Question for those who've used AAS.

[toawh]

I'm thinking of purchasing this program for my ds(6). If you've used it...

 

1. Is one level worth a year's amount of work less/more?

2. Is it really necessary to buy the interactive kit, or can I just use the letter tiles?

3. How much time does it take to do a lesson?

4. Is level 1 first grade?

5. Any other insight pros/ cons

 

It's gonna cost a bundle in shipping overseas so I want to be sure it's a winner.

[mom2att]

1. Is one level worth a year's amount of work less/more?

It really depends on your child. I started AAS with my then fourth-grader and he did 3 levels in one year because we started at the beginning. If your 6 year old is advanced, you'll likely move through the first level or two pretty quickly, and may even continue to complete more than one level per year. Then again, if your 6 year old is advanced and a natural speller, he may not need AAS (see below).

 

2. Is it really necessary to buy the interactive kit, or can I just use the letter tiles?

Buy the tiles and the magnets. Everything else is gravy.

 

3. How much time does it take to do a lesson?

We spend 10 - 15 minutes per day. That allows us to complete one step (lesson) per week for my oldest. I spend the same amount of time with my younger one, but generally take two weeks per step, just because it takes longer for it to sink in with him.

 

4. Is level 1 first grade?

The levels really aren't about grade levels--level one is just the beginning. In comparing the word lists to more traditional 1st grade spelling programs, it might not go as far, but the concepts are what's really important because they are used and built on for the remainder of the program.

 

5. Any other insight pros/ cons

I love AAS. I have used it with my sons for a couple of years and I often recommend it to others. However, having had one natural speller who loved the more traditional spelling workbook approach and would have gone bonkers with a program like AAS (this was before it was published), I like to tell people who are just starting spelling with their kids and are balking at the idea of a pricey, teacher-intensive program like AAS to try something like Spelling Workout first. If it's a bomb, you'll know quickly, and you'll be out less than 20 bucks. If your kid "gets" spelling and likes workbooks, it's certainly all that you need.

 

 

 

 

 

B

[sleeplessnights]

 

1. Is one level worth a year's amount of work less/more? [/Quote]

 

The first 2 or 3 levels are pretty fast. Starting with level 4, I would schedule one level a year.

 

2. Is it really necessary to buy the interactive kit, or can I just use the letter tiles?

 

If you are going to set up your tiles on the table, you don't need the magnets. We used ours on the refrigerator for the first two years and now we've got a magnetic whiteboard. You will need to organize your cards, so if you don't buy the AAS box/dividers, you will need to purchase one somewhere else. We never used the phonogram CD.

 

3. How much time does it take to do a lesson?

 

We do about 15 minutes, 4 days/wk. Some lessons are short & some are long. You just move at your child's pace.

 

4. Is level 1 first grade?

Level 1 is the beginning and introduces a couple new concepts like when to use a 'c' vs a 'k'. You should start here even with an older student.

 

5. Any other insight pros/ cons

 

AAS is an expensive program if you've got an older student who's an only child (luckily I've got four!). However, it's the by far the best stand-alone program we've tried. We especially love the dictation sentences and spend most of our time here at the upper levels (we're finishing level 5). It's easy to move faster or slower depending on your child's needs, so you can tailor it to your kids.

 

Enjoy!

[boscopup]

1. Is one level worth a year's amount of work less/more?

 

For most kids, NO. Many do 2 levels in a year, at least in the early levels. My son did 3. He started at age 6.5 and was an advanced reader (but not an advanced speller), and he spent 3 or 4 weeks (I can't remember now) on level 1. Level 2 took about 8 weeks. Level 3 would have taken about 4 months if we'd done it consistently, but finally I decided to swap it out for something that would get done. Now we use R&S Spelling, and surprisingly, it teaches the same rules and phonics, for the most part. It's a whole lot cheaper, too! My son doesn't really need an O-G program for spelling, so AAS was just a bit overkill.

 

2. Is it really necessary to buy the interactive kit, or can I just use the letter tiles?

I did not get the kit. I got the tiles and magnets (we used the tiles on a magnetic white board). I got the box and dividers, since they were on sale at the time. I did like those. I did not get the CD. There is a free site out there that lets you listen to Spalding phonograms, and they're almost the same (the few differences were easy enough to figure out - like adding the /ee/ sound to 'i' and 'y').

 

3. How much time does it take to do a lesson?

You set a timer for 15-20 minutes (I'd recommend 15 for 1st grade). Stop when the timer goes off, pick up there the next day. Some "steps" (lessons) may be done in one day, and some may take several days. It just depends on your child's understanding of the materials.

 

4. Is level 1 first grade?

They don't use grade levels. Level 1 is good for any child starting the program that is at least at K level, probably. Though for an older child, the words would be too easy.

 

5. Any other insight pros/ cons

What kind of speller is your child? Struggling? Natural? Average? What have you done for phonics prior to this? How well is your child reading?

 

Not all children need an O-G program. Many can learn spelling any old way, as long as you're consistent with practicing it. For kids that really NEED an O-G method, AAS is excellent and worth the money (it's cheaper than Barton!). But for kids that don't need it, there are cheaper, yet still effective, methods out there.

 

Also, it is teacher intensive, as in you are teaching the entire lesson. No independent work. That was a problem for me, and it's why it wasn't getting done after a while. I have 3 kids, and they're young. Hauling out the white board and letter tiles was a pain, and focusing on something for 15 minutes was not easy for me. Interruptions galore! So I switched to something that was more independent, since my son does fine with that. I'm noticing in his writing recently that spelling is really coming along! So I know it's working. My son didn't have the phonics foundation that many homeschooled kids get (he was in private school for K and 1st and taught himself to read before K). AAS was good for phonics, but now I'm realizing that I could have done it much cheaper and quicker with some other method, and using AAS, we never even got to some phonograms that aren't taught until level 5. If I were to pick a teacher-intensive O-G based program, I'd go with Spalding, as it hits most of the phonograms up front and is thus able to move faster. AAS is good for a child that needs a very slow approach, learning one phonogram/rule at a time and practicing with that phonogram and rule until mastered. It's a good method, but it takes a while to get through everything. I think "igh" was one of the level 5 phonograms? I'm sure my son would need to spell "night" and "light" before he got there. :tongue_smilie:

 

Now the biggest pro I have for AAS is the dictation... It constantly reviews the words/phonograms/rules previously learned.

[FairProspects]

I'm thinking of purchasing this program for my ds(6). If you've used it...

 

1. Is one level worth a year's amount of work less/more?

My son is dyslexic, but actually quite a good speller for being dyslexic, and I credit AAS. Levels 1 & 2 together took us 10 months, Level 1 just a few weeks, and Level 2 more like 8 months. So far Level 3 has taken us about 5 months, and we are 1/3 of the way through they book (although with summer we haven't been as consistent).

2. Is it really necessary to buy the interactive kit, or can I just use the letter tiles?

I've used everything in the kit at some point, and I use the tiles/box/dividers nearly daily.

3. How much time does it take to do a lesson?

I just divide up the lesson into an amount I think ds can handle, 15-20 min.

4. Is level 1 first grade?

Everyone needs to start at Level 1 because the info contained in it is unique, but IMHO Levels 1 & 2 together are about 1st grade spelling (no comparison to what they are doing at PS).

5. Any other insight pros/ cons

Level 3 moves quickly compared to the previous 2 levels. It slowed us down a lot at the beginning as ds got used to the new amount of info at once. Now that he has adjusted, we should progress at our typical pace through the rest of the book, but the expectations are definitely raised in Level 3.

It's gonna cost a bundle in shipping overseas so I want to be sure it's a winner.

 

:)

[black_midori]

*LOVE IT* for all my kids. I have used Levels 1,2 & 3 so far, and I will be buying 4 next year. Both of my sons are advanced readers & reasonable spellers, but I still found it very very good.

 

Level 1 & 2 we went through super fast - definitely both in 1 school year for us (although I know at least 1 person who bogged down in letter sounds & ended up stuck there for a very long time; I think the child really was not ready to go through the program). Level 3 I did over a full school year, although I had to stretch it out by doing more review days than I had the previous 2 levels (probably for the best).

 

I used the tiles extensively for level 1, occasionally for level 2, and I rarely used them for level 3. If you are using the tiles, I do highly recommend getting the magnets & investing in a large white board to hang on the wall - if I hadn't already been doing things on the white board for AAS, I probably would basically never have used the tiles (too much hassle! :D). I'm not sure what other accessories there are - I don't think we got anything else. We definitely didn't get the CD or boxes, and haven't needed them (I used just a cheap Walmart card box - fits the things fine, although the tops of the dividers get crushed some; if I have a rare question on sounds I go online for answers).

 

I would get the tiles, magnets, dividers (wherever they come from - I can't remember now, but it seemed like I got them all the time so maybe they are in the student packs?), student pack (with all the cards - very impt, but I can get by with 1 for 3 students), and teacher's manual.

[She Reads a Lot]

OP, you've gotten some excellent advice so far, but I did want to share that it took us a full year to get through Level 1 (ds was 7, then turned 8 mid year, doing second grade), so not everyone gets through multiple levels per year. Spelling is a challenge for my son, so I took it slow and made sure it stuck. If we had to camp out on a set of words, we did until it clicked for him.

 

In our experience, the letter tiles are magic! When we'd be going over the week's words without the tiles mid-week, if he stumbled on a word, I would send him to the white board. As soon as he started using the letter tiles to spell, he'd be able to spell the word correctly. So clearly, the O-G method is a perfect fit for my kiddo!

 

But as other people have said, you might want to try to figure out if this will work for your kids before you order it, since it could be overkill for a natural speller.

 

HTH!

Christina

[LittleIzumi]

It is not one level per year, but it slows down considerably after a level or two. We only do spelling 2-3 times per week so it takes us months to do one level. We use a whiteboard, not the tiles. I've shown my AAS to friends recently and it looks like both of them are buying it now. :tongue_smilie: I LOVE AAS.

[toawh]

Thanks a lot everyone. I'm gonna go with it. I'm not looking for speed. Ds goes to school here in France and it takes up most of his day. They'll be getting out at 4:30. I just want to after school him in reading, spelling and grammar to be sure he is bilingual. I lost two languages as a child and I don't want him to have that frustration. I want something that I can do a little each day for a short time, and this sounds like a good program.