Foundational Skills

FoundationalSkills1

What are the Foundational Skills andHow are they taught in ReadyGEN?What are they? To read, children need to “break the code”of print by learning the sound(s) that eachletter stands for. The instruction ofFoundational skills (Phonics and WordAnalysis) is in the relationships betweenletters and sounds.How does ReadyGEN teach phonics?ReadyGEN integrates research knowledge aboutphonics instruction (e.g., Ehri, 2004), resulting insignificant benefits in decoding and spelling forstudents. Students are explicitly taught to convertletters into sounds and then blend the soundsto form recognizable words. ReadyGEN teaches Foundational Skills Students write and spell new words, applyingexplicitly and systematically. As we teachletter-sound relationships in isolation intheir phonics knowledge.sequential order; we also teach children to Students practice the phonics patterns andblend the sounds to decode words. Withlearn only the necessary rules to access theeach lesson, we provide decodable text and maximum word reading knowledge.writing opportunities that give children Teachers can be flexible in their phonics inpractice in applying the phonics skills that they struction to adapt to the needs of individualare learning and show them the usefulness of learners.what they are learning. Students learn to use their phonics knowledgeto read one-syllable and multisyllabic words. ReadyGEN teaches students to understandword structures such as compound words,root words, suffixes, prefixes, and inflectionalendings and syllabication to decode and/orglean the meaning of multisyllabic words.2

Foundational Skills ResourcesPhonics ActivityMatsChildren use the bilingualmat, which shows theEnglish alphabet on one sideand the Spanish alphabet onthe other, for word workand letter tile activities.Letter TilesAlphabet CardsLetter tiles can be usedfor phonics and decodinginstruction as well as smallgroup and independentactivities.GRADES K-3Bilingual cards with vividphotos build letter andword recognition skills.GRADES K-3Decodable andPractice ReadersThese readers reinforceand apply the targetsound spellings.GRADES 1-5Sound-Spelling CardsTwo-sided cards include aphotograph and the soundfor each letter.GRADES 1-3Sight WordCards availablefor Grade 2Pack Up the SkillsBuild importantfoundational skills ina fun, online environment.GRADES K-6KindergartenStudent ReadersHigh-FrequencyWord CardsPhonics Songs andRhymes ChartWeekly on-level readerspractice target soundspellings by picturingobjects that begin withthe target sounds. 36 titles,six copies each.Display the High-FrequencyWord Cards for children torefer to as they learn eachsight word.GRADES K-1Large, colorful chartsintroduce a new songeach week to help childrenconnect sounds to letters.GRADES KReader’s andWriter’s JournalFoundational SkillsPractice PagesAdditional practice inreading decodable textreinforces the letter-soundpatterns and helps childrendevelop fluency.Downloadable pages toreinforce the letter-soundpatterns and decoding text.Picture CardsEach picture card shows aphotograph on the frontside and the word thatnames the object on thebackGRADES K-33

Foundational Skills ResourcesStrategic Support and InterventionReadyGEN provides you multiple layers of support to help your students becomestrong readers and read more deeply as they construct meaning from complex texts.To support both struggling readers and high-flyers, additional foundational readinglessons, activities and practice can be found in both the Scaffolded StrategiesHandbook and in ReadyUp! Intervention.Grade22GENTMAcbGradeGENAcbTMWhat Are My Students Reading?Scaffolded Strategies HandbookScaffolded StrategiesHandbookTEXTTEXT POReadyGEN’s overall progression of complexity of text, within and acrossgrades, facilitates students’ learning of academic vocabulary, close reading,and foundational skills, and further deepens content knowledge andcomprehension.ReadyGEN provides text complexityrubrics for all core selections to identifypotential stumbling blocks in textsand provide support in clearing thoseobstacles.LEVELINSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSEOn or abovegrade levelStudents and teachers engage in multipleclose readings of and discussions aboutReadyGEN’s full-length, authentic literaryand informational texts.Text CollectionOn or abovegrade levelStudents and teachers engage in multipleclose readings of and discussions aboutReadyGEN’s shorter pieces of authentictext.SleuthGrade levelDuring Small Group, students read shortselections to sharpen their close-readingskills; they look for clues, ask questions,make their case, and prove it.Text appropriateto studentreading levelStudents select books and practicereading independently with “just right” text.Trade BooksMore support for English languagelearners, struggling readers andadvanced learnersScaffolded options to helpunlock textScaffolded strategies to helpunlock writingActivities and routines to supportreading, writing, speaking andlistening and vocabulary acquisitionIndependentReadingLEVELINSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSELeveled Text LibraryText appropriate tostudent reading levelStudents select topically relatedreaders for extra reading practiceat their own reading level.KindergartenStudent ReaderText appropriate tostudent reading levelStudents practice phonics skillsand reread for fluency.Decodable Readers(Grades 1–3)Text appropriate tophonics skillsStudents practice phonics skillsand reread for fluency.Practice Readers(Grades 4–5)Text appropriate toword analysis skillsStudents practice word analysisskills and reread for fluency.Text appropriate tostudent reading levelAdditonal text allows students topractice reading, as they workthrough the Reader’s and Writer’sJournal.KindergartenI Can Read selectionsxRGEN16 TE1 U1FM MRKT.indd 10xi15-03-19 6:57 PMRGEN16 TE1 U1FM MRKT.indd 1131/03/15 2:14 PMWhether you need instruction for minor skills improvement or something intensive forremedial students, ReadyUp! offers integrated intervention that pulls students up, not out.The ReadyUp! Foundational SkillsPathway provides in-depth instruction,practice, and assessment for PrintConcepts, Phonological Awareness,Phonics and Word Recognition,and Fluency.LEVELTeacher Guide with Reproducible StudentPages and Checkpoint AssessmentsFoundational skills, reading literature,LEVELreadinginformational text, writing,ETargeted, scaffolded lessonsMultiple entry and exit pointsOngoing progress monitoringFoundational skills, reading literature,reading informational text, writing,and languageTargeted, scaffolded lessonsMultiple entry and exit pointsGradual release of responsibility modelOngoing progress monitoringTeacher Guide with Reproducible StudentPages and Checkpoint AssessmentsFoundational skills, reading literature,Foundational skills, reading literature,reading informational text, writing,LEVELandlanguageFand languageTargeted, scaffolded lessonsMultiple entry and exit pointsGradual release of responsibility modelDTeacher Guide with Reproducible StudentPages and Checkpoint AssessmentsTeacher Guide with Reproducible StudentPages and Checkpoint AssessmentsFoundational skills, reading literature,reading informational text, writing,and languageLEVELCBTeacher Guide with Reproducible StudentPages and Checkpoint Assessments4LEVELLEVELAreading informational text, writing,LEVELand languageGTargeted, scaffolded lessonsTargeted, scaffolded lessonsMultiple entry and exit pointsMultiple entry and exit pointsGradual release of responsibility modelGradual release of responsibility modelGradual release of responsibility modelOngoing progress monitoringOngoing progress monitoringOngoing progress monitoringTeacher Guide with Reproducible StudentPages and Checkpoint AssessmentsFoundational skills, reading literature,reading informational text, writing,and languageTargeted, scaffolded lessonsMultiple entry and exit pointsGradual release of responsibility modelOngoing progress monitoringTeacher Guide with Reproducible StudentPages and Checkpoint AssessmentsReading literature, reading informationaltext, writing, and languageTargeted, scaffolded lessonsMultiple entry and exit pointsGradual release of responsibility modelOngoing progress monitoring

Teach Foundational Skills in 3 Easy StepsFoundational skills lessons in ReadyGEN are rigorous. The integratedapproach—allowing students to build understanding through text andinstruction—supports rigorous standards the way no other program can.ReadyGEN’s robust approach focuses on phonemic awareness, phonics,and fluency. Lessons are integrated into the learning in a three-step processthat helps you support all learners.Step 1Whole GroupThe foundational skills mini-lesson providesstudents with common practice arounda grade-level foundational reading skill.Students then apply that skill to the textthey’re reading, and practice utilizing thatskill in both their Reading Analysis workand in their writing.Step 2Small Group TimeTeachers have the flexibility to provideconcrete, direct, and explicit, differentiatedfoundational skills instruction. For studentswho need more support with that day’s skill,teachers may choose to utilize the longer,more robust foundational reading lessonsin the back of the Teacher’s Guide.Step 3Foundational Skillsin PracticeHelp students make progress towardfoundational skills mastery with CheckProgress formative assessments.Phonics and Word Analysis instruction is designed to work in whole- and small-group settings. It’srecommended teachers allocate 20–30 minutes of the reading block to teaching these skills.5

Kindergarten Foundational Skills Lesson StructureLesson 1Lesson 2Lesson 3Lesson 4Lesson 5PhonemicAwarenessIntroduce SoundwithHigh FrequencyWordsHigh Frequency WordCards2 Words for 2WeeksPhonemicAwarenessIsolate andDiscriminate SoundDecodingReview Sound fromLesson 2Partner/Pair ReadReview and MorePracticeApply PhonicsMake Words andRereadingPhonicsConnect Sound toLetter usingApplyReader’s andWriter’s JournalBlend SoundsUsing Onsets andRymesWriter’s Journal6DecodingIntroduceDecodable ReaderPartner/Pair ReadPhonicsPractice Sound byBlending, Isolating,SubstitutingApplyMake words withLetter Tiles

Grade 1 Foundational Skills Lesson StructureLesson 1Lesson 2Lesson 3Lesson 4Lesson 5PhonemicAwarenessBlend and SegmentSound 1High FrequencyWordsHigh FrequencyWord CardsPhonemicAwarenessBlend and SegmentSound 2High FrequencyWordsHigh FrequencyWord CardsReview and MorePracticeReview the TwoPhonics SkillsPhonicsExplicit Instructionof First Phonics Skillusing a BlendingStrategy Routine,DecodingWord Sorts, Building Preview DecodableWords, SpellingReader 1Partner/Pair ReadPhonicsExplicit Instructionof Second PhonicsSkill using a Blending Strategy Routine,Word Sorts, Building DecodingPreview DecodableWords, SpellingReader 2Partner/Pair ReadPractice and ApplyPhonicsLetter TilesPractice and ApplyPhonicsReader’s andWriter’s Journal andLetter TilesDecodingPreview DecodableReader 3Partner/Pair Read7

Grade 2 Foundational Skills StructureLesson 1Lesson 2Lesson 3Lesson 4Lesson 5PhonicsExplicit Instructionof the Phonics Skillusing a BlendingStrategy Routine,Building Words,SpellingHigh FrequencyWordsHigh FrequencyWord CardsPhonics ReviewReview, Blend, Build,Sort, and ReadWords of Previouslytaught Phonics SkillsHigh FrequencyWordsHigh FrequencyWord CardsReview and MorePracticeReview Phonics SkillsPractice and ApplyPhonicsSentence WritingDecodingDecodable Reader 1Partner/Pair ReadDecodingDecodable Reader 2Partner/Pair ReadPractice and ApplyPhonicsReader’s andWriter’s JournalDecodingPreview DecodableReader 3Partner/Pair Read8