blondeviolin Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I really do love AAS. I love that it requires my kids to learn the phonics rules and apply them in their spelling. BUT, I need my oldest to be independent with spelling AT LEAST. We are in the middle of AAS 3. We are just finishing up the step that teaches the 1-1-1 rule. She takes the lessons easily, is capable of applying the rules. She's not a natural speller, but she's not horrible either. Will she be able to do it without me at the elbow all of the time? What level should I consider for where she is? Is there a placement test or scope and sequence I can see? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 :lurk5: I'd love to hear more about how they compare, too. I'm thinking of making the switch from AAS to R&S... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 We switched after AAS 4 to R&S 4. It is very independent. I check work and give her the spelling test. While it does teach the phonics rules, I don't think my dd is getting much from those....she remembers what she learned in AAS. For that reason I plan to stick with AAS through level 4 with ds and then make the switch in the same place. AAS is teacher intensive, but it is worth it....I felt by the end of AAS 4, we were getting to a place where the rules were less important. And it was becoming more just see the word and know how to spell it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skirch Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I can't compare because I've not used anything else but yes, R&S is very independent. like the PP, I just check her work and administer the quiz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Very independent. I switched from halfway through AAS level 3 to R&S Spelling 3. We're nearing the end of 4 now, and it has gone well. My son isn't a natural speller, but he spells words correctly once you teach him the words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 We've used R&S spelling for 2 years and I highly regret it. My boys were logically able to figure out the correct answers amd yet still not have the ability to spell worth a flip. Well, my oldest is good. It's my other boy that I'm so frustrated with. He's being demoted to AAS2 this week after spelling family as famullay and uncle as unkl. I let them be entirely too independent with it. Perhaps I'll learn that younger brother was cheating off older. I don't know yet. I do know I dropped the ball for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 We finished AAS, but the 5&6 books were not so hands on in our house. We went to R&S I think at level 6, but wish we had gone to an earlier level. We now do vocab. It was independent. We checked at end of the week at did a quiz. I was sad it ended simply b/c it was so easy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohsmom23 Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 My 8yo dd has used R&S spelling for 3 years. She does it independently except for the tests. Sorry, I have no experience with AAS so I can't recommend a level of R&S. If you go here though, you can look at the samples which I believe include the complete word lists for each level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I used AAS 1-half way through 3 and it did very little to improve his spelling. I switched him to R&S Spelling 3 and he is now at the end of 4 and his spelling has greatly improved. R&S is very independent for him. My dd is using R&S 2 and she needs a bit more help with it. :) AAS was just too time consuming for us and I can't imagine going through it with 4 kids. Not to mention how expensive it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IfIOnly Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 We pair R&S with Spelling City for extra practice. They play 2 games after each day's workbook activity and the test. Also, if a child misses a word in their workbook (by being lazy by not copying correctly :p or just not being careful enough) they are required to write it right 3 times. If they miss a word on their spelling test (rare) then the words goes on their next test, too. I do love that R&S is independent, but it's important to me to set up these safeguards to be sure that they're really learning. We also include narration into our spelling lessons rather than memorization. My kids really like R&S, and their spelling is great and getting better with each new lesson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelmama1209 Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 r&s is independent here, too. she does part a one day, part b the next, and then i test her on day 3. if she misses any words, on day 4 she writes them each 3 times and does an activity to study them and we retest on day 5. if she doesn't miss any words, we move on to the next lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Yes. My DC using the 4 and 5 books only need me if they're stuck, for grading afterward, and to call their words at the end of the week. My little 6yo dabbling in the 2 book needs more assistance, but 6yos generally need assistance with most things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I really do love AAS. I love that it requires my kids to learn the phonics rules and apply them in their spelling. BUT, I need my oldest to be independent with spelling AT LEAST. We are in the middle of AAS 3. We are just finishing up the step that teaches the 1-1-1 rule. She takes the lessons easily, is capable of applying the rules. She's not a natural speller, but she's not horrible either. Will she be able to do it without me at the elbow all of the time? What level should I consider for where she is? Is there a placement test or scope and sequence I can see? Yes. Spelling by Sound and Structure was written to be done independently. The first two books (2nd and 3rd) do reinforce phonics along with spelling; after that, it's spelling, not phonics. :-) You can get a free scope and sequence and free curriculum samples by calling the publisher at (606) 522-4348. I would go with her "grade level." Spelling by Sound and Structure isn't only about learning lists of words, which is why you don't need a placement test; the activities the children do while learning the words are quite challenging, even though the spelling lists aren't necessarily so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kagmypts Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Yes, it is very independent. My second grader, who seems to require hand-holding for everything, does R&S spelling by himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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