mskelly Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I'm very new here and just learned about AAS through a spelling search. As a former teacher, I am trained in Spalding Phonics and have taught my kiddos the 72 phonograms, but have not gone any further with the program. I suppose I could use it, but I'd definitely need to refresh my own memory before I started teaching the kids. Plus, I like the idea of opening the book and being ready to go for homeschooling. I looked at the scope and sequence for level 1 and saw that the first 26 phonograms (which are taught in a different order than Spalding) are taught in one step. Is one step the same as one lesson? Does AAS teach all the sounds of each of those letters or is /a/ just /a/ like apple? Would I need to order the phonogram cards if I already have the phonograms on cards from SPalding? Thanks for helping out a mom with a spinning head! Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaChristina Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hello and welcome! I will try to answer your questions the best I can. I haven't had AAS very long yet, but used other Spalding based programs. You can rest easy about the first step. You are supposed to spend as much time as necessary on the first three steps and move on from there. Infact, you can work on the second and third step while finishing up the first step. You do teach all the sounds of each phonogram like you would any other Spalding program. You would not need to order the phonogram cards; however, they do come in the student package for each level if I'm remembering correctly (and I think I am).:) I think AAS is a great program and I'm sure you will get lots of great advice here on the forum. Wishing you blessings on you venture.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mskelly Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 Thanks for the response! I think you answered my question perfectly. Drat! I wish I read TWTM before I went to the convention 2 weeks ago! My shopping list would have been very different. Oh well. Live and learn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy to monkeys Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I just wanted to say it brought a smile to my face to see someone else use "Drat" in a sentence besides myself.:D O so very Frog and Toad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Just wanted to chime in that a Step in AAS is not equal to a lesson unless your child can handle that. Each level is meant to be worked on at the child's pace. For some older starting kids in the beginning a each step will be a days lesson, but that doesn't last for the whole program. Each level has about 24-28 steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Well, I haven't used Spalding, but AAS is a GREAT way to do O-G with your children in an open-and-go way! AAS teaches all of the sounds of each letter, so 'a' is /a/, /ay/, /ah/ I think the marker for the /ay/ sound might be an a with the long vowel mark on top of it though (this is just off the top of my head). So when you show your child the 'a' card they say all three sounds rhythmically, in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 If you're a trained Spalding teacher, it shouldn't take much to refresh your memory. Spalding is so much more in-depth than AAS. And Spalding really is pick-up-and-go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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