mamiof5 Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 So...we have AAS levels 1-3. Kids like it, I think I don't (honestly not even sure?? I sort of like it.. when it gets done, which is never). Questioning if it's lack of time, me not liking it, or what? As someone here said...a good curriculum is the one that gets done. AAS is not getting done. Not sure even what I'm asking... Have you quit on AAS? Have you been more successful teaching/getting done other spelling programs? Has anyone switched to R&S spelling? We have their English and like it, but haven't seen any of their other subjects. Any input is appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 I use the logic of English essentials and like it for spelling Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaxy Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Can you pinpoint why AAS isn't getting done? Are the sessions running too long? Pulling out the tiles? The fact that it needs to flow through you to get done? What is stalling your momentum? I had some reservations about AAS, in that it just felt a bit teacher-intensive to me and I looked at more independent alternatives, but couldn't find anything I really liked. Earlier this week, my child started AAS1. WAY too soon to tell if it will be sustainable for the long-term or if I will move on to something else eventually. I have heard good things on this board about R&S Spelling. When I looked at the samples, it seemed a bit dull...but maybe dull and done is better than nothing at all? I have no idea! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My4arrows Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 We switched from AAS 3 to R&S and love it! I liked the idea behind AAS, but I wants more depth and r&S has that. E exercises are great and the kids can most likely do it independently which helps big time here! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 We quit AAS. It was too expensive for me to justify continuing. Instead, we went through an older speller to learn how to listen to the sounds, added in the rules (like AAS) and switched over to Dictation Day By Day along with copywork that illustrated the current/former rules. It's a better fit for us. It's more flexible, I can slow down if needed, and it's over really quick each day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micron4 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 We quit AAS in level 2. My younger kids would constantly want to mess up the board or play with the cards. I didn't really mind the *amount* of manipulatives so much, but it was a pain to let the other kids play with them. We use Right Start math too, and I don't mind letting them play with the manipulatives when we aren't using them. My fully set up AAS magnet tile board? No way--no one is messing with that. And they wanted to. Everyday. So spelling kind of stopped happening, and I knew I needed to look at other options. We switched to Rod & Staff, but 9 year old was still having a lot of trouble with spelling, so we switched to Apples and Pears. That is working much better for her and I've seen so much improvement. My 7 yr old is a natural speller and loves workbooks so she does Rod &Staff. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristie in Florida Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 We switched to R&S cause we needed something that would get done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 I tried AAS for my poor speller. It was just ok. I switched to R&S, but I felt that it was busywork for her. I didn't see any improvement in her day to day spelling. Finally I landed on Apples and Pears. I LOVE it! We bought all 4 levels at one time since she tested into the 9th lesson of book A. We work on spelling between 2-3 times per week. She started in August and is almost done with book B. There is a huge difference in her spelling. Apples and Pears is teacher intensive, but easy for the teacher as well. There are no manipulatives or scripted text. I haven't figured out why it works so well, but everyone I've spoken with loves it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 We made a ton of progress with Apples and Pears. I used it with a struggling speller and a decently strong speller. However, I wouldn't have bought it if I didn't have a child who was struggling. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zarabellesmom Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Apples and Pears here too. My oldest does two pages a day and my youngest does one. I had the same problem getting around to AAS and LoE Essentials plus my oldest just wasn't retaining. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Apples and Pears is popular. Is LOE essentials parent intensive? Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaxy Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Apples and Pears is popular. Is LOE essentials parent intensive? Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) I thought you used LOE Essentials? :confused1: Maybe it doesn't seem parent-intensive? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 I'm sorry, that's what I was asking, was if it seemed parent intensive to you [emoji4] maybe I'm doing it wrong [emoji23] it seems rather easy, open and go to me. Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 We had AAS and I quit on it after two levels. It's a good program, but I just found there were too many bits and pieces for me. I passed it on to a friend who loves it. We tried R&S but it didn't fit us either (although I love and use their English series.) We are now doing spelling using word lists off the internet and a method based loosely on Spelling Power, and it's going really well. The kids both got a solid foundation in Saxon Phonics 1 & 2 before we started any separate spelling program, so it's not hard to help them figure out words they miss, and why they should be spelled the way they are. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaxy Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 I'm sorry, that's what I was asking, was if it seemed parent intensive to you [emoji4] maybe I'm doing it wrong [emoji23] it seems rather easy, open and go to me. Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) Doh! Yes it makes sense now. I am ready for the weekend. :laugh: We've been using AAR1 this week. I want to give it a good effort and see how far we make it before my state's convention next month, in case I want to go another route. My son likes using the tiles but I think they distract him. I think I ought to have spelling be the last item of the school day so he can build crosswords puzzles or other words if he wants without me trying to keep it moving. I considered buying Natural Speller and using their word lists plus the phonics rules in ABCs and All Their Tricks to fill it out, and maybe some SpellingCity. Dunno yet. I want to give AAS a longer test run, or at least take it a few levels if I can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zarabellesmom Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 I've used LoE Essentials, AAS, Sequential Spelling, and Apples and Pears. I think LoE and AAS are equally parent intensive. Sequential Spelling probably takes the least amount of time and Apples and Pears has been the most effective for my poor speller. LOE was enjoyed more than AAS by my oldest, but I don't think it was any less work than AAS if you are looking for something less parent intensive. As far as method, LoE and AAS are both phonogram and rules based. Sequential Spelling is patterns and Apples and Pears is morphemes and repetition. If you have a natural speller, Apples and Pears could be overkill. If you like rules based but want a little less involvement, maybe Rod and Staff. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heart_Mom Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 We quit AAS in level 2. My younger kids would constantly want to mess up the board or play with the cards. I didn't really mind the *amount* of manipulatives so much, but it was a pain to let the other kids play with them. We use Right Start math too, and I don't mind letting them play with the manipulatives when we aren't using them. My fully set up AAS magnet tile board? No way--no one is messing with that. And they wanted to. Everyday. So spelling kind of stopped happening, and I knew I needed to look at other options. We switched to Rod & Staff, but 9 year old was still having a lot of trouble with spelling, so we switched to Apples and Pears. That is working much better for her and I've seen so much improvement. My 7 yr old is a natural speller and loves workbooks so she does Rod &Staff. I'm seeing several comments in this thread that Apples and Pears worked for their struggling spellers. Can anyone tell me where they purchased it? I'm not finding it at my usual homeschool material places. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasc Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm seeing several comments in this thread that Apples and Pears worked for their struggling spellers. Can anyone tell me where they purchased it? I'm not finding it at my usual homeschool material places. Thank you! You can purchase it directly from the publisher's website, which is Sound Foundations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wholesomemomma Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 We quit AAS after level 3 (we used AAS for 2 years). It moved quite slow and wasn't transferring to my son's writing. We just plain dreaded it. We started using Spelling You See last fall and I have seen dramatic improvement in my son's spelling (age 8, 3rd grade). It's truly an amazing program and SO easy to implement. 15 min a day. Go to the website and look around. Chat with their customer service. It's outstanding. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 We quit AAS after level 3 (we used AAS for 2 years). It moved quite slow and wasn't transferring to my son's writing. We just plain dreaded it. We started using Spelling You See last fall and I have seen dramatic improvement in my son's spelling (age 8, 3rd grade). It's truly an amazing program and SO easy to implement. 15 min a day. Go to the website and look around. Chat with their customer service. It's outstanding. Funny thing, i bought SYS and then returned it because I was convinced it was not going to be rules based enough. we are now using LOE and I find myself skipping so much of it that I don't need/want and the spelling portion is great... but I can't see spending the money on it for another kiddo:) I am wondering, is SYS easy to use for the mom? independent at all? I am between using SYS or R&S for next year, for my 3rd grader. I just am not sure you can jump into SYS in 3rd... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 Thanks so much for all the input!! We don't have a struggling speller, so I'm not sure Apples and Pears would be a good fit for us. Will look at the other programs. Thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 Can you pinpoint why AAS isn't getting done? Are the sessions running too long? Pulling out the tiles? The fact that it needs to flow through you to get done? What is stalling your momentum? I had some reservations about AAS, in that it just felt a bit teacher-intensive to me and I looked at more independent alternatives, but couldn't find anything I really liked. Earlier this week, my child started AAS1. WAY too soon to tell if it will be sustainable for the long-term or if I will move on to something else eventually. I have heard good things on this board about R&S Spelling. When I looked at the samples, it seemed a bit dull...but maybe dull and done is better than nothing at all? I have no idea! Not exactly sure what happened there. Can't really blame the program, maybe it just doesn't fit us. We did it for a while, but baby came 1.5 yrs ago and it just got dropped. I have tried coming back to it, but it just hasn't been consistently and it's just not getting done. And lately for some reason I just dread it (not sure since I am stressed out about it since it's not getting done?). Just kind of want to get something new, not as teacher intensive...and just something that gets done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heart_Mom Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 You can purchase it directly from the publisher's website, which is Sound Foundations. Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heart_Mom Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Funny thing, i bought SYS and then returned it because I was convinced it was not going to be rules based enough. we are now using LOE and I find myself skipping so much of it that I don't need/want and the spelling portion is great... but I can't see spending the money on it for another kiddo:) I am wondering, is SYS easy to use for the mom? independent at all? I am between using SYS or R&S for next year, for my 3rd grader. I just am not sure you can jump into SYS in 3rd... I'd love to know the answers to these questions about SYS also. I am in AAS Level 3 with my 3rd grader right now and she is not a natural speller at all (though she is a voracious reader). I believe she tests into the 2nd book of SYS, but I'm not sure I want to put her back that far. I would love to know if it would work well to put her in the SYS 3rd book (or would she be confused because she didn't the 2nd book). I'm looking to switch spelling programs from AAS to something workbook based and less teacher-intensive. (I have 5 children, and I have to do that to stay sane.) Anyway, I'm having great difficulty finding a program that I can move to that doesn't put her back 1 or 2 grade levels. I think that since spelling programs often introduce words and concepts in vastly different orders, switching is tough. I was going to place her in Building Spelling Skills (Christian Liberty Press) Level 3, but when I looked through Level 1, about 1/3 of the lessons are words or phonograms that she doesn't know yet. Also, much of Level 2 is new material. So I have no idea where to place her. I think she might do okay just jumping into Level 3, but I am concerned about all the words in the first two levels that she will not be taught directly. (If she was a natural speller, I wouldn't worry about it much.) If anyone has advice for me, I'm happy to hear it! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wholesomemomma Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Funny thing, i bought SYS and then returned it because I was convinced it was not going to be rules based enough. we are now using LOE and I find myself skipping so much of it that I don't need/want and the spelling portion is great... but I can't see spending the money on it for another kiddo:) I am wondering, is SYS easy to use for the mom? independent at all? I am between using SYS or R&S for next year, for my 3rd grader. I just am not sure you can jump into SYS in 3rd... So many spelling rules are broken anyway. When you (as an adult) can't remember which way to spell things, how do you determine? You write it a couple different ways and then pick the one that looks right...right? So much of spelling is based on visual memory anyway. Occasionally rules help, but not usually. This is what SYS is based on. Visual memory. But not just that. Kids are chunking common vowel and consonant pairings (as well as endings, r-changed words, etc) with colored pencils. The copy work is done days 1-3 and then dictation of the passage is on days 4 and 5. This is VERY mama friendly, by the way. The child can "chunk" the passage and do the copywork on their own, as long as you check in and make sure they're catching all of them. days 4 and 5 you'll be needed for the dictation, and to catch any misspellings right away. We jumped in this year at 3rd grade (level D) and 1st grade (level B), and it has gone extremely well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 So many spelling rules are broken anyway. When you (as an adult) can't remember which way to spell things, how do you determine? You write it a couple different ways and then pick the one that looks right...right? So much of spelling is based on visual memory anyway. Occasionally rules help, but not usually. This is what SYS is based on. Visual memory. But not just that. Kids are chunking common vowel and consonant pairings (as well as endings, r-changed words, etc) with colored pencils. The copy work is done days 1-3 and then dictation of the passage is on days 4 and 5. This is VERY mama friendly, by the way. The child can "chunk" the passage and do the copywork on their own, as long as you check in and make sure they're catching all of them. days 4 and 5 you'll be needed for the dictation, and to catch any misspellings right away. We jumped in this year at 3rd grade (level D) and 1st grade (level B), and it has gone extremely well. thanks so much! so you felt your 3rd grader did ok at learning the chunking and marking easily and caught on quickly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wholesomemomma Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 thanks so much! so you felt your 3rd grader did ok at learning the chunking and marking easily and caught on quickly? Oh definitely! He caught on very quickly. They start slowly, with a one or two kinds of "chunks" to find at a time and work up to finding all of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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