How to Make Reading and Spelling “Stick”
Have you ever taught your child something one day, only to have him completely forget it the next? That is one of the most frustrating things as a teacher, isn’t it? One of your main goals is to make reading and spelling “stick” in your child’s brain, and this blog post will give you solid techniques for doing just that.
Short-Term vs. Long-Term Memory
This will be quick, but it is important to understand the basic differences between short-term and long-term memory.
Short-term memory is a system for temporarily storing, managing, and recalling the information necessary to carry out particular tasks. It keeps track of things like where you parked your car an hour ago or what you plan on having for dinner tonight. For your kids, facts stored in short-term memory might include the spelling for the word stationery or the new grammar rule they learned this morning.
Long-term memory, on the other hand, is a system for permanently storing, managing, and retrieving information for later use. Long-term memory helps us remember and recall things like proper spelling, punctuation rules, and vocabulary words. Items of information stored as long-term memory may be available for a lifetime. And that is what you want for your child—permanently ingrained learning.
Why Review Matters
If you want to make learning stick, you must include review in your lessons.
Parents and teachers often lament, “I taught this same information to Joey last month, and now he’s forgotten it.” They wonder what is wrong. They don’t realize that presenting the material once or twice isn’t enough. It’s not their fault—they just honestly don’t know how critically important it is to review. Review is an area that isn’t stressed nearly enough by educators or curriculum developers.
But the truth is, to make sure that your child really knows the material, you must have consistent and direct review. You can’t leave it up to chance and hope that your teaching will stick in his brain. As his teacher, you must take responsibility and ensure that your child remembers important information.
A Plan to Make Reading and Spelling Stick
Without a plan, you are probably settling for short-term learning without even realizing it. Short-term learning is damaging for several reasons. Not only is it a waste of time, but it also sets up a cycle of intense frustration for both you and your child.
When your child forgets a lesson soon after you present it, you feel like you are spinning your wheels and not getting anywhere. You might even begin to wonder if your child has a learning disability. But even worse than that, when he can’t remember his lessons, your child probably feels like something is wrong with him. Depending on his personality, he may internalize the frustration or he may act out. Either way, it becomes harder for both of you to sit through lessons that you know aren’t going to stick.
There is a way out of this no-win situation, though.
7 Review Strategies in AAR and AAS
Seven important review strategies are built right into the All About Reading and All About Spelling programs.
- First, we make sure your child understands the main point of the lesson.
Your child doesn’t need to guess—it’s crystal clear what the goal of the lesson is. For example, when your child is learning how to add suffixes to base words, he’ll learn what suffixes and base words are, and the difference between consonant suffixes and vowel suffixes. Using letter tiles and suffix tiles (and our clear, scripted lesson plans), you’ll demonstrate exactly how to add suffixes to words. We test and polish the wording of every lesson to make sure that the teaching is understandable. After all, the lesson must be understood before it can be reviewed.
- Next, review is built right into the lessons.
At the beginning of every lesson, we prompt you to do a quick review of previously taught material. The built-in review ensures that you remember to do it and won’t be tempted to skip over it.
- Multisensory methods are used during review time.
Since children learn best using sight, sound, and touch, it’s important to use a variety of methods to review material. You’ll review reading and spelling concepts in multiple ways: with word analysis activities, flashcards, recitation, games, and practical applications like problem-solving, dictation, writing, and conversation. And we use the SMI method (Simultaneous Multisensory Instruction) for even more powerful review sessions.
- Review is more frequent when a new concept is first taught.
Timing is important. If you teach a new idea, but then don’t revisit it for a while, the chances that your child will forget it are much greater. That’s why we make sure that new material is reviewed daily at first. We keep it interesting with a variety of techniques like the Review Box, Fluency Practice sheets, Word Banks, and activity sheets. As your child shows mastery, we review less frequently, making room for other new concepts. Revisiting information this way pushes it into long-term memory and keeps it there.
It’s also important to note that sometimes it appears that your student understands a concept when you first demonstrate it, but it may not be burned into long-term memory—so we don’t stop the review too soon. You want your child to be able to access the information years from now, not just a week from now, so concepts are reviewed at intervals and continued until the material has been completely mastered.
- Certain concepts are reviewed using the same words until they are completely mastered.
For example, when learning a spelling rule, we use the same wording each time we review it: C says /s/ before e, i, or y. Let that wording get ingrained in your child’s long-term memory so he can access it later when needed.
- Review is customized for each child.
Review is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Your child may need more or less review on a specific topic than the next child. If a concept has been mastered, you file it behind the “Mastered” divider in the Review Box and move on. If more practice is needed, you file it behind the “Review” divider. The system is as simple as can be, yet very powerful for making learning stick.
- Concepts are never “retired.”
We don’t just “teach it and forget it.” After we introduce a new concept, the lessons have your child apply his new knowledge to keep it fresh in his mind. Your student will use spelling words in dictation activities and encounter reading words in activities and short stories.
These review strategies are seamlessly woven into the entire reading and spelling programs. You don’t have to consciously remember to do them because they are built right into the curriculum. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy watching your child make consistent progress!
Additional Help for Your Child’s Memory
Download my free e-book, “Help Your Child’s Memory,” to learn more techniques to help strengthen your child’s memory and achieve learning that really sticks.
In this e-book, you will discover…
- Why information goes right over your child’s head … and what to do about it
- How the “Funnel Concept” can improve your teaching and result in long-term learning
- Schemas—what they are and how they help improve memory
- What “Simultaneous Multisensory Instruction” is, and why it is such a powerful teaching method
- Six things you can do today to improve your child’s working memory
Do you have a favorite review activity you enjoy using with your children? Share in the comments below!
Teresa
says:Being a reader myself and having spelling come easily, it was quite a shock to find out my youngest child was struggling desperately in those areas. Because I myself don’t have any problem it is hard to understand how she can “not get it”. I never realized that it took so much review to actually allow a concept to stay in memory. Thanks so much for giving me hope again.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceTeresa,
It can be especially difficult to teach something that we find so easy and natural. This is the Curse of Knowledge, as we know something so well we can’t remember what it took to learn it.
I’m glad you found this helpful, but let me know if you have questions or need further help.
Amy Ketola
says:Thank you for these ideas. We forget how much each child in our large family needs experiences in learning and relearning spelling and word patterns. This offered helpful ways to effectively reinforce.
Angela
says:Since using both of the programs (AAR & AAS), I have noticed a tremendous improvement in my son’s reading and spelling, which have resulted in a big improvement in his standardized testing scores. I attribute it to the design of the program and the constant review. It has boost his confidence. He loves when we review words and we’re able to file it under the “mastered” section. I’m so proud of him and grateful for this program. He used to hate to read and now he initiates reading and enjoys it! The technique used in AAR & AAS helps the information to stick!!!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAngela,
This is such great news! I love that your son now has confidence especially. That’s so important for learning success! Thank you for sharing his story. Keep up the amazing work!
Kari McCloskey
says:This makes so much sense! I struggle with incorporating review in many of our subjects, but this approach is so straightforward- I think the method can help in other areas of school, too!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKari,
Yes! Regular review, particularly if done in a fun and light-hearted way, can help with learning of any subject. 😊
Carmen VanHootegem
says:Love the “funnel concept” whenever I am teaching a new concept to my students; I picture the funnel and scale down the information I am bombing them with! :)
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad that this visual is helpful to you! Thanks for being a teacher! :)
Samantha
says:Perfect timing for me to be reading this blog post. We started AAR 1 in February of this year, and then stalled out sometime after Memorial Day until last week. Two weeks before we picked back up my 6 year old has eye muscle surgery on both eyes because he had Esotropia in both of them (lazy eye). I never thought I’d be happy that a set back happened until last week when I opened the book at lesson 1, and read the tips and suggestions again. Previously I was allowing him to sound out in his head and then counting the word as mastered. We are no longer doing that. Due to the long break all of those word cards went back into the review section. We’re going to review each lesson again.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSamantha,
I’m sorry your little one had to have surgery, but it sounds like the break was useful. Let me know if you need any help or have questions as you start back up.
Heidi
says:My 5-year-old insisted that she was ready to learn to read and wanted to “do school” like her 2 older sisters. We started AAR Level 1 and struggled. Just as I was ready to throw in the towel and chalk it up to “she’s just not quite ready yet,” amid her tears of “yes, I am ready,” I went back and re-read the “instructions” in the teacher’s manual. I knew it had to be something I was doing wrong. Sure enough, I was stuck on lesson 1 because I thought she needed to have mastery of the lesson before we moved on. Once I realized that I should keep going with the lessons, regardless of mastery – let me just say “game changer.” We’re now on Lesson 5 and she’s reading more confidently, there’s no more tears or frustration, and everything is clicking for her. Glad we stuck with it. Thanks for a fantastic reading program!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceHeidi,
It sounds like you have a good handle on All About Reading 1 now!
Just to clarify, AAR does expect mastery of the concepts. That is, your child needs to be able to sound out the words without struggle before moving on. However, it can take time, sometimes half the book or so, before children will naturally be able to read words without needing to sound them out. That is fine. Here are some activities you can do to help her with fluency, being able to read the words smoothly and without sounding out, as you move forward:
The Change-the-Word activities are especially helpful for working on blending and paying attention to ALL sounds in a word. Change one letter at a time, starting with simple 3-sound words like: bat-sat-sit-sip-tip-top…and so on. This activity is also really helpful for working on consonant blends when you get to those lessons (starting around Lesson 24).
The Word Cards allow you to track what has been mastered and what still needs work. Keep word cards in daily review until she can read them easily, without needing to sound them out. Here are some fun review ideas for word cards. The Word cards will stack up as you go, so just rotate through a portion for 2-3 minutes each day and then pick up in the book wherever you left off previously. And here’s a fun little video explaining what to do when the cards stack up.
The fluency practice pages can be re-used as well. You might enjoy our “Top Tips” for using the Fluency practice pages. (And check out the comments as well–lots of fun suggestions in there!)
The appendices in the level 1 teacher’s manual have lots of ideas for reviewing word cards and fluency pages. Be sure to check these for more ideas.
Students who struggle with fluency will also benefit from rereading the same story two or three days in a row to gain fluency and confidence. Buddy Reading can be very powerful in helping students who are in this stage of struggling with fluency.
Rereading the stories will help accomplish these goals:
– Increase word rate
– Improve prosody. Prosody is “expressive reading.” It involves phrasing (grouping words into meaningful phrases), emphasis, and intonation (raising pitch at the end of questions, lowering pitch at the end of sentences)
– Improve automaticity (be able to recognize most words automatically without having to sound them out each time)
I hope this gives you some additional ideas. Please let me know if your daughter has any other struggles or if you have questions.
Melissa
says:This was helpful, thank you. We started All about Spelling 1 this year and I feel that it has been very helpful to my daughter. She’s in second grade and we’re treating through the lessons pretty quickly but I wanted her to start at the beginning to get down the system and a good foundation. We’ll see how she transitions when she’s catches up to get level and the lessons get a bit harder. I think reviewing will get more and more important as we go on. Thanks!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSounds great, Melissa!
I just wanted to add that All About Spelling 1 is not equivalent to first grade, however. The levels and word lists in the All About Spelling program are arranged by concepts and spelling patterns rather than by grade levels. Though many of the words presented in Level 1 are found on typical first-grade lists, other words in the same book can be found on typical fifth-grade lists. The method we use defies normal grade level classification.
For example, another spelling program lists the words cross, off, and plant on their fourth-grade list, but these words can easily be spelled by a child completing the Level 1 book. That same program includes the words school and yellow on its first-grade list, but expecting kids to spell words like those before mastering more basic syllable types undermines their future spelling ability.
All About Spelling groups words in a logical manner based on similar rules or spelling patterns regardless of their supposed grade level, which allows students to progress quickly and confidently. AAS Level 7, the final level, takes students up through high school level spelling. The program teaches all of the words on the Ayres list (except a few which aren’t in common use anymore), which ranks words up to 12th grade, as well as words from other lists that are ranked between 9th and 12th grade.
It is fine, even wonderful, to move through the steps in a level quickly if your child is mastering the concepts easily. However, please don’t feel the need to move through it quickly to catch up to grade level as our levels aren’t grade levels.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Misti
says:Making spelling a habit is so important to me. This article really emphasized ways to do that.
Janine
says:Thank you for the reminder. It becomes so easy to skip the reviewing when I’m short on time but it really does help my son!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJanine,
I understand opting to get right to the new stuff when you are pressed for time. Life requires you make choices on what to do and what not to do sometimes!
However, when time is short it is often a good idea to spend that time on review only. It allows for a positive lesson because since it’s review, he’ll have the best chance for success. And reviewing, of course, helps him be prepared when you have time to start the new material.
Jennifer Edwards
says:We like to play sight word stomp! It gets him moving and he gets to review sight words!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSight word stomp sounds like a great review game, Jennifer! Thanks for the idea.
Jennifer Edwards
says:It helps him with his proprioception and helps it stick!
Amy Uptain
says:Great tips! Thank you!
April Marie Harvey
says:I love the AAS program and its review review while introducing new spelling rules and words. We homeschool with Classical Conversations and this program goes hand in hand with AAS to reinforce and strengthen the memory muscle in my kids and myself. Thanks AAS
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceApril,
All About Spelling’s focus on learning phonograms and rules and ongoing review does go hand-in-hand with Classical Homeschooling!
Nicole
says:We love All About Spelling!
Courtney Muir
says:This is good information! I hadn’t realized how important reviewing is.
Kelly Grundhofer
says:Thanks for sharing this… it’s a great reminder.
Lisa Seaman
says:Thank you for your helpful insights!!
Tayler
says:Thank you for this reminder! With a full house it’s easy to overlook a solid, hands on review.
Jaime
says:This advise is so helpful! My daughter is beginning to understand how things are spelled more and more each day just by using these concepts. It has definitely given her the confidence to write more and not be as frustrated with spelling. She still spells some things wrong but is on the right track now and has more smiles to go with it. 🙂
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceHow exciting that you are seeing the improvements in your daughter’s confidence and spelling, Jaime! I think seeing this sort of progress right before my eyes is one of the hidden joys of homeschooling. Enjoy it!
Andrea
says:Thanks for the Memory ebook. Just what I need to help my grandson.
Mel
says:This program looks really good!
Erin Baker
says:Review is a critical piece of teaching and learning. I love how the AAS lessons incorporate review into each lesson!
Paula Flory
says:I am doing level one with my 8 year old and he is really liking it! I do agree that the review is very necessary and just reinforces it in their memory.
Natasha Sawyer
says:Thank you for creating such a wonderful program!
Sally Chancellor
says:One of my favorite things about AAS is the review cards. I actually keep the box in the car, and we review on the way to and from all their activities, or while waiting for one of the kids to be done with something.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSally,
I love the idea of keeping review material in the car! What a great way to use otherwise wasted time. Thanks for sharing this.
Jeanette Evans McCormick
says:There are some great tips in here. My son has a difficult time with spelling. He probably doesn’t get enough review. I will be downloading the Ebook.
Autumn
says:I’m so glad your program is so well researched and thought out. You guys make your program so easy to follow – thank you! All About Spelling has been one of the best curriculum choices I’ve ever made for our family.
Carrie
says:My son struggles with memory so this is helpful to give me a different perspective on how to help him. Thanks!
Tara
says:A timely reminder. I have not been spending enough time on review.
Victoria
says:So helpful in this constant learning curve. Thank you!
Crystal Abel
says:These are wonderful tips! Thank you!
Amanda Marsden
says:Thanks for the tips, I will use the information provided in the useful post within our home education.
erin
says:This is really helpful! Thanks!
Candace
says:This is helpful. I would love to see what others do for review. The bug splat game y’all provided has been helpful for my 2nd grade daughter, and very timely too!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceCandace,
We have lots of fun review ideas on our blog! Take a look at our 11 Great Ways to Review Reading Words Cards and 10 Great Ways to Review Spelling Word Cards blog posts. We also have a bunch of ideas on our Activities Archive page.
And if you need more ideas for review a specific topic or concept, just ask!
Jenn
says:What a great post!!
Sarah
says:We love AAS! My son has learned a lot and actually remembers what he learned.
Karina Townsend
says:Such a great post! I am glad I came across it, very helpful! Thank you
Amelia C.
says:Thank you for the helpful information, I’ll be sure to implement these at home!
Angharad
says:Thanks for all the review strategies
Sandi W
says:Thanks for the tips.
Lorraine
says:My kids love Candy Land so we use review cards to advance around the board. Win win
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceLorraine,
Adding spelling or reading review cards to a favorite board game is an easy and very fun way to review! Thanks for the idea.
Margie Robichaux
says:I love this program and like how it reminds me to review before each lesson!
Kristy
says:Thanks for the great tips!
Sylvie
says:Repetition works. We jump the rules on the trempoline every day and it sticks!
Tara
says:I couldn’t agree more with the importance of memorization! I’m so glad I found AAR and AAS. It fits in perfectly with our Classical approach to education.
Katy
says:Review!! Thanks for that reminder about moving from short term to long term memory. And so thankful it’s already built into the curriculum!!
JENNA SYBERT
says:My son struggles with working memory. This really helps!
Chelsea
says:All About Spelling works like nothing else did 😊
Cyndy
says:This makes so much sense.
Serena
says:Thanks for the tips.
Carol
says:Thank you for this information!
Becca
says:Thanks, for the great tips.
Casey Stratton
says:Thanks for the free download!
tina strausbaugh
says:Great tips!
Robin
says:Thank you for the tips
Nicole
says:Great tips!
Jessica
says:This sounds like a great program. It continuously reviews concepts which will give the kids more and more exposure and experience. I would love to have this!!
Bkolanek
says:Thank you for the tips. This our second year homeschooling and I’ve realized the hard way that reviewing is very important.
Jessica Lopez
says:I would lik to win.
Cristina
says:Awesome tips! Thank you!!
Katie Bell
says:Such a good reminder of the importance of review!
Alysia
says:This is great! We need to get our hands on All About Spelling.
Melinda
says:Thanks for including so much review! It’s helping my reluctant speller!
Jaime B
says:My oldest daughter has the WORST memory! She rarely remembers names of new friends, things she has read, address, etc. AAS has been wonderful because of review and reinforcement. We continue with spelling through the summer because of he really need for review.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJaime,
My family has often laughed about our children talking about their great new friend whose name they don’t remember! I have always thought there is something extra innocent and wonderful that children can connect so well and things like names just aren’t important. 😊
I am pleased to hear that All About Spelling is helping your daughter master spelling.
Marlenn
says:I really LOVE how All about Reading incorporates a multisensory method, I can see that for my 5 year old just as he starts getting distracted the next part of the curriculum always engages him again and his desire for reading increases!
Martha
says:Thank you for the reminder to continue reviewing and stay patient. As a parent teaching a child with a very different learning style, I get frustrated when our pace slows. However, I would feel discouraged if someone teaching me a new skill got impatient with me, so I try to avoid showing my frustration. Children are growing and making new connections all the time. It is important that the adults caring for them allow them the time they need to learn new skills and information. Thank you for these helpful articles.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are so right about the importance of needing to remain patient with our students, Martha! It can be hard but it is worth it. I can assure you that the slow pace doesn’t matter in the long term. Consistency is what matters, even if you are consistently slow. The results will come. I’ve seen it with more than one of my own children.
Rachel
says:We just started AAS with my 8 year old son and he loves it! He grabs the review cards before each lesson and has retained all that he’s learned so far.
Helen thomas
says:These are some great strategies I need to use!
Ambet
says:We just started all about spelling and so far my kids and I love it!
LeAnn Bowers
says:I love all of the review that’s built into AAS and AAR. My son used to say he had a short memory. He doesn’t say that anymore.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceLeAnn,
I love that All About Reading and All About Spelling have helped to change your son’s perception of his own memory! That’s awesome!
Cathy Gundy
says:The okder my kids get the more they seem to struggle with reviewing and retention. I look forward to helping them with your program.
Rachel
says:Thank you! We love this program. Such helpful tips!
Chantelle
says:Awesome! Just getting started so this post has been great
Kecia B
says:These are excellent strategies incorporated into your curriculum! These are huge reasons that I chose to use AAR with my son! Thank you for creating such an excellent resource!
Paige
says:I love your programs, but the lack of review is the one thing I am disappointed with. We got along well with AAS level one, but part way through level two I realized that there is not nearly enough review. For example, I taught Step 3 and my struggling learner seemed to have mastered the concept easily. There were no review words in the dictation sentences on Step 4. By step five, he had forgotten the lesson from step 3, even though we were daily reviewing the Key Card. This happens every single step. I have gone through the entire book of level two and level three and revised the dictation sentences to include words from the previous three steps so that the concepts are not forgotten. The dictation sentences are perfect for reviewing the current step, but even my extremely speedy student needed some more review from *previous* steps than the dictation sentences give. And my struggling student needed much more, despite the fact that I make sure the material is mastered before moving on to the next step.
Also, at the end of Level two, I had to create a Word Bank for the last two lessons, the au/Aw and the ou/ow, using only the words that the rules do not cover. My speedy speller desperately needed them for the words that have aw or ow in the beginning or middle of a word. She also needed more review for those words in step 1 of level 3.
You have done a great job! I wouldn’t use any other spelling program! But I feel that there is room for improvement; It would be excellent if you would carefully include several words from the previous three steps in each set of dictation sentences!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServicePaige,
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns and suggestions with us! I’m passing these excellent tips along to our curriculum development team.
You may consider pulling out and reviewing 3 to 5 mastered words from the previous few steps to review daily. Shuffled them before choosing them, so it is mixed review. I have found this to be very helpful for my kids that seem to master concepts easily but then quickly forget. And occasionally, when I feel they need even more review, I pull 10 cards and then randomly pick 2 to use together to make silly dictation sentences. Doing this extra review is part of our total 15 to 20 minutes of spelling a day, not in addition to it. That means we sometimes have to go slower through the steps, but it’s what they need.
But I will pass these great suggestions along. Again, thank you.
Paige
says:Thank you! That is basically what I do. Any word they struggled with go on a list, or if they don’t have any misspelled words, I pick two of the hardest words to add to the list. At the end of each step, I take several words from the list to make extra sentences. Some steps take two or three weeks if they need lots of extra sentences. Thanks again!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceIt sounds like you have a great system worked out for reviewing with your kids, Paige. I have shared your suggestions with our curriculum development team and they will be taking them in consideration for future updates. Thank you!
Sarah
says:Teaching them not only how to read but also how to learn. Wish I had understood the concept of frequent review in college!!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYes! Such a great reminder that all learning needs frequent review, Sarah. Reviewing periodically throughout the semester is much, much more effective than two days of cramming before the final!
Steph
says:I’ll admit to being frustrated in the past when my child can’t seem to remember something I thought they “knew.” Review is probably needed.
Amanda
says:The reminder that you need to do more review right after a concept is learned was helpful. It should be obvious, but sometimes I leave a bigger gap than we should when we review. Not so much with AAS/AAR, because it’s built in, but with other subjects.
Jocelyne
says:I so look forward to doing this program with my kids. They are all struggling in their own way and i hope with starting at the beginning we can overcome all issues!
Leslie Ness
says:Thank you!
Stephanie Gray
says:Fabulous information! Thank you!
Susan Williams
says:Review, review, review is very important! Enjoyed the blog.
Jennifer
says:I really like how AAR and AAS have so much built-in review, plus fun review games! It helps so much without my kids getting bored.
Melissa
says:This is great, thank you!
M.S. Weeks
says:The resources are great and I like the fact that the curriculum is straight forward, easy to understand without over complicating with a ton of educator specific jargon.
Shelley Whitehead
says:this is my first year doing your program. this has helped my struggling reader who is 11yrs old. i only of one book because of my budget at the moment. i would love to have more becasue of how beneficial
Ali
says:Great resources. Thank you for all your support!
Heidi Lassila
says:Great tips! I agree, review is essential!
Staci Dickey
says:My son struggles with spelling and remembering what he has just learned…I am excited about this curriculum
Janie Trask
says:My mom sent me this and I love it! We review with loads of multi-sensory opportunities and practices. She has a special one everyday and then we test at the end of the week.
Jennifer Cordova
says:Wonderful points to remember, we have been using all about pre-reading and level 1 and the excercises used has already made my children better readers. Thank you!
Carrie Penwitt
says:AAR has been a blessing to my daughter and given me the confidence I need to continue teaching all of my kids. She is doing great. Can’t wait to try AAS.
April
says:I’ve been using AAS for 4 years now. It’s helped my daughter with some learning delays tremendously.
Jennifer K.
says:Thank you for the opportunity to win and thank you for this article. I need all the help I can get. LOL
River
says:Great tips! The one that stuck out to me the most was the importance of multi-sensory reviewing. I definitely needed this reminder to review with my daughter-Thank you!
Nancy Jones
says:Some great ideas. Multisensory helps kiddos learn
Lisa
says:I’ve noticed a difference when we review…and when we don’t. Thank you for the confirmation and reminder.
Patti Bottino Bravo
says:Very valuable tips and strategies. Thank you.
Hawley
says:Thanks for sharing all of this!
Chantel Webre
says:This curriculum has greatly helped my 9 yo son. He was advanced in everything and then spelling came to a hault. Soaring with this amazing curriculum
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceChantel,
I’m glad to hear that All About Spelling is helping your son being able to advance with spelling as he can with everything else! Sometimes all it takes is a different approach to move from frustration to understanding.
Jennie
says:Thank you for the free download! This looks really helpful.
Courtney
says:I think I am falling in love with this curriculum! It sounds so wonderful for my dyslexic gifted daughter!
Melissa Schechinger
says:Your blog posts are always insightful as well as helpful reminders for me. Sometimes I struggle with being patient with my children’s pace of learning, since school concepts came to me so easily.
Annamari
says:I agree with Kari on this stage I am trying to convince the school to buy the program for their struggle readers. but I wish I can win it to help my grandson
Tyonna Marshall
says:When I was in school, I recall doing things over and over. Now everything seems t be about progress, not mastery and comprehension. This method worked for me and I agree that, the review is a huge chunk of mastering a subject. Believe it So much, I have a full day out of our week dedicated to review.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceTyonna,
I love that you dedicate a day a week for review! It’s such a great way to approach mastery, and mastery builds confident learners. Thanks for sharing this idea.
Kim
says:Just love your Review Methods…after all its the Stickability in Da Brain…that we are after…many thanks
AnnMarie Tibbitts
says:Thank you for all your tips you send! They are fun and helpful!!
Allie G
says:These are great tips
Jessi Thomas
says:This is a great reminder of why review is important for all subjects!
Shanda Bradford
says:Just ordered All About Reading and hoping for great results.
Jolene
says:I love all about reading. My granddaughter couldn’t read. I started her on all about reading 1 and had great success. We are now on level on level 3 and she is a great reader. I had such great success with all about reading that I am going to try all about spelling
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJolene,
How exciting that your daughter is doing so well with All About Reading! I love hearing about those that struggled moving to success!
Asima Saleem
says:this sounds very good and effective. thank you
Karin Owens
says:One of my children struggles terribly with this. It is very frustrating for me, probably for both of us but he typically acts like he doesn’t really care. We have just started AAS level 6 and cards he supposedly seemed to have mastered before, he’s now struggling with and guessing at like they’re completely new. This struggling with long term memory is not unique to spelling for him though. It’s global for him, affecting all areas of learning for him. I’m hopeful the ebook may be helpful. Thank you.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKarin,
I’m sorry you and your child are frustrated with this. I understand, as a couple of my children have similar problems. I found it very helpful to review 2 each of the mastered yellow, red, and blue cards each day and 5 of the mastered green cards. I am having great success with it. I use an index card in the mastered section of each color. I shuffle all the cards, and then put the index card at the back. Each day I draw 2 yellow cards, 2 red cards, 2 blue cards, and 5 green cards from the front of the mastered sections. If my student gets them correct without hesitation they get filed behind the index card in the back of the mastered section. If he doesn’t get them correct they go back into the review section and get reviewed daily for at least a week. At the end of the week, I put them back in mastered but mixed in in front of the index card so that they will be reviewed again within another week. When the index card works it’s way to the front, I know it’s time to shuffle the cards again and put the index card to the back.
This system allows for a periodic review between when something is initially mastered and when it comes up in the mid-book or end-of-book Mastered Review.
You can make similar short of spaced review (daily, weekly, monthly, so on) with concepts in all subjects, although I find it easier to choose a curriculum that does this sort of spaced review for me.
I hope the download is helpful, but if you have further questions or need anything, just ask!
Karin Owens
says:That’s an EXCELLENT idea!! I’m definitely going to try this for spelling. And,yes, incorporating something similar in other subjects would be useful, I believe. The trouble is I’m not good at figuring out how to come up with stuff like that. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated! Sometimes I feel like we take one step forward in learning and two steps back. Thanks again!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKarin,
I should have added that my student’s review box contains all the yellow, red, and blue cards going all the way back to Level 1. My kids would occasionally still get a level 1 card wrong, even into levels 5 and 6! And their review box contains all the cards from the level they are on, plus any cards they had trouble with when we did a master review from the previous level. And, if they misspell a word during spelling lesson time that they really should know, I make a green card from it (write the word on an index card with a green marker) and put it into review as well.
As for other subjects, one way I review simply bring up things when we read, discuss, grade, and so on. I just naturally ask lots of questions when I am in teaching mode (which is a LOT of the time with 5 kids, plus I teach science in co-op and Sunday School at church). Whenever I see a connection to a previous thing learned, I ask questions to get them thinking in that direction as well. Often it relates directly to the subject we are studying, but sometimes we discuss connections with something we learned in another subject. Making connections between different subjects and between school and life experiences is a powerful learning tool too.
You could also adapt AAS’s review box for other subjects, jotting yourself notes of concepts, etc, on index cards. Marie did this before she wrote AAS and AAR. She explains her system briefly in this Organizational Tools I Couldn’t Homeschool Without blog post.
However, I also go out of my way to choose curriculum that has built-in review as well. For example, this semester we are doing Mystery of History volume 3. It schedules the students to make “Memory Cards” (index cards with a few notes) for every lesson and then schedules a review worksheet or quiz every three lessons. We are currently on lesson 40, but today my students had a list of 32 history men and women that we have studied so far this year and they had to categorize them (categories were things like “artist”, “king/tsar/sultan”, “reformer”, “scientist”, and a few others). For math, my kids that need regular math review use Math-U-See which includes a number of “systemic review” pages in every lesson (a lesson can last a week or two, depending on how fast the student masters the material).
It can take some trial and error to find the best way of teaching each unique child, but you can find the right mix. Please let me know if you have questions.
Karin Owens
says:Oh thank you so so much! You have been incredibly helpful!! I wish I was as good a teacher as you obviously are. Perhaps you could come over and teach him. Lol
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceOh, you will be a wonderful teacher after you have 16+ years experience too! I have lots of ideas and such because I’ve been doing it since 2002.
Do let me know if you have questions or need anything!
Karin Owens
says:Thanks! You would think so, but he’s much different and SO much harder to teach than my two girls. This is actually my 16th year homeschooling. I suppose I should be able to do better, but he definitely stretches me. Lol I very much appreciate all your help and tips!
Dawn
says:Just beginning AAR 1, already it is make no such a difference. He’s excited and willing to try. AAS has been a great success with my older kids too. Love them, they’re easy to use abc it works.
Melissa Whitbeck
says:We just started AAS Level 1 today with my third grader. He seems to like it. I am thinking of getting AAR for my first grader. She has a hard time remembering sight words, even the simple ones like “the” and “said”.
Tara
says:Great information! Thank you!!
Sara
says:We love using our favorite board games. Before she can take her turn, she must answer a question, read a word on a flash card, etc.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceUsing games like this is a great way to keep reviewing fun! Thanks for sharing the idea, Sara.
Sarah
says:Very helpful! Thanks!
Ruth
says:I’m always impressed by how helpful your blog posts are. Thank you!
Delina Aldridge
says:I was the short term memory homeschooled kid, I always crammed right before a test and got the grade I wanted but I would like to do things differently for my two sons. Thanks for the great tips!
Mary Schuh
says:This makes so much sense! I definitely need to review more with my son.
Melissa
says:This was very helpful, I’m a homeschool newbie and never even considered short term vs long term memory.
Kimberly Rand
says:I have taught many students with STM issues and have found that multisensory ways of learning and repetition are very effective when they are used together.
Nichole Tranguch
says:Wow this article and this site is amazing! Thank you for all the great helpful ideas!
Ashley Turner
says:What a great program! Working out way through AAR level 1! Planning on starting AAS when we are finished with AAR level 1 so I can do AAS without AAR level 2. Love the program!
Brianna
says:Just got AAS 1 and AAR 1. I can’t wait to dive into it. I love that they have it scripted for you and all planned out. Great tips!
Renae Burks
says:Thank you for the reminder on taking the time to review often and more consistently. AAS has been more of a challenge for him than AAR. Review is necessary for him with spelling especially as he gets the concept the 2 days it takes to teach the step as he can pick out the trend or know that all are spelled using an “ea” for example but has a harder time applying the rule later in review or when the words show up in later steps in dictation sentences. We are trudging through steadily- sometimes take a time out with only review happening and no new lessons. Thank you so much for the great curriculum and articles!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceRenae,
Spelling is definitely more challenging for most students than reading. However, it sounds like you have a great approach to slow down and review as needed to allow the concepts to stick!
Florine Bowman
says:We are halfway through Level 1 and it’s a method that my daughter enjoys very much. It’s a good refresher of her previous dyslexia classes at school.
Katie
says:My daughter has struggled with learning to read, but I can already see the progress she’s made in such a short time using AAR!
Maria
says:My child would benefit greatly from this program!
Sheila
says:Great reminder for how important the review is each lesson!! Thanks! We love AAR!
Kari
says:I’ve been researching this spelling curriculum and I would love to win it!
Brandi
says:Thank you! This seems very helpful, I can’t wait to use some of these tips!
Donna Mauney
says:Very helpful! Thanks!
Nadine Jenkins
says:We are loving the all about reading kit we purchased. I started my son on level 4, but wish we would have started at a lower level. But, it has been his favorite subject this year.
Dawn
says:This is so true! Review is key to learning anything new if you want to retain the information. Great article.
Tiffany S
says:Great information!
Kim
says:Thank you!
Alexandra Campeau
says:Great info! Thanks for sharing :)
Dawn Gierman
says:Thank you for this valuable information.
Kelly
says:Great tips!
Julie
says:We love aas and aar! Review is really key, my son is finally making huge strides using both your programs!
Nicole
says:We just started AAS 1 with our oldest (6) and are really enjoying it. I’m very grateful for this resource and for all of the additional tips and materials you provide.
Laura
says:Review is so important and I love how it is built in to the AAS program! One question I have is how often is it recommended that I use the various cards with each step. Should I do key cards, phonogram cards, etc. every day or spread it out over the days that I am teaching the step?
Shelly
says:This is a question I have, too. I usually do all the cards each day before continuing the lesson, but it sometimes makes for a long lesson. I usually try not to go more than 20 minutes, but then I may only get 5-10 minutes of new material & practice.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceShelly,
It’s fine to spend only 5 or 10 minutes on new material and practice in the book! Even if you spend 4 days for each step, children who start Level 1 by 8 years old or so will still finish Level 7 before high school or shortly thereafter. And that is a fine time to finish Level 7 since it covers up through high school level spelling.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat question, Laura!
Once a card is introduced in a step, keep reviewing it daily until your student has shown mastery of it. Yes, that may mean doing one or two phonogram cards, one or two sound cards, a key card or two, and possibly ten word cards daily as a part of review. Don’t move onto the next step until your student has mastered most, if not all, of the cards.
And if you have a student that tends to master things and then forget them a week or two later, consider reviewing a couple of mastered cards every day too. I have two children that need regularly on-going review of the mastered cards to keep them truly mastered, so each day I review two each of the yellow, red, and blue mastered cards (going all the way back to level 1 but all shuffled together so it is mixed) and five of the mastered green cards (just the ones from the current level plus any from the previous level that proved troublesome when we reviewed all the cards before finishing the last level). Any card they don’t know without difficulty goes back into daily review for at least a week. This has been very helpful for my kids and takes just a few minutes at the beginning of each day’s lesson time. I do have two other students, however, that don’t need this sort of reviewing so I don’t do it with them.
I hope this helps, but let me know if you have more questions.
Kim
says:I’m using this program for some dyslexic students in my class. They are loving it, and are super excited to do their lesson everyday!
Jeannie
says:Thank you for the opportunity to learn & win!
Cathy
says:Thank you! The timing of this was perfect. I just ran into this issue and will incorporate more review from now on.
Jenny
says:LOVING All about Spelling for our 11 year old!
Judith Martinez
says:My 6 year old loves playing with the rhyming word cards. It’s tempting to think she should have it by now but all of that review is obviously really good for her.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJudith,
I know what you mean, but it is so important to keep reviewing until the child truly masters it. One thing I found helpful is to not just stop reviewing something, but rather to taper it off. So after reviewing daily for a while, I then let it go for a few days and pull it out again. If they still know it after a few days, then I put it away for a week or two. In this way, I can be sure it is really mastered, or put it back into daily review.
Melissa Q.
says:I have recently realized the importance of reviewing in our studies. With two very different learners in the house, I see how much more important and necessary the reviewing process is to one learner compared to the other. When we started slacking in our reviewing, it really hampered progress. But we are back on track and have implemented extra reading time to Dad when he comes home at night! This has helped a ton!!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceMelissa,
Extra reading with Dad, or another family member, is a great way to get some extra review in a fun and social way!
Thank you for sharing your experience with the different needs children may have in regards to review.
Deanna Marissa
says:Thank you for posting such useful info. My kids are not that much good with reading and spelling.
Christina
says:I appreciate the new information I have received today. I intend on sharing it with our staff. Thanks!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are welcome, Christina.
Debbie Gonzalez
says:thank you for explaining why my child is having a hard time with his reading and spelling.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceDebbie,
Please let us know if you have specific questions about your child’s learning or anything else. We love to help.
Tasneem
says:It would help if u have a demonstration video for the above
Sara M
says:Good ideas. Thank you for posting this. We struggle with this so often here are out hours. Hoping to incorporate some of these ideas.
Merry at AALP
says:I hope it’s going better for you, Sara. Definitely feel free to end lessons after 20 minutes or so. Short, daily lessons tend to provide better long-term retention than long sessions where the child is too tired to give his or her full attention. Hang in there!
Karen Mahler
says:Thank you for this helpful step by step reminder. I look forward to implementing more consciously into our spelling lessons.
Maria
says:I found that review really is necessary. My daughter is somehow able to spell her words correctly during most lessons. I guess she sees the patterns as they are taught. She gets a little lazy afterwards and stops thinking about the rules. I originally thought she was a new Einstein or Shakespeare or something until we did our first review. It gave me the chance to really study the lessons a second time with her and it really stuck.
PS. She is now on her third level, but we still go through things from the first two books.
Alicia Marcum
says:Thank you so much for taking the time to write these posts. These tips really help me to be able to help my daughter! :)
Nancy Barth
says:Review is so important! I need to remember that!
Taisa
says:This is really helpful. The review built into AAR is helping my children so much to take off with their reading. I am so glad we found this program!
Karen H
says:We started using All About Spelling this year and I’ve already seen a difference in their spelling. The boys now sound out words and catch themselves when they spell something wrong. It’s been a good fit with our curriculum; easy for mom to use and the kids like it because it seems easy to them also.
Edith
says:Enjoyed the memory articles, perfect for some better strategies in teaching my children.
Tammy Boland
says:I homeschool my 9 year-old son who is an excellent reader, but he struggles with spelling. I would love to try
your All About Spelling program with him. This program could stop all the tears. Thanks Marie!
Kat
says:Great info!
Laura K
says:I found that we had a problem when it came to spelling vowel-consonant-e words. We had gone through the lessons in AAS – and reviewed ALL of the words under the “more words” section – and I still had a kid that was using long vowel sounds without the silent “e” at the end.
So I just practiced and practiced with him. Every time he misspelled a v-c-e word, I asked him to read the word back to me – and he would read the vowel as a long sound, even when he had forgotten the silent e at the end. Two months later – doing spelling everyday – and giving him at least one v-c-e word every day – HE IS NOW CORRECTING HIMSELF.
I guess practice (and patience) really does make perfect! Thanks for the reminder!
San
says:Love this. I need to do with not only my child but myself. Thank you.
Marisa
says:These were very helpful tips! This program looks great for my six-year-old son who has just started to read.
Sherry
says:Thanks! Any time I work with youngsters, I am reminded about how many other things are competing for their time and efforts, these memory tricks really help!
Sarah
says:This blog series is really giving me great tips for helping my dyslexic son. Thank you so much!
Marie Rippel
says:You are so welcome, Sarah!
Mindy Shearer
says:Good reminder that review is important.
Melissa
says:I am grateful to have found this site. My son has a lot of learning difficulties and he is learning well.
Theresa
says:AAS has definitely improved my reluctant 13-year old son’s spelling. The “sticking” part is still a challenge for him, but the ample review opportunities in AAS are absolutely necessary and helpful. We’re currently on Level 3 and will continue on with Level 4. Thank you.
Melody
says:“Making it stick”………that’s a tough one, especially for us adults!
Susan D
says:This article was very helpful for understanding the importance of long-term, permanent learning, Thank you. We love AAR and AAS!!!
Amanda Creighton
says:This is my first year using AAS and AAR and I’m rrally impressed with the program. I love the built in multi-sensory work. It really drills home the concepts! Can’t wait for more.
Scarlett
says:Just wanted to say what a wonderful program this is! I’ve been homeschooling my boys for 5 years & tried a few spelling curriculums. All About Spelling is the best we’ve tried! I love the way that the spelling rules are broken down & explained thoroughly & my boys love using the tiles. I truly believe one reason this program is so effective is because it engages so many of the senses. I always recommend AAS to anyone that is searching for a great spelling program. Thanks for helping my boys learn in such a great way!
Shaura
says:It would be nice if we didn’t have to “re-learn” the sight words every time we see them. I would love to try this program with our 5 year old son.
Marie Rippel
says:Hi Shaura,
Here’s a short video that explains why students don’t have to re-learn the sight words over and over: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLc7_EhuL1k . Hope this gives you additional insight!
Jennifer W
says:We have been using AAS and AAR for a little over 1 year and it has really improved the skill set of my struggling reader/speller. She is finally almost up to grade level, which is quite an achievement. The memory series has been helpful to reinforce for me the important skills. Loving it all. Thank you for an excellent set of products.
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceI’m thankful to hear that your daughter has succeeded so amazingly with her reading in the last year! Thanks for sharing her progress with us!
Christie
says:I wish I was taught with these amazing programs for reading and spelling when I was younger. My 6-year-old son just finished level 1 for reading and now we’ve started level 2. We also just purchased level 1 for spelling. My son is doing very well with fluency now and has become a more confident reader and soon-speller. :) He really enjoys the activity pages and hands-on approach! Love AAR and AAS!
Lydia R.
says:It’s great that AAS has built-in review. So far it takes my 6.5-y.o. less than a year to finish one level (We’re on step 22 out of 25 in level two, and it’s only been six months), so I’ve been doing word/phrase reviews during the break between levels.
After we’re finished with level two, I plan on teaching him reading/writing in Bahasa Indonesia and Mandarin (which we haven’t touched since last spring). We’ll start level three starting second grade, or earlier if he asks for it.
Shannon
says:Great tips! Thank you!
Teresa
says:Im excited about this series for my son
Shay
says:Thanks this is very helpful!
Ashleigh Swerdfeger
says:This is such an important concept. Reviewing after every session really helps makes the material stick. I know review was helpful even at school :)
Christine
says:This memory series is helpful.
Maria
says:I am homeschooling my child… we have struggles here and there. These are very helpful information.
A. May
says:I love the review section at the beginning of each lesson!
Carolyn Edgar
says:Such great information – thank you!
Jennifer
says:It is frustrating when my daughter forgets something and I have to teach it, as though it were completely new to her. I want to teach, and then move on to the next thing! Thanks for the reminder that review is necessary. It definitely helps her feel more confident and smart, too, when we review, even though (in fact, especially when) she already knows everything I’m saying.
L Klassen
says:Thanks for the great programs! Good info and reminders:)
Susanne
says:Thank you for the great tips and reminders!
Kara
says:Thanks for this reminder- I am really bad at skipping past the review at the beginning of the lessons!
momof5athome
says:I am enjoying this series and am implementing the ideas now for my daughter with special needs.
Cristi Caston
says:I just found your blog and I’m so glad i did! I can’t wait to read this whole series, thank you got posting it! :)
Melissa Bell
says:Great advice, I believe multi sensory is the way to go
Jen
says:This describes the issues my oldest has. He has some learning challenges, which sometimes baffle me. I will be looking more into this to try to help him.
Amy Moeller
says:My daughter loves All About Spelling. We can’t wait to try All About Reading, and the memory curriculums.
Ann
says:We use both AAS and AAR and while I sometimes want to omit the memory work/review each day, I have come to realize after years of homeschooling how important it is to building on past principles.
Corinne Ball
says:Great info. Some of these tips could be applied to Bible memory, too.
Lisa Pack
says:This blog post is very helpful. I realize I am not doing enough review and am motivated to make it more of a DAILY priority. Thank you for the continued support!
Lisa Knight
says:All About Reading has been a life saver for my very active 8 year old boy. The light bulb has come on and he is reading! We are just finishing up level 2 and I am amazed at his progress and emerging fluency! He does not complain about doing his “green books” and enjoys the hands on activities! Also, when he gets stumped on a word, I remind him of the rule he learned and he is able to remember. Thank you!!!
Marie Rippel
says:Congratulations to you and your son for completing Level 2, Lisa!!!
Joanna
says:Thanks for the extra support with these articles. I am thankful to have started AAR now, and plan on continuing doing so with all four children as well as beginning AAS in another month or two. This program does not compare with two others that I have used in early reading as far as repetition in so many different ways. Thanks!
Marie Rippel
says:Thanks for sharing your experience with us! I’m glad that the built-in review has been helpful for your four children!
Kelly
says:I love that review is built in!
Jennifer O.
says:I love how All About Reading has review built in !
Susan
says:For some reason, the concept of repetition with the same wording has really burned itself into my mind this school year. I’ve worked on doing that way more than usual with our spelling. I’m hoping that my phrases will embed themselves into the minds of my kids, especially the ones who struggle with spelling, so that thinking through the word parts and their spellings will become more automatic and less troublesome.
Carla
says:This looks like a program that would really be good for my Son.
Haley
says:We love your system. I did not use it for my oldest and the difference in spelling retention is amazing. It has been so much easier to teach reading and spelling using your programs. Thank you for making them available.
Bre
says:Sounds very interesting! Want to look into this further.
Penny
says:Love your program, and I’m seeing my girls spell correctly on words they have mastered with your system
Karen
says:This is a good reminder, not to give up on review… even when it might not be as exciting as introducing new material :) Thanks!
Hannah Wetzel
says:Do you have any thoughts on selective memory? Haha.
Our kids seem to have an amazing memories but I know from experience growing up that a lesson never dies and become who we are after much repetition. Thanks for sharing!
Marie Rippel
says:Ha! Sorry, Hannah, I don’t have any help for selective memory. Bribing with chocolate, perhaps? ;)
jenny dalley
says:Thanks for the help!
Jen Brunsvold
says:Love these methods and they really work!
Kirsten Simonsgaard
says:I truly love that all that review is built right in at the right times in the right amounts. That is so much planning for one home school mom to even think about as we gather our materials and make our lesson plans. That fact that it is already thought out is fantastic! I only have to follow the program!
Tesha
says:Thanks for the reminder! My husband and I are trying to learn to speak the Thai language, and we are also homeschooling our kids. In our family, review is important for all of us, young and old!
Paige
says:This is such great info! Thanks!
Mary Alice
says:Very, very helpful series! Nuggets of gold in these posts.
Pamela Ward
says:Love how you emphasized the importance of PLANNED review. I needed that review about review!
Gwyneth Kramer
says:Thank you for this insightful post! It’s interesting to learn how one of my children struggle to remember, while the other seems to remember everything with ease! I will be using this method with my daughter in the future!!
Alisha Lamar
says:Very insightful! Thanks!
Lara G
says:Thank you for this helpful post! It is very frustrating when I feel I JUST taught them something. I think summer is a great time to make sure the review is up to date. :)
Tauni
says:I love AAR and AAS! My kids are doing so well with it and learning the mechanics of spelling and reading in a fun way! As a classical homeschooler, memory work is a part of our regular day. I love that your programs reinforce new materials, review old materials, and that the spelling program has the Key Word Cards for memory work! Thank you for wonderful curriculum!
Kim
says:This was helpful to read. We love how review is written right into the lesson making it a very approachable and useable program for us to teach our kids to read!
Natalie Adams
says:I started the All About Reading Pre-level this year with my daughter. For a couple months, she was learning about 2 or 3 letters a week. I would always make her point out the letter we were learning in one of the stories or poems. Later in the week, I would ask what the letter is again. She kept forgetting most of the letters we learned, so I started to worry if I was moving to fast or not doing things right. I kept moving forward, regardless. A couple weeks ago we were reading a story and my daughter randomly started pointing out letters. She was getting them all correct! I was very shocked! I asked a couple days before some of those same letters and she was getting them wrong. I finally saw the review pay off. Even though she kept getting letters wrong, I would kept pointing them out and asking again later. This program so far has definitely paid off : )
Merry at AALP
says:That’s great, Natalie, Congratulations!
Ashley H
says:I love how often I am reminded to review in both programs! :)
Connie Herman
says:I’ve enjoyed the posts on qt he blog and have shared them with other teachers.
Tammy
says:We work hard on reviewing regularly in every subject! It really does make it “stick.”
Melanie B.
says:Great information!!
Sharon Joffey
says:Looks like some very useful material that I could make good use of.
Erin
says:This looks great!
Deidra Smurthwaite
says:Thanks for the great ideas!
Amy Combs
says:great ideas! thank you!!
Karen
says:These are such good ideas..very helpful.
Melissa O.
says:Great ideas. We just got our first All About Spelling in the mail. Can’t wait to start. :)
Marie Rippel
says:Hi Melissa! If you have any questions as you get started with All About Spelling, feel free to contact us! We have lifetime support! support@allaboutlearningpress.com or 715-477-1976
Brina
says:Thanks for the great ideas!
Andrea saunders
says:There are great ideas. I am definitely going to be trying this with my kids.
Jenn
says:Building review into the lesson is so important, because it’s tempting to skip review when you’re short on time, especially if you have to do an additional step and plan the review.
Diana
says:The built in review in AAS is great for us, and I finally developed a system for it. No matter where we are in the lesson, we pull out the box for review every Monday.
Marie Rippel
says:That’s a great plan, Diana!
Laura Freeman
says:Planning – YES! Love the photos with your posts.
Marie Rippel
says:Thanks for your comment, Laura! The photos were taken by Robin Williams, one of our customer care representatives. She is a homeschool mom and AAR and AAS user. I’ll make sure that she knows that you love her photos! :)
Angela N
says:I love how well AAS AND AAR fit with our Classical Ed homeschooling approach. We love how mastery is built into the curriculum!
Amylee
says:This is a great post, we experience this on a day to day basis. I’m beginning to think we have a little asynchronous child on our hands – at 4.5yrs she excels at math and science but has absolutely no interest in reading at all. We’ve tried everything and it just doesn’t stick. Yesterday I asked her what sound ‘G’ made and she answered “baaaaaaah” (The sound of a goat, which is the animal we’ve been associating with G). Hilarious and frustrating all at the same time!
Sandie Stone
says:I just love your materials, easy to use and yet very effective for all students. I wish school districts would purchase your materials instead of the “curriculum” that they do purchase.
Merry at AALP
says:Actually, many public and private schools do just that! Sometimes at the suggestion of parents who have seen it work with their own kids.
Corrie
says:I love the multi-sensory sticky hand idea! I use that with other subjects too.
Kara
says:Thank you so much for the reminder to review and for some ideas in how to do that. I can’t wait to incorporate this more in our AAS program.
amanda burt
says:Great reminders and nice to know that it is normal. Great article.
Mindy
says:We use AAR1 going onto Level 2 and AAS level 1, love the different actives to help things stick!!! Thank you
Sarah Kusznir
says:We have the “he knew this yesterday” moments all the time! Great article!
R Goff
says:And this is why we love All About Spelling! It works! And no matter the style of learning- it’s covered!
Amanda King
says:I really like using multi sensory activities to help kids remember important information. Great Article!
Melanie Johnston
says:We absolutely love your program & blog!! Thank you so much! Memory skills are exactly what we work on consistently along with our guy’s speech therapy program! Thanks again so much! (ps We LOVE Ziggy ;)
Marie Rippel
says:I will pass along your kind words to Ziggy! :) Thanks for commenting, Melanie!
Sarah
says:We run into this all the time. Thank you for the post.
Rachel
says:Thank you for this post! This makes total since. That is what we are missing with hooked on phonics. My son is doing super learning the material but when it comes to the review work (1 page of words from the past lessons) he does TERRIBLE. There is no application. No worksheets, no hands on learning. I NEEEEEED this program! Selling homeschool material on eBay to be able to purchase. On a stay at home mom budget we must sell something before we buy…keeps the clutter down so not complaining!! Praying my old curriculum sells quick! So glad I found your program through Carissa!
karen
says:We’ve never tried AAR before, but it may be a fit for my DD.
Tracey
says:We LOVE All About Spelling at our house and would love to try All About Reading! :)
Gena
says:I love the various review methods that are built into All About Reading and Spelling.
Jess Benoit
says:I have this problem all the time! Thanks for the great post :)
JANEEN
says:This would be perfect for my 2 boys!
Kerri Briesmiester
says:Can’t wait to receive my new program and get started!
Barrett Russell
says:I am new to researching AAR and AAS. This is excellent information.
Kristen Riley
says:After years of trying to help my son feel confident with his spelling, AAS has been the key!
Deann
says:Very helpful! My daughter speeds through the reading lessons so this helps me understand how to help her retain info.
Katie
says:Thank you so much for this post. I am finding my son is really good at the short term memory…not so much the long term. ;) I have been able to turn many of the key cards into little chants…several are worded perfectly for chants.
Jill
says:I appreciate the script when teaching my daughter with AAR. We finished level 1 and have moved on to level 2. To help her remember old words, I also have been having her re-read the sentence pages in level 1 in the student book. I also think it helps her to be able to get most of the words without sounding them out. It builds her confidence. We are really enjoying our AAR!
Rebecca Wormer
says:I am homeschooling multiple grades and it’s quite a challenge at times. My 2nd grader has been struggling in spelling and I’ve been looking for a program that will work for her – she is VERY tactile oriented. And I also want something that my 1st grader and pre-K guys can grow with. This looks much better than other programs that we have tried so far. I can’t wait to check it out!
Joy
says:We use All About Spelling and I would like to also start using All About Reading.
J Bagley
says:Thank you for these resources! I’m new to homeschooling and am very excited about using All About Reading.
Crystal
says:Thanks for the helpful hints!!
Stacy Riley
says:I have seen my youngest struggle with understanding and retaining new information. Reading this has given me a new understanding and new ideas to work with her. I am so excited about the program.
Rebecca Stewart
says:Great advice! This is why I loved morning work when I taught school: review!
tina banes
says:love it!
Christy Campbell
says:Our family loves AAR and AAS. We have used both from the beginning and are up to level three in reading and spelling. Thank you for an incredible resource!
kristen
says:I have AAR Levels 1 & 2 – used them with my 2nd grader and am now using level 1 with my kindergartner and preschooler (who love to do school together :-). Love your curriculum and look forward to using future levels and we progress!!
Christina
says:I am SOOOOOOOO excited to try this program! I have 4 boys and 1 girl. She was reading at age 5 already and my boys have no interest in reading at all:( really hoping this will help!!:)
Ralene Burke
says:Yes! I definitely think I need to make sure to review more. I just need to make reviewing more fun. My daughter gets bored with review, so I’m tempted to skip it–but then a few lessons later . . .
jen t.
says:Yes!!! I do feel like things don’t stick. Often. I really think I would like to try this with my son.
Jenn
says:I would like to try this with my daughter!
Gale
says:Excellent article. I am thinking about how I can build review into some of the other subjects we learn too.
But it also make me wonder how someone can improve their short term memory. That’s where I have trouble….always forgetting keys, where I parked, where I put stuff, things I needed to do that day.
Merry at AALP
says:I hear you, Gale! For things like keys (and purse!), one helpful strategy is to have a “landing spot” where you always put things. It can take some time to ingrain that idea if you get distracted by carrying other things at the same time, but consistency pays off.
For “where I parked,” I’ve found it helps if I make myself pay attention. I used to just park and go and not think about it until I got back out. Now I try to notice the surroundings more–are there any markers, am I near a certain door–things like that.
Things I need to do–well, I really need my to-do list!
Helen
says:I just ordered the pre-reading books for my high functioning autistic son. He is 7. I am looking
forward to this program with Ziggy zebra.
Stacy Duncan
says:Just bought the 1st level of this program! I can’t wait to try it!
Lisa Peters
says:I have been looking into your programs for over a year now. I just started homeschooling my 5 yo son and I think these resources will be excellent for him! I love the way you go about teaching it!