talk2ham.1 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 It looks very interesting and sensible on their site. But then, it is their site; so of course they will advertise it that way. I'd like the opinion of some who have been through the trenches with this program before I bite the bait. My children will not be ready to start this program for almost another year, so I'm just feeling out the waters right now. If you have used this and have been able to compare it to other programs too, I'd love to know how they all compared in your minds. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 It's all we've used. Well, I did try out a Soaring with Spelling and Vocabulary book and looked at other spelling workbooks, but so far nothing has compared to how thorough and systematic AAS is. Feel free to check out the AAS tag on my blog where I write reviews over the past years of using it. We started at age 4.5ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I tried approximately a million spelling programs before buying AAS in the fall. I love it. It has helped my struggling spellers so much. Just do a search on AAS and you will find LOTS of good reviews. God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prolife Mom Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 We've been using it for about 2 months. So far so good. The only complaint I have is with the CD-rom. It didn't work & they expediently sent me another one...that, I just discovered, also doesn't work. So, hopefully, they'll send me one that does work..eventually. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaniceO Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 My younger 2 boys are horrible spellers (currently 5th and 3rd grade). Two years ago I bought AAS to use with them. They got through all of Level 1 and most of Level 2 before I decided to sell it because it was just too teacher intensive for me (at the time). I have tried MANY different spelling programs since then. Finally, about a month ago, they begged me to go back to AAS. So, I started them over in Level 1. The words are WAY too easy for them, but they need to cement those rules. They love the letter tiles and the fact that we use the dry erase board. We are flying through Level 1 right now and I don't expect they'll slow down until they get to Level 3. My Kindergartner begged to do it with them, so I went ahead and started her in it. All of them LOVE it! I think it is a good, solid program that really lays it out for them. Plus it helps me because when they spell something wrong in their writing, I can just remind them of the key card from AAS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhappyjoyjoy Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 LOVE IT!!!!! I've turned several friends on to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I also tried 5 or so programs before AAS, and AAS really is easy to use and clearly laid out. It does require teacher time--you work one on one for about 15 minutes a day--so it's not an independent program. My kids were older, 3rd and 5th grades, so we were using it remedially to start--but both told me never to switch programs again & that this was the most effective thing we had used. If you've not looked at the online samples, I would start there and make sure that the samples make sense to you. Hope you find what will be a good fit for you and your kids! Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nojo317 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 My ds10 and I are finishing up level 1. He's a horrible speller, so I needed to take him back tot he basics. As pp mentioned, the words are easy for him, but it's the rules he needs to get down. If you start this program with young children, you wouldnt' be flying through it so fast, and the words would be challenging (also, we don't use the readers, which you would need with early readers.) That being said, I don't plan to use this program with my dd7; it would be overkill for her. Language comes easy for her, as does spelling, so we're looking into something different for her. As for AAS being teacher intensive......yes, it is totally teacher-led, not independent at all. However, you only do it for about 15-20 minutes tops and then you're done (and it's super easy to teach!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJCMom Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 It's the only program I've ever used. At first I thought it was a little bit overkill because my daughter appears to be a natural speller. But the more we get into the program, and the more challenging the concepts are becoming, I'm really appreciating their approach. I would just say, don't be afraid to speed up or slow down the program as your dc needs. It's a wonderful program and my dd seems to really be retaining the spelling rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RahRah Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 We just received the Level 1 and so far so good....DS likes it much better than Spelling Workout (what we were using intermittently as he learned his phonics). I like this more too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I tried another program before AAS and that program was HORRIBLE (my natural speller didn't mind it but I DREADED teaching it). I have 1 natural speller and 1 struggling reader....once we tried AAS it was such a LOVING transition to spelling with rules and meanings...it made sense to my natural speller....and my struggling reader READS her level books now and before she didn't even recall the EASY sight words!!! BUT because of the way that AAS teaches your child to spell....sounding out the words....and bringing them into the classroom....it's just so awesome. This program by far is one of the more expensive things we've tried and we LOVE it and can say its worth EVERY penny!! My dd5.5 can SPELL and READ when before this program (couple months ago) she could NOT spell and could BARELY read past the 3rd BOB book..Now shes reading 14 page SAM books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 My only issue with it is that I think the words are pretty easy. My 3rd grader is in book 4 (just started...on lesson 5, I think) and for next year if we continue with it I want to add in harder words that follow the same rules. If definitely works though. I think I would start in K with level 1 if I could do it again, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 My only issue with it is that I think the words are pretty easy. My 3rd grader is in book 4 (just started...on lesson 5, I think) and for next year if we continue with it I want to add in harder words that follow the same rules. If definitely works though. I think I would start in K with level 1 if I could do it again, though. We just started on AAS level 1 a couple months ago and I am SO glad that I did this because my dd 5.5 is in K and she's doing WONDERFUL in this level. I think if I would've waited til 1st with her she would've been BORED with it much quicker. She gets bored easily so this was a concern of mine. However she does 1 step a day just fine without frustration and that's what I was seeking! :) My dd7 loves that we started her at level 1 too, but she's moving super fast. She'll be done with level 1 next week and we'll begin on level 2. This is giving her MUCH needed confidence and building a foundation for the spelling program for her and I love that. I will be starting ds in level 1 when he's in grade K too because I've seen how beautiful it's been for my middler. And I can EASILY see how if I started it sooner with my oldest that she'd be able to read at a higher level even! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talk2ham.1 Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 I'm very interested in that many of you are saying you started with your children in K or even in Pre-K. I realize they do have a beginning reading program, but are you saying that the actual spelling can begin as early as K level? Should I really get this sooner? My son will be 5 in June and is well into K level studies now. He is not reading yet, but can read some blends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Yes, as soon as we started reading, we started AAS perhaps a month after. We were still blending. If you start that early, you'll get the most out of the program. Otherwise, you'll wish you had started earlier, because the first few levels are pretty easy compared to the time people normally start a spelling program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We used almost all of the first level before we switched to Apples & Pears. It was simply too time consuming, and had so many different pieces that it was a poor fit for us. I prefer A&P because it's very systematic and simply open and go. Ariel is not a natural speller (much like I was) and doesn't learn spelling well by being required to memorize a lot of rules, so it was better for us to use a program other than AAS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3innc Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 This year I have done level 1 and am working through level 2 with my dyslexic 6 year old ds. It is amazing. It is teacher intensive but it honestly doesn't take that much each day. We do about 20 minutes a day. He is really remembering everything. We are also using the readers which have really tied it into his reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Researcher Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Yes, as soon as we started reading, we started AAS perhaps a month after. We were still blending. If you start that early, you'll get the most out of the program. Otherwise, you'll wish you had started earlier, because the first few levels are pretty easy compared to the time people normally start a spelling program. :iagree: I'm using OPG with my K'er and AAS has been a wonderful compliment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 It looks very interesting and sensible on their site. But then, it is their site; so of course they will advertise it that way. I'd like the opinion of some who have been through the trenches with this program before I bite the bait. My children will not be ready to start this program for almost another year, so I'm just feeling out the waters right now. If you have used this and have been able to compare it to other programs too, I'd love to know how they all compared in your minds. Thanks! Hi! I am new to the board, but had to jump in! We started using the Level 1 books with my oldest this year and we love them! They are set up very well and she asks to do them. They work well with our other programs/books too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I'm very interested in that many of you are saying you started with your children in K or even in Pre-K. I realize they do have a beginning reading program, but are you saying that the actual spelling can begin as early as K level? Should I really get this sooner? My son will be 5 in June and is well into K level studies now. He is not reading yet, but can read some blends. If he knows his letter sounds then I think he's ready to start AAS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sew happily ever after Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I've taught AAS to my children. oldest is in level 6 now. However, it is very teacher intensive and even at 15-20 minutes per day per kid, that really adds up especially when you have several other teacher intensive subjects to teach (math, language lessons, reading lessons,e tc.) AND you have 4 kids to teach! Next year I could not imagine being able to continue to teach this, so I have decided to switch my children after level 3 to Phonetic Zoo. Same rules, similar approach, INDEPENDENT (for the most part). I really like AAS and my kids do to...except for the 9yo who can't stand the letter tiles! She doesn't use them...really HATES them. Anyway it is very well written, scripted for you to read from the lesson if you must, and easy for the child to master. The mastery is what is important. I realize that you could start your child early, say age 4 or 5, but I think it's best to start in level 1 when your child is 6 or in first grade, whichever you choose. they progress at an even pace and you won't be bogged down on any steps because they are able to process and understand. Some writing is involved too as they write the words on paper or the white board so there needs to be some fine motor skills already developed in order not to stress them out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 It is all we've used! We are doing level 2 right now. DD loves doing it on the white board, she can take or leave the tiles (I was surprised), but writing on the whiteboard? Kachow! She loves it! From my side? It's incredibly open-and-go, systematic, comprehensive, non-consumable, provides great phonics review, and works well so far! Sometimes I think it is too teacher intensive, but - it's easy to use and gets the job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malenki Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We're in the middle of level 4 with my 10 year old. He loves the program although hate hates the tiles; we don't use them now. His spelling has improved by leaps and bounds! I wince at the price but his younger brother is also going to benefit from the program, so that's a help. We'll be doing level 5 next year for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam112198 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 It is all we've used! We are doing level 2 right now. DD loves doing it on the white board, she can take or leave the tiles (I was surprised), but writing on the whiteboard? Kachow! She loves it! I love that idea!! We sometimes work from the whiteboard, and my daughter likes it so much better! We love AAS here! It is teacher intensive, but we will continue with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Wow, this question comes up so much, it almost needs a sticky. I used SWR as a reading program. Wouldn't work for us for spelling. (did fine as a reading program). I moved into AAS, and it drove us nuts with repetition. Kiddo did fine with SWO and now we are on week 4 of SWS, which I switched to for nicer paper to write on, no spine to fight with (spiral at top) and vocab as well. My son is not a Natural speller with a capital N, but he is not a bad speller either. The repetition in AAS drove us both mad. Personally, I'd try something cheaper and less teacher intensive and only try it if your kiddo doesn't do well with the cheaper and less teacher intensive way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I love the idea of AAS. My kids think AAS is tons of fun. However, my oldest especially was not retaining anything. She did fine with the lessons and scored nearly perfectly on every dictation/test, but there was no application in the rest of her work. The repetition didn't bother me so much. The teacher time did, once Schmooey came along. I agree with Kalanamak - do something less teacher intensive and see how it works. We're currently using Spelling Wisdom, which is CM - spelling learned through studied dictation. I like that it forces my girls to pay attention to the words and how they are spelled. It was VERY hard for me to let go of a more "modern" spelling program, if you KWIM, but so far it's working really well. My 2nd dd would spell fine whatever we used. I may try to pull out AAS again, just because they like it so much, and because I have FOUR LEVELS of it. :lol: Like I said, I love the idea of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We're about halfway through level 2. I wouldn't mind doing a workbook type independent program, but my son wanted to know why words are spelled like they are, and the rules are sticking. He is applying them whenever he writes (though he's in first grade, so doesn't really write his own thoughts down yet). I'd love to use something cheaper and less parent intensive, but the program is WORKING, so I'm sticking with it for now. Eventually I might switch to Spelling Wisdom. I want him to get plenty of phonics first though. I started the program with my 4 year old, but then switched to Webster's for him. We'll do AAS for K probably (fall 2012). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom@shiloh Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We love AAS, and in 19 years of homeschooling we've tried a "few" different spelling programs. It does take a bit of time, so I only use it for children who struggle with phonics or spelling. For my children who are natural spellers I don't use any program at all -- we just address issues if they come up in their other writing. Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I am using AAS with my dd who has dyslexia. She has done levels 1-3 and I've seen HUGE improvement in her spelling ability. No joke. If I had to choose a curriculum, out of everything I've ever used with dd that I'm most grateful for, this would be it. **It IS teacher intensive, but it's also open-and-go. I have all the tiles magnetized and stuck to the side of the fridge. They stay there all the time. Dd keeps a spiral notebook, the spelling book, and a folder (with the uncut, yet-to-be used cards, homophone card, silent-e book, and word lists) in one of her bins. I have an index card box (one of those plastic 3?5 card holders) on a bookshelf. The "jail" sign is taped to the wall in the playroom. The "illegal word" cards are taped to the wall around it. When it's time for spelling, I just tell her to go get her spelling bin and I open the book to the place marked by the bookmark. I read right out of the book. We stand in front of the fridge for the section using the tiles. She sits at a table or counter when we do review (she gets the index card box off the shelf) or when she writes in her spiral notebook. It is "parts intensive," but if you organize things like this it's SO easy. (This from someone who is organizationally-challenged.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I wanted to add something else, my dd's BOTH could RID of the tiles and just use the whiteboard and a marker. I was really shocked by this but now I see others dealing with this too. So we use the tiles to begin the steps and anytime I want to build a word for them, otherwise they spell on the whiteboard with a marker and do VERY well with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talk2ham.1 Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 I wanted to add something else, my dd's BOTH could RID of the tiles and just use the whiteboard and a marker. I was really shocked by this but now I see others dealing with this too. So we use the tiles to begin the steps and anytime I want to build a word for them, otherwise they spell on the whiteboard with a marker and do VERY well with it. Could you tell me about the tiles? Are they specially colored or do they have blends or could I get away with any old alphabet tiles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 No, the tiles aren't just alphabet tiles. There are prefixes, suffixes, sounds of "r", vowel teams, etc. The consonants are blue and the vowels are red. I really believe they are worth their weight in gold. My daughter does not like using the tiles but both my boys love them. They are a great resource when teaching concepts. I wouldn't skip them. God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I started my son in AAS when he was 5. He LOVES it. We are using it as both a phonics/reading and spelling program so we are going through it slowly - about 1 step a week. (He's already past the point of the level of AAR currently available). There isn't a lot of writing and it has really improved his reading skillls. He absolutely LOVES the tiles and once we finish a lesson he usually plays with the tiles for a while, making words and playing games switching around letters. He's a kid whose crayons will talk to each other so he does the same thing with the tiles - "letter a it's your turn to go back home and let o come play with h and t". He's a somewhat difficult child - wiggly, distracted, easily bored, uncooperative - so finding something that he's eager to do is big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandty Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We are in level 3 with my struggling speller, but will be switching next year as I am not seeing any improvement. My first grader loves the program and we will finish level 1 this school year and will go to level 2 next school year since he is doing great. I love the program as all the work is done for you and you just have to do the lessons with your child. The titles are a lot of work as we have a big magnetic board to keep them on but then we have to find a place to hide it between lessons. My youngest loves the titles, but my oldest doesn't like the titles. I highly recommend the program, but it really depends on your child too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We used almost all of the first level before we switched to Apples & Pears. It was simply too time consuming, and had so many different pieces that it was a poor fit for us. I prefer A&P because it's very systematic and simply open and go. Ariel is not a natural speller (much like I was) and doesn't learn spelling well by being required to memorize a lot of rules, so it was better for us to use a program other than AAS. :iagree: We did all of level 1 before switching to Apples and Pears for my middle ds who is not a natural speller. Memorizing rules was doing nothing for him. That's not how his brain works. Add to that that he doesn't like the tiles and I agree that it is very time consuming. FWIW I wouldn't have my natural speller do it either because he is already a great speller. He is using Phonetic Zoo successfully and enjoying it. From reading the boards it would seem that AAS does work for most people, but not all. You won't know which group you're in (or which group your child is in, rather) until you've tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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