Hi all,
Well, we've got one full week of school left and I'm looking forward to Summer break. But I'm also starting to get boxes of curriculum in the mail for next year (seriously better than Christmas!!!) One of our new curriculums for next year is All About Spelling. I'm really eager to use the product, it looks great! My question is though, there are only 25 lessons. Do you often take more than one week to do a lesson? Do you start up the next level when you finish?
Just wondering.
Thanks!
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Hi there.
The Steps in AAS are not a lesson for lesson thing. You take as much time as is needed for each step before moving on. Some kids can do a step a day at first if they are a natural speller or are a bit older. Usually I spend 3 days to a week on a step depending on how well my kids seem to "get it"
My general plan is
day 1: review any cards, begin new teaching
day 2: review any cards, finish any new teaching, spell with tiles
day 3: review any cards, spell on paper, dictation
day 4: finish any dictation we didn't do the day before.
Now on any of those days we don't work any longer then 15 minutes. I set a timer and we get as far as we get and just pick up there the next day.
Sometimes I've been known to use dictation from the past step we didn't do in the next step as review.
Because I started with older kids we have gone through the first book or two pretty quickly. You just move on to the next level when the current one is finished. Sometimes you'll get through more than one level in a school year, it all depends on your child. Just keep moving at their pace.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
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Absolutely. You move at your child's own pace. For some kids you might do a level a week. At the beginning of AAS1, it's not unusual to do a few levels a week. Sometimes, a level might last 2 weeks. However long it takes to achieve mastery of that step.
There are periodic lessons that have you do a cumulative review. I would definitely take your time there as well. Spend a few days going over all the rules and most of the words that you have covered. If something has been forgotten, stick on that for a while again, and then move on with the lessons.
When you are done with a book, move onto the next level. Completely AAS1 and 2 and sometimes even 3 (if your child really picks up on it) in a year isn't unheard of. Don't be surprised if AAS1 doesn't take too long. The concepts in that level are relatively easy. You'll slow down in AAS2.
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I bought Level 2 assuming that since she was going to be in Second Grade that would be the one we'd use. But I'm getting the impression that I should be starting her on Level 1, is that correct? If she did phonic and spelling this year and is a strong reader, should I start on Level 1?
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The levels have nothing to do with grades at all.
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Well I have a non natural speller and initially when I looked at AAS, I thought 'oh good, there's only 25 lessons, we can quickly move through this". However, while ds seemed to at first quickly grasp each lesson, I found when I analyzed his writing in other subject that I really needed to sit on those words for a week or two, giving him all sorts of combos of the words in phrases or sentences to build or write before it started to stick. I also am always cycling through earlier material because he needs a lot of review.--
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You could get away with starting in Level 2, but you'd be missing the phonogram, sound and key cards from level 1 (those cards move along with the child) Level 2 does have a quick review of whats in level 1 though, so you really would just need the cards. Now did she learn all the sounds of the letters when she did phonics? Such as the letter a makes 3 sounds short, long and ahh (like in father) and the s says sss or zzz? If not then it may be worth going back to level 1 to start. As someone mentioned the levels do not correspond to grade levels at all.
Kel
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