Basic question, is AAR/AAS less overwhelming than LOE? I would really, really appreciate any thoughts on AAR/AAS. We have been doing LOE Foundations. We have gone through A, B, C, and are currently in the middle of D. I had planned on continuing with Essentials, but we are struggling! I have four kids in the various levels of foundations and we are all overwhelmed. It seems like there is just not enough review of the different rules and things before we are off to learn another. So, either I need to figure out my own way to review or switch programs. Is AAR/AAS less overwhelming? I have read that it moves much slower, and has more review, which seems like a really good thing at this point. I would really prefer an all in one program, but I'm starting to question if LOE is right for us. Does anyone have any experience with any of these programs that would mind sharing their thoughts? I read AAR/AAS doesn't have the kiddo mark the words, that seems not so great. Are there any other big differences? I like the color and playfulness of Foundations, but what is the point if we aren't retaining anything? Thanks.

Hello again! So my soon-to-be 8 year old second grade twins just started AAR 3. They completed AAR 2 between last school year and this (we started it in the spring). I pulled them out of public school first grade after winter break, so they initially learned how to read at school. We are on the 4th lesson of AAR 3 and it's still very easy for them. We are learning the phonics rules for the OA and OW sounds. I teach the rules, they kind of zone out while I'm teaching it, but then we read through the flash cards and worksheets and they just blow through them. It literally took 5 minutes today as I skipped over a lot of the lesson when it became obvious that they could read the words without any problem. I assume it will get more difficult as the lessons progress, but at this point it does feel a little pointless and definitely like overkill. I know the phonics rules are important to learn, but I was a natural speller and reader and don't recall any of these phonics rules. My girls have have always been rather strong readers. They picked it up easilery and have no problems reading the stories in the AAR readers. I don't know if I'm just trying to organize my thoughts or if I'm asking for advice. I guess I'm just looking for opinions. Anyone else have a similar experience? I'm wondering I should try to have them read through the entire group of flash cards and start the lessons up where they get to a point where they are stuck?

My 6 year old is half way through AAR Level 2 and it is EASY for him. He doesn't even blink at the practice pages and can read one in about 5 minutes. So when we finish level 2, what should I do next? Each level is pretty expensive so Level 3 feels like over kill to me but at the same time I want him to have a great phonics base to work from and I have 2 more kids coming up after him that can use it. TIA!

Rising 3rd grader (8 in October) needs to become a more fluent reader. Since K, been trying to teach him to read using the same program as his 4 older siblings (Phonics Pathways and SWR) but it was only after we tried AAS1 and AAS2 last year that it finally clicked. He finally"graduated" from easy readers to beginning chapter books and was reading with more ease. He's even read a few of the older Sonlight Core 2 readers we already own (Question of Yams, Secret Valley, Viking Adventure, The Littles, Last Little Cat...). Didn't really check his comprehension as I never did with the older ones. It seems reading is not natural to him though as it was with his siblings. I was hoping we could go back to using SWR this school year...and perhaps work on fluency by making him read aloud to me (something we have not been able to do regularly in the past...but I read TO him quite regularly and he narrates well and can even take simple dictation). However as we're trying to begin school slowly this past week, he's been having frustration going on with the Sonlight reader he picked randomly (Ralph S. Mouse). He asks me what something means every few phrases or when I make him read something aloud, he's not reading some words correctly (e.g. "dozen" for "dozed"). I think we need to do a reading program because he won't just learn naturally by reading more (for one, I have to remind him constantly to read...never did with the older 4 and we have tons of books at home). It seems the explicit way in which AAS teaches worked for him. He likes to know what rule to use in reading or spelling a word. Perhaps the tiles worked better also than just simple spelling lists (of unassociated words) in SWR....also the built-in review. So, I'm thinking AAR. But what level to begin with after having completed AAS2? Looking over the placement test, it looks like he would go into AAR3?

What phonics/reading curricula have very clear objectives or skills laid out before every lesson? Right now I'm looking at LOE because it is research-based and the online samples seem to have very clear objectives. This is important to me; I want to know what the goals of the lesson are so that I can tweak the lesson or supplement with practice and still meet the systematic learning objectives. I looked at AAR but the lack of clear objectives was frustrating. e.g. Why are we counting words? What's the point? Is it just so that she knows that sentences are made up of words or what? Any other curricula that spell out "the reasons why" for every lesson?