Heart_Mom Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 My oldest has been using AAS for, oh, almost 3 years now. We've just started Level 4 about a month ago. I should say that in many ways I *love* AAS. I love how easy it is to teach, I love that it really takes things step by step, etc. AAS works pretty well with him, although he still forgets words we've already learned ... like yesterday I realized that he's pretty much forgotten how to handle spelling the contractions that I taught him in Level 3. :tongue_smilie: I should also mention that spelling does not come easily at all to my son. We use HOD in general, and I've been using HOD spelling with my 2nd grader (natural speller) with great success. I'm looking at the time I spend each day with my 10 year old in AAS (15-20 minutes) and the time it takes to do the HOD spelling with my 2nd grader (5 minutes), and I'm seriously considering switching my 10 year old to AAS to see if it could possibly work for him. My main impetus is that there is only so much time in a day, and, quite frankly, I'd rather have a few extra minutes to spend alone with Bible/character issues with him because I think that ultimately that's much more important than spelling. (I'm not saying the spelling is unimportant, just that it pales in comparison with the importance of nurturing his character and relationship with Christ.) I realize that the approach of the two spelling programs is totally different, and that HOD spelling does not teach rules or phonograms. Here are my questions: 1. Do you think it could possibly work? Have you successfully used HOD spelling with a struggling speller? 2. Where would I start him with HOD spelling? I know there are two word lists, then it goes into dictation. It's hard to decide because AAS approaches when it teaches certain words in a different way than most programs. I was thinking of jumping right into dictation, but he honestly does not know lots of the words on spelling List 2, and maybe a few on List 1. So ... what say you? Any advice for me? :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopeallgoeswell Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 It sounds like you would like some extra time to address things other than spelling and you think switching your 10yo to HOD dictation from AAS would give you that time. Is that correct? If so, yes, it can be done. I have used HOD dictation levels 2 and 3 (after using SWO B and C) and have had AAS in my hands but have not implemented it. My dd is a fairly good speller. I didn't know there were 2 spelling lists for HOD, so I don't know where your ds is ability-wise. If you jump into level 2 dictation, the passages, as you know, are fairly short and most days have a few similar words to spell after the actual sentence; this helped my dd because we could talk about specific rules. After using level 3 dictation for about a month, it became apparent that dd needed to have specific rules refreshed:tongue_smilie:. I found a few good, simple spelling rules printouts on the internet and have her go over a section at a time when she does her dictation. If your ds has been doing AAS for 3 years, you could just refresh the rules he has learned so far when you do HOD since it seems he still needs to be reminded of them. I say switch and give it a few months. If you see his spelling get worse in other things like narrations, then reassess whether spelling though dictation is best. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heart_Mom Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 It sounds like you would like some extra time to address things other than spelling and you think switching your 10yo to HOD dictation from AAS would give you that time. Is that correct? If so, yes, it can be done. Yes, you've got it exactly! :001_smile: I have used HOD dictation levels 2 and 3 (after using SWO B and C) and have had AAS in my hands but have not implemented it. My dd is a fairly good speller. I didn't know there were 2 spelling lists for HOD, so I don't know where your ds is ability-wise. If you jump into level 2 dictation, the passages, as you know, are fairly short and most days have a few similar words to spell after the actual sentence; this helped my dd because we could talk about specific rules. After using level 3 dictation for about a month, it became apparent that dd needed to have specific rules refreshed:tongue_smilie:. I found a few good, simple spelling rules printouts on the internet and have her go over a section at a time when she does her dictation. If your ds has been doing AAS for 3 years, you could just refresh the rules he has learned so far when you do HOD since it seems he still needs to be reminded of them. I say switch and give it a few months. If you see his spelling get worse in other things like narrations, then reassess whether spelling though dictation is best. Best wishes! Thanks for this advice! I guess what I'm struggling with is if I need to start with one of the HOD spelling lists, or if I should just jump into dictation. It's true that I've learned lots of spelling rules with AAS, so I'll certainly review them when they are applicable. You're right that I could try it for the summer and see how it goes... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidbits of Learning Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 With a 10 yr old, I would start with the first level of dictation. However, I feel the need to tell you that dictation was only partially helpful to my struggling speller. She still made the errors after learning words in her writing. I like the dictation and plan to continue with it, but we also bought this http://www.christianbook.com/teach-child-spell-tricks-trade-pack/gayle-graham/pd/623777?product_redirect=1&Ntt=623777&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP The main thing you do with this is to have the child find the rule for the word that they mispell in their written work. This has been the most beneficial b/c it has taught my daughter how to look up the mistake herself and find the rule for the spelling of the word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heart_Mom Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 With a 10 yr old, I would start with the first level of dictation. However, I feel the need to tell you that dictation was only partially helpful to my struggling speller. She still made the errors after learning words in her writing. I like the dictation and plan to continue with it, but we also bought this http://www.christianbook.com/teach-child-spell-tricks-trade-pack/gayle-graham/pd/623777?product_redirect=1&Ntt=623777&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP The main thing you do with this is to have the child find the rule for the word that they mispell in their written work. This has been the most beneficial b/c it has taught my daughter how to look up the mistake herself and find the rule for the spelling of the word. This is a great tip! Thank you so much! :001_smile: I think it could make the dictation work for him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heart_Mom Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 With a 10 yr old, I would start with the first level of dictation. However, I feel the need to tell you that dictation was only partially helpful to my struggling speller. She still made the errors after learning words in her writing. I like the dictation and plan to continue with it, but we also bought this http://www.christianbook.com/teach-child-spell-tricks-trade-pack/gayle-graham/pd/623777?product_redirect=1&Ntt=623777&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP The main thing you do with this is to have the child find the rule for the word that they mispell in their written work. This has been the most beneficial b/c it has taught my daughter how to look up the mistake herself and find the rule for the spelling of the word. Does the book you linked to make it easy to find the particular spelling rule that would apply? Or maybe to put it more clearly: is the book easy to navigate and find the rule you're looking for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5sons Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 This is exactly what I did for my 12yr old. I took him through 6 levels of aas and he STILL misspelled! The studied dictation has been such a help to him. I will say that this child loves to get things right. So spelling correctly is motivating, and misspelling was very frustrating for him. We started on level 5 with him, and he has done great. My 10yr old who is a natural speller started in level 3 and is doing well. And my 8 yr old is in level 2. My boys have done better with the studied dictation approach than anything else. I have tried 3 different programs. Like you said, I love aas and think it's a great program, but I was the only one learning the rules. Which is great and worth the $ I paid so that now I can help them with rules as we go. I actually explained to the boys to always be aware of the way words are put together when they read. Get the picture of the word in their head. So studied dictation has worked wonders here. ;) Give it a try. You can always pick up aas where you left off if studied dictation does not work! Kristen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastal academy Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 This is very encouraging! My DD 8 has done AAS 1-3 and still struggles with spelling. She is an advanced reader and very bright but just doesn't seem to be retaining and applying what she is learning from AAS. We are starting HOD and she is going to be begin the dictation soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heart_Mom Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 This is very encouraging! My DD 8 has done AAS 1-3 and still struggles with spelling. She is an advanced reader and very bright but just doesn't seem to be retaining and applying what she is learning from AAS. We are starting HOD and she is going to be begin the dictation soon! I really have been very pleased with AAS. I've finally decided to stick with AAS with my son, but I'm doing it for a little less time a day due to time constraints. I think that's going to be better for him than switching to a quicker-to-use program. We're in Level 4 now, and he's doing very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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