What Exactly is Formula-Three?
The Formula-Three Reading, Spelling, Learning Program is an instructional
system designed to teach English-language communication skills to
elementary (grade three and beyond), secondary and adult students. The
system places a major emphasis on decoding, encoding and processing
the written word. In an organized fashion students are taught the higher level
phonetic and code (rules and laws) information that governs the written
English Language.
Formula-Three’s instructional philosophy is based on the premise that
most
students rarely are stretched to their true potential. To assist them in doing
so in the areas of reading, spelling and learning, students learn that
although written English is an irregular language, it is not an irrational
language. Then as their skills develop, students feel in control when
reading
and processing the written word. Formula-Three’s two spelling systems
develop confident spellers who feel comfortable when writing.
The Formula-Three instructional system is two-tiered: first skills and
transition, then application. The instructional materials are designed to
teach the complete system to instructors as they teach their students the 48
skills and transition lessons.
The application (practice) phase of the instruction is open-ended. Here,
students practice and strengthen their new decoding, encoding and
language processing skills by working with their teachers in a variety of
worthy written works whose level of challenge is at each student’s
instructional level. Being taught in works containing new or poorly
understood vocabulary and/or language usage, message content and ideas
provides both acceleration and enrichment. It also develops higher order
thinking skills while concurrently raising independent reading levels.
Research shows that Formula-Three’s instructional processes are
generally blind to population differences, of race, ethnicity, language
background, gender, social class and ability level. A school’s low, middle
and high achieving students all show significant gains on standardized
achievement tests. Longitudinal studies in a variety of schools show that the
gains are durable and that over time the effect of the instruction on
scholastic achievement is cumulative. In addition to reading (vocabulary and
comprehension), Formula-Three’s impact is seen in spelling, language,
social studies, science, research skills and mathematics.
Formula-Three Reading, Spelling, Learning, Program
