All About Spelling questions

[MarinesWife]

How much white board space do you think each student needs for their tile work?

 

When moving to the next level, do you need the cards from the previous levels? And if yes, for how long, for all the levels?

 

For each tile set I order, do I also need a magnet set?

[abrightmom]

:bigear::bigear: I'm listening in.

 

To the OP: I think the size board recommended by AAS is a 2'x3' board. It's a good size. Costco has them (if you have Costco near you).

 

I'm also under the impression (and I kinda hope I'm wrong) that each kiddo would benefit from having their own board and tiles.

 

:toetap05: Now, where to STORE those big boards is another problem . . . :D

[half-dozenroses]

I will be new to AAS this year...

is this whiteboard to be deisgnated for AAS only? That is, do the tiles stay up on the board from day to day?

Thanks and I am all ears as well!

[Amber in AUS]

I have 1 board and 1 set of tiles. Both my DD and DS use AAS they just take it in turns. For me personally i don't think it is a program that i could use with them both at the same time.

 

As for the cards. My DD is in level 3, DS in level 1. We have one set of cards. I do take DD through the first 2 sets periodically for review but she is working in the level 3 set. Now if i had 2 kids at the same level i think it would make life much easier if each had their own set, but it isn't essential if you can keep track yourself.

 

Yes, for each tile set you need a magnet set.

[Amber in AUS]

I will be new to AAS this year...

is this whiteboard to be deisgnated for AAS only? That is, do the tiles stay up on the board from day to day?

Thanks and I am all ears as well!

 

Our tiles stay up. We do occasionally use the whiteboard for other things but the main purpose is AAS.

[In2why]

I will be new to AAS this year...

is this whiteboard to be deisgnated for AAS only? That is, do the tiles stay up on the board from day to day?

Thanks and I am all ears as well!

 

 

I use the whiteboard for other things since one of the review aspects is to put the tiles in alphabetical order. So that is the first thing we do at the start of each lesson....or rather he does while I am pre-reading and getting what I need for us to begin. :001_huh:

[hose]

It's a lot cheaper to buy a roll of magnet tape and apply it to the backs of the letters. It also works better as you can use a bigger piece than each of those little tiny magnets.

 

HTH

[Mama2two]

Both of my kids are in level 1. We have one board, but they each have their own set of cards. You could teach them together if you thought they would stay relatively close on the same level. My kids actually have stayed together. We do part of the lessons together (the spelling on paper), but they do their own separate reviews and whiteboard work. We leave the tiles up and only use it for AAS (2X3) but you could take them on and off for each lessons if you wanted

[Momof1plustwins]

We use one board and one set of tiles. If you lay out the tiles on the board the way the author suggests, the alphabet will pretty much stretch across an entire 2'x3' board. Then there are the other tile groups such as consonant and vowel teams that are arranged along the sides of the board leaving a nice space in the middle of the board to slide the tiles into to build words.

 

Each of my children have their own set of cards though. I just found out that my ds in level 2 is going to still need his level one phonogram cards and sound cards which I had planned to use for one of my twins. So I have to try and hunt down another set.

[truebluexf]

:bigear::bigear: I'm listening in.

 

To the OP: I think the size board recommended by AAS is a 2'x3' board. It's a good size. Costco has them (if you have Costco near you).

 

I'm also under the impression (and I kinda hope I'm wrong) that each kiddo would benefit from having their own board and tiles.

 

:toetap05: Now, where to STORE those big boards is another problem . . . :D

 

 

Any idea what Costoc charged for you board? :D

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I've seen others post that they use the cards with their younger children but only if they are 2 or more levels apart because each level needs cards from the previous level. I bought the board from Costco and think it was around $15 or $20. I use it with 2 children and haven't had any issues. We also only use 1 set of the tiles and magnets. I like the magnets that come from AAS because they are scored so you just pull them apart instead of cutting.

[Satori]

Here's a photo of our 2x3 whiteboard so you can see how it all fits. We have dedicated this whiteboard to AAS so the tiles stay up all the time. This photo was taken at the end of Level 2, so you can see how many tiles you'll have up by then.

 

 

This particular board can sit on the floor, so we can tuck it under one of our tables or desks to keep it out of the way. I got it from Lakeshore Learning, although I can't find it on their website now.

 

If I homeschool two children at once, I think I'll be just keeping one set of tiles/whiteboard for both, and just get them their own cards.

[siloam]

How much white board space do you think each student needs for their tile work?

 

When moving to the next level, do you need the cards from the previous levels? And if yes, for how long, for all the levels?

 

For each tile set I order, do I also need a magnet set?

 

Here is a picture of our board, which is smaller than suggested 23 x 17. It looks more crowded in the picture than it feels when you are using it. We can easily build compound words and have plenty of space to divide them into syllables.

 

I do like to keep reviewing the cards, so I made summary/review cards for the key cards that are not carried forward. Often they do carry forward key card concepts at least for one level, I like to keep some of them even longer. From using SWR I already owned multiple phonogram sets and continue to review them daily/weekly/monthly depending on the child and how well they remember them. :D

 

I seem to remember having some extra magnets, but not enough to cover a whole tile set.

 

Heather

[half-dozenroses]

Thank you for answering my questions about the board!

 

I have a couple more AAS questions - which I will post in a new thread so as not to highjack this one any further.... :D

[MerryAtHope]

When moving to the next level, do you need the cards from the previous levels? And if yes, for how long, for all the levels?

 

 

To address this one a bit further...

 

The first step of each level has you review mastered cards from previous levels. If your child knows the cards well, you could pass them down to a younger child and "borrow" them back for this step, to review the sound, phonogram, and key cards. If you have a child who struggles with spelling or who needs lots of review, then it's probably easiest to have a separate set of cards for each child.

 

There is also a "mastered" review in the middle of each book. Some people review all previously mastered cards for this, while others might only review cards from the present book.

 

The review packs allow you to customize the program for each child, and to do as much or as little review as your child needs.

 

I HTH! Merry :-)

[monalisa]

Target & Walmart also have decent whiteboards (magnetic) for about $15. The ones at the office supply stores tend to be more expensive (and a little sturdier it seems).

 

I leave the tiles on ours all the time, but use the board for other things sometimes too. It is always hanging on the wall in our school room.

[MamaofTwo]

I just put the tiles on our refrigerator. We just pull up a blanket and get to work. (It's good motivation to keep the kitchen floor realtively clean. ;))

 

I use one set of tiles for two girls. They are currently on different levels so I have never had a problem with using only one set of cards.

[abrightmom]

Any idea what Costoc charged for you board? :D

 

Rats . . . no . . . I *think* it was in the twenties . . . it's been awhile but I see them there regularly. SORRY!

[half-dozenroses]

My husband just bought this board at Costco today - and it was around $25.

 

What size card box is recommended for all the spelling cards? I saw Merry posted this somewhere but I cannot find the post. Maybe you will see this here, Merry??

Thanks!!

[MerryAtHope]

My husband just bought this board at Costco today - and it was around $25.

 

What size card box is recommended for all the spelling cards? I saw Merry posted this somewhere but I cannot find the post. Maybe you will see this here, Merry??

Thanks!!

 

I like the sterilite flip-top boxes--the one I have can hold 2 full levels of cards. The small 3X5 card boxes are too small--you can just barely get a full level in those, and the tabs get scrunched. You could get a 4X6 box or one of those longer boxes for 3X5 cards. The sterilite boxes are only about $1 though! I have some pics up on my blog here. Hope you find something that works well for you!

 

Merry :-)

[half-dozenroses]

Thanks, Merry!!!!