AAS with two children?!

[Murrayshire]

I'm using AAS 3 for my upcoming 4th grader(she has gone through 1 & 2 already)....then planning to move her on to phonetic zoo.

I want to start AAS1 with my ds6 who is basically in first grade now....I school year round and he is about in the place for me to start his first grade year. Is it a pain to use the same activity box/cards with AAS1 and AAS3? I really don't want to have to buy ANOTHER thing that I wasn't planning on purchasing. For those of you that use AAS with multiple children, how do YOU do it?

Thank you for the help!

[Carrie12345]

I haven't done it yet (well, I've done 2 kids on the same level), but I know myself. I'm ordering the box and dividers this summer!

[Shawndrese]

Each of my kids have their own index card box (that I bought from Office Depot for just a few $). I just had to order a separate (extra) index card dividers from All About Learning. (which I think is $5)

This works really well for us :D

[arcara]

I'm doing AAS with 3 and will probably add a 4th this year. I don't use the cards. I keep a list of missed words for each of them in their book. I put the spelling rules and phonograms in PowerPoint so they can practice them like flash cards. My older girls don't even do the rules and phonograms anymore. I don't use the magnets after Level 1.

[NotSoObvious]

I did two kids before I realized my other twin was too advanced for AAS.

They both needed their own box I just couldn't keep things straight without it. I like that I can just open and go with AAS and I didn't want to lose that.

I leave the tiles set up all the time. We don't arrange them every day.

[Coffeemama]

My DS9 and DD7 are on different steps of level 3 (about 9 steps apart). We know which step they are on using the sticker chart as a guide. I have two sets of cards, but only use one. I review the blue rule cards with them every day, skipping some that I know are easy, but mixing it up all the time and skipping past ones that my DD hasn't got to yet. Once we passed level 2, we hardly use the other colored cards, only once in a while as a review after a break.

 

At first, she was a little bothered seeing tiles on the whiteboard that she hadn't learned...but she's past that now. It was too much work to take them on and off, resetting the board for each child.

 

It may take some time, to figure out what works best for you. Now that I have a system that works well for us, AAS with two children is easy.

[Jeeves]

I have done it with 3 children and one box. It's not impossible, but it is definitely more difficult! You can get the dividers from Rainbow and then get inexpensive index card boxes from somewhere else. I would do this, if only to save your sanity!

[sleeplessnights]

We use AAS5 & AAS 2 for my two older boys, and AAR for my daughter. They each have their own box and dividers, but they use the same tiles. I keep the appropriate cards in my younger son's box and the upper level cards in my older's box. As my younger needs a card, it shifts to his box. When my older needs review, I can use either box. It actually works out quite well. Strangely enough, this is also how we hand down clothes...

[Five More Minutes]

I just use one box for two kids (one in Level 1, one in Level 3). I don't use the word cards, so that may help.

 

I have subdivided the Phonogram, Sound Card, and Key Card sections each into 4 sub-sections: Level 1 review, Level 1 yet-to-be-taught, Level 3 review, Level 3 yet-to-be-taught. I haven't used extra dividers for this; I've just found a way to stack them with the dividers that they come with so that they are in those groupings.

 

It's probably a little bit harder than using 2 separate boxes, but it's worth it to me to have one less box to think about! :-)

[Guest GraceFilled]

When we used it each child had their own sets. Made life much easier that way.

[MerryAtHope]

It's definitely easier if they have their own cards and boxes (you can get a flip-top sterilite box for about a buck though, not a huge purchase.) But if neither of your children have struggles with spelling or learning disabilities that would make them need lots of extra review, you may be able to pass the cards down since they are 2 levels apart. You'll have to borrow the phonogram, sound, and key cards for the mastered reviews. We have to review more often here, so it really wouldn't work to have just one box, plus my kids are only a level apart.

 

Merry :-)

[Stellalarella]

Was I doing something wrong? :001_smile: I had three kids using AAS this year. I had the 7yo and 11yo using the same cards and the 6yo using his own cards, although at various times they all shared. The words are printed in the book, so I didn't feel like I HAD to have the cards. It's not like the older kids need to review basic phonograms since they passed level 1. It's a mastery program, right?

I think the main thing is that I, as the teacher, now know the spelling rules and I can prompt the child if he is struggling. Honestly, I have grown to appreciate AAS so much because it has made me a better teacher.

It's not following every jot and tittle of the program that has helped my children learn to read and spell--it's that I've become a better teacher and the children have responded eagerly to the learning style of AAS.

For us, the program felt like a big expense. I eased into it and did not buy everything at first. I got a used program, made some of the cards and tiles. After that, I did go back and purchase levels 1-3. It has been worth every penny.

But no, I am not buying separate kits for each kid.

[Murrayshire]

Was I doing something wrong? :001_smile: I had three kids using AAS this year. I had the 7yo and 11yo using the same cards and the 6yo using his own cards, although at various times they all shared. The words are printed in the book, so I didn't feel like I HAD to have the cards. It's not like the older kids need to review basic phonograms since they passed level 1. It's a mastery program, right?

I think the main thing is that I, as the teacher, now know the spelling rules and I can prompt the child if he is struggling. Honestly, I have grown to appreciate AAS so much because it has made me a better teacher.

It's not following every jot and tittle of the program that has helped my children learn to read and spell--it's that I've become a better teacher and the children have responded eagerly to the learning style of AAS.

For us, the program felt like a big expense. I eased into it and did not buy everything at first. I got a used program, made some of the cards and tiles. After that, I did go back and purchase levels 1-3. It has been worth every penny.

But no, I am not buying separate kits for each kid.

 

Relieved to see someone with three dc using one box!! I have bought every level so far used anyway....we keep our tiles up all the time on our big magnetic board. I may go to Walmart and get a small box to hold the AAS level one cards for my ds since my dd is way past them.

Thank you for your advice!

[Murrayshire]

Thanks so much to you all for the suggestions! More suggestions welcome!

:001_smile:

[Targhee]

Each of my kids have their own index card box (that I bought from Office Depot for just a few $). I just had to order a separate (extra) index card dividers from All About Learning. (which I think is $5)

This works really well for us :D

 

We did the same. It means that for older DC they don't have all thre levels in their box (just the one they are working on). I even found index boxes with colored lids that match the color of the AAS levels (blue level one, green level two, red level three). Makes grabbing the right box easy

[Shawndrese]

We did the same. It means that for older DC they don't have all thre levels in their box (just the one they are working on). I even found index boxes with colored lids that match the color of the AAS levels (blue level one, green level two, red level three). Makes grabbing the right box easy

 

That's a good idea. I might have to do that :D

[Murrayshire]

We did the same. It means that for older DC they don't have all thre levels in their box (just the one they are working on). I even found index boxes with colored lids that match the color of the AAS levels (blue level one, green level two, red level three). Makes grabbing the right box easy

 

Nifty idea....thanks for sharing!

[besroma]

:lurk5:

[JenniferLynn]

I bought index card boxes when I moved from AAS1 to AAS2 with my oldest. In the middle of AAS3 I stopped using the cards consistently and in AAS4 I never even punched them out of the sheet. I also like to see everything at a glance, so near the end of AAS 4 I went through all the card and book and made a master sheet of the Key Cards, rules, rule-breakers, etc. and I rotate through that for review.

[Jeeves]

Was I doing something wrong? :001_smile: I had three kids using AAS this year. I had the 7yo and 11yo using the same cards and the 6yo using his own cards, although at various times they all shared. The words are printed in the book, so I didn't feel like I HAD to have the cards. It's not like the older kids need to review basic phonograms since they passed level 1. It's a mastery program, right?

I think the main thing is that I, as the teacher, now know the spelling rules and I can prompt the child if he is struggling. Honestly, I have grown to appreciate AAS so much because it has made me a better teacher.

It's not following every jot and tittle of the program that has helped my children learn to read and spell--it's that I've become a better teacher and the children have responded eagerly to the learning style of AAS.

For us, the program felt like a big expense. I eased into it and did not buy everything at first. I got a used program, made some of the cards and tiles. After that, I did go back and purchase levels 1-3. It has been worth every penny.

But no, I am not buying separate kits for each kid.

 

I know! I love AAS! But the reason I suggested different boxes is because when I'm reviewing words, key cards, etc., they all get jumbled together because my kids are on different levels. And then when a kid would move up a level to one that another kid is working on or had just done, the cards would be mixed up in the review and mastery portions and I'd have to go through and find them. and, oh, aren't you feeling bad for me yet? ;)

 

Anyway, love the review, hate the jumbled mess! So I have one student kit for AAS 1, AAS 2, etc., but I have each kid in a different level, so separate boxes are nice.

 

I like the colored box idea!