Spelling is a tricky subject. I have been hesitant to write a review on a spelling program in the past because there are so many different programs on the market and none of them have come close to being a solution for a great number of families. Don’t get me wrong; many of them are fantastic programs. Take Spell to Write and Read, for example. It’s a solid program with really thorough teaching. Anyone who can diligently use it with their kids is going to see the results. However, it’s a rather parent intensive program. I don’t normally shy away from parent intensive curriculum – some of the very best in curriculum is also very parent intensive (in fact I find that’s usually the case) but, after two years of lugging SWR around with me and trying to get my head around it I finally gave myself permission to drop it.
Spelling Power and Sequential Spelling are also great programs. I even like the Evan-Moore product Building Spelling Skills. I tend not to recommend things like Spelling Workout. It’s a workbook approach and a lot of parents find that their kids can fill out the workbook pages correctly but that proper spelling does not transfer over to the student’s written work.
I recently had the opportunity to review All About Spelling and now I think I’ve found a program that will work for a large number of families and also produce real results in students’ spelling. AAS is similar to Spell to Write and Read in that it teaches the phonograms and the spelling rules. However, AAS is very easy to use and simple to figure out. Each lesson is clearly presented in the text so that the parent knows exactly what to review, what to teach, which cards to use, and how to present the lesson. The program is also multi-sensory so it will be effective with different learning styles.
I just finished level 1 with my two boys who are in kindergarten and grade 2. My grade 2 student probably could have spelled three quarters of the words used in level 1 before using it, but it was more than worth it to start in level 1 with him anyhow. He didn’t know any of the rules previously so just going through those and working with the words really helped him to understand why we spell words the way we do. He’s now using his knowledge of the phonograms alongside the spelling rules he’s learned to spell words in his everyday writing. I was so pleased when I heard him muttering a spelling rule under his breath as he worked away at a writing assignment. Level 1 was also good for my kindergarten student. He’s a beginner reader and kept up with his older brother’s pace as we moved through level 1. Both his spelling and his reading improved through this level and again I noticed that he’s using what he learned in his own writing. The boys beg me to do spelling with them and really enjoy the program and the time spent with me.
Which brings me to how easy All About Spelling is to use. I probably spend 10 minutes each day doing spelling with the boys. I keep all of my AAS materials in a plastic drawer that pulls right out so when we begin I just grab the drawer and put it on the table; then I have everything I need available. There isn’t any day to day prep time, I just pull out the book and do the next thing. The only prep time required is right at the beginning of a level when the phonogram cards need to be cut and the letter tiles need to be cut. I take my materials packet down to Staples and use their paper cutter and then I have them laminate the phonogram cards so that they’ll be more durable.
Thank you for your write-up. I was looking for some information and yours was perfect to answer some of my questions.