AAS w/ Sequential Spelling?

[jenL]

Does anyone use these two spelling programs together? If so, how do you do it?

[Lovedtodeath]

:D bump

[christine in al]

We have used SWR, and for younger switched to AAS this year, older ( 4th , ) fell by the wayside.

I'd LOVE to hear if Sequential Spelling works with AAS.

:bigear:

c in AL

[jenL]

There must be someone who uses both! :)

:bigear:

[MerryAtHope]

There must be someone who uses both! :)

:bigear:

 

I think it would be a challenge to use them together if you're trying to line them up--I used Sequential Spelling Book 1 only for a couple of months, so my opinion is based on that. But, for example, in just those lessons we covered things like doubling a consonant to protect a short vowel (begin becomes beginning), adding suffixes, patterns like ai and er, changing y to i and adding a suffix, -ed having different sounds (/ed/, /d/, /t/), open, closed, and r-controlled syllables...

 

I'm just remembering off the top of my head, there may be more. Anyway, these patterns and rules are covered in AAS levels 1-4. (Actually as I taught SS, I tried to teach my son all the different rules because I knew them and because he was struggling without them & wondered why the book didn't have them--"why doesn't it tell me to double the consonant instead of waiting for me to get it wrong?" etc... But teaching it that way was a lot for him to try to assimilate at once). Maybe if you had a child who was already familiar with some of the rules or had done AAS 1-3 before starting so that it wasn't all new from a concepts standpoint? But then you are losing the "discovery" method that SS promotes, and I'm not sure of the point then. If the idea is that you want to get to longer words sooner, I'd probably combine with How to Teach Spelling instead, or pull words from your kids' writing and other assignments that follow rules they are learning--I do some of the latter and focus on their editing instead of more word lists.

 

Not sure if that's what you're going for though! If you wanted to use them both but not try to line them up & let each stand on their own, it would almost seem easier to me that way. Merry :-)

[blessedmom3]

I gave up with AAS , use SS and we both love it ! It only takes 5-6 min. But I also remind him the rules (if I know them :) )

I have SWR's rules flash cards, they are very helpful and only cost about $8.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I think it could be a good follow-up but don't think they would work well together.

[siloam]

There must be someone who uses both! :)

:bigear:

 

They are pretty much polar opposites in philosophy, and would be hard to use together. You could use the tiles with SS, or you could do both programs side by side, but they wouldn't really mesh into some sort of program that would compliment each other.

 

Megawords is based on the same philosophy as AAS, and several people use it for older kids while also doing AAS.

 

Heather

[Guest captainpap1]

AAS lays a good foundation. Your kids will know all the spelling rules and phonograms. There are twice as many words to work with if you campare this program to MCP (which is recommended by WTM). Why would you want to supplement? You won't find a curriculum out there that will teach your kids how to spell every word in the english language. Let's face it, we are no longer a pencil and paper society. I'm pretty sure that the spell check on their computer will help them through college and if for some reason we find ourselves without the great technology that we have today, Susan recommended the Webster's Dictionary and if it's not sitting on your bookshelf collecting dust, then they can put that to good use. There are so many parents on this forum that have their panties in a wad and are wasting a lot of time and enegy looking for something perfect out there. Just let "good" be enough.

Give yourself and your kids a break. Spend 20- 30 minutes a day with AAS. It's multisensory. It's fun. It's classical. What more do you want? Build the foundation and trust that your kids have enough common sense to finish the building. :chillpill::scared::smash::banghead:

[jenL]

AAS lays a good foundation. Just let "good" be enough.

 

 

Good point & what I need to hear right now. Ds is enjoying AAS, but sometimes I think it would click better to "see" the word families and where the words can go like SS shows. However, I'm adamant about him learning the rules, and he's getting them. There's still some disconnect at times, random times, that I'm still trying to understand.

 

Of course, I could always have him write out word families that coincide with the rule we're studying. I guess I wanted something that was already done... laziness on my part... yes. It's the end of the year, and I'm tired :tongue_smilie:.

 

Thanks for all the other responses. Merry & Heather, you made some especially good points about the differences. That's what I was looking for to give me a better understanding. I'm going to take a peek at Megawords.

[MerryAtHope]

Good point & what I need to hear right now. Ds is enjoying AAS, but sometimes I think it would click better to "see" the word families and where the words can go like SS shows. However, I'm adamant about him learning the rules, and he's getting them. There's still some disconnect at times, random times, that I'm still trying to understand.

 

Of course, I could always have him write out word families that coincide with the rule we're studying. I guess I wanted something that was already done... laziness on my part... yes. It's the end of the year, and I'm tired :tongue_smilie:.

 

Thanks for all the other responses. Merry & Heather, you made some especially good points about the differences. That's what I was looking for to give me a better understanding. I'm going to take a peek at Megawords.

 

Megawords is a neat program, but just know it's for 4th grade and up, and I just noticed your son is 7 in your siggie. Even Sequential Spelling is recommended for 3rd grade and up. I really think what you are wanting to see happen (applying rules to longer words) is going to happen in AAS by the time your son would be ready for some of these other programs anyway. Levels 3 and 4 of AAS bring in suffixes and prefixes and you begin to see longer words used. I really think it all comes together in level 5 when they have all the phonograms. The farther I get into AAS, the more excited I am to see how logical and incremental it is, and how it all builds on previously learned concepts.

 

If you are wanting to see your son transfer more concepts to his writing, know that that takes time too. Second grade would be very young to see that happen for many kids. One of my favorite articles on that is the Unscope & Sequence on the Bravewriter site!

 

When you get into AAS 3, you will begin doing more "word analysis." It's a regular segment in AAS where kids are learning to think about words and why they are spelled the way they are. The dictations get longer (12 sentences by level 3), and then halfway through it introduces the Writing Station where they get further practice with spelling in writing--here in sentences that they make up, using some of their spelling words. That's a good time to begin introducing some editing techniques to them gently. Here's a blog article I wrote on how to help kids use spelling skills in their writing.

 

Merry :-)

[jenL]

Megawords is a neat program, but just know it's for 4th grade and up, and I just noticed your son is 7 in your siggie. Even Sequential Spelling is recommended for 3rd grade and up. I really think what you are wanting to see happen (applying rules to longer words) is going to happen in AAS by the time your son would be ready for some of these other programs anyway. Levels 3 and 4 of AAS bring in suffixes and prefixes and you begin to see longer words used. I really think it all comes together in level 5 when they have all the phonograms. The farther I get into AAS, the more excited I am to see how logical and incremental it is, and how it all builds on previously learned concepts.

 

If you are wanting to see your son transfer more concepts to his writing, know that that takes time too. Second grade would be very young to see that happen for many kids. One of my favorite articles on that is the Unscope & Sequence on the Bravewriter site!

 

When you get into AAS 3, you will begin doing more "word analysis." It's a regular segment in AAS where kids are learning to think about words and why they are spelled the way they are. The dictations get longer (12 sentences by level 3), and then halfway through it introduces the Writing Station where they get further practice with spelling in writing--here in sentences that they make up, using some of their spelling words. That's a good time to begin introducing some editing techniques to them gently. Here's a blog article I wrote on how to help kids use spelling skills in their writing.

 

Merry :-)

 

Thank you SO much! I guess I'm putting the cart before the horse here... Most of this is MY issue which is terrible to say, yet what I'm beginning to realize. Ds has been so quick to learn things, but he's really struggling with spelling, and part of me isn't accepting that, I guess. Or, I just want to make it as easy and thorough as possible for him. I know that it is unrealistic to expect him to be great in all areas, but I guess when you get used to it all coming so easily for him, you kind of "expect" it to be everywhere. I'm also partly confused as to how he can read at nearly a 5th grade level according to the Woodcock-Johnson, yet be at grade level in spelling? Now, I know I should not be complaining since he's at grade level, and some children aren't even there. For him, though, it's surprising to me. I hope that makes sense.

 

I'm very, very happy to hear that the foundation will be strong and secure as we reach the higher levels of AAS, and everything will really begin to tie together and cement itself. Thanks for that reassurance! :)

[MerryAtHope]

I'm also partly confused as to how he can read at nearly a 5th grade level according to the Woodcock-Johnson, yet be at grade level in spelling? Now, I know I should not be complaining since he's at grade level, and some children aren't even there. For him, though, it's surprising to me. I hope that makes sense.

 

Perfect sense! But remember that reading and spelling are using opposite processes. It's one thing to know meet says "meet" and another to know to spell it that way and not meat, mete, meot (hey, people works that way, can't other words?!) met, etc... It's pretty common for spelling skills not to be on the same level as reading skills--and as you said, hey, he's at grade level, that's ok! If kids were gifted in everything, we parents would get big heads, LOL!

 

Hang in there, Merry :-)