Familia Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 (edited) Only the mother is ESL, not the children. Their children will be doing second and fifth grades. English is not my friend's native language, and she lacks confidence. She has asked me to help by gathering her curriculum. I am stumped about spelling. Although I would like to try AAS myself, if I were to do it all over again, I think it would be way too much for her to implement. Any advice on a spelling program that is easy to implement or student led? IEW Student DVD's, Fix-It, Memoria's English Grammar Recitation, along with gobs of good literature will make up the rest of the language arts curriculum. Thank you! Edited May 1, 2019 by Familia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 Is there a reason you think AAS would be too much for her? I've seen that used with a lot of ESL students and classes (it has some built-in features that actually make it helpful for a lot of ESL students.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familia Posted May 1, 2019 Author Share Posted May 1, 2019 1 hour ago, MerryAtHope said: Is there a reason you think AAS would be too much for her? I've seen that used with a lot of ESL students and classes (it has some built-in features that actually make it helpful for a lot of ESL students.) Well, the few months I tried AAS, it was too much for me haha. The reason for that? I like 'open and go'. I didn't like the preparing the cards, the movement of the cards/letters during lessons, etc. Although I set up a tactile environment for our family as their own enrichment, and played games for math practice, I wanted my lessons straightforward and to the point - old school. I found all the parts of AAS overwhelming and stressful. So, I am making the assumption that my friend, who is terribly intimidated by homeschooling, may be overwhelmed by it, as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenecho Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 I honestly don't think All About Spelling would be too much for her. It's a scripted curriculum, and so simple to use. She could read off the script, and the exercises I don't think would be that much harder for an ESL parent to implement. In fact, since it's rule based, it would probably be helpful for her and her child at the same time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenecho Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Familia said: Well, the few months I tried AAS, it was too much for me haha. The reason for that? I like 'open and go'. I didn't like the preparing the cards, the movement of the cards/letters during lessons, etc. Although I set up a tactile environment for our family as their own enrichment, and played games for math practice, I wanted my lessons straightforward and to the point - old school. I found all the parts of AAS overwhelming and stressful. So, I am making the assumption that my friend, who is terribly intimidated by homeschooling, may be overwhelmed by it, as well. So, I had a different experience...but then, I often did each section of each lesson on a different day, in stead of doing the whole lesson on one day...so maybe that's why. Edited May 1, 2019 by goldenecho 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 Only slightly related, but I just wanted to encourage your friend. I am also homeschooling in my non-native language (My kids are bilingual and are tested in French, I am fluent in French but far, far, far from a native speaker). I encourage her NOT to use an independent spelling/grammar program. My French has improved dramatically from teaching my kids French spelling/grammar/conjugation/dictation. These are things I *knew* in theory before teaching them, but the constant review and reinforcement for me has really helped my language skills, and not harmed my kids in any way. So if she is lacking confidence in English, she really should teach/learn alongside the kids!!! Encourage her to have a collaborative attitude towards the work, and to encourage her kids to correct (during school time, not all day) any pronunciation issues as she goes through the spelling lesson or whatever. This can be done in a respectful and encouraging way, as long as mom clearly sets the mood and boundaries related to this. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familia Posted May 1, 2019 Author Share Posted May 1, 2019 Yes. I can see how learning along side her children is a great idea. I hope I can help instill that attitude. I am going to begin another thread on the gen ed board to discuss helping her gain confidence in the process... But, in the meantime, AAS? I think it provides solid phonics-based information. I just wonder, is it for everyone? So many like the multisensory angle, but I find that stressful and would rather 'read and discuss' to learn. Generally, I didn't consider my children's learning styles when choosing curriculum. I figured that if the teacher could use it well and liked it, that made it a good fit for the child...as a curriculum that would be used with gusto. I had great success, but maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenecho Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 12 hours ago, Familia said: Yes. I can see how learning along side her children is a great idea. I hope I can help instill that attitude. I am going to begin another thread on the gen ed board to discuss helping her gain confidence in the process... But, in the meantime, AAS? I think it provides solid phonics-based information. I just wonder, is it for everyone? So many like the multisensory angle, but I find that stressful and would rather 'read and discuss' to learn. Generally, I didn't consider my children's learning styles when choosing curriculum. I figured that if the teacher could use it well and liked it, that made it a good fit for the child...as a curriculum that would be used with gusto. I had great success, but maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I don't think anything is for everyone. I think it would be good to tell her what you found overwhelming, and what you liked about it. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 I think Spelling Plus with the companion Spelling Dictation book would be easiest. https://www.amazon.com/Spelling-Plus-Words-toward-Success/dp/187947820X https://www.amazon.com/Dictation-Resource-Book-Susan-Anthony/dp/1879478218/ref=pd_sim_14_1/130-9202728-5502008?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1879478218&pd_rd_r=28afa934-6eb4-11e9-9c58-2d5da5e59492&pd_rd_w=fHSvQ&pd_rd_wg=iSHtr&pf_rd_p=90485860-83e9-4fd9-b838-b28a9b7fda30&pf_rd_r=CQF30SZAS031S5NAVZ09&psc=1&refRID=CQF30SZAS031S5NAVZ09 What is her native language? I have some good resources for Spanish, German, French, and Russian that may help mom. Also, what is the age of the children? I have some spelling videos but there are different ones for different ages, some of the more complete ones are not really appropriate for anyone below 4th grade, but mom could watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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