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Fundations®: Level 1


Reinforce basic skills and continue to study word structure through a structured literacy approach.

Curriculum Overview

Young student marking up sound cards on a white board with a dry erase marker

Level 1 of Fundations reinforces the essential components of structured literacy that were learned in Kindergarten and progresses further into the study of word structure. Teachers should combine Fundations with a wide variety of text experiences, and expose students to poetry and narrative and informational text.

By the end of Level 1, students will be able to: 

  • Segment syllables into sounds (phonemes)–up to 5 sounds
  • Name sounds of primary consonants, consonant digraphs, and short and long vowels when given letters
  • Name and write corresponding letter(s) when given sounds for consonants, consonant digraphs, and short and long vowels
  • Print all uppercase and lowercase letters
  • Distinguish long and short vowel sounds
  • Name sounds for r-controlled vowels
  • Name sounds for vowel digraphs and vowel diphthongs
  • Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words
  • Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions
  • Read and spell the first 100 high frequency words, including irregular words (Trick Words)
  • Identify word structures such as blends, digraphs, basewords, suffixes, syllable types (closed and vowel-consonant-e syllables)
  • Read and spell CVC, CCVC, CVCC, CCVCC, CVCe words
  • Read and spell compound words and other words with two syllables by breaking them into syllables
  • Read and spell words with -s, -es, -ed, -ing suffixes when added to non-changing basewords
  • Apply correct punctuation (period, question mark, exclamation point)
  • Apply capitalization rules for beginning of sentences and names of people, places, and dates
  • Explain major differences between fictional stories and informational text
  • Explain narrative story structure including characters, settings, and main events
  • Retell key details of a fictional story and demonstrate understanding
  • Use illustrations and/or details in a story to describe its characters, settings, and events
  • Ask and answer questions about key details in a text
  • Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text
  • Identify specific words in a story that tell or suggest details
  • Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text
  • Identify the main topic and retell key details of informational text
  • Identify and explain new meanings for familiar words and newly taught words
  • Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts
  • Construct complete sentences using vocabulary words
  • Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase
  • Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look) and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks, looked, looking)
  • Sort words into categories to gain a sense of the concept the category represents
  • Define words by category and by one or more key attributes
  • Apply beginning dictionary skills
  • Identify real-life connections between words and their use
  • Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future
  • Read controlled stories with fluency, expression, and understanding

Do your rising first graders need extra support before beginning the Level 1 curriculum? Consider Fundations Ready to Rise® for rising first graders. 

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