Jenny R.
- Reviewed on Sunday, April 7, 2013
- Grades Used: 1st - 2nd
- Dates used: 2011 - 2013
All About Spelling changed our family's experience in learning how to read. Before this program, we used 100 Easy Lessons. It was tedious and painful, but the end result was that, by the time they reached approximately lesson 50, they could read. And then it took a long time to get them to WANT to read because of the negative experience in learning it.
With All About Spelling, we enjoyed ourselves. I can't say that the program was easier to implement, but it FELT easier to administer. It was more enjoyable and relaxing, and my son clearly felt more successful sooner than my other children did, even though I wouldn't say that he "learned to read" any sooner.
However, now that he's in third grade, the benefits of the three levels of All About Spelling are more obvious. He is an excellent speller. He remembers all the rules. Even I learned rules that I never learned before! He is an excelling reader, reading and understanding material far above his grade level.
I still have one more to teach how to read, and I will absolutely use this program again.
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tstirtz
- Reviewed on Thursday, June 7, 2012
- Grades Used: 5th
- Dates used: 2011
This is a very good program especially if you have a child who struggles spelling. It is based on Orton Gillingham which is a proven program for dyslexics. However your child does not need to have dyslexia to benefit.
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gardenia
- Reviewed on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
- Grades Used: 1st
- Dates used: Spring 2012-present
We have been using Explode the Code for phonics and decided it was time to add a spelling curriculum. We bought level 2 of All About Spelling. The AAS, level 2, book dovetails nicely with where we are in Explode the Code, book 4, as both teach beginning skills for multisyllabic words.
We are only on chapter three. So far, we like it. It is sensible and easy to follow. We haven't used it long enough to assess effectiveness.
Pros:
*corresponds nicely with Explode the Code
*variety in the lesson; flash cards, writing, using letter tiles
*each lesson is clearly spelled out, yet in a way that allows you a good deal of flexibility
Cons:
*the dictation portion of the lessons are good and useful, but a younger child might get fatigued with the handwriting
Tip:
*I own an item I've seen at thrift stores and garage sales. It is a steel, two drawer file cabinet for note cards. It is working out great for us. We keep the magnetized letter tiles on top of the cabinet and student flash cards inside of it. It measures roughly 12wx16dx5h. If you find one at a rummage sale, you'll be glad to have it.
Level One vs Level Two:
*I wasn't sure whether or not to start with level one or level two. If you are struggling with that too, here is what I did. I decided to start with level two, but also bought the level one student packet. The main skills in level one which we missed were: the "floss rule" (f,l,s usually doubled at end of one syllable words); working with c,k at the beginning of words and -ck at the ends of words; the other sounds vowels often make in addition to their long and short sounds. So far, I am not sorry that we skipped level one. However, if you skip level one, you would benefit from borrowing someone's level one book for review. If you can't borrow it, consider buying either the level one teacher's book or the student packet, whichever you can find cheapest. The teacher's guide is what you would expect in a manual. The student packet is a collection of flash cards for spelling words, phonics rules, and the like.
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SoaringEagle
- Reviewed on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
- Grades Used: 2nd grade
- Dates used: 2011-2012
I love this program. My daughter completed level 1. So easy to use. Open and go. You do need to punch out all of the cards/tiles & add magnets to the backs before you start (I did that a couple weeks before school was starting). We did spelling 3-4x/week and took about 15 minutes. Not too much writing except for the spelling words. It starts out slow by making sure the child knows the basic phonograms. There are 4 types of flashcards used: phonogram cards, sound cards, key cards, and word cards. The letter tiles are very important to the program. The teacher manual tells you what to say and do. You use the tiles to spell the words and then you write them. After a couple lessons like that we skipped the tiles for spelling words. I had my daughter write the words/phrases down instead. After completing each step, the child puts a sticker on the number on her progress chart. When you complete the program, the child receives a certificate of completion.
I truly recommend this program to anyone.
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