AAS such a pain!

[Jessiepage]

So we started first grade with phonics pathways (she started reading in K). We love it but I wanted to add a little bit of spelling direction. I will give dictation and copy work from PP words but wanted to give AAS a try since I have heard great things about it. We've been using them together and I'm wondering if I should just drop AAS and stick with PP for spelling rules. We are in level one which is fairly simple for her, but I spend more time trying to figure out the cards than actually teaching! It's so frustrating! I'm ready to ditch it. I love how it teaches segmenting to spell but it's hard to beat PP. Am I the only one having this problem?

[MerryAtHope]

What about the cards is frustrating you? Perhaps there's a way we can help? 

[Jessiepage]

I'm having a hard time understanding what to review each day. And some of the lessons ask for certain cards, so since I've shuffled them, I have to search for those cards.

[zarabellesmom]

Why did you shuffle them?

[Jessiepage]

The book says to make sure to shuffle them before reviewing them each day

[Garga]

It tells you to shuffle them from time to time.

 

For AAS, I need to take time to gather my supplies very carefully before the lesson. If you are using shuffled cards at the beginning of the lesson and need them for later in the lesson, take note of which ones you'll need and as you're reviewing place those cards in a separate pile.

 

If you don't do review, pull those cards out ahead of time.

 

I also make sure my last lesson's tiles are put back in their places and the current lesson's tiles are available. I keep any 8x11 charts at the ready as well. (I don't think you have many of those in level 1.)

 

It seemed like it would be a pain gathering things before each lesson but is worth it and not as much of a hassle as I thought it would be. My lessons run very smoothly now. Each boy gets 10 minutes of spelling a day and now that all my ducks are in a row we are progressing very nicely.

[MerryAtHope]

I'm having a hard time understanding what to review each day. And some of the lessons ask for certain cards, so since I've shuffled them, I have to search for those cards.

 

 

The book says to make sure to shuffle them before reviewing them each day

 

Ah, maybe this will help:

 

First, the "new" cards in the "future lessons" tab never get shuffled. Leave those in order so that when the lesson calls for them, you can easily pull them out.

 

When you do a lesson and it has you do the 10 words, after doing them, you then put those 10 word cards into daily review.

 

Cards stay in daily review until your child can spell them quickly and easily (words are mastered). These are the cards you shuffle. If you just keep them in order, the student might simply guess the spelling based on a pattern and not really master them. 

 

Sometimes instead of literally shuffling, what  I did was simply alternate--review a new word, then review a word from a previous lesson or a mastered word, and so on.

 

That help at all?

[ScoutTN]

I don't shuffle the future cards, which are the ones used in new teaching in the lessons.

I only shuffle the review cards occasionally. I don't bother shuffling the mastered ones because we only do those occasionally.

 

As Garga said, once you get the system organized for yourself, it is fast and easy. We spend no more than 15 minutes a day. Painless and effective. Persevere! :)

 

Also, on my second kid with AAS now, I see that I went too by the book, too slowly, with Dd at the beginning. I wanted to do it right and it took me a while to get the hang of it. But she was quick to pick up reading and is an excellent speller. I should have moved faster and not made her do every step for every lesson. Ds is not such a quick start reader but seems to spell well so far and I am able to adapt for him.

[MerryAtHope]

I keep any 8x11 charts at the ready as well. (I don't think you have many of those in level 1.)

 

 

 

I like to use the charts as the bookmark to keep them handy, or keep a folder. Here's how I keep everything organized.

[MeaganS]

Honestly, I only use the rule cards, or whatever they're called.  My daughter uses the LOE app to review her phonograms on a regular basis, so that's one thing off me.  I also don't bother with the word cards.  It seems like we do enough practice that I'm just not worried about them, unless she is really struggling with a word or a concept.  This may change as my dd gets into more complicated words.  That and I use the SoundLiteracy app instead of tiles.  If I had to use the tiles I would have ditched AAS a long time ago.  I hate how long the tiles take to use and my 2 year old always used to steal them and lose them.  It was the most expensive app I ever bought, but totally worth it for me.

 

All that to say, besides those little changes, I follow the program fairly by-the-book.  The cards are a little overwhelming, but you will get the hang of it.  There's been some good advice.  I hope you can make it work for you.

[cintinative]

I don't follow this program perfectly. The word cards are also listed in the book, so I just read them from there.  Really we only review the rule cards and sometimes the sound cards. Then about four times per book we pull out all the cards we have covered (all of them including word cards) and we do those.  I don't even shuffle them.  We also don't spell with the tiles most of the time.  We still have had good retention.  So, I would say--you are a homeschooler--execute your freedom to break a few rules. =)  Modify it to be easier for you!  

[Guest dtslmberne]

I'm having a hard time understanding what to review each day. 

[El...]

As long as dd is applying what she learned, we don't actually do much review.   :blush:  Sometimes I might pull out a handful of old word cards and have her spell them.  We do review the rules cards every few weeks or when we add a new rule.  We're only on level 2, though.

[reign]

This is how I use AAS.

 

Monday: review rule cards and past missed words

Tuesday: teach main lesson

Wednesday: test on the 10 words

Thursday: dictations

Friday: dictations

 

If your child needs time to learn the letters and sounds then you'd have to add that to a day. My kids haven't seemed to need it. I don't really use any of the cards except for the rules. I keep a running list of their misspelled words instead of the word cards.

[Meg4]

I don't really use the cards either or the tiles... just a white dry erase board and the book. I do use the tiles if we are practicing syllable division. I usually teach the lesson on Monday and have them read the words. Then I dictate the phrases on Wednesday and sentences on Friday and they write them in their spelling notebook.  We are only on level 2, so I am not sure if the other levels require more. I do think I might start using the cards for occasional review. I have four so I try to keep it simple because I have a hard time getting everything done in a day. 

[pitterpatter]

It can take a bit (or a year) to find your groove with AAS. I really, really wanted to dump it after level 1 due to frustration, but I'm glad we stuck with it. I can finally see some fruit from our labor.

 

Something that I find extremely helpful is to photocopy a couple of chapters from the teacher's guide at a time and then mark them up. I highlight with a yellow crayon the things I need to do while teaching. I highlight in pink the things I say to DD. I also use yellow, pink and orange to divide up the more words, phrases and sentences into days. To help cut back on time, I often cross out any of the more words that are also in the phrases and sentences and just hit them there (unless DD is having an awful time with something). I jot down notes (divide the lesson into days) in the margins. I don't have DD use the tiles much anymore. She writes on a Boogie Board and paper. Tiles slowed us down and frustrated us. I use them for the teaching portion, but not for the practice portions. I put Xs next to the words DD missed, checks next to those she got correct and dashes next to those she more or less spelled correctly, but missed because she reversed a letter (or took forever figuring the word out). I go back and add another column of Xs, checks and dashes the next day and keep doing so with any she missed after that. I only repeat words from the official word list (those on green cards).

 

I actually keep the green word cards in the box in order (I like having them in order). I jot down whatever words we will review in my notes on the copied pages of the teacher's guide. Then, I put them where ever they need to be in the box as I prepare for the next day's lesson.

 

It's really about finding a method of organization and rhythm that works for you. When we first started, we were doing waaaaaaaay too much. Spelling was taking forever and DD (and I) hated it. Things are better now.

[ScoutTN]

I don't use the word cards. I review phonograms and rules weekly, sound cards monthly.

We do use the tiles, though not so much after level 3. Good for my boy, overkill for my daughter.

We sometimes do the lesson on a small whiteboard.

We never, ever go over 15 minutes per lesson!

 

Things in AAS which have been very helpful for my kids:

Homophones chart! Dd's has two sheets of notebook paper stapled to it, filled with words.

Silent E book

Rule breaker sheet

 

I learn things from AAS too! I was taught to read with phonics, but never taught spelling rules or patterns and my spelling has always been poor.