AAS or Spelling Workout

[ClassicalTwins]

Can you guys tell me the great differences between these two and why you recommend one or the other...

 

Thanks!!

[parias1126]

:lurk5:

[Kate in Arabia]

These are two very different programs, I use both. My oldest is a natural speller, who enjoys independent work and a workbook-y layout. He has always used Spelling Workout from level A to level H this year. He can read the initial text, the spelling rule, do the drills, and at the end of the week gets a perfect or near perfect score on his spelling quiz. He spends 10-15 minutes a day independently on spelling, with me giving him a quiz each week.

 

My second ds is not a natural speller. I tried Spelling Workout with him; in level A he would take a pre-test at the beginning of the week and miss all or nearly all of the words; he would do the lesson, read the rule and do the drills; I would make extra worksheets for practice; and at the end of the week he would take the quiz and miss all or nearly all of the words.

 

We switched to All About Spelling for ds #2 last year and I have seen a big improvement from him. He needs the more teacher-intensive, rule-emphasis and built-in review of AAS. There is no workbook; there is a teacher book and letter tiles for ds to practice with (the physical manipulation of letters is a plus for him) and daily writing drills and practice that he does on a whiteboard. He spends about 20-25 minutes a day with me on spelling.

 

I wouldn't be able to recommend one program over another, it depends on the individual child. They have both been great matched with the right kid :)

[EmmaNZ]

I asked the same thing a while back and got some helpful advice.

Here's the thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150311 (I hope it works!)

 

In the end I went with Spelling Workout. Not knowing whether ds is a 'natural speller' or not, I went with SWO for several reasons:

1. he's reading well and learnt it easily

2. it's cheaper

3. it's less teacher intensive

4. if it doesn't work I can always 'upgrade'

 

We are nearly finished level A and so far I'm happy with it. It does the job and he seems to be learning.

[Pata]

I think that Kate was right, it's hard to recommend one over the other because they really are aimed at different children. For us AAS had a lot of unnecessary work that dd didn't need. Although it's a great program, I couldn't justify the price, so we switched to SWO. It gets the job done and costs a lot less. So far I'm pleased with the decision.

[mathmom]

I haven't used AAS yet, but I will agree that it is an individual choice. I started with Spelling Workout for both of my middle girls. It was a great fit for my natural speller (Bacon), but just awful for my little artist (Peanut). We are moving to AAS for her this year and sticking with Spelling Workout for the oldest girl.

[ClassicalTwins]

Thanks for all the replies. Do those of you who do SWO what does a typical "lesson" look like? Do you spread it over a week? Do you do spelling tests?

 

Thanks

Dana

[ClassicalTwins]

:lurk5:

[robsiew]

We've used AAS from the beginning and we all love it, but honestly, I probably should have gone with SWO. It would be one more thing they could do independently. I have pretty good spellers so we don't need all the aspects of AAS. However, I just couldn't give it up so all the kids do AAS. They all really like it so I couldn't justify switching to something else they may not like as much. We had tears when we started out doing spelling lists each week... now, never a tear or complaint.

[Splash]

:bigear:

[ClassicalTwins]

bump:bigear:

[IrresistibleGrace]

I just received SWO in the mail to use with my dd - I love the looks of it and am excited to start using it.

 

I'm sure you will make the right decision!

[ClassicalTwins]

I have it...I just would like to know how others schedule it...but I did some searches and found a few...anyone have anything to add?

[Pata]

If you mean SWO, here's a blog post on how we use it.