We are in AAS 1 and I still don’t understand how to use the green cards. Is the student supposed to read them, or spell them orally? I don’t remember seeing anything about them in the book, but maybe I missed something.

We’ve been struggling with school in general lately, but I love how easy it is to quickly “fit in” a spelling lesson (or reading with AAR!) for each of my kids. I have four using both AAR and AAS (plus two older students), so quick and easy is a life saver for me!

We are on Level 4. We worked through Level 3 twice because my daughter just wasn’t grasping the concepts. The second time went faster and stuck. I can’t imagine trying to finish a Step in just one day! We usually stretch it out over a full week so there is time to practice the new teaching, patterns, and dictation. Twenty minutes per day sounds about right.

Looking forward to starting All About Spelling soon. I just love how you are able to adapt the amount of time you can spend on a lesson or words. It has been a great help with my daughter who happens to have Down syndrome.

My daughter is progressing very well thanks to AAR & AAS. We finished level 1 and are about to begin level 2. My daughter tends to get a bit lazy when it comes to spelling with tiles time. But when we’re done and we start spelling on paper, she’s thrilled to be able to easily spell each word she just practiced putting together. Thank you!

This sounds like a great program for my dyslexia students.

20 minutes is a good average time, but on day’s when it’s a struggle, I shorten the time a little, and on days when she’s breezing through I lengthen it a little.

I was having my child review all of the flash cards everyday. Once you’re far along on the lesson book, it very time consuming. My child did say that their favorite part is reviewing flash cards though. I have learned to chill and put more cards behind the “mastered ” file to cut down our lesson time.

15-30 minutes max on a lesson with a variety of activities in that time frame. My daughter has difficulty with focus but does so much better 1-1 with short lessons. I’m still trying to figure out timing as some curriculums have unequal lesson timing. I don’t like to leave lessons undone so it is nice to hear your suggestion of a timer and ending with a quick review the next day and then finish what is needed that next day.

We spend 15-20 minutes each for two kids, a Level 2 and Level 3. Before each step, I set up a “lesson plan sheet” for each day we will do the step, breaking it down into parts. For example, for the first day of a step, I write “Review Red Cards, “Blue cards,” “yellow cards” and put a check box by them. Then I write, “New teaching on board” with a check box. Next comes “spell words with tiles” and a check box. Then I number 1-10 with a space for the child to write 10 review words I dictate to him/her. Then “word bank” with a check box–for my Level 3 child, he does a different word bank every day. Day 2 is writing on paper 10 review words + 10 new words (I number 1-10 for each). The rest of the days are writing on paper. Day 3 is a mix of 5 new words + 10 review words, plus a few phrases or sentences. Day 4 is the same with the 5 other new words. Day 5 is the “more words” + review words, up to 15, plus a few phrases or sentences. Day 6 is the same if there are a lot of “more words.” Day 7 is ten “trouble words” from the previous 6 days and the rest of the sentences. It takes us 7 days per step, but as my children need a lot of review, this really helps them. Writing it all out with spaces for them to write the words and sentences each day keeps me organized, as I know when I look at the sheet what the spelling lesson needs to be. The check mark for word bank each day reminds them to do the word bank.

Thank you for the tips! I’m trying to get my bearings and a plan of action for when we start. Unfortunately, we aren’t homeschooling yet because our adoption isn’t finalized yet =( But, our young lady is very excited to be adopted and keeps asking if we can homeschool. So, hopefully next year we’ll be able to implement some of these ideas!

Consistency really is the key. Through small and simple things, great things really do happen. My son is living proof. My oldest son practically taught himself to read and was reading Jules Verne novels by age nine. Not the abriged or childdren’s adaptations but the real thing. For my second son, however, learning was super hard and exhausting for him. I tried and tried to teach him how to count when he was three, but he didn’t catch on until he was five and even then it was only to twenty and usually with mistakes in the teens. He was ten before he could read a second or third grade level book with any kind of ease or fluency. Teaching him how to read was gruelling, I felt like my eyes and ears were bleeding, he was exhausted and frustrated and so was I. I wish I had known about AAR then, because I think that it would have made a BIG difference. After doing some testing and finding some resources, we did find some exercises to help train the brain and he did learn how to read, but it was PAINFUL. Because we were so far “behind” I got worried and tried to play catch up. So I was always pushing him at the highest level possible. All that did was make us both frustrated, killed our love of learning and teaching and really made us farther behind. On top of all this, I was dealing with a chronic debilitating illness that made it difficult for me to be consistent because many days my body simply could not leave bed. But God is gracious and I finally learned how to change and how to do things a better way. I learned that we have to spend most of the learning time with our kids at a level where they feel comfortable and confident. I learned that I had to be as consistent as possible, and I learned that for kids with his learning challenges, you have to find the tools that speak to their brain. I was led to AAS and some other resources and ideas for math. No matter what we had tried for spelling before, it just didn’t work. When he was 11 and a half we found AAS. The consistent review, the step by step process really helped. I will be full on honest AAS made me feel like a genious teacher! All the info, was right there to walk him through simple processes that allowed complex ideas to become easy and understandable for him. We started looking forward to spelling each day and he started to gain confidence and believe in his ability to learn. There were no more tears and frustration. Learning started to be fun again. He has just turned 13 and we are in AAS level three. This level moves a little faster, and so I am finding that I have to take review days inbetween steps sometimes, but he is still progressing along rapidly. He is so much more confident when he has to write things. He was so embarrassed when he was around other youth his age and was put in a position where he had to write and coudln’t really do it. Now he feels so much more confident. These same concepts are working in math. Yesterday he completed a long division problem for the first time in his life. He was able to divide, subtract, bring down, repeat and put all the numbers in the right spot and figure out which times table, which after years of practice are still a little fuzzy, made things work. The biggest thing for him is keeping all the numbers in the right places, and keeping all the steps and processes in order, But as we have started to approach math and spelling more along the lines of how AAS breaks things down, he is starting to love learning and gain confidence. The keys: 1. Work at a level where your child feels comfortable and confident and learning can be fun, 2. Small consistent lessons and review work better than sporadic lessons or longer lessons that are pushing them to “catch up” and 3. Fnding curriculum like AAS that can make the learning process so much easier by multiple sensory methods, moving incrementally in a logical and consistent way and incorporating consistent review. 4. We are all unique individuals in unique circumstances don’t compare yourself or your children with anyone else. Relax and enjoy this time with your children. If you are worried because you have a struggling learner, there is help and there is hope. If my son can do it, so can yours!! I am very thankful for AAS.

Please give advice on spelling with a 14yo. We have done various spelling programmes over the years for years, and it just does not seem to stick. We have ‘dyslexia’ in the family but the other dc have improved whereas ds is still struggling. He can read, we use books all the time and he has a good memory but is making spelling mistakes like ‘wi’ for ‘why’ and ‘cum’ for ‘come’ – although other days he will get it right! Any advice? I want to keep him motivated, but don’t know how intense I should be making it. Thanks

Consistency is the
K.
E.
Y.
to allll homeschooling.
Its the biggest downfall of HS families and the biggest thing to make you succeed. Its amazing what you can accomplish in ten min a day even. At the end of the week, month, quarter, year…you will be astonished.
However, demands on the mom and undisciplined families make this very often not the norm.
Moms, be consistent. It is THE biggest thing you can do as a mom.
I am 50yo and have been hsling several decades. Hear my wisdom :)

Interested to learn more about this program