Morgan Frye, M.Ed.

Master of Science in Education


Lesson Planning: Fundations



Table of Contents



Introduction
Fundations Lesson Plans
Differentiation and Responding to Student Data
Student Work Samples
Student Data Reflection and Data Driven Instruction
Conclusion




Introduction





Fundations lesson planning



Fundations lesson plans are phonics lesson plans using the scripted program, Fundations. This is my first year using the program, and there are several aspects of it that I enjoy and believe are useful in guiding successful phonics instruction for students. There are many different tools used to engage students and to invest them in phonics. We utilize several songs, keywords, motions, and puppets to engage students in learning. To prep for these lessons, I ensure that I have all of my materials ready for each lesson and that lesson plans are responsive to student data from previous ones.


Fundations occurs daily in the afternoon, after our lunch and bathroom break. The typical structure involves students on the carpet with the teacher in sitting in the front middle during instruction. I utilize the different materials in whole group on the carpet before sending students back to their desks to work in their student notebooks or on Fundations papers.



Above is a useful tool for lesson planning- the letter formation guide and the keyword sound guide. This ring of cards is important in that the teacher is quickly able to flip through to find the uppercase or lowercase letter and read the correct steps for forming the letter to students. Fundations is scripted in this part, as it has different lines that students write the letters on and the program wants language normed across all grades as students move from Kindergarten to first, and onward.



Above are two examples of our letter-keyword-sound cards that help students solidify the keyword for each letter and letter sound they learn. The keyword begins with the letter sound that the students are working to master to help remember that sound and letter. We also have a motion that goes along with each keyword, and a clap when we say the three together. Students say, "t, top, /t/" (/t/ is the sound t makes) and clap their hands together at the end.



Above is a close up of the letter-keyword-sound card that also serves to remind teachers of the proper structure of the saying.



Above is Mama Echo. Mama Echo is a puppet that students interact with when repeating the sounds. The teacher generally says a sound first, or the letter-keyword-sound, and then leans Mama Echo towards the students, giving them a visual of when they should repeat what the teacher says. Mama Echo is also a great tool in student volume control (as she has to fly away when it gets too noisy). Mama Echo also have a baby, Baby Echo, that is a smaller owl puppet used in small group.




Fundations Lesson Plans (Examples)





Why is it important to analyze lessons?



Below are examples of Fundations lesson plans that I have taught in the classroom. These lessons are typically scripted, but as the teacher, it is important to go off-script when students need extra support in a letter that was not planned in the lesson plan. Analyzing lessons plans ensures that the teacher knows the material before the material is taught, and is not reading from a script the entire time. While these plans are scripted, it is important for the lesson to still have a natural flow for students and for teachers to be able to have the liberty to stop and reteach, clarify, or discuss when necessary.


The lesson plans below are from the first week of school. During this time, I was still becoming used to the program and the Fundations format. These scripts were helpful for me to analyze to see exactly what needed to be stated in the lessons, and what was most important.



Above is a screenshot of Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1 in Fundations. The highlighted text was text that my literacy coach stated was most important for students to know. Drill sounds was one of the activities that I needed to ensure that I knew and planned for accordingly so students could master the skill of letter identification and letter sound.



Above is another lesson plan from an important section of Fundations- Sky Writing. In Sky Writing, students take their fingers and point them towards the board, drawing the letter as the teacher draws the letter with their dry-erase marker. Having these materials ready and planning how students are going to work through the activity is important in planning.




Differentiation and Responding to Student Data





How do I respond to student data during a lesson?



During instruction, it is important to quickly assess students to ensure that every student is understanding the lesson and that if misconceptions arise, I can either address them accordingly in whole group or address them one-on-one or in small group. This information is quickly written down for me on my printed plans (see Reflection of Student Data and Using Data to Drive Lesson Planning below). When thinking about student differentiation, I also must plan accordingly and consult with my literacy coach, as we have a set schedule we must stick to. There are days where students needed reteaching instruction, and due to this, I have had to make choices regarding differentiating instruction in small group that changes that planning grid for the rest of the semester. Most importantly, students are understanding the material and mastering the standards, even if they are doing so at a different place or utilizing different times in the day (small group Guided Reading, quick mini-lessons in the morning or end of day, etc.) to do so.



Above is a screenshot of our planning grid for Fundations. Students were retaught the first week of Fundations due to students missing instruction for scheduling snafus, this being students' first year working with Fundations, and the state of culture during the first few weeks of school.



Above is a highlighted section of a Fundations lesson for the letter b. Students needed more time on the carpet for the initial sound and letter formation/keyword, and we pushed the highlighted section of the lesson to the next day. As the teacher, it is important that I am making these planning and instructional decisions in the best interest of my students.




Student Work Samples (In Relation to Lesson Plans)





How are students internalizing content and mastering standards?



Below are examples of student work in Fundations after lessons. Student notebooks are an integral part of the Fundations lesson as they are give a clear picture as to the students' abilities in letter formation and pencil control. I use these notebooks to see exactly where students are in mastering the standards and how well students are internalizing the content after each lesson. Below are examples of student work pages out of Fundations notebooks.



Above is a student who has not yet mastered the letters d or s. This student has trouble keeping control of their pencil and practices activities for fine motor skills daily. This student would receive more instruction during small group.



Above is another student work sample. This student has the concept of d, but writes their s backwards. This student would receive more instruction in whole group and in small group time.



Above is a student who has almost mastered the writing their letters d and s. This student was given the extension activity, which was to draw two pictures above, one picture of something beginning with s and one picture beginning with d.



Above is another student who has almost mastered these two letters. This student was also given the extension activity and this student and the student left will both be given more differentiated instruction in small group for extension activities.




Reflection of Student Data and Using Data to Drive Lesson Planning





How does data drive instruction forward?



With the data gathered from whole group lessons, student notebooks, and during mini Fundations lessons at the beginning of Guided Reading, I am able to make decisions for my classroom as a whole and students on an individual level to ensure that everyone is meeting the standards and mastering their letter identification, letter sounds, and letter formation.


One of the ways that I am able to keep track of all student data is with data trackers (see Fundations Assessment section) and with taking notes on lesson plans and using notes when planning instruction for the next days or weeks. Without taking these notes into consideration, lesson planning would not incorporate my students and their learning and students might not be ready for the cookie-cutter instruction that the program specifies. Responding to student data as it happens- in the moment or taking notes to modify instruction at a later time, is a great way to ensure that students will succeed in mastering the standards and student growth.



Above is a picture of the teacher's manual for Fundations. While these lessons are easy to use and printed in a way that makes it easy for teachers to follow, it is important to modify plans to fit students and drive student growth in my classroom.



Above is another example of the basic plans that Fundations offers in their manual. I use this manual to ensure that I am on target for all lessons, buy type/write up differentiated or modified plans to accommodate my students.



Above is an example of a plan from the beginning of the year when I started taking notes during instruction. These notes helped me to remember which students were having difficulties and to modify instruction as needed.



Above is another example of a lesson plan where I was able to take notes and later address misconceptions or make a note to reassess the student at a later date.




Conclusion





How does lesson planning help with content internalization?



Fundations lesson plans and modifications to those plans are important to ensure that all students are learning and growing in the classroom. Using quick assessments and taking notes, analyzing data from student work and notebooks, and monitoring during whole group instruction allows for me to create accurate, meaningful, and detail-oriented lesson plans to ensure that all students will grow and learn in my classroom.