Phonics Road vs. AAS

[frogleymom]

I don't post a lot here, but I need some help.

We've used Phonics Road for several years now. My oldest is most of the way through Level 3. But it's become way too much for us. I have 8 children, 5 of whom are in Phonics Road. They don't always work well together, so even the ones who are close to the same level need to be taught separately. 
 

We have taken a break from Phonics Road for the past 6 months or so as we have been prepping a house for sale, moving and settling into our new house. As we are settling back into a routine I am realizing that my children are doing great with reading, literature, and writing but need tons of help with spelling. I'm considering dropping Phonics Road all together and replacing it with AAS, and possibly a grammar curriculum.

 

So, my questions: 

 

1. Given that my children have done Phonics Road and know most of the phonemes and many spelling rules, would they still need to start at the beginning of AAS? Is there a placement test available? Should I just review each level with them anyway?

 

2. On average, when do kids finish level 7 of AAS? My oldest is finishing 5th grade and is a very good speller already. Looking at the scope and sequence of the different levels, I would guess she already knows everything through at least level 5, most of level 6, and a lot of level 7. Should I still review with her? Should I have her jump into level 6 or 7? Or should I just let her go without additional spelling? She does writing exercises now, I help her edit them, and then she corrects her spelling mistakes on her own using a dictionary if she can't figure out the spelling.

3. How fast could one go through the levels if children already know the material? Should I buy as many levels as possible to begin and just review them quickly? Or should I buy one at a time and help each of the kids through it?
 

4. Especially during the review stages, how feasible is it to teach multiple children at the same time with AAS?

5. What grammar curriculum would you recommend? I'm not too concerned about grammar for my lower elementary students, and I would like something basic and independent for the upper elementary students.

 

Thank you for your help!

[MerryAtHope]

1. Given that my children have done Phonics Road and know most of the phonemes and many spelling rules, would they still need to start at the beginning of AAS? Is there a placement test available? Should I just review each level with them anyway?

 

No, they can likely start higher. I would start them at a point where they need the review. To get an idea of where to start, first take a look at the article:  Should We Start in Level 1 or Level 2?  Make sure they have mastered the content in Level 1 (which they probably all have, unless you have one that's just starting or hasn't yet done PR).

 

Most students don’t start higher than level 2, but someone who has used Spalding or OG in another program sometimes can. So, the next thing I would look at is how strong they are with syllable rules. If your kids are very confident in syllable rules you can probably start higher. If that’s an area of weakness, then you’ll probably want to start with 2 but fast-track through the easier steps.  If you think they can start higher, look at the scope and sequence for each level to see what they have mastered and which concepts need additional review. In AAS, the words are grouped according to spelling concepts--so look through the scope and sequence links at the concepts covered when you are trying to decide where to start. 

 

Also, know that since AAS is mastery based, each level has the materials you need for that level. If you want the phonogram, sound, or key cards from earlier levels, you would need the student packets from those levels. (I'd consider levels 2 and up to get all of the key cards. Level 1 cards are going to be very basic for PR kids.)

 

 

2. On average, when do kids finish level 7 of AAS? My oldest is finishing 5th grade and is a very good speller already. Looking at the scope and sequence of the different levels, I would guess she already knows everything through at least level 5, most of level 6, and a lot of level 7. Should I still review with her? Should I have her jump into level 6 or 7? Or should I just let her go without additional spelling? She does writing exercises now, I help her edit them, and then she corrects her spelling mistakes on her own using a dictionary if she can't figure out the spelling.

 

It really depends on when they start, if they have any struggles etc.... The series includes all of the Ayers list words, which ranks words up to 12th grade, and also uses words from other lists that rank words in 9th-12th grades. So, you'll have quite a few high school level words in the last level. It also covers Greek and Latin roots, and common loan words from French, Spanish, and Italian. A lot of kids finish in upper elementary, some in junior high, and some in high school. 

 

If your 5th grader is an excellent speller already, you may just want to cover spelling mistakes in her writing. Review concepts/rules if she forgets to apply them, or bring her in when you are teaching another student if you think a lesson would be beneficial. I probably wouldn't devote a lot of time to spelling for a student who isn't struggling with it though. But it wouldn't hurt if you want to take her through the upper levels for a review or if she could use work there. I guess it just depends on the time you have versus how strong the need is. 

 

3. How fast could one go through the levels if children already know the material? Should I buy as many levels as possible to begin and just review them quickly? Or should I buy one at a time and help each of the kids through it?

 

Students who don't have spelling struggles could go quickly, I would think. We started when my kids were 4th and 6th grades, and they were struggling spellers. That first year they went through levels 1, 2, and part of 3 (oldest nearly finished 3, youngest was nearer to the beginning of 3). After that, they did about 1.5 levels per year (but went more slowly with 7).

 

4. Especially during the review stages, how feasible is it to teach multiple children at the same time with AAS?

 

5. What grammar curriculum would you recommend? I'm not too concerned about grammar for my lower elementary students, and I would like something basic and independent for the upper elementary students.

 

Thank you for your help!

 

I'd start them together (that's what I did with my kids--they did level 1 together, and the first part of level 2. Then I split them when my youngest really needed to spend more time on lessons, but my oldest was ready to move ahead more quickly). I would also think if you had kids close together in ability, you could likely group them throughout. Start with them all together, and see how it goes. 

 

 

5. What grammar curriculum would you recommend? I'm not too concerned about grammar for my lower elementary students, and I would like something basic and independent for the upper elementary students.

 

Easy Grammar worked pretty well here.

 

HTH!