Foundations by Logic of English

[hs03842]

Is Foundations worth the cost?  

Edited June 8, 2020 by JoyKM

[ElizabethB]

I would just do Phonics Pathways or the free Word Mastery from Don Potter.  

You could also work through my syllables program.

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On Reading/syllablesspellsu.html

[sweet2ndchance]

12 hours ago, JoyKM said:

Is Foundations worth the cost?  Is it doable or needed for a first grade child who is already a reader on/slightly above grade level? Would it be better or as effective to whip through Explode the Code? Thinking about reading instruction during a COVID hiatus. 

IMO, yes, it is worth the cost IF you need help as the teacher learning how to explicitly teach phonics. It is doable for the average first grader but I wouldn't use it for a child who is reading any amount of above grade level. I would just let them read, read, read to build fluency and gain more exposure to more and more complex word patterns. Then, when they are 8 or so, start them in Essentials instead. I don't think a child who is even a little above grade level needs much explicit instruction. Just lots and lots of books to read. If the child is already 7 going on 8, I might go ahead and just start Essentials if I just really needed something to fill the time and I wanted a curriculum to fill it with. You could also just get the LOE games book and playing cards as a way to pass the time and still keep learning fresh.

Edited March 18, 2020 by sweet2ndchance
clarity

[hs03842]

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Edited June 8, 2020 by JoyKM

[Magnum Necis Academy]

In my opinion, yes. We are halfway through B and I feel that it is giving my son a solid foundation in phonics. He enjoys the activities, is fluently reading Bob and Now I’m Reading Level 1 books. I like that he is being taught to decode words and not just guess based on pictures and first letters. 

[Ellie]

On 3/17/2020 at 5:44 PM, JoyKM said:

Is Foundations worth the cost?  Is it doable or needed for a first grade child who is already a reader on/slightly above grade level? Would it be better or as effective to whip through Explode the Code? Thinking about reading instruction during a COVID hiatus. 

If your dc is already reading at or above grade level, then there's no point in doing ETC.

You could do Spalding with her at a fraction of the cost of LOE, because all you need is the manual (Writing Road to Reading) and a set of phonogram cards and you're good to go forever. Spalding teaches everything that LOE does: how-to-read, spelling, penmanship, capitalization and punctuation, simple writing; it can do grammar and more comprehensive reading and writing, but most people like to change things up.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

We found Explode the Code to be useless busy work.  If you or your kid enjoys workbooks (some kids love them!), it can be a time-filler.  

 

My ds1 used 100 Easy Lessons first, then we quickly went through about 2/3 of Phonics Pathways.  At that point, he took off and could read essentially everything he wanted to and has not struggled since.  

My dd1 went straight to Phonics Pathways and also, 2/3rds through was launched as a reader and went right into chapter books.  

My second dd is not a natural reader.  We have spent a lot of time using resources on @ElizabethB's website, including her nonsense word game and her bookmarks with high frequency words grouped phonetically.  She is now a launched chapter book reader, but has quite a few holes which I am now filling in with Don Potter's updated (and free) version of Webster's Speller.  

I am second ds straight off with Webster's, although I think he is a natural reader like the other two and yesterday read "cucumber" and "chicken parmesean" off my grocery list 🤣.  

 

All this to say, I have browsed Foundations and it was too much for me.  I don't want programs that tell me what to do.  I want programs that allow me to speed up or slow down very easily, as efficiency is one of the tenants of my homeschool philosophy.  Having said that, I do have the LOE spelling rules flashcards and am currently trying to align them with Don Potter's Webster's Speller, where rules are not explicitly stated but rather intuited from spelling pattern lists.  

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

We used Foundations all the way through & loved it. It is very thorough & engaging (read: FUN!) at every level. The books are all high quality (hardback Lesson books, sturdy weight, full-color, perforated Workbooks) so they held up very well. I didn’t personally care for their spelling exercises, but the deep phonetic work has made learning to spell afterwards with a program that fit us better (AAS) go very quickly & smoothly.