There Will Be A $5.00 Charge For Whining: A TOS Review: Foundations D (Logic of English)

I am a big fan of the Logic of English. We have used their Essentials program with good results. As Josiah is a bit older, I hadn’t looked at the Foundations (which is intended for early elementary) curriculum in any way. Basically, Logic of English Foundations D covers everything: vocabulary, phonics, spelling grammar and reading comprehension. I was beyond thrilled when I had the chance to review Foundations D from Logic of English recently.

Logic of English programs are some of the best when using multi-sensory activities in teaching language arts. As you might know, Josiah is dyslexic. Using multi-sensory methods when teaching these kiddos to read has been proven to be effective. In fact, I think every early reader would benefit from these methods.

Foundations D is the 4^th book in the Foundations series. It is intended for ages 4-7. Foundations D still contains all the fun bits. There are plenty of hands-on activities and fun games, but it also includes the addition of readers. We are introduced to classic children’s stories (Are You My Mother? Frog and Toad, etc.) plus a whole series of non-fiction readers.

The student is introduced to more spelling words, additional vocabulary and grammar skills. I mentioned before that this is a COMPLETE language arts program. The student is given plenty of opportunity to work through writing instruction. I love that both copywork and dictation are used.

One of the big drawing points for me was the reading comprehension and fluency aspects of the lessons. Josiah has difficulty reading with any kind of feeling. It’s more like “I’m just tryin’ get through this the best I can.” Anybody with me?

So I know what you are asking. Why ask to a review a program that might be too juvenile for your teenage son? I have my motives.

For one, Josiah has been through much of the Essentials program. I think it is a great program and would recommend it to anyone. However, I also feel like it is a good thing for us to do major review every now and again. I like Josiah to have something in his life that he feels like he has mastered.

I also had a bigger reason. I teach a reading co-op and am looking for a consistent program to use with that group. My challenge is that I have young readers that don’t quite need Foundation A and aren’t near ready for Essentials.

I received a whole lot of goodies for my review. I got spelling rule cards, grammar rules, advanced phonics and more!

The main components of the program is the Foundations D Teacher's Manual, Student Workbook and Readers.

A typical lesson with Foundations D will take around an hour. It took a little less with Josiah.

We first started with phonogram practice. If your child has never been exposed to phonograms before I suggested you start with a lower level of Foundations. Foundations D really builds upon prior knowledge. It is less about grade level.

Grammar and spelling are next. I can’t tell you how much Josiah’s spelling has improved! I really do love the way Foundations D does spelling. My son gets really overwhelmed with long spelling lists. Each list is only 7-8 words long. I think this will be a good amount for my reading class kiddos, as well. Josiah does find it difficult to mark each word as instructed. We do our best.

I LOVE that the readers are all books that Josiah can easily handle on his own. I realize that this won’t be the same for my co-op book, but here are a couple of things to note. Our reading lesson just isn’t reading and answering a few comprehension questions. The student is taught how to read with expression, how to describe a plot, how to find key words…etc.

The non-fiction readers that come with the program are adorable. Look at that cutie below!

The writing activity will vary from lesson to lesson. They always tie in with the reading lesson. For example, students might do a bit of copywork or make a venn diagram. Such a wonderful thing! I have found we do better when we learn to use graphic organizers.

Here are a few things to remember.

If your child hasn’t been through a Foundations level I suggested you dig a little deeper before purchasing Foundations D. They are not based on grade level. Logic of English works with phonograms, spelling rules, etc. Once a child has reached Foundations D there is a certain amount of material that it is assumed has been mastered. You might be better served by checking out a lower level.

If your child is dyslexic and older (like

Josiah), I suggest you use Essentials. It has been very effective with Josiah.

Keep in mind that the program also uses children's classics for reading material, in addition to the non-fiction readers. They did not come in my box of goodies (as did the non-fiction readers), but are available for purchase on the site. I found we had several of the books already and had no trouble at all checking out the ones we didn't have at the library.

If you are already a Foundations user (and lover) this is the program for you!