highly, highly recommend going w/ A, you can do that now. A has a lot of phonemic awareness activities. It works on rhyming, beginning and ending sounds. I think you need to look at it again b/c it is NOT just about knowing the letters, that is a very, very small part of Level A, it sounds like he could really benefit from the activities especially if you plan on doing Foundations later on I would start w/ A.

[Above The Rowan]

Aimee, Considering the fact that he needs work on phonemic awareness I would highly, highly recommend going w/ A, you can do that now. A has a lot of phonemic awareness activities. It works on rhyming, beginning and ending sounds. I think you need to look at it again b/c it is NOT just about knowing the letters, that is a very, very small part of Level A, it sounds like he could really benefit from the activities especially if you plan on doing Foundations later on I would start w/ A.

I agree. A lot of what we are working on right now is sounds, hearing them and isolating them - there are so many activities to work deeper with phonemic awareness.

[AimeeM]

Aimee, Considering the fact that he needs work on phonemic awareness I would highly, highly recommend going w/ A, you can do that now. A has a lot of phonemic awareness activities. It works on rhyming, beginning and ending sounds. I think you need to look at it again b/c it is NOT just about knowing the letters, that is a very, very small part of Level A, it sounds like he could really benefit from the activities especially if you plan on doing Foundations later on I would start w/ A.

 

Great! I didn't realize it had those activities! Thank you so much!