What is i-12?
i-12 (an abbreviation/shorthand for i-12 Learning) is a non-profit educational service of Basic Composition.com. i-12 Learning serves as an open resource for Parents, Pre-School Teachers, K-12 Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Tutors, Home-Schoolers, Rehabilitation Specialists, and remedial skills students. The specific mission of i-12 Learning is to develop supplementary open resources for the instruction of students from infancy to the post-secondary level. Our specific focus is multimodal language arts and/or multimodal literacy.

While the materials and artifacts posted on our site help to engage students and supplement instruction, they are not a substitute for textbooks or proper classroom/individualized instruction. However, please feel free to use our materials to construct your own courses, course packets, and lessons.

Why i-12?
Developed in consultation with experts in the field of education and composition, i-12 Learning provides a fairly solid foundation and curriculum in reading and writing through a careful blend of traditional/contemporary approaches to literacy education, multimodal literacy, whole language, and phonics. One of the purposes of i12 Learning is to encourage more standardized and more rigorous standards of language and visual arts instruction (at the earliest levels).

Why do you link language and visual arts?
Both language arts and the visual arts are connected in many ways. For example, we use the same techniques to draw as we do to create typographic characters (such as letters and numbers). Since both modes can be used to help students at the earliest levels, it seems more productive to combine both practices in order to seamlessly accommodate each other. Many educators are moving to a "multimodal" form of learning and delivery in their classrooms; the
i-12 team wants to illustrate how such a blend can positively affect student learning outcomes in the classroom, at home, or in a rehabilitative environment.

What is the educational philosophy of i-12?
The educators at i-12 Learning believe that learning starts immediately; therefore, we have purposefully attempted to push language instruction down to the stage of infancy, since children become aware of the world around them immediately. Additionally, we believe that a careful blend of phonetic instruction (in early years) with whole language instruction (in later years) may help students to begin further exploration of the English language almost at birth. As students progress from the primary to the secondary level, we have shed overly traditional literature-based instruction (which has dominated for years) into more multimodal-centered instruction (which may be accommodated more aptly by emerging technologies and the reading/analysis of such technologies).

Why are the pages/curricular documents separated into three areas: SPELL, COMPOSE, and READ?
SPELLING (includes traditional English vocabulary instruction from the i-level to the 12th grade level) - These pages include lists of vocabulary/spelling words from the traditional corpus of the English language (particularly General Word Lists (approved by scholars) and the Basic English list (by Charles Kay Ogden, I.A. Richards, and Christine Gibson). At the primary level, vocabulary words (k through 6) are connected to phonetic values of either basic letters, di-graphs, vowels, or consonants. Primary students advance into more complex words (e.g., suffixes, affixes, compound words, homonyms, etc.). Secondary student (7 through 12) vocabulary lists are formed according to college-prep standards and previous standardized placement test vocabulary.

HANDWRITING (includes traditional lessons in handwriting and cursive writing instruction). These pages include handwriting exercises (for both print and cursive writing). Students will work through repetitive and new exercises to instill the basics of writing print and cursive letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs.

COMPOSING (includes traditional composition and rhetorical instruction with lessons in the visual arts, in visual accuity, etc.) - These pages include visual and textual invention lessons. Students learn about the foundations of meaning and explore further ways to articulate themselves through various forms of discourse. At the basic level (t2 & p), students learn about shapes, alphabets, etc. At the primary level (1-4, students work with forming words, sentence structure, and paragraph structure. Further in the primary level (5 &6), students work towards developing full documents (in the form of stories, short essays, poetry, etc.). In the secondary level (7-12), students undertake a more rigorous study of language and language analysis in order to make them aware of grammar, punctuation, style, formatting, genre, and content.

READING (includes traditional reading instruction with multimodal reading approaches) - These pages include reading exercises (textual and visual) which are level appropriate and which sync closely with our vocabulary/spelling lists. Our exercises include conventional and non-conventional approaches to reading instruction while attempting to follow the standards for literacy set forth by the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). However, we are not associated with these organizations.

What do the different levels represent? What ages are appropriate to the levels?
The identifiers on each screen will help to designate both the week of instruction and the appropriate level. To help illustrate this further, you can use the key below (ages are based on approximations):

i - represents infancy (from birth to 1 year)
t1 - represents early toddlers (from 1 year to 2 years)
t2 - represents toddlers (from 2 years to 3 years)
p - represents pre-schoolers (from 3 years to 4years)
k - represents kindergarten (from 4 years to 5 years)
1 - represents 1st Graders (from 5 years to 6 years)
2 - represents 2nd Graders (from 6 years to 7 years)
3 - represents 3rd Graders (from 7 years to 8 years)
4 - represents 4th Graders (from 8 years to 9 years)
5 - represents 5th Graders (from 9 years to 10 years)
6 - represents 6th Graders (from 10 years to 11 years)
7 - represents 7th Graders (from 12 years to 13 years)
8 - represents 8th Graders (from 13 years to 14 years)
9 - represents 9th Graders (from 14 years to 15 years)
10 - represents 10th Graders (from 15 years to 16 years)
11 - represents 11th Graders (from 16 years to 17 years)
12 - represents 12th Graders (from 17 years to 18 years)

Note: These identifiers are more or less markers to designate levels of instruction; however, students may work ahead as needed or advised by their instructors/therapists, etc.

Why are your levels broken into 42 weeks of instruction?
We decide that most educational programs (currently) sustain about 42 weeks of instruction (considering summer holidays and common holidays). Based on the idea of operant conditioning (specifically reward), we decided infants/toddlers/children/young adults need rest and rewards for their work (besides, a whole world exists outside of language... and parents/teachers need time to rest as well). Therefore, we choose 42 weeks or approximately 10.5 months of schooling. Whether the time is used for year-round schooling (with shorter breaks) or for a longer summer break is a continous debate. Moreover, this allotment of time seems very sufficient for learning most of the information we present.

Why conventional and non-conventional forms of instruction/curriculum?
By using our site and the materials from our site, you are infact exploring part of a large scholarly project to help to supplement public school instruction (with conventional and non-conventional forms of curriculum and instruction found in traditional schools). Since the codes/rules/standards of education are different for English speaking countries (who all happen to use this site), you are also engaging in a globalized and multicultural effort to learn English, which is not exactly standardized in one country or another but is rather an amalgamation of forms, modes, and methods of delivery.

Are these materials copyrighted?
All of the materials contained within this site retain domestic (United States) and some international copyrights. Individual contributors have granted specific permissions to distribute these materials for educational purposes through this site.

By using this site you are granted a limited license (permission) to disseminate copies –both paper and/or digital- for classroom use, private tutoring, and individual use only. Reproductions and/or distribution without permission (in electronic and/or paper form) is a violation of federal copyright law. To obtain permission for distribution or reproduction, contact pr@basiccomposition.com.

Are the ideas represented here secured by copyright?
Good question. Honestly, copyright "does not protect ideas, concepts, systems, or methods of doing something" nor does it protect "facts [or] methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed."

Is there anything on this site that would infringe on copyright?
If anything on our site were to infringe on copyright, then we hope you would contact us immediately (so that we could remove it promptly - in good faith).

Is anything on this site indecent or questionable for children?
That depends on your definition of indecent... Towards the end of seventh grade, we begin introducing more complex subject matter (including young adult material), including terms situated within the realm of sexuality (from a biological perspective), including human sexuality (for the purpose of protection and the promotion of family dynamics). Images or words perceived as potentially questionable are, in fact, scientific, medical, and biological in orientation. Besides, we would like to enforce the proper terminology and understanding of human sexuality rather than leaving such knowledge to be explained in "street" contexts or slang terms for children in this grade. Many of our writers/editors are parents (and most have conservative and religious backgrounds); moreover, we have carefully considered the ramifications of allowing children to express themselves with such terms and have deemed such things useful, not derrogatory or indecent.

Why are some links not working?
We are slowly populating our site with resources in the SPELLING, HANDWRITING, COMPOSING, and READING sections; moreover, we are waiting from some resources to be completed by our authors. While some resources are completed, others are under construction or being evaluated/tested. Likewise, while some resources have secured copyrights, others have not been copyrighted yet. If a document is not copyrighted, then we will not add it to the site just yet. At present, feel free to run your mouse over links to look for active links. SPELLING will be completed first along with HANDWRITING. COMPOSING and READING will be completed second (simultaneously).

Why do you change some spelling words to different words?
Our spelling lists are constantly being evaluated and reevaluated for usefulness, appropriateness, and effectiveness. When we receive feedback that a word is not working well, we will change it to an alternative word.

What are Challenge Words? And, when I test my students on spelling words, what should I do with the Challenge Words?
Challenge Words are words needed to comprehend some of the readings for the week. We recommend that you either use the Challenge Words (which are present in Grades k-4) as part of the entire list or allow them to be used only for extra credit purposes on spelling tests. Some of our challenge words are difficult and may be out of place from the phonic lesson.

Why are some words in ALL CAPS and others in the standard form spelling form (i.e., the capitalization of the first letter of the word)?
We want to teach students the difference between characters slowly and methodically. We are perfecting how the students will learn these concepts as well as the words. Expect some things to change (to benefit a student's understanding of upper case/lower case and even its application to handwriting).

Do we have to use the spelling lists, readings, or lessons in the exact order that you provide them?
Honestly, you don't have to use anything from this site unless you want too... which means that you can use whatever you like in whatever order you like (at your own discretion as an instructor, assistant, or specialist). We have tried to put items in a careful sequence to promote learning, but we are experimenting with the effectiveness of the words and their order too. Many of our readings contain "spelling list" words for the corresponding week.

Why do some spelling lists contain more difficult words while others contain really easy words?
Sometimes, our students need a break, a form of rest, or reward. We have built in some words which are easier at different levels to give students an opportunity to take things easy at different points during the year; moreover, words are repeated in some lists to encourage the same type of reward/rest.

The level of instruction on i12 is too difficult or too easy... What should I do?
Some institutions need more of a challenge. If so, adopt the next level of instruction. If you need to remediate students, then jump down a level and find a trajectory which seems to work for the students. We cannot possibly accommodate everyone's level of instruction. Likewise, you have discovered that our materials are below or above the level which you are teaching. If so, adapt. We are constantly looking for ways to improve classroom instruction, but we cannot find a universal standard of instruction... such a pursuit would seem impossible and would seem counterproductive. As one of our favorite poems suggests, "There will always be greater and lesser people than yourself...." Try to find a balance within the materials which suits your level and your style. Use what works!

Where can I complain?
If you have something specific, then you are always welcome to email our Public Relations staff (pr@basiccomposition). If you see an error or other problem, let us know. Otherwise, everything here is free. So, as the saying goes, "You get what you pay for...."