AAS and/or AAR for Kinder?

[teachingmy3]

My youngest is 5 and will be doing kinder this year. She loves to be read to and can read some. I did a bit of Hooked On Phonics with her last year. I am wondering if I should just stick with HOP, since I have all 5 levels (the old school kit with cassette tapes!)

I was also looking at All About Spelling and All About Reading. But then I was wondering if doing both was overkill. Any insight?

 

Heather

[ByGrace3]

We use both but not for K. We use AAR for K and then we will use both AAS and AAR for first. My dd used AAS with another phonics program in first. AAR and AAS compliment one another but definitely teach different skills. I think SWB recommends waiting until your child is reading pretty well (she recommends halfway through OPGTR so maybe 2nd grade level?)

 

Fwiw I don't know that I will start AAS until my ds completes AAR 2. I know we can move quickly through AAS when we get to it so I am in no rush. :)

[Jen500]

I would use HOP (as long as it is working for her) and wait on deciding whether to buy AAS. We've used HOP successfully and found AAS to be too much scripting/money/time/pieces.

[craftyerin]

I think the publisher of AAR and AAS recommends you complete at least AAR 1 before starting AAS 1, OR be reading at least some before you start spelling. I am thinking of starting AAS 1 at some point in the next 6mos (maybe January) with my twins, who are about halfway through Phonics Pathways and reading level 2 easy readers with ease.

[SarahW]

The beginning of AAS1 starts with the phonemes of the letters of the alphabet. I'm not sure how thoroughly the phonemes are covered in HOP, but it's all right if you spend some time on the first few chapters. The initial spelling lists are very simple and phonetic-based, and, again, you could spend lots of extra time there if you need to. Basically, yes, I think if your kid knows the sounds of the alphabet, starting AAS shouldn't be any problem at all.

[MerryAtHope]

My youngest is 5 and will be doing kinder this year. She loves to be read to and can read some. I did a bit of Hooked On Phonics with her last year. I am wondering if I should just stick with HOP, since I have all 5 levels (the old school kit with cassette tapes!)

I was also looking at All About Spelling and All About Reading. But then I was wondering if doing both was overkill. Any insight?

 

Heather

 

It wouldn't be overkill to do both HOP and AAS, or both AAR and AAS--but probably would to do both HOP and All About Reading.

 

AAS and AAR both use the same sequence and the same phonograms. Both are complete phonics programs, so they are interrelated in that way. AAS teaches words from the spelling angle, and AAR teaches words from the reading angle.

 

All About Reading includes research-based instruction in decoding skills, fluency, automaticity, comprehension, vocabulary and lots and lots of reading practice. AAS focuses instead on encoding skills, spelling rules and other strategies that help children become good spellers.

 

For this reason, the programs are also independent of each other so students can move as quickly or as slowly as they need to with each skill. Kids generally move ahead more quickly in reading, and this way you are not holding them back with the spelling.

 

If you're going to use AAR and AAS, you generally want to wait until after AAR 1 before starting spelling, unless you have an eager writer on your hands. Several concepts are taught more gradually in AAR that are quickly reviewed at the beginning of AAS. If you have an eager writer, you can still start AAS, just go at your student's pace. Some things might go very quickly and others might not, and that's normal for kids who are beginners.

 

If you end up using HOP and wonder when to start AAS, you could roughly go by the placement test--if your child would be ready for AAR 2, then he or she is likely ready to start AAS.

 

HTH some as you decide what you want to do! Merry :-)