naturegirl7 Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Trying to decide if this is right for us or not... I like that it seems to do phonics and spelling too. DS is a great reader, readers independently very very well. But struggles with the phonics portion of things...He does best with games or activity based learning. Workbooks and that sort of thing are NOT for him at all....He is resistive to phonics in general but wants learn to spell. We are doing Phonics Pathways now but it is lots of worksheety stuff and I am making up a ton of games for it. He likes it, but learning to spell is a big motivator for him right now and I am thinking I can use that to sneak in the phonics - wondering if AAS would help me do that more effectively.... So please tell me more about AAS!! I know it is really popular around here, and I like the fact that it is interactive and has magnets. But the website doesn't tell you much about the actual program itself at all which is really frustrating for me. Why did you choose it? How long have you used it? HOW do you implement it? Have you used anything else? What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it? What do your kiddos think about it? Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Trying to decide if this is right for us or not... I like that it seems to do phonics and spelling too. DS is a great reader, readers independently very very well. But struggles with the phonics portion of things...He does best with games or activity based learning. Workbooks and that sort of thing are NOT for him at all....He is resistive to phonics in general but wants learn to spell. We are doing Phonics Pathways now but it is lots of worksheety stuff and I am making up a ton of games for it. He likes it, but learning to spell is a big motivator for him right now and I am thinking I can use that to sneak in the phonics - wondering if AAS would help me do that more effectively.... So please tell me more about AAS!! I know it is really popular around here, and I like the fact that it is interactive and has magnets. But the website doesn't tell you much about the actual program itself at all which is really frustrating for me. Why did you choose it? I had a child that wasn't ready writing-wise for SWR/WRTR, but I still wanted the O-G method. How long have you used it? Well, we took a year and went throught the phonograms gradually for pre-k. Then, we've been just moving at my ds's pace (he's 5 now). Most people would move MUCH faster, but I don't really do early schooling. I just flow with their interests. HOW do you implement it? It's really open and go. Implementing it shouldn't be a problem. Have you used anything else? SWR to some extent What do you like about it? Open and go. I can just pick up where we left off. Tactile. What do you dislike about it? I wish the difficulty of the words in the lower levels were more meaty. Not much else. What do your kiddos think about it? DS enjoys it. He doesn't really like anything "schoolish", but I haven't had any complaints about it. We are moving super slow, though and waiting to check out AAR. Thanks so much! . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturegirl7 Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Thanks! We have basicaly "unschooled" until K - although I prefer "child-led" to describe it since we VERY ACTIVELY learn stuff. And even now we are definitely doing a gentle child led approach but I am guiding certain things like math. He is a sponge and an eager learner - if it interests him and he wants to learn about it that is! ;) I simple can't do rigid, sit down structured work with him. He doesnt learn that way, and neither of us would be happy doing it. I am looking for something more "game" like, more tactile. Something I can easily adapt to a slower or faster pace as he needs it... sounds like you are using it that way and it is working well. Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I simple can't do rigid, sit down structured work with him. He doesnt learn that way, and neither of us would be happy doing it. I am looking for something more "game" like, more tactile. Something I can easily adapt to a slower or faster pace as he needs it... sounds like you are using it that way and it is working well. Thanks for sharing! This sounds like exactly how we are using it. P.S. I'm having an AAS giveaway on my blog right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My DS is also a great reader, his spelling was sadly lacking. We started it later, at 3rd grade. We love it. Spelling is now one of his favorite subjects. We started with Spectrum spelling, he did not like it, complained every time we got it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trying my best Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I have DS5 - 1st grade stuff. He is a good reader (middle of 1st grade level for reading). But reading well doesn't equals to spelling well. Why did you choose it? I want to teach him spelling and i dont want him to memorize words. I want him to know the rules. How long have you used it? We are on level 1, lesson 7 HOW do you implement it? we do Spelling Lesson every day. And we do 1 lesson a day from the book, Lessons sometimes short at the beginning. Last time we had "longer" lesson but even then the activities were changing fast so its not getting boring. Have you used anything else? For spelling? no What do you like about it? I like that everything i need to tell is written for me. And the "my" sentences are short and to the point. I like how everything is included - student pack. I like the reward system and track sysytem - there is a sheet with 1-26 and the student gets to color the number of a lesson when they are done. I like how it is short and yet very informative I like how each lesson starts with review. What do you dislike about it? Nothing! What do your kiddos think about it? My DS5 wants to do more lessons every day. But we just stop with 1 lesson per day Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 So please tell me more about AAS!! I know it is really popular around here, and I like the fact that it is interactive and has magnets. But the website doesn't tell you much about the actual program itself at all which is really frustrating for me. Why did you choose it? I chose it because I wanted something hands-on to cement the phonograms we were learning in reading instruction. I also thought that spelling words might help reading click for ds. How long have you used it? We used it for a couple of months, about halfway through Level 1, and then quit. HOW do you implement it? We used the tiles on a big whiteboard. I would leave them set up if you have the space. Alphabetizing them everyday really took a lot of time and drove ds nuts. Have you used anything else? Not for spelling. For phonics we moved to a phonics workbook - SRA phonics. What do you like about it? That it is tactile and uses more than one pathway to get phonics into the brain. What do you dislike about it? It uses dictation as a technique early on (because it is an OG program), which doesn't jive with the WTM recommendations of 2nd grade, and can be difficult for young learners. There is also a lot of writing, which was impossible for ds to do at 5. I could have modified it to do the writing in shaving cream or rice, but it was just too much work to tweak it when I was working heavily on basic skills with ds. We decided instead to leave it and work on letter formation & writing. We will come back to it when both ds's reading fluency and his tolerance for writing are higher. What do your kiddos think about it? Ds liked spelling the words with the tiles, but hated the writing. Again, we have only used Level 1, so I can't speak to the higher levels. Thanks so much! I thought you might like some opinions from those who quit using it as well, just to give you a fuller picture of who it does or doesn't work for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truebluexf Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 T Why did you choose it? I liked the focus on the rules, interactivity, multi-sensory approach How long have you used it? 4 months, Level 1 and now starting level 2 with my oldest (I hope to get him through level 3 this year to have him on grade level with the program, and expect it shouldn't be a problem). HOW do you implement it? We don't do it daily, but try to keep regular with it. We do the steps as listed, but so far we have never had to spend a whole week on any of them...usually a day or two, but I keep waiting for that to change. I think it's important to implement it how it works for you and your child. DS doesn't like writing, so he tends to do more on the board. DD LOVES to write, and likes to write more than use the tiles, so they each do what works for them with a little bit of required time by me doing things the other way. If DD was a more reluctant writer, and being younger, there is no reason why the program couldn't be done with just the tiles and orally for a while until the skills developed later on, especially the early levels. I wouldn't be concerned at all if my child couldn't handle the longer dictation until later on, or if I preferred to follow WTM's recs on that subject. Have you used anything else? We tried a couple workbooky programs but none of us liked them. I don't like the idea of just memorizing lists! What do you like about it? Everything. The information is sticking too, I see my 6 y/o apply the rules she has learned all the time. What do you dislike about it? Sometimes I wish I could just hand them a workbook LOL What do your kiddos think about it? They enjoy it! Thanks so much! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) Why did you choose it? We had been through 5 or 6 other spelling programs and nothing was working well here. I finally started making up my own, and spent about 100 hours working on creating something fun that would follow the phonograms my son had learned in Reading Reflex and would include dictation...and then I discovered All About Spelling and realized it was everything I was trying to create and more. The price was worth it after realizing just how long it took me to create something that was well-designed for a kid who struggles. How long have you used it? 2.5 years. My kids are now both in Level 5. HOW do you implement it? I set a timer for 15 minutes (youngest) or 20 minutes (oldest). We start with the review box and go over cards for a couple of minutes. Then we go into the book and pick up wherever we left off the previous day, and we just see how far we get. If they get frustrated with one thing, I switch to a different activity. With young kids you can really make it game-like and have fun with it. The author also has added suggestions for tactile methods and activities on her website--make sure to explore the article section for other ideas too. It's still that way to some extent, but my kids are in 6th & 8th grades & we're doing this remedially, so I'd like to get them through as soon as possible. Have you used anything else? Spelling Power, Sequential Spelling, Spectrum Spelling, Copywork & Dictation, Apples to Apples, Tricks of the Trade... Most of those I used for a semester, I don't like to switch too often & even that is more than I like to switch. But things got pretty desparate here! What do you like about it? The work is done for me! I just have to implement. Daily it's open and go except initially when you prep the materials. My kids like it & will do it. They tell me not to switch & that it's the most effective thing we've used. Their reading levels went up. One thing I especially love is the gradual progression of the dictation and writing. Level 1 starts out with words and then 2-word phrases, 6 per step. Level 2 moves up to 6 phrases and 6 sentences per step. Level 3 has 12 sentences. Halfway through Level 3, The Writing Station is introduced. Your student takes a list of 5 or 6 words they've learned and writes sentences or a short little story with them. Once my kids hit the writing station, I began to see their spelling improve in the context of their writing, and not just in "spelling" time. Levels 4 & 5 increase the length of the sentences gradually (also good for stretching kids' working memory) and continues the Writing Station. They also work more on word analysis skills in each lesson at these levels. You can use these skills and strategies to help them learn how to edit their dictations and their Writing Station exercises. Gradually even my kids' "free-writing" outside of spelling (writing that I wouldn't have them edit) has improved. What do you dislike about it? Most of the time, nothing, but there are days when I would prefer they could do it independently! A lot of times on those days I pull out a worksheet from All About Homophones for them to do. What do your kiddos think about it? Both kids have told me it's the most effective thing we've ever used. My daughter has begged me never to change it. It's funny, but I hesitated to buy it for a long time for the same reason that you want to buy it--the tiles & magnets & other pieces. I didn't want something with lots of hands-on "stuff," and I didn't want mom-intensive, etc... (I laugh now because it's a lot less mom-intensive than some of the things I did!). I'm more of the "provide the manipulatives & art supplies & let the kids do with it what they want" kind of mom & stick to literature-based studies rather than a lot of "activities" that I have to "do." But the method won me over, LOL! I have some pictures up & wrote on my blog as well. HTH as you decide whether this will work for you & your son. Merry :-) Edited January 3, 2011 by MerryAtHope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in GA Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Why did you choose it? I heard so many rave reviews, and my then almost-eight year old was a horrible speller. How long have you used it? Close to two years Have you used anything else? Not really, unless you count Explode the Code What do you like about it? I like the rules (many I did not even know) and I like the fact that it is so scripted and requires no planning What do you dislike about it? The materials are cumbersome. I have to store the huge magnet board somewhere, and I hate having to get it out and put it away every day. Sometimes the magnets fall off and get lost when I move it. I don't keep up with all the cards, although maybe I should. What do your kiddos think about it? My seven year old doesn't care for it too much, but then I haven't been sticking with it regularly for her -- had two false starts. My nine year old likes it pretty well, especially when she writes the words on the dry-erase boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsiew Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Why did you choose it? My kids were crying every Friday they didn't make 100% on their spelling test. They hated spelling. I knew there had to be something else. A friend turned me onto AAS and we haven't looked back! (well, okay once, but for a good reason I'll get to later) How long have you used it? 2 years (I have one child just starting Level 6 and one in Level 4) HOW do you implement it? I pretty much just open and go with few modifications. I only do spelling about 15-20 min. per day with each. We just pick up where we left off the last time. We use a mounted magnet board with a small white board next to it for them to write on. We don't use the tiles a ton anymore. I pretty much just use them to teach the concepts at this point. Both children prefer to write on the board over using the tiles. In the lower levels we used them all the time though. Have you used anything else? I kind of did my own thing and used Spelling Power cards to develop a spelling curriculum when we first started hsing. I looked at someone's SP, but didn't like it much. Like I said, my children absolutely HATED spelling when we did it more traditionally. What do you like about it? It teaches the "why" behind spelling for those kids who knowing that works for. I see this program as kind of the "conceptual spelling" program like the "conceptual math" programs out there. The words aren't always the hardest, but the concepts you are teaching come through easier when the kids don't have to focus so hard on learning the spelling words. They can apply the concepts when they first learn it to easier words that then will carry over to tougher words later on. The best thing for me though was when my oldest exclaimed one day that he LOVES spelling and can hardly believe he's actually learning to spell because it's so much fun. That right there is worth all the $$ and time. What do you dislike about it? Because of the nature of the program it's teacher intensive. I'm not all that sure that spelling needs to be that teacher intensive at our house. I have very good spellers. However, the kids like it so much I don't want to give it up and of course I'm seeing huge dividends in my older two... they are very good spellers. What do your kiddos think about it? The older two love it! Never a complaint about spelling. My 3rd child did not do well with AAS. He has some learning issues though and for him... the conceptual approach just does not work. He is unable to make connections and apply general rules to multiple words. He doesn't learn that way. Honestly, the best thing for him is to give him a list of words and let him memorize. Because of the issues he faces this is the only way he learns. His issues do not involve the "normal" LD's so I'm not speaking on behalf of all special needs kids.. just mine! :D I switched him to SWO and that is going much better. Let me stress... for most kids, including most LD kids, AAS is wonderful! Our case is very unique! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Why did you choose it? I knew ds would notbe a natural speller. How long have you used it? 1 1/2 yrs HOW do you implement it? Spelling is done 4 days a week. I review almost daily and just get to where I get after about 20 or so minutes Have you used anything else? Spelling Workout What do you like about it? I like the built in review, phonic approach, and rules to help with spelling What do you dislike about it?Teacher intensive, really hate that. I have 5 using it now and well . . .it takes time. What do your kiddos think about it? Dd, likes the sentences they use for dictation. Ds doesn't like b/c he wants to do something more advanced. [hmmm, that's a new one for me.] Thanks so much! HTH. FTR, the question about what the kids think was answered by them just now. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceyshoe Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I haven't read this thread but wanted to respond quickly before I head off to bed. Why did you choose it? Ds is a very advanced reader who taught himself phonics. I wanted to make sure he really gets all of phonics, but the phonics reading programs that I found were not going to be a fit for a kid as advanced as he was. How long have you used it? 4.5 months, probably averaging 3 days per week HOW do you implement it? We follow the TM closely except we skip over things he gets. For example, we don't do reviews as often and don't do the extra practice words if he already has the rule mastered. We set a time for 15 minutes and stop when it goes off. Have you used anything else? No, it's an extremely thorough program. What do you like about it? The rules make sense and fit the way ds learns. He needs everything within a framework and is an extremely structured thinker. Even with such a structured program, he adds several layers of structure to each lesson (by categorizing things further or looking for patterns). What do you dislike about it? Nothing! It's great! It is teacher-intensive, so I don't think I would choose it if I was hsing many children. Though it's a wonderful fit for ds1, it would not work well for a kid who hates memorizing all the rules. If my younger ds can implement the rules but hates reciting them, we may go with a different program for him. What do your kiddos think about it? LOVES it! The magnets and board make it fun because it's a change of pace in our school day. He's applying the rules to words he reads everywhere and loves knowing why words are spelled the way that they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Why did you choose it? Because it is based on Orton/Gillingham philosophy, it is hands on, it is incremental (covers one rule or sound at a time), it is mastery based and it is scripted. How long have you used it? 2 years I think. My oldest is now in level 5. HOW do you implement it? After you set up the cards it is open and go. But my personal twists: Mondays-review phonograms Tuesdays-review key cards Wednesdays-review sound cards Thursdays-do a Homonym worksheet Daily I have my kids do review based on how well they spell. My oldest only does about 4-6 cards daily despite covering a step in 2 days. She is an excellent speller. My 3rd dd also covers 4-6 a day, but she spends a week or more on a step, so it gives her the extra practice she needs. For my 3rd dd I also add Seeing Stars work to develop visual memory. Have you used anything else? Sequential Spelling (bombed here) and Spell to Write and Read (worked but is confusing. What do you like about it? That would be a repeat of question 1. :D What do you dislike about it? Dragging out the magnetic board. I don't have a dedicated space for it, so I have to actually get up and go get it. Haven forbid I get off my hiney. ;) What do your kiddos think about it? They like it better than both SS and SWR. Though they would rather not cover spelling at all. Ha! Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranberry Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 hope you don't mind if I ask a question here...we are just starting with AAS, so i'm interested in the responses to this thread. But I wondered, a few said they didn't like how much writing was involved. I'm wondering can you just have the child use the tiles to spell instead of writing with pencil and paper? Or maybe use some other thing, like other letter magnets or even typing? I sure hope this is the case because my son is really struggling with handwriting, but is excelling way above in reading and spelling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 (edited) hope you don't mind if I ask a question here...we are just starting with AAS, so i'm interested in the responses to this thread. But I wondered, a few said they didn't like how much writing was involved. I'm wondering can you just have the child use the tiles to spell instead of writing with pencil and paper? Or maybe use some other thing, like other letter magnets or even typing? I sure hope this is the case because my son is really struggling with handwriting, but is excelling way above in reading and spelling... Personally I like to cement that hear, recall, write process, so I do have my kids write all the words. I also use tiles with my youngest two, covering the words with tiles day 1, then writing them day 2. Though I will break down the words into smaller sections as needed (4 or 5 per day). That is how my 3rd dd can spend 2-3 weeks in a step, specially if I have her cover a long list of extra words as well. :D When I do modify it (because all my kids are writing phobic) I use air writing, sand writing, and a white board. They don't require the fine motor control that is needed to stay in the lines on paper. I also don't correct any floating, over-sized or poorly written letters during spelling. If it is readable and in the right order I accept it. Those are issues I deal with in handwriting. Heather Edited January 4, 2011 by siloam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truebluexf Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 hope you don't mind if I ask a question here...we are just starting with AAS, so i'm interested in the responses to this thread. But I wondered, a few said they didn't like how much writing was involved. I'm wondering can you just have the child use the tiles to spell instead of writing with pencil and paper? Or maybe use some other thing, like other letter magnets or even typing? I sure hope this is the case because my son is really struggling with handwriting, but is excelling way above in reading and spelling... They do not need to do all the handwriting. Do what works for your son! My daughter is my younger one and loves to write, and my son is the older one and likes it less (or at least did in the beginning)...I simply had him use the tiles more than I had him write words. My DD dislikes the tiles, but LOVES to write so she does more writing. When it comes to the dictation, you can do more or less, depending on what works for your child. I think that, especially if you do it on grade level, adapting should be easy and not detrimental to learning. ETA that like Heather, we like to write on the whiteboard too. :) It makes writing more fun anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 We also use a white board for writing, my dd really likes to use a hand-held one. My dh found one with lines on it, and she really enjoys that (they are big handwriting lines, but she uses them more like notebook paper lines, as an older student would). Before that we had one with no lines, and that worked fine too. Sidewalk chalk is fun too! It would be pretty easy to do Level 1 without writing. The dictations are only 2-word phrases at that level, 6 per step, and it would be easy to do them with tiles. I would probably let your son do a variety--some in writing, some with tiles. You can use tactile methods like sand-writing etc... for kids who aren't writing yet, to get in some of those arm movements and prepare kids for writing. You can take this at your child's pace, starting with only one or two dictations per day, maybe one in tiles and one in writing, or one in tiles and one in sand-writing or other method, etc... Gradually build up to more writing as your child is ready. In level 2, the dictations go up to 6 phrases and 6 sentences per step (and again, you can take as many days as needed to do a step--you don't have to do a step in one day or even one week). It would be harder to use only tiles for those as you'd have more repeating letters in the longer dictations. You would probably need 1 or 2 extra tile sets. But maybe your child could use tiles and write some letters at that point if the tiles were still needed. I do think the building of the writing component in AAS is valuable for kids who struggle with writing, to gradually build them up to more writing. But it might be something that you could come back to and go through for that aspect if you have a child who isn't ready for the writing at first but is eager to learn the phonics & spelling. I also agree with Heather that the writing is an important part of cementing spelling for my kids. HTH some! Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturegirl7 Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Thank you all. I think might be something to re-inforce what we are already learning in regard to phonics, while introducing spelling too. I really like that it isn't writing intensive either...he has a very low tolerance and high fatigue/frustration level when it comes to writing. Dry erase boards are the only way I can really get him to write at the moment. Whatever works! I showed DS some of the pics of kiddos with magnets and he was excited. He LOVES magnets! ABC magnets on the fridge was how he learned his ABCs and alot of the simple 3-4 letter words. :) Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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