mom2abcd Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I know momof7 loved this program (and she was trained in the O-G method and had seen lots of spelling programs). (Where is she, by the way? I haven't seen her here in ages.) Has anyone used Apples & Pears? Does it help? Ds9 is an ~okay~ speller, but I don't want to short him. I've been considering All About Spelling, but I don't think we would do it consistently. Apples & Pears looks more do-able on the part of Mom and student. I like the 3 prong approach of Apples & Pears.......breaking words down into morphemes (smallest parts.....prefixes, roots, suffixes) and repeatedly focusing on on those rules, teaching phonics rules, and repetitive spiral dictation. From my research, it seems like those are components that really help spelling lessons stick. Any pros or cons? Other suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
at the beach Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I know momof7 loved this program (and she was trained in the O-G method and had seen lots of spelling programs). (Where is she, by the way? I haven't seen her here in ages.) Has anyone used Apples & Pears? Does it help? Ds9 is an ~okay~ speller, but I don't want to short him. I've been considering All About Spelling, but I don't think we would do it consistently. Apples & Pears looks more do-able on the part of Mom and student. I like the 3 prong approach of Apples & Pears.......breaking words down into morphemes (smallest parts.....prefixes, roots, suffixes) and repeatedly focusing on on those rules, teaching phonics rules, and repetitive spiral dictation. From my research, it seems like those are components that really help spelling lessons stick. Any pros or cons? Other suggestions? I am using this with dd9, and we like it. It does seem to help her. I would recommend this program. It is very doable. It is scripted and easy to use. Anita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle T Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 My guy has raging ADHD, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia. He has made huge progress with this program. We're currently on lesson 23 of book C. We started around lesson 20 of book A. I split each lesson into two parts, and we do two lessons per week. There is just too much writing for my guy to do a full lesson in one day. I wouldn't describe it as fun, and my DS still hates spelling, but even he admits he has made huge progress, and this is the only spelling program that did the trick. We occasionally get a laugh out of sentences that you would never find in an American spelling book. Our favorite was "I'm a drinker, not a thinker", said the sad clown." MichelleT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I would love to hear how it is multi-sensory, because I just don't see where it is. That would make me hesitant to use it with my kids. While I do agree that dictation works, because I have done dication with all my kids almost daily from K-4th grade, BUT all my dyslexic students have needed the hands on to really cement spelling. Other than the hands on aspect I really like the looks of Apples and Pears, and would use it with an older student who didn't need hands on without hesitation. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I have tried sooo many different programs with my dd (8). None of them have worked for her or me. Some were okay for her, but I didn't like them so they didn't get done. Some she would do, but she would forget the words very quickly. This is the first program where we are both happy. It is very easy to do so it gets done regularly. Spelling is still not her best subject, and I can't say that she loves spelling, but this program is working well for us. Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 Where is the placement test? BTW, ds is not dyslexic or anything. I just think that by age 9, he should know the proper use of "their", "there", etc. Does A&P get at homophones at all? Ds just throws in extra letters, forgets the silent e, confuses "where" and "were", etc. So many spelling programs just seem like "busywork" to us, though I guess they help. I want something that really helps and will be worth our time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Where is the placement test? Does A&P get at homophones at all? Ds just throws in extra letters, forgets the silent e, confuses "where" and "were", etc. I am currently using Book B and I also have book C. I am not sure how many homonphones are covered verses other programs, but there are several lessons on homophones. I don't think there is a placement test for Book A. Here is the information on Book B and the list on this page is the placement test for book B. http://www.prometheantrust.org/aandpb.htm One of the things that is really nice about this program is that you can see the full books online. That was of great help for me when deciding where to place my dd. We skipped all of book A. My dd doesn't have any learning disablities either. She just needed something that had more practice than most spelling books to really cement the information. http://www.prometheantrust.org/usshop.htm Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 I am currently using Book B and I also have book C. I am not sure how many homonphones are covered verses other programs, but there are several lessons on homophones. I don't think there is a placement test for Book A. Here is the information on Book B and the list on this page is the placement test for book B. http://www.prometheantrust.org/aandpb.htm One of the things that is really nice about this program is that you can see the full books online. That was of great help for me when deciding where to place my dd. We skipped all of book A. My dd doesn't have any learning disablities either. She just needed something that had more practice than most spelling books to really cement the information. http://www.prometheantrust.org/usshop.htm Jan Thanks, Jan! I'll give ds that list of words and see where he places. The set of four levels gives you so much more for your money, but I'm thinking he'll place at Level B, too. Decisions, decisions... :o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pensguys Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 The placements are also used as mastery test lists. It tells you in the TM if they need to move forward or stay on the next list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I have tried sooo many different programs with my dd (8). None of them have worked for her or me. Some were okay for her, but I didn't like them so they didn't get done. Some she would do, but she would forget the words very quickly. This is the first program where we are both happy. It is very easy to do so it gets done regularly. Spelling is still not her best subject, and I can't say that she loves spelling, but this program is working well for us. Jan Jan, Yes that which actually gets done is always the best choice!! :D I don't love the WWE workbooks, but I couldn't explain how to do a summary narration for the life of me, though I tried using many, many examples over the period of a year. WWE is getting done, and Pumpkin understands it. That is good enough for me, though I would prefer to just be doing narrations covering her history or science. They didn't happen because she wanted to give me a 2 page play by play of what we just read. :001_huh: Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 The placements are also used as mastery test lists. It tells you in the TM if they need to move forward or stay on the next list. Ah! Pensguys! Another happy Apples & Pears Spelling mom! Are you seeing that this program is helping your ds' spelling? I've been hearing more about kids with dyslexia being helped, but I would love to hear if it helps with general spelling problems. Do you do spelling every day? What works at your house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pensguys Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Yeah, my ds has dyslexia....sorry I can't help with a child that doesn't have that issue. It has really helped him a lot. He seemed to have a real jump in ability around August/Sept of this past year but I think it had to do with something his therapist was doing with him. We did Level A (we did the mastery tests until it said he needed to stay at a certain level) and we're working on B now. He rarely misses any words on a test now and I love how they spiral those through again. Yes, we do spelling every day (we have a co-op we do 6 months of the school year, 3 weeks out of the month) unless we're at co-op. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 Yeah, my ds has dyslexia....sorry I can't help with a child that doesn't have that issue. It has really helped him a lot. He seemed to have a real jump in ability around August/Sept of this past year but I think it had to do with something his therapist was doing with him. We did Level A (we did the mastery tests until it said he needed to stay at a certain level) and we're working on B now. He rarely misses any words on a test now and I love how they spiral those through again. Yes, we do spelling every day (we have a co-op we do 6 months of the school year, 3 weeks out of the month) unless we're at co-op. Thanks for the info. I think we're going to try it. It seems do-able for us. How much time does it take each day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pensguys Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Gosh, I don't know. We do 1/2-3/4 of a lesson per day. My ds has dysgraphia too so I save most of the writing he has to do for this. Maybe 30 min if that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 It really it up to you to decide how long it will take. I would say that my dd and I usually spend 15-20 minutes on spelling. We just keep working until we hit a comfortable stopping place. Sometimes that is a full level (lesson) and sometimes it is a half a level. That is one of the things that I really like about this curriculum. It is very flexible. It is not set up in days and weeks. It is a do the next page type of curriculum. Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle T Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Thanks for the info. I think we're going to try it. It seems do-able for us. How much time does it take each day? I split each lesson over two days. I'd say it takes us 10-15 minutes per day. Michelle T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 It really it up to you to decide how long it will take. I would say that my dd and I usually spend 15-20 minutes on spelling. We just keep working until we hit a comfortable stopping place. Sometimes that is a full level (lesson) and sometimes it is a half a level. That is one of the things that I really like about this curriculum. It is very flexible. It is not set up in days and weeks. It is a do the next page type of curriculum. Jan Flexible and do the next thing are exactly what I'm looking for! (That and something that works:o) I appreciate you ladies sharing your experiences with this program! Does anyone need Level 1? I'd love to get the "deal" by buying the whole shebang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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