AAS vs Apples & Pears - 1st grade

[ellen_aaron]

:tongue_smilie:I know this question has been raised before, but I wanted to find out more before I choose between AAS and Apples & Pears for my son's 1st grade spelling program.

 

What I like about AAS:

-explicit, sequential teaching of rules

-dictation of sentences including review words

 

What I like about Apples & Pears:

-emphasis on morphemes (word parts)

-scaffolding strategies (e.g. first copy a word, then fill in missing letters, then write it from dictation)

 

Since I've never taught my ds spelling before, I'm not sure which one will work better for him. I have a feeling that he would respond well to explicit teaching of the spelling rules; he does tend to like things laid out clearly for him. From what I've seen, Apples and Pears seems to be scarce in that area.

 

But, I also think he would respond better to a scaffolding approach rather than being presented with a rule and asked to spell words sight-unseen based on the rule, which seems to be a main component of AAS. He does NOT like going into a task blindly.

 

I am also very drawn to the morphemic approach to spelling. It looks like AAS thoroughly covers adding suffixes, which is a big part of morphemic spelling, but it looks like it might not focus on morphemes in general as much as Apples & Pears.

 

So I am torn. I wish I could combine the best of these programs into one. I'd appreciate any and all of your thoughts and personal experiences with either of these programs.

 

Thanks!

Ellen in Baton Rouge

ds 6yo - Blend Phonics, Rightstart B, Copywork

dd 2yo

[gratefulmother]

I don't have any experience with Apples and Pears, but I am using AAS with a 5 yr ds and 7 yr dd. The one comment I would have about your assessment of AAS, is that they aren't asked to spell the words sight unseen. True, they don't look at the words beforehand, but they are taught what they need to know before being asked to spell anything. I like this better, because that way they are truly learning the concept and not just memorizing the spelling by sight. Therefore, they will be able to apply the concept later to a new similarly spelled word.

I too have a child that doesn't like to be asked to do things blindly, she wants to get it RIGHT! But, she hasn't had any frustration with AAS because of the clarity with which it leads you through the concepts. Also, we don't always just use the tiles, sometimes we write with a paintbrush, in pudding, in shaving cream, etc. to make it more fun and less intimidating. And, I always start her lower than her ability level in a new program, so that she can gain confidence with the program before reaching any challenging material.

HTH!

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

I just started AAS 1 with dd but we have been using similar methods for the last few months. AAS gives the tools needed to spell so when the student sits down to spell a word it's just a matter of putting a few ideas together. With the tools given in steps 1 and 2 (the sounds of the phonograms a-z and segmenting words) dd can spell *any* CVC and other slightly more complicated words. I think the key is learning to segment words (others skills and rules are obviously important too!). Once a child can segment a word orally they only need to figure out which phonogram goes with the sounds that they are speaking (and apply spelling rules on the more complicated words). The rules are added incrementally with plenty of practice so I don't think learning them would be difficult. I have no experience with Apples & Pears spelling but if you have any questions about the first level of AAS I would be happy to answer them. :)

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

Just throwing this out there for you....

At the beginning of AAS, they encourage the children to spell the spelling words with tiles first; when they are successful with "tile spelling" the IG tells you to have the child spell the words with paper and pencil.

 

If you are working on some challenging words with your student, there is no reason why you can utilize the tiles to create a scaffold for your child to encourage success. You could place the beginning tiles, or the vowel tiles, or ___ (fill in the blank) to help him be successful and learn at the same time.

 

I'm nearing the end of AAS level 3, and I've been very pleased with the program. I'm actually using level 1 with my Ker to teach him to read and am amazed at what he is learning!

[MerryAtHope]

If you are working on some challenging words with your student, there is no reason why you can utilize the tiles to create a scaffold for your child to encourage success. You could place the beginning tiles, or the vowel tiles, or ___ (fill in the blank) to help him be successful and learn at the same time.

 

 

Also, AAS has blank tiles. Many lessons will ask you to make part of the word and leave a blank tile for the part that is being taught, and then ask the child to make a decision for what should replace the blank based on what's been taught. They progress from that to building with tiles to then writing on paper.

 

I have a son who is VERY allergic to blind-tests! He has had his fill of programs that want the child to learn by discovery or learn by experimenting rather than telling him up front what to do and why. AAS is very good at telling them up front, then letting them progress to using that knowledge in more challenging ways as they are ready.

 

Merry :-)

[MerryAtHope]

Another thing you could do with AAS if your son struggles with not seeing the word first is use the word cards to show him the words first. You can discuss how the spelling rule relates to the words, and then have him try it.

 

I asked the author about morphemes and here's what she had to say: AAS intentionally teaches the phonograms before teaching morphemes (which are made up of several phonograms). Morphemes are taught when suffixes and prefixes are introduced. Levels 5 and 6 include activities such as "Meaning Match Up" where the student matches up morphemes with their meaning.

 

HTH! Merry :-)

[ellen_aaron]

Thank you so much all for your help. Merry, thank you for the info on morphemes! That was really good to know.

 

I think I've decided to go with AAS. I'll keep Apples & Pears in mind as a backup plan, in case AAS doesn't work out. Although it does seem that most people who use AAS end up really liking it.

 

Level 1 looks like it will be super-easy for my son, who already has very good phonemic awareness and a firm grasp on spelling CVC words. I think I'll try to work through both Levels 1 and 2 in first grade.

 

Ellen

:)