Anyone using Touchphonics or other phonics based spelling program?

[aangeles]

Aangeles-
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with AAS. We do quite a bit of fun spelling here, with games and ASL, but I really wanted something a bit more systematic, especially because Alex has never needed systematic phonics instruction. I think this will allow me to ensure she does not miss anything, especially as she is not quite three yet.
I didn't notice that it seemed like busy work in the samples, and I am very glad you don't find it as such in subsequent levels.
It does seem that much of level one will be repetition. Did you find it to be? Or did you skip some of the initial materials like letter sounds, etc.? I have just planned on quickly running through everything until we hit something new. I also plan to do away with the manipulatives as she gets a bit older because A) I don't want her dependent upon them B) for portability- this is why we finger spell many words for practice.
Love to hear your thoughts on getting started

Keri,

I actually didn't think there was any busywork at all in this program, even in the first level. Maybe you are referring to cutting out the letter tiles and index cards, but those are for the parent to do so I consider them teacher prep work rather than busywork for the student to do. As for the manipulatives (letter tiles), I think they are great for allowing the child's spelling skills to develop independently of his fine motor/handwriting skills. This is especially true for our EL kids, most of whom will be ready for spelling instruction much earlier than their writing will allow. Of course, you can always substitute with something else that is more convenient for you, such as ipad apps, ASL, etc.

Ella also learned to read via the whole words approach and simply intuited the phonics rules so I never went through systematic phonics instruction with her. She did find the first level very easy, as she was already spelling CVC words by the time we started AAS. We simply went through the first lessons (including letter sounds) very quickly instead of skipping them. One of the things that attracted me to AAS was its systematic and methodical approach and I didn't want to tweak the program so much as to defeat its purpose. So far it has been working wonderfully for us.

 

[lzp11]

I found another app by the maker of Montessori crossword called Word Wizard - Talking Movable Alphabet & Spelling Tests for Kids
Sorry I don't know how to link to an app

It's similar to the crosswords app but has a more advanced free play area with boxes to put the tiles in and which will read out any words that are built. It has 2 x US voices, one British and one australian accent.

It also has a wide range of CVC and sight word lists according to themes. Best of all you can easily create your own list (for example, based on the AAS curriculum - when I realised it could be purchased in the uk I could not resist buying level 1!)

Hope someone else finds this useful. I love it already.

[Korrale4kq]

Thank you so much for your reviews Aangeles and Keri. I have been seeing AAS posted all over the web on homeschooling blogs. And the things that parents seem to rave about is the multidisciplinary approach and all the hand on aspect. I was just worried that there would be a lot of little fiddly games that the kids would be spending time on rather than just downright systematic instruction.

Unless I can find a cheaper program that introduces all the rules in a systematic way I think I will be just going with the AAS teachers manual. All I need to know is the rules and the words.

[aangeles]

Lzp11,

If you do decide to use the Montessori Crosswords app, I would suggest muting the sound effects to minimize distraction while spelling. Also, AAS suggests laying out the letters in alphabetical order. However, once Ella had mastered this order, I started using the QWERTY option of the app, and this has helped tremendously in speeding up her typing skills.

Finally one more question for Aangeles - you are clearly making fabulous progress with AAS in quite a short space of time. I can say that your milestones are a long way ahead of ours so I'm wondering if there is a reason I should hold off spelling practice until we reach 4 ( which will be in about 6 months).

Actually, I did not plan it that way. Ella had started spelling CVC words when she was 2.5, and I ordered AAS shortly thereafter to help her progress. However, life got in the way    and I did not get to start it with her until she was almost 4. In retrospect, she was already ready a year earlier, and I don't think starting earlier would have slowed down her progress significantly. She most likely would not have been writing the words by level 2, but conceptually, she was ready. AAS level 1 is so gentle in its approach I don't think you would have any problem starting it now.

HTH! 

[Kerileanne99]

Izp11-
I have both the Montessori Crosswords App and the Word Wizard, and definitely agree! I love both of them and we use them interchangeably! We do a vocabulary word of the day, including spelling it out, and I LOVE that Word Wizard will allow me to make a list of them to review!

I also agree with Aangeles that kids that read earlier are ready to start spelling earlier, especially if they intuited the phonics as many children learning to read via a whole word approach do. We have been spelling CVC words and more complex words, even practicing basic suffixes and prefixes for awhile now, but I don't think that is strictly necessary to start AAS if the child is reading.  In fact, one of our favorite games is a spelling variation of 'I Spy'.  I say, 'I Spy With My Little Eye, ...and then fingerspell something in ASL." She is able to remember, sound out, and combine the finger spelled letters in her head to come up with the answer about 80% of the time (of course, the scientist in me argues that she also has the benefit of looking around for
visual clues!) Still, it is not always obvious and a bit complex, even using Digraphs and blends, so makes me feel as though she is ready for a bit more of a systematic approach to learn specific spelling rules...

Aangeles- thanks for the suggestions.  I agree that the attractiveness of this program lie in its mastery approach, so we will start as you have suggested. And whilst we have ordered all of the manipulatives, it may well end up being redundant as she has been playing and spelling with letter tiles and apps for awhile already...thanks so much for the input

[Korrale4kq]

James initially forray into reading when he was very young was to do apps with CVC spelling words. Preschool university's ABC spelling was certainly a favourite for a while. But Bob books were the initial favourites. We then went into whole word instructions snd James' reading just took off. He knew phonics rules but struggled due to the difficulty of sounding out words. We dropped phonics instruction completely a month or so back and He can now blend with relative ease. (Finally!)

My question is... Is the AAS spelling program mostly just learning the phonics rules? I have taught little ones the read for 10 years mostly using a phonetics approach (before my son)  so I am now debating if I need the program at all.

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