AAS is just too time consuming :( Spelling ideas please?

[snipsnsnailsx5]

I really really like the idea of AAS (All About Spelling). I still do, especially for my emerging reader DS6 and my struggling speller DS8 w/ ADHD who should have benefited from a multi-sensory approach like AAS.

 

BUT...its just too time consuming. I have five children, three of whom I'm trying to homeschool this year for the first time. I set up our day in a workbox rotation so that I can somewhat control in which order they do their work and when they need my help (I rotate it around so that it *shouldn't* happen where all the boys need help at the same time).

 

However, AAS just takes so much time that it throws off our whole day. Its frustrating and I feel like I'm floundering through it and confused by what I'm supposed to be doing. We haven't done a single spelling word yet and we've been at it for a week. I've gone through the phonograms and key cards and now we're on to step four. Are we only supposed to do one step a day? I just don't get it. *sigh* I also don't have time to set up the magnetic board twice every day.

 

SO anyway, long rant there...but I really need a no-brainer type of spelling program. I don't have time to read obsessively long manuals (like Spelling Power, another program I really like and almost got). I just want to crack it open and go. lol

 

SO...can I get some spelling ideas? I'd like to find a program that is quick to start but still has enough "meat" to it that I feel like the boys are learning more about the words then just memorizing letters.

 

Thanks!!!!

[nansk]

Word Mastery from donpotter.net. Just print it and get them to read a lesson, then spell about 10 of the words on a white board.

EDIT: I mean, you dictate any 10 words from the lesson and they write it on the white board.

 

If they are willing to write on paper, then try the Spelling for Writing books (search the archives on this forum) or else Spelling Connections on the Zaner-Bloser web site.

[Catherine]

I notice you said you've done a step a day. There are seven AAS levels, meaning roughly a level per year, first through seventh grade-or, however long it takes. Each level has about 28 lessons, so that averages out to less than a lesson per week through the year.

 

When I started AAS with my ds, we spent weeks, as I recall, on learning the phonograms until they were firm in his memory. So you may be spending way more time than the program means for you to spend if you are doing a whole step each day. We are on our fourth year with AAS, and I've never spend more than 20 minutes on a lesson. Ds also has a pretty short attention span, so more than that was not productive anyway.

[blessed3x]

We use AAS and really like it, but we do one step every 3-4 days. As Catherine just stated, maybe 20 minutes per day is all you really need.

If you slow down to that would it work for you? It really is a great program.

[Twigs]

check out the FAQ

 

http://www.all-about-spelling.com/spellingprogramfaq.html#time-to-complete-step

[mom2att]

When I started AAS with my then 9-year-old, he could easily do a step a day because we started at the beginning and it was easy for him. Now that we've progressed to a more challenging level, we complete a step a week, sometimes longer. You do not have to go through the entire lesson at one sitting--that would take a long time! For us we do a little review and a little bit of the new teaching each day for 10 - 15 minutes and that's it. By day three we are writing the words, and by day 4 doing the dictation. I do not have him do all of the dictation sentences, either.

 

It shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes per kid, really. It will take more time from you as teacher than just an open and go workbook like Spelling Workout, but the time investment is really worth it (at least with my struggling speller).

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I have 3 doing the same level and we set the timer for 15 mins. Sometimes it takes us days or even a week to get through a level. Also, I have noticed if we use the letter tiles, it takes much longer. Instead, I have my kid's write the words on a small white board sitting at a table. They get too tired if they have to stand at the wall white board and do the lesson.:)

 

AAS confused me in the beginning (not hard to do), but I stuck with it and now it makes more sense. When they learn a new teaching, it doesn't really have the child do what they have just learned until a later lesson.

[Homeschooling6]

I agree about setting up the magnetic boards and tiles, that was a pain for us when we tried AAS. I'll admit I ditched AAS and am now using Phonics Road with my two middle students, Saxon Phonics Intervention with my two older.

 

If learning those phonograms are important to you, I would encourage you to stick with it. Make it work for you. Do the tiles have to be set up everyday? Can that be done on Fridays? Set a timer after 30 minutes put AAS away.

I totally understand the time consuming thing. This year I added in my 6th child. We are using time consuming spelling programs that I listed above. I'm teaching five students math separately a day, four are still learning phonics.

Also, what are your goals with spelling?

Lastly, and this was the hardest thing for me to learn, was relax. Take one lesson at a time, day at a time, week at a time. With my four younger ones we use audio books for history. I wanted to use Mystery of History but I new there was no way to fit it in. Normally, I don't even use a science program, we use audio and read aloud time for this as well. This year I'm going to attempt McRuffy Science K and 2nd. If we get to it, great! If not, I'm okay with it.

 

Write down all the subjects that you are teaching and then list them in order of importance for you and your hubby. Maybe learning all the phonograms are at the bottom of your list (or at the top;)).

 

I will admit that we haven't had a composer study or art class in years. No picture studies either. These are things I thought for sure would be included when I started homeschooling. Well, eight years later it hasn't happened. I have the stuff on my shelf and it sounds so easy to add it in, but in real life it is hard.

 

Sorry, it got long. :o

Edited September 16, 2010 by Homeschooling6

[Embassy]

I use the Sequential Spelling word lists and enter them onto Spelling City where he can use the spelling words in games. So far this seems to be working for my son.

[abrightmom]

I agree that a week in is too early to give up. :001_smile: Set the timer and work with each student for a pre-determined period of time. The beginning Steps are laying a good, strong foundation for later spelling. You are giving your kids the tools they need to grow into strong spellers. Perhaps you should give it some more time and set up a realistic expectation as to how much time you can give each student daily. When you get to the end of 4 or 6 weeks look back and see how far you have come. Then make a determination if this is the right path. If you have an older student that you'd like to accelerate through the material then give that student more time on the timer. :D We're doing the same thing here (balancing multiple students who all need Mom at the same time) and it isn't easy. :grouphug:

[Hot Lava Mama]

letter tiles set up all the time. At first, we set it up each time on a small board on our table. What a pain! Now, I use a container that has a bunch of little sections in it. My mom said she thinks its for sorting thread or beads for different kinds art activities. It's a rectancle with a bunch of 2 inch by 2 inch squares. I put the letters in there alphabetically, and we just take out the letters we need for the lesson. It has made such a difference! Now the letters aren't falling everywhere, and I don't have to have space to store a big magnetic board.

 

We also only spend about 20 minutes a day. We get as far as that takes us, mark the book where we stopped, and pick up the next day. Good luck! It took us several times of starting and stopping this program before I actually figured out how to use it. But now, it has really made a difference in both my kids spelling.

 

Hot Lava Mama

[1bassoon]

Bethany -

 

I don't know if this will help, but my kids and I did a demonstration spelling video on The Chatterbee - it might help you see how much we cover in a day, or at least how the lessons go.

 

Hope this helps!

[Sandy in Indy]

Setting a time limit really is the key for you, IMHO. 15 minutes a day and then go to something else. Do you have a magnetic white board for the tiles? If not, it's worth $15-20 (WalMart) to get one because of the time you will save later.

 

Don't give up on AAS just yet!

[SkateLeft]

However, AAS just takes so much time that it throws off our whole day.

 

I tried AAS briefly last spring, and that's exactly how I felt. After a couple of weeks, I just dropped it. I like the idea of it, but it's just too much of a production to keep track of all the cards and tiles and things (especially with a 4.5yo who's fascinated by the magnets...ugh)

 

My son just started using Sequential Spelling this year, and it's no prep work at all for me. I bought the DVD and student response book from Rainbow Resource, and he's doing well with it so far. He sits down and does it with the video, and I check over his work when he's done. Totally painless.

[Homeschooling6]

Also, wanted to add, one reason why I gave-up with AAS (I tried it three years ago) at the time I didn't realize that using an OG method of spelling IS more time consuming. Now that I have used or looked at Phonics Road, SWR, WRTR and not exactly OG but it does require coding and marking Saxon Phonics and Saxon Phonics Intervention I realize that if learning those phonograms is important to me, I need to make the time and put that extra effort :)

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

using an OG method of spelling IS more time consuming.

 

...

 

I realize that if learning those phonograms is important to me, I need to make the time and put that extra effort :)

 

:iagree: This is what keeps me with it. I keep running the time-worn, "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right." through my head.

[ElizabethB]

Spelling plus is easy and focuses on rules and the most frequent 1,000 words. You can use it with it's companion book, spelling dictation, if you children need to write the words in sentences to truly learn them.

[A home for their hearts]

I agree with the other posters that you need to give it more time. In the beginning it may seem more time consuming because it is new to you but once you get the hang of it, it will go a lot faster. Also, do you have all of your dc in different levels or are you starting with level 1 with all of them? I would recommend if you aren't already, to put them all in levelone and do the lessons together. That may help to cut down on the time. In the beginning the lessons should only be 15-20 minutes long. If you have the space set up your magnetic board and leave the tiles up on it. Getting them out every lesson and putting them in order takes up way too much time. Read the beginning of level one again to understand how the program works and visit The Chatter Bee The AAS online community. They will be a lot of great advice and support there! HTH

[siloam]

The hard thing is you can spend years on something else that doesn't work well. AAS really does work.

 

Here is how I do it:

 

Monday:Cover all the phonograms (can be done as a group)

Tuesday: Cover all the Key Cards

Wednesday: Cover all the Sound Cards (can be done as a group)

 

I take Thursdays off, but you could split up your kids doing Key Cards between Tuesday and Thursday, assuming they are on different levels. If they are all working together then they can cover them together.

 

Then on a daily bases my younger kids cover one thing. For example in Step 6 I would do review day 1, segment words the day 2, How to segment with Tiles day 3, then do the words with tiles day 4, words on paper day 5. Yep super slow, but you still get there.

 

With my oldest I am trying to get her through the program ASAP, so in level 1 she did do 1 lesson a day, in level 2 and now up to through 4 she does half a lesson a day. Once she finishes I will re-focus on my 2nd dd and move her as quickly as I can through the program.

 

BTW my oldest was a natural speller and came into the program spelling at a 7th grade level. She almost never misses a word, probably 8 total to date, and she starts level 5 in just a couple of weeks. At first it her spelling didn't improve, but I tested her again a month ago and now she is spelling at a 8.8 grade level. AAS isn't about the words, it is about teaching how to spell, a methodology.

 

If I were in your shoes I would continue to work intensively with your oldest, and do the bare minimum with your 8 and 6yo together. This gives you only two spelling sessions, one which will be minimal.

 

Heather

 

p.s. Getting a white board for the tiles really helps, or using a cookie sheet. Here is out small white board (smaller than recommended). I store it on its side between a bookshelf and the wall.

[BatmansWife]

 

p.s. Getting a white board for the tiles really helps, or using a cookie sheet. Here is out small white board (smaller than recommended). I store it on its side between a bookshelf and the wall.

 

Heather,

I got AAS level 1 with the tiles a few years ago. What do you have at the bottom of your white board...the tiles that look like an opened door with a tree, and some other tiles at the bottom towards the right side? There are a few other ones too we don't have. Is this something new? We didn't get anything like that.

[siloam]

Heather,

I got AAS level 1 with the tiles a few years ago. What do you have at the bottom of your white board...the tiles that look like an opened door with a tree, and some other tiles at the bottom towards the right side? There are a few other ones too we don't have. Is this something new? We didn't get anything like that.

 

Those are the syllable tags, closed, open, cl+e syllables, vowel team syllables and r controlled syllables. You get new tiles with each level, so this would be through level 4, according to what is covered in the level. With level one you probably only got closed and open tags, and maybe just closed.

 

If you have lost any they will replace them for no cost or a minimal shipping charge, give them a call.

 

Heather

 

[crl]

Thanks for the video link. That was a big help to me!

[1bassoon]

Thanks for the video link. That was a big help to me!

 

You're welcome! :)

 

 

~Heather, who has shelved AAS for the day since the 9yo has croup :(

[siloam]

I wanted to add, just in case you continue and were stressing over it. You don't have to memorize all the phonograms before moving on. They need to know the first consonant sounds by lesson 5 (if I remember right) and the first sounds of vowels. The second sounds of vowels will be introduced in the last lesson, and any 3rd sounds even later still.

 

Heather

[Catherine]

I'd happily do any of those things to make the program quicker-I've tried. My kid did not retain, or learn much, when I tried to pare it down. I assume that if you can ditch the tiles, your child doesn't need them so ditch away! I've cut down, finally, at the beginning of level 4, to not doing every single dictation sentence, and he is still retaining. But we spent sometimes as much as a month "camped out" at one step, finding different ways to reinforce a rule or concept, before it was retained. AAS builds over the lessons, so moving on if a concept isn't solid didn't work well for us. When that happens with my son, it's because it hasn't made it into his long term memory and he needs more drill or practice. I hope I'm not intimidating you, but what I like to much about AAS is that is has a lot, and can but cut down to fit the needs of better spellers.

[snipsnsnailsx5]

Thanks so much for the replies! That video was Majorly helpful.

 

I feel a renewed sense of excitement about the program seeing it in action and also hearing personal stories of how well it works for you guys.

 

I stopped with my 11 yr old, but after reading your replies - I think I'll just rush him through level one and go on to level two. He's a great natural speller, but he's never learned the spelling rules like AAS teaches them. Heck, I've never learned the spelling rules like AAS teaches them. I'm a good speller too, however its all from memorization. I never knew that tch usually comes after short vowels (or is the other way around? lol)

I can see how learning those spelling rules will help set a great foundation for later spelling in life.

 

SO...on level one (I have all of the boys on level one to start with)....what does a typical lesson look like? I've mostly just been doing phonogram and key card review. We started segmenting words on Monday as well. Even my first grader thought it was pretty easy, so that's why that step 3 went pretty fast for us.

 

Today I just did phonogram review and it took all of 10 minutes. I was happy to see my boys learning already and getting the sounds right, and in the right orders, of the harder ones they missed last week...like "i" and "y" and "u"

[MerryAtHope]

T

SO...on level one (I have all of the boys on level one to start with)....what does a typical lesson look like? I've mostly just been doing phonogram and key card review. We started segmenting words on Monday as well. Even my first grader thought it was pretty easy, so that's why that step 3 went pretty fast for us.

 

For your 11 yo it will look different than with the younger ones. Some of the steps are going to be very easy, and he may not even need some steps. Likely he has memorized how to spell most or all of the words in level 1, so you just want to teach the concepts. Let him know that he doesn't have to spell all of the words--just have him demonstrate the concept back to you on a few words and move on. Spend more time on steps that have new info, but gloss over what he already knows. (As an example, he probably knows how to spell short A words--no need to spend time there. On the other hand, he may know how to spell "cat" and "kept" but might not know why one uses a C and the other uses a K. So that would be a step to spend more time on & let him demonstrate).

 

You don't want to let him get bored though, so I would fast track through the easy stuff and slow down on new concepts, until you get to words he doesn't know how to spell.

 

Alternately, you could let him do something more independent like Megawords, and if a rule comes up in AAS that he doesn't know, teach it at that point.

 

I started my struggling spellers at ages 9 & 11 & they only needed about 3 weeks on level 1, so it really went quickly for us. Depending on your 8 & 6 yo's, they might also go quickly or they might need more time. Take it at their pace.

 

If they work well together, then I'd do one 15-20 minute "lesson" with both. For us a day's lesson is a couple of minutes reviewing daily review cards, and then go into the book, picking up wherever we left off the last time. We tend to do the new teaching and words one day, and the dictation over the next 2 days, and the writing station (added in Level 3) on a 4th day. Sometimes it goes longer or shorter than that, just depends.

 

(BTW, someone posted a link to how much time to spend--keep in mind that the 45 minute example is better for someone who is working with an older remedial student, not for a beginning speller).

 

HTH some! Merry :-)

[Homeschooling6]

Thanks so much for the replies! That video was Majorly helpful.

 

I feel a renewed sense of excitement about the program seeing it in action and also hearing personal stories of how well it works for you guys.

 

I stopped with my 11 yr old, but after reading your replies - I think I'll just rush him through level one and go on to level two. He's a great natural speller, but he's never learned the spelling rules like AAS teaches them. Heck, I've never learned the spelling rules like AAS teaches them. I'm a good speller too, however its all from memorization. I never knew that tch usually comes after short vowels (or is the other way around? lol)

I can see how learning those spelling rules will help set a great foundation for later spelling in life.

 

SO...on level one (I have all of the boys on level one to start with)....what does a typical lesson look like? I've mostly just been doing phonogram and key card review. We started segmenting words on Monday as well. Even my first grader thought it was pretty easy, so that's why that step 3 went pretty fast for us.

 

Today I just did phonogram review and it took all of 10 minutes. I was happy to see my boys learning already and getting the sounds right, and in the right orders, of the harder ones they missed last week...like "i" and "y" and "u"

:hurray: Happy for you.

[campmom]

Hi I think I'm on the 3rd spelling list and I felt alittle like you at first but we seem to be getting into a pattern now and things are better. I thought setting up tiles took to long also so I bought a magnet board just for AAS (2 boards one for each boy, we do our lessons at the same time) when we are finished I leave the tiles set up turn the tile side against the wall and lean the board against the wall . So far no tiles have fallen off and they are ready to go the next day- still all set up in place.It has saved alot of time.

[parias1126]

I just starTed AAS this week. We just completed lesson 3. It has taken me no more then 15 minutes per day. My DD has done well with it so far.

[MelissaMom]

I just asked a similar question on the AAS Yahoo group. I have 6 children, and really could be doing AAS w/ 5 of them! Yikes! YOu got some great responses. Siloam, it was really helpful how you spelled out (no pun intended) your week. I have been doing one step most times (except w/ 7 yo). So I feel better slowing way down!

 

One of the things I may try is having older children at least read the list of words to some of the younger ones. If I streamlined my lessons back to back, I could move the first learner into another room w/ a 'list reader' and then start the next lesson with another child.

 

I'm also going to print out worksheets (to put in their workboxes) that tie into the sound they're learning to help the kids on lessons they need more time to cement, is print out worksheets. For instance, one child struggled a bit w/ when to use CK, so I will find some worksheets to help her work on that in the meantime. I got an ABC Teach membership through HSB Co-op that has some good ones.

 

Thanks for asking here. Lots of great advice! It really is a solid program worth the effort.

Edited September 17, 2010 by MelissaMom
typo