Murrayshire Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 My 3rd grader is okay with spelling when it comes to studying a list over a week....but, in her writing, spelling is awful. It seems as though she isn't taking the time to sound the word out carefully and then just guesses how to spell it! She has been using Spelling Workout C, which she likes btw. She's getting good scores on spelling tests but I don't think she is retaining most of it. This is just what I have gathered from her writing. I have AAS 1....I was planning on starting that with her fairly soon. Is this set up to do a step a day? Also, level 1 seems really easy....is this going to be an appropriate starting place or should we start with level 2? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I was able to go through a step per day with my 3rd grader. We just started Level 2 and seem to be keeping that pace. I found a few gaps while going through the lessons. Which is probaby the reason we are supposed to start AAS at level 1. I'm sure we will slow down someplace in level 3. But I haven't seen the miracle spelling cure yet in his writing. I think it's just a lot to have to concentrate on and writing is a skill that he is still developing. He spells everything phonetically and will sometimes miss a blend. But he never misses a word in AAS and on his CLE spelling list. So I'm waiting for the connection to happen. In the mean time, I'm making sure he has all the tools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigger Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I'd start with level 1 to identify and fill any gaps that may be there. With DS we did a lesson a day for the first month and then slowed to two a week, so it took six weeks to get through level 1. We're now in level 2 and usually do two a week; I've slowed to this pace to format the lessons that his spelling on paper is a next day thing so I can see if he's retained the material. Day 1 = lesson Day 2 = lesson review + spelling paper Day 3 = next lesson Day 4 = lesson review + spelling on paper Day 5 = review both and spelling random words on paper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Since my dd is younger yet I go anywhere from 1 day per lesson to three days per lesson. We do AAS on M,W,and F's for about 15 or 20 minutes. Most of the lessons my dd can do in one day but some of the ones towards the end of the book we have broken into two or three days. I would start your daughter with it and if its easy for her you'll breeze through it and at least gain the understanding how AAS works. And likewise, if there is a concept you would like to spend more time on you can spread it out over your week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 We did the first 4 or so steps the first day, then did a step per day after that. Level 1 took my then first grader 3 weeks, but he did learn some new things (as did I!). The words are VERY easy at that level. This isn't a spelling list program though. It's teaching why words are spelled that way, so they do start off very simple. In level 2, we ended up doing a step in 1-2 days, depending on the step. Level 3 usually took 2 days per step. Really, the pace is set by the child. Set the timer for 15-20 minutes, and go until the timer goes off. Pick up there the next day. Don't try to schedule which step you'll do when. It's not that type of program. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Starting with Level 1 makes sure there aren't any gaps, and when we began with it we did 2 or 3 steps a week. Now that we are in level 3 we do one step each week. My son was behind in reading and phonics instruction when we brought him home in the middle of first grade and it is really important to me that he has a strong foundation before we move on and I credit AAS with not only teaching him to spell but to read as well. Now that he is in 3rd grade his reading is more advanced than his spelling, but we still use the rules we learned in AAS if he gets stuck on a word while reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbielong Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I started my third grader in AAS1, even though he could spell every AAS1 word correctly, and I'm really glad I did. AAS is a system of how to THINK about spelling. There is a routine. I wanted both of us to learn the system/routine before he had to spell struggle words. Worked for us - ymmv:) BTW - we spent about 6 weeks in AAS1 and we are doing 3 steps per week in AAS 2. My plan is that he'll be done with AAS4 by the end of his fourth grade year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Level 1 is very easy, but it does have some important skills & foundational knowledge--such as the multiple sounds of the letters (my kids knew short & long vowel sounds but not the additional sounds, nor had they thought about CH having 3 sounds, etc...), segmenting, and basic spelling rules. You want to make sure not only that kids can spell words like "cat" and "kept" but that they know why one uses a C and the other uses a K. It only took us a few weeks to do Level 1, but it was important here. If you're not sure that it's the right level though, there is a placement FAQ quiz. Also for ideas on how to help her use more of those spelling skills in her writing, here's a blog entry you might like to read. Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murrayshire Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Thank you for All the information and tips!! We are excited to start this after our first quarter break next week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Really, the pace is set by the child. Set the timer for 15-20 minutes, and go until the timer goes off. Pick up there the next day. Don't try to schedule which step you'll do when. It's not that type of program. ;) This is what we do, too. The first few minutes of each day are for review, no matter where we are in a step. The last few minutes are for dictation, no matter where we are in a step. In between, we make as much progress as we make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I'll chime in since it sounds like our experience is a bit different. My son really struggles with spelling. We are pretty sure he has mild dyslexia and he definitely has dysgraphia. We do one step per week. We spend 15 minutes a day on it 3-4x a week. We do ALL the dictation sentences. We do every single thing in the book including the review. While we go at a slower pace, it has proven to be the ONE thing that actually works. The curriculum suggests 15-20 minutes a day and I really think that is best. If it means you get through a step a day at first...great. If it takes longer, don't sweat it. There are plenty of us just plodding along. My 9.5yo is now in AAS vol 3. When we switched to AAS, I went all the way back to the beginning and I'm glad we did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 We are loving AAS over here - both my natural speller and my "phoenetic speller" :) We did level 1 in just a few weeks and now on level 2 we usually do a lesson in 1-2 days. If there are a lot of dictation spellings, I break it up over 2 days and review the rule some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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