Transitioning from AAS

[UnlikelyHomeschoolingMama]

Good morning!!  I use AAS with my DD (2nd grade) and am about to start with my DS (Kinder).  DD is in level 3 and we LOVE IT!  She is an amazing speller.  My DS seems to be a natural speller already so I'm looking forward to seeing how well he does.  I do know, though, that eventually I'll need DD to be more independent.  And since it is somewhat natural for her I don't worry too much about that, but I do want to know what a good program would be to transition to.  We had tried ABEKA spelling last year and after two weeks I brought AAS back out.  The "memorize a list" approach is silly to me and my DD enjoys the "why" as well.  

 

So, is there a program out there where she can apply what she has learned in AAS (perhaps in 3rd grade) and also continue to learn in a similar manner without my complete involvement?  I also have a 3 year old coming on up so looking ahead I know I need more she can do on her own and don't want to give up FLL or WWE for a while.  :) 

 

Thanks!!!

 

[eternallytired]

I'm in pretty much the same position--working through AAS 3 and thinking we don't need it this teacher-intense forever because my kids pick it up easily (and I need a place to cut back with my 3 yo nearing a place where he will need attentive instruction).  I've got my sights on Rod & Staff's spelling workbooks for my daughter, since folks report that they use the same rules as AAS and have good, thoughtful exercises. For my ODS, though, I plan to transition to How To Teach Spelling, which is basically AAS simplified.  He doesn't need the AAS intensity but benefits from having me walk him through it so it gets done in a timely manner.  (He has ADHD, so workbooks can take forever.)

[sunshineslp]

have you looked at Rod and Staff's spelling by sound and structure?  or spellwell?  those use more "rules" instead of just memorizing a list and it is something they can do more independently. 

[UCF612]

I think we'll move to Spelling with Sound and Structure by R&S. I posted something similar a few weeks ago. At the time I was leaning towards Phonetic Zoo.

[ByGrace3]

My oldest went from AAS4 to Rod and Staff 4 in 3rd grade. It was a great fit. My ds is not ready for the exercises in rod and staff-- he could do it, but not independently. Since independent is what I am looking for, he will be switching to phonetic Zoo (next week) after AAS3.

[kalusignan]

My dd is also in AAS3. We are switching to Phonetic Zoo after we complete this level.

[Goldilocks]

When my oldest children were about that age I was looking for a less teacher intensive approach as well and switched from AAS to Phonetic Zoo. I found that my children were not ready to work alone. They felt lonely (I put them in thier rooms because I didn't have headphones at the time) and thought they were being punished!

 

Your child may be ready for it, but I just wanted to share my experience. I still am using AAS and sold my PZ after a few weeks. I saved time by dropping spelling with my natural speller (as I taught my other children I learned the rules and would casually mention them to dd when it would come up in other school work). I also streamlined AAS so we spend 10-15 minutes 3 days a week on each lesson.