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time4tea
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| Posted: May 20 2010 at 10:31am | IP Logged
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Hi Everyone,
I am considering using AAS next year with my 8 and 10 year olds, but have heard from some moms who use it that it is/can be time consuming. Is this true in every case, and roughly how long is a lesson? We do a lot of schooling on the road (2 of our dc study classical ballet on scholarship at a pre-professional school about 45 minutes drive each way from our home) and I'm not sure if AAS would be a good fit for us given this. Currently, we use CHC's My Catholic Speller series and I am happy with them. I just keep hearing such rave reviews of AAS, I guess I feel as if maybe it might be better?
Thanks in advance!
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cvbmom
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| Posted: May 20 2010 at 10:50am | IP Logged
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All About Spelling can be time consuming, but it just might fit your schedule with road schooling. I'll give you an example of our week, then you can determine if it fits with what you are looking for...
Monday: Review Phonograms (about 5 minutes - flash card style)
Tuesday: Do a "Step" (what a chapter is call in AAS) - if child can get 5 words and 3 sentences right, we consider it finished and move on to the next step for the next lesson, if not, we'll review this "step" later (See Thursday). (about 20 minutes? sometimes more sometimes less)
Wednesday: Review Spelling Rules (about 5 minutes - flash card style)
Thursday: Review Tuesday's Step or move on to the next Step. (about 20ish minutes - see Tuesday)
Friday: Review spelling words (maybe 10 minutes). We handle this like a traditional spelling test, it could be oral or written.
So, that is what I foresee as the time commitment involved. The flash card type schooling could be done in the car - we often do. Let me know if you have any further questions.
God bless,
Christine
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: May 20 2010 at 11:03am | IP Logged
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Thank you, Christine. I just did a search for this program this morning and didn't find much!
I hear it is an excellent program and less teacher intensive than Sound Beginnings (eta--or maybe just easier to follow?). I like the Spalding approach in theory, and I'm debating spending the money on a program like this or just buying "How to keep a spelling notebook" for some guidance to do it more independently. 
Also, my oldest is just entering first grade and isn't really reading at all. MODG doesn't introduce Sound Beginnings until 2nd grade, and while all these programs say they can begin earlier, I wonder if it isn't better to wait?
A friends LOVES this program and says that it is the program that helped her 8 year old finally "get" reading, but I am left wondering if it is the program or the fact that her 8 year old was finally *ready* to get it, yk?
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Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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time4tea
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| Posted: May 20 2010 at 11:14am | IP Logged
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Thanks, Christine, that actually sounds very doable for us. A couple of additional questions for you - If I am planning to use the program with 2 dc, what exactly do I need to buy extras of? I expect the older dc to move fairly quickly through Level 1, but will she need her own set of tiles, etc. in addition to her own materials packet for each level? Also, what kind of results have you seen with the program? My older dc is mildy dyslexic, and I have heard that this particular program is good for remediating students who need a multi-sensory approach.
Thanks again!
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time4tea
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| Posted: May 20 2010 at 11:22am | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| A friends LOVES this program and says that it is the program that helped her 8 year old finally "get" reading, but I am left wondering if it is the program or the fact that her 8 year old was finally *ready* to get it, yk? |
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You know, I often wonder about things like this too. This is also a very bad time of the year for me - the time of the year when all the new homeschooling catalogs arrive at my house! AAS is very highly rated and many moms love it. But sometimes materials like that fit us here and sometimes they don't.
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cvbmom
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| Posted: May 20 2010 at 12:53pm | IP Logged
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time4tea wrote:
Thanks, Christine, that actually sounds very doable for us. A couple of additional questions for you - If I am planning to use the program with 2 dc, what exactly do I need to buy extras of? I expect the older dc to move fairly quickly through Level 1, but will she need her own set of tiles, etc. in addition to her own materials packet for each level? Also, what kind of results have you seen with the program? My older dc is mildy dyslexic, and I have heard that this particular program is good for remediating students who need a multi-sensory approach.
Thanks again! |
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No problem  I really like All About Spelling because it teaches the WHY of spelling, not just memorizing lists for a week, which may or may not work for kids. Right now I am using the program with 3 dc, and will have 4 using it in the fall. We share tiles, mostly because the kids don't use them without it being lesson time at our house. We also share materials packets, but it would be MUCH easier if each child had his or her own because I could keep track of mastered material better. Unfortunately, the budget doesn't allow for that right now.
As for results from the program, we have had great success with it. The program definitely helps with reading in the earlier levels. It solidifies phonics instruction. It is also very helpful to have a reason as to why we spell a word the way we do. My daughter, who will finish the last level this year, is an excellent speller and knows how to spell words she hasn't come across because she can apply the rules she knows to them. My son, who will be in level 4 this coming year needs to take it slower and really learn the rules. He'd rather just do the memorize words for the test style of spelling, as applying rules takes work. But, he is definitely making progress AND the spelling words carry over to his writing, which was NOT happening with the word list method of spelling. My other daughter just finished level 1. She has always had consonant blend trouble with reading as well as a few vowel sound mix-ups. With AAS, her reading has improved a lot and she's really understanding spelling now.
Maybe that helps?
God bless,
Christine
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cvbmom
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| Posted: May 20 2010 at 1:45pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
A friends LOVES this program and says that it is the program that helped her 8 year old finally "get" reading, but I am left wondering if it is the program or the fact that her 8 year old was finally *ready* to get it, yk? |
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That's hard to know, isn't it
There's no magic program that will solve all your curricula woes, but some programs just really click with some families. I would love my children to like Teaching Textbooks after all the rave reviews I've heard, but they just.don't.like.it...at all. Homeschooling choices can be so tough!
God bless,
Christine
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Wife to dh - 18 years!
Mom to dd (16), ds (15), dd, (12), dd (11), ds (9), dd (8), dd (7), ds (5), dd (3), ds (2), and ds (1)
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LLMom
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| Posted: May 22 2010 at 3:44pm | IP Logged
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I use AAS and it is a bit mom intensive BUT I only work for 15 minutes a day on spelling for my children (I had 5 using it this year). I also think it is best suited for children who struggle with spelling (as most of mine do), but if your dc gets spelling easily, I would go with something else. I like the Spalding method as well.
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Lisa
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: ? Re: All About Speling
