Foundational Knowledge

International Literacy International Dyslexia Association Course/Artifact

Association

ILA Standard 1: IDA Standard A: Foundation SPED 637 Topics in Reading

Foundational Knowledge Concepts about Oral and Written
Learning
IDA Standard B: Knowledge of the
Structure of Language
IDA Standard C: Knowledge of
Dyslexia and Other Learning
Disorders
Difficulties
Artifact 1: Annotated
Bibliography
SPED 638 Fundamentals of
Language and Literacy
Artifact 2: Literacy Toolkits

Synthesis of Standards
ILA Standard 1: Foundational Knowledge requires the understanding of the foundation

of reading and writing and the instruction that goes along with the processes. Similarly, IDA

Standard A: Foundational Concepts about Oral and Written Learning focuses on foundational

concepts and instructional processes as well. IDA Standard B: Knowledge of the Structure of

Language involves a literacy specialist’s knowledge and understanding how language is

structured. Each part of language is complex and requires oral and written abilities. This requires

explicit modeling and instruction of the structure of language. IDA Standard C: Knowledge of

Dyslexia and Other Learning Disorders focuses more on the understanding of dyslexia and other

learning disabilities. IDA Standard C connects with ILA Standard 1, IDA Standard A and IDA

Standard B because the knowledge of different learning disabilities will impact how to identify

which concepts students struggle with and which interventions would be best to use.

Literacy specialists must have a strong foundational knowledge background in oral and

written learning, as well as an understanding of Dyslexia and other learning disorders in order to
be able to appropriately accommodate teachers and students. By having foundational knowledge,

Literacy specialists are able to identify foundational concepts in regards to literacy and connect

them back to student need. They should be able to assess where a student is at academically and

use their knowledge to implement beneficial strategies. Foundational knowledge is the basis of

reading and writing. A literacy specialist must be able to determine what foundational concepts a

student is struggling with in order to provide appropriate interventions. This involves having an

understanding of the structure of language in order to explicitly teach oral and written language.

By utilizing their knowledge of content, and also use knowledge of Dyslexia and other learning

disorders, they can determine the need of the student and provide the best strategies possible for

struggling learners using their awareness.

Summary of Artifacts

Artifact # 1 Annotated Bibliography. (See second document below)

This artifact showcases my literature investigation of characterisitcs of Dyslexia and

other reading disabilities, written expression, vocabulary and reading comprehension skills and

strategies. The purpose of this assignment was to investigate empirical research, analyze and

synthesize the articles and identify strategies to help struggling learners.

Artifact #2 Literacy Toolkits. (See third document below)

In SPED 638, our cohort worked on a variety of different “toolkits” including Phonemic

Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency and Comprehension. These five toolkits were

composed of our understanding and synthesizing of research articles, practitioner articles, an

overview of the implementation of the specific practice, a mini lesson on how to use that specific

strategy and a rationale of why that strategy would be benficial for the given toolkit.

Evidence of Application

Foundational Knowledge (ILA 1).

Artifact 1, the Annotated Bibliography, allows me to demonstrate my ability to show

foundational knowledge through the analyzation and development of the articles I read and

synthesized. Artifact 2, the Literacy Toolkits, demonstrate my foundational knowledge by

focusing on how to read the articles, apply the concept, and create lesson plans guided for

specific strategies/skills that students need to work on.

Foundational concepts about oral and written language (IDA: A).

Foundational concepts about oral and written language were shown in Artifact 1 through

synthesizing the empirical articles. This required reading, analyzing and summarizing what was

most important and why it was beneficial for students. The focus of foundations concepts about

oral and written language was evident in Artifact 2 through the development of the lessons based

on article recommendations. In order to appropriately understand what materials a student is

struggling with, you have to be well versed in the different stages of oral and written language.

This will help determine what intervention would be most appropriate for the student to help

them work on the foundational concept.

Knowledge of the Structure of Language (IDA: B).

 Artifact 1 demonstrates my understanding of the Knowledge of the Structure of Language

through determining appropriate interventions for learners struggling with phonology and

phonics. Artifact 2 focuses on developing strategies to help learners with Phonemic Awareness,

Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency and Comprehension. Having knowledge of the structure of

language helps determine that areas in which a student is struggling. Artifact 2 aligns with the

Foundational Knowledge section of the portfolio. The Phonemic Awareness Toolkit specifically

represents my ability to meet IDA Standard B: Knowledge of the Structure of Language because

it requires the literacy specialist to understand the foundational skills and knowledge of language

that is needed to instruct students on phonemic awareness. IDA Standard B is incorporated in

this toolkit through identification of current research to implement explicit instruction in relation

to phonology with the speech sound system and phoneme manipulation through segmentation

and blending of sounds.

Knowledge of Dyslexia and Other Learning Disorders (IDA: C).

Having knowledge of Dyslexia and other learning disorders allowed for me to create

lessons specifically geared toward struggling learners. By using this knowledge, I was able to

create goals and accommodations for student success in the lessons I made. By understanding

Dyslexia and other learning disorders, it allows for the instructor to create appropriate lessons

and modifications based on student need. Students struggling with Dyslexia might need different

accommodations than a student struggling with Dyscalculia. This is why it is imperative for

literacy specialists to know and understand the differences between multiple learning disorders.

Each is very unique and requires different modalities to best help students.