alisoncooks Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Next year (for 1st) we are using OPGTR. DD knows most of her letter names/sounds (with occasional confusion)...we've been pretty relaxed about starting reading so far. I see AAS is pretty popular as a spelling program...or is it a phonics program? or a reading program? all-in-one? I'm confused. Are AAS and OPGTR different, have different purposes? AAS looks phonics-y. Would it be best to focus on OPGTR for 1st and pick up AAS for 2nd? It is a complete spelling program, right (but with a phonics approach)? I have done several searches and am not coming up with much.... please feel free to point me in the right direction if it has already been discussed. THANK YOU! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 AAS is a spelling program but it's heavily phonics based. My son was already reading pretty fluently when we started using it. It's been very effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJgang Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Hello there, I just wanted to bring something to you attention, as I have a First grader next year. On page 52 of The Well Trained Mind, I quote "we recommend that you get at least halfway through OPGTR before beginning spelling". And i would have to agree. We've done spelling workout at that age and I found it to be a lovely match, following along quite well as a review of what was just learned in OPGTR. I know nothing about AAS. maybe someone can chime in. :bigear: Blessings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdkidsmom Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 We started K with AAS and a lot of good intentions. We are ending our year using OPGTR and the letter tiles from AAS for some of the word games in OPGTR. I plan to continue with this when we start 1st grade in August, and use AAS as intended when my dd is ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 Hello there, I just wanted to bring something to you attention, as I have a First grader next year. On page 52 of The Well Trained Mind, I quote "we recommend that you get at least halfway through OPGTR before beginning spelling". And i would have to agree. Thanks. I was familiar with that passage and planned on going that route. I was just curious if AAS would be a good program to use with OPGTR once we we were ready. Some of the samples from AAS looked like a phonics program, which is where I was confused (since I already have that covered). I was mostly curious if the 2 programs were complimentary or redundant when combined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kim.4dogs Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I'm using them together and I think they work great! They definitely complement each other well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in LV Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 My 5 yo son is a little over halfway through OPGTR, and we're just starting AAS Level 1. (It arrived in the mail last week!!) Both programs are phonics-based. AAS has the words in each lesson organized by phonogram rules. I'm thinking the earlier words will be rather easy for him based on where we are in OPGTR. But I think it will help his confidence & get him in the swing of things before we start hitting more difficult words. Also, he LOVES the phonogram magnets. (He spent over 2 hours yesterday playing with them.) That's a really fun aspect of the program. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sctigermom Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 My ds is 5 (6 in May) and we use OPGTR and Soaring with SPelling and Vocabulary. We are on lesson 33 (?) and that it right after you go from letter sounds to reading short vowel sound words. Soaring with Spelling has been a big help with decoding words. He likes to memorize words (even when we are using a phonics based program) and it the word starts with the letters ca he will say cat everytime no matter if the work is can, cab, ect. With spelling he can't do that bc he has to actually sound out the words and really think about the sounds and the order of the sounds. Soaring with Spelling is phonics based it starts with short vowel a words, short vowel e words, short vowel i words, ect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 Thanks for all the feedback. I guess I'm feeling like we're starting behind, LOL, even though she's only 5. (Crazy, I know. It's hard to not compare...) She has not had any consistent phonics training...I think we will focus on OPGTR this coming year and if she moves though is quickly, I'll shell out the big bucks for AAS. I *LOVE* that I can reuse it for DD2 and I think they'll enjoy the letter tiles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in LV Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 FWIW, I found my AAS set on Ebay (new, but open - and the magnets were already assembled for me), and it was a good bit cheaper, especially when you factor in shipping. Also, you may decide you don't need all the components of the interactive kit. For a lot of helpful input from others who have used it, take a look at this thread: "Questions re Ordering AAS". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dahliarw Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 My ds was about halfway through OPGTR at the beginning of this year when we started AAS. They work really well together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Maybe this will help: AAS is a complete phonics program that teaches words from the spelling angle, while a reading program teaches words from the reading angle. (Just because a student can read a word, doesn't mean he can spell it). As an example--for reading, we only need to know how to pronounce a "ck" but for spelling purposes we need to know when to use CK vs. just a K at the end of a one syllable word. Reading programs cover things like decoding skills, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and reading practice. AAS focuses instead on encoding skills, spelling rules and other strategies that help children become good spellers. HTH! Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 AAS is a complete phonics program that teaches words from the spelling angle, while a reading program teaches words from the reading angle. (Just because a student can read a word, doesn't mean he can spell it). That helps. Kind of. :) As I understand it, OPGTR is a phonics program. So those using AAS + OPGTR are using 2 phonics programs? Basically, I don't like the look of Spelling Workout, but am looking for a spelling program to go along with OPGTR (which I have just started & plan on doing all summer). I have purchased A Reason for Spelling, but I don't want something just to have *something* to fill a gap....I want a program we'll want to stick with and that will teach spelling rules. I was hoping that AAS would fit the bill. Also, I see a lot of people are using more than one level a year? So these are self-paced? 1 level doesn't = 1 grade? Thanks you for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 That helps. Kind of. :) As I understand it, OPGTR is a phonics program. So those using AAS + OPGTR are using 2 phonics programs? Basically, I don't like the look of Spelling Workout, but am looking for a spelling program to go along with OPGTR (which I have just started & plan on doing all summer). I have purchased A Reason for Spelling, but I don't want something just to have *something* to fill a gap....I want a program we'll want to stick with and that will teach spelling rules. I was hoping that AAS would fit the bill. Also, I see a lot of people are using more than one level a year? So these are self-paced? 1 level doesn't = 1 grade? Thanks you for your help. Phonics for reading and phonics for spelling overlap but are not identical. (AALP, which sells All About Spelling, also has a reading program, All About Reading). You use phonics in both reading and spelling, but you learn different sides of it in each. In reading you learn decoding--what to say when you see letters or phonograms. In spelling you learn encoding--what to write when you hear sounds. Just because you know what to say when you see something, doesn't mean you know what to write when you hear something--make sense? AAS will review the multiple sounds of the phonograms, but it will also teach the student to hear a sound and know the multiple ways he or she could write that sound--or to hear multiple sounds and know that one phonogram could stand for any of those sounds, and so on. Yes, the series is self-paced. Each day you work for 15-20 minutes and just pick up wherever you left off the previous day. So some students spend a lot of time on certain lessons while others need less time. You simply move on when the student has mastered the content. HTH! Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 Thank you, that was very helpful! And -- as much as I hate to admit it -- I spent 4 yr of college (elem ed major w/ minor in child development) and 5 years teaching 1st graders to read..... with very little (if any, that I recall) discussion on encoding vs. decoding. Hmmm. Sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 With DS #1 we did OPGTR for first. Mid-way through first his reading really took off. For 2nd grade we started AAS level one and he flew through it. He will be done with level 2 by the end of 2nd grade. I feel really comfortable where he is at, even though some may say he got a late start. With DS#2 we started OPGTR this year for his K year and we will need to continue it into 1st. When he is reading more fluently, we will start AAS. I think both are needed as they cover two different subjects. Just how we did it, hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Well, last night I ordered the whole AAS1 shebang....then had a moment of panic and cancelled my order. :001_unsure: My plans are to do OPGTR for the rest of this year (we've just started), continue through the summer and into the fall. Once we are about midway through, I will probably purchase AAS. (Plus, by spreading out my purchases -- b/c I've made a lot lately -- it won't seem like I'm spending quite so much on this school coming school year, LOL.) I do plan on starting my 2nd daughter with OPGTR in K, AAS in 1st. Makes sense, wish we'd done this with my first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missouri Okie Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 My plans are to do OPGTR for the rest of this year (we've just started), continue through the summer and into the fall. Once we are about midway through, I will probably purchase AAS. (Plus, by spreading out my purchases -- b/c I've made a lot lately -- it won't seem like I'm spending quite so much on this school coming school year, LOL.) Sounds like a good plan! My son who is 7 is almost done with OGPTR (only 10 lessons to go!). We started AAS1 about a month ago. I find that although one is reading and one is spelling they are an excellent complement to each other. AAS is reinforcing what he has learned in OGPTR. I think my son reverts to memorizing words. So, I'm glad to have a second chance at phonics so that he retains the tools he learned in OGPTR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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