Ordinary Parent's Guide and All About Spelling?

[Swandel]

Do any of you fine parents use these two together? I checked out a friend's Spelling Workout book, but decided to try to find something a little more visual, active, and hands-on for my 6 year old. However, it looks like it may overlap in many ways with OPG. I suppose my main question is whether we need much more than a workbook or just general reinforcement activities for spelling while using OPG.

[Swandel]

also looking at Explode the Code

[jer2911mom]

We used OPGTR and ETC together, but finished OPGTR before starting AAS. I personally would wait until close to the end of OPGTR before starting AAS. Both can certainly be done in tandem, but I don't really think it's necessary.

 

Kathy

[Swandel]

will starting from the beginning with AAS be a lot of review from OPGTR? Or is it presented quite differently as a spelling program?

[Tawlas]

I'm looking at starting AAS1 with my K'er as a way to play more with CVC. He's still very young and has plateau'd as far as reading goes with the three letter words. He loves playing games with those kinds of words with or Melissa and Doug magnets though, so I thought the program might add to our repetoire. I also use ETC and will probably get 1 1/2. We don't do all three every day, usually only one or two, very casually. We're up to the OPGTR lesson where they present double consonants. What is that? 41? Somewhere around there.

 

As a bonus, my 2yo son is picking out letters from signs around town lol, "look mama, 'hetters'! SSSSSSSSSSSSS" Very cute :001_smile:

[lbakos]

I'm using OPGTR with ETC 1 with my 5.5yo.

[jer2911mom]

will starting from the beginning with AAS be a lot of review from OPGTR? Or is it presented quite differently as a spelling program?

 

I'm thinking you would be covering different things. The focus is just different. OPGTR is to get your child reading (decoding) and the other is to get your child spelling (encoding). I guess I just preferred to work on these skills separately, but AAS starts out simple enough you could most likely combine the two without any problems.

 

HTH,

Kathy

[manyblessings]

We use both at the same time. It is recommended to start at the beginning with AAS no matter what and we have had no issues doing this even when using the OPGTR.

[Milknhoney]

I taught my son to read with OPGTR and now we're using AAS for spelling, which we started after OPG. AAS is extremely thorough. I can see using it to teach reading, but personally I am glad that I didn't. My son does not like to write. I think having to write the words and learn to spell them too would make his reading progress move much slower. I liked how OPGTR just focuses on reading. He picked up on it just fine and I was happy with the results using just OPG. Now in AAS I feel like we are just crawling through concepts that he could be learning a lot faster, but I think in the long run he will be better off cementing the very thorough study of all the rules of phonics. So to sum up, I think OPGTR is great to get kids reading relatively quickly, and that AAS is great for going back and reinforcing all the phonics reals in a lot more detail.

[Swandel]

Thanks for all of the tips! I think that my inclination (as a former teacher/tutor) is to expand the OPGTR to include spelling skills...we supplement a lot. But I like how thorough AAS looks, and I really wasn't impressed by a friend's copy of Spelling Workout, so I think we're going to go with AAS!

[A.Balaban]

My tentative plan right now is to do OPGTR, and wait until he is finished before starting AAS. After he finishes OPGTR, I think I might get the ETC Placement and see if he needs further instruction in phonics. Might not be necessary, but it's on my "If list" of things to consider.

 

My only reservation is the cost of AAS. :eek: I have some serious reservations about the cost of the program.

[MistyMountain]

I am using AAS and I am only in early lessons of reading instruction. I was originally going to wait until she was reading better but I think the extra multi sensory practice will be good for dd and it starts out simple enough and moves a little slower so I think it will be fine.

[hollyh]

i'm just starting AAS1 and my dd is almost 1/2 way through OPG. I'm thinking it will be a good mix.

[nikkid]

My dd started OPGTR late since we didn't homeschool until 2nd grade and she was a fairly good reader until then. (By start I mean in the middle of the book since we were just reviewing rules and practicing the big words.) Since she reads fast and doesn't like to slow down to sound out each syllable I found the segmenting in AAS to help her slow down in sounding out words in OPGTR as well. I felt like they went hand in hand. If I had it to do over and if it had been available, I would have done All About Reading and All About Spelling, or at least All About Spelling with the supplemental readers that go with level 1 and 2. We like some the games in OPGTR but there wasn't as much review as AAS so I found we forgot rules. But since she was already a strong reader it worked out okay.

 

I know the cost is a lot higher. I have bought all my AAS things used and then sold the level when we're done with it to pay for the next. It sells very quickly.