charlestonmom03 Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 AAR users -- Do I need the readers for AAR 1, or would I be okay with just the TM, Activity Book, and student pack? I am not opposed to the price of the readers (I am ordering this for my 5 y.o., and will use it for my younger two boys as well, so I know I will get my $ worth) as much as I just generally find readers to be really dull. We already own all the BOB books, which look somewhat similar to the samples I see for the AAR readers. Any advice? If the readers really make the program more complete, we'll go for it. Are they black and white? (That is how it appears from the sample online.) Thanks for any help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mskelly Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I couldn't decide if we needed the readers either. When I was at the convention in May I bought the first reader as a test. Last week, I ordered the other two readers. :001_smile: I don't know if you NEED them, but they do complement the lessons very well and they happen to be my son's favorite part of the program. There are lessons that just have students reading from the book, but you could just skip that lesson if you didn't have the book. The pictures are black and white and very simple. The focus is on reading. We have been using the program for a few weeks now and I'm so glad we went with it. It's been great. I was already a fan of AAS so I was pretty sure I'd be satisfied with AAR also. BTW-We have all the Bob books also and he prefers these by far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeplessnights Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 You don't NEED the readers, but they really are worth it! They are a small & hardback. They feel like "real" books, much more official than those other stapled together phonics readers. The illustrations are beautiful, and of course the stories coincide with the AAR lesson plans. My daughter reads and reads them in her spare time. When she finished each one, she got to write her name in the front (that's our family policy on books). She is very proud of her "books" and can't understand why she can't get level 2 yet. If you've got younger kids who will use them and the cost isn't a severe deterrent, I would get them. I doubt you'd be disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syllieann Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 They are a pretty big part of the program. AAR is meant to teach synthetic phonics. Trying to get random early readers from the library would negate this. Using readers that only contain words the child has learned to decode is important in synthetic phonics because it prevents guessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlestonmom03 Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 Thank you for the help -- I just ordered the complete set with the readers. If nothing else, my 5 y.o. will love having something new that his older brothers haven't already used! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulubelle Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 My dd 5 has really enjoyed the stories and reading book 1. She is re- reading for the third time. Well worth it to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 My children have needed quite a bit of reinforcement of their phonics rules through using the new concepts in a REAL setting (aka - READERS!) So - yes, I highly recommend them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Honestly, if I had to do it over again... I would get JUST the readers, and use a different phonics program. :lol::lol::lol: We LOVE the readers, but I'm not enamored with the program itself, esp for how much it costs. They are so much more like "real" books than most readers--BOB books, Nora Gaydos, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 The other thing about the readers is that the TM has built in comprehension conversations before you read the stories. These are simple but really prepare a student for reading the stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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