You may have noticed that language arts programs can be divided into two types: all-in-one programs and single-subject programs.
You may be wondering why we don’t combine our programs into a single All About® program. After all, wouldn’t it be more efficient to teach multiple subjects in the same program?
That’s a great question! Read on to discover the two main reasons we teach these subjects separately.
Simply put, reading is easier than spelling.
In reading, a child decodes the written word. Phonogram AY always says long A, so once a child learns that, reading words like stay and display is a straightforward task.
Even with a more complex phonogram—such as phonogram EA, which can say three sounds (/ē/, /ĕ/, or /ā/)—students can try out each of the three sounds to see which forms a real word. And the fact that students learn to recite the phonogram sounds in order of frequency is also helpful. In a word like thread, the student who tries out the first, most common sound of EA quickly realizes that /thrēd/ isn’t a real word, so she tries the second sound of EA, resulting in the real word /thrĕd/.
But in spelling, a child encodes the word. Ideally, there would be just one way to write each sound, but the reality is that there are many ways to write each sound. If a child wants to write the word great or neighbor, for example, he has to decide how the sound of long A should be written. Choices include A, AI, A-consonant-E, EIGH, EI, EY, or AY. There are some generalizations that can help narrow down the options, but the fact is that there are approximately 250 ways to spell the 45 speech sounds of the English language.
So even though reading and spelling are flip sides of the same coin, reading is easier.
Let’s do a quick demonstration. Read the words below.
You didn’t have any trouble reading them, did you?
But what if I asked you to spell them? (Without looking first, of course!) How would you do?
If you think you would have spelled all these words correctly, congratulations! You’re probably a better speller than most adults. Though most adults can easily read these words, many would misspell them.
With a basic understanding of phonics, a child should be able to read the word special without much trouble. But spelling the word special is a greater challenge because of that tricky /sh/ sound in the middle of the word.
See what I mean? Is it any wonder that so many children struggle with spelling? And that leads to the second reason we teach reading and spelling separately.
When you try to teach your child to read and spell the same words at the same time, you guarantee only one thing: one of these critically important subjects will fall by the wayside. That’s because there are two possible scenarios with programs that combine reading and spelling:
Scenario #1. Your child learns to read the words in the lesson, but he can’t move on to the next lesson because he’s still learning to spell those words. Without knowing it, you have chosen to focus on spelling at the expense of reading.
Scenario #2. Your child learns to read the words in the lesson, but although he’s still learning to spell the words, you decide to allow him to move on to the next lesson. You’ve chosen to focus on reading, so your child’s spelling suffers.
As you can see, it’s a no-win situation. All-in-one programs force you to choose one subject to the detriment of the other. But I don’t believe you should have to sacrifice your child’s learning in any subject.
With our single-subject approach, your child can succeed at both subjects. He can progress as quickly as possible in reading …
… and he can take as much time as he needs in spelling.
With this approach, your child can more easily achieve mastery in both reading and spelling, without sacrificing learning in either subject.
Do you think that teaching reading and spelling separately would make a difference for your kids?
Cindy
says:This explains the difference very well. Thank you!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Cindy!
Jane
says:I definitely believe that spending a few moments on the two separate subjects is best taught separate.
Cathleen
says:I also find that teaching reading and spelling at the same time makes them frustrated as well.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSo true, Cathleen.
Patty
says:I can’t wait to learn more about your products!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceDo you have any questions, Patty? Let me know. I’m happy to help!
Ariana
says:Thank you, that makes sense!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Ariana!
Nicole Merrick
says:Separating reading from spelling has been so helpful for my twin boys who were both recently diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. They are making steady progress and gaining confidence! Thanks for such a great program!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m so pleased to hear that your boys are making progress and that it is related to separating the instruction of reading and spelling. Thank you for sharing, Nicole!
Lindsay Johnson
says:Love this approach! My daughter is so excited to start AAS this month!
Haley
says:Thank you! This makes perfect sense to keep them separate and let the child progress in each one at their own pace.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Haley! Yes, most children make the best progress when they can work on each subject separately.
Mary Bedel
says:We just began AAS1 after finishing AAR1, and our daughter is already enjoying spelling more than reading. I can see that the spelling is coming easily because of all the work we put into reading in decoding the words, but given her level of enjoyment, I wonder if it’s possible to move ahead in spelling and have reading taught after. Is that a possibility now or should we keep the order of reading concepts first?
Thank you!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceMary,
At this point, we recommend working in both All About Reading and All About Spelling each day, separately. Allow your daughter to progress at her own pace in each, and if that means she gets ahead in spelling, that’s fine! It doesn’t happen often, but it works out that way for some children.
Melissa B.
says:We’ve been using the reading program for over a year but just started the spelling program. We love it! I now see how they work together, yet separately, to reinforce both reading and spelling skills.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThank you for sharing this, Melissa! It’s great to hear that All About Reading and All About Spelling are both working out well for you.
Allie Healy
says:I love the idea of teaching Spelling separately, as a kid I was always way above grade level in reading and an awful speller. I wish I would have learned to spell this way
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceWhat you experienced is common, Allie. Many people, children and adults, read much more easily than they can spell. I can’t spell mayonnaise without looking it up!
Kristin
says:Wow! I originally thought I wanted an all-in-one program, but now I see the benefits of separating reading and spelling. Excellent article!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad you found this helpful, Kristin! Yes, there are many benefits to teaching subjects separately. However, if you have questions or concerns, please let me know.
Emily
says:This makes so much sense. I had never really thought about it before and now I don’t know if I can un-think it.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this made sense for you, Emily!
Sherri Covington
says:I totally understand why to do these separate. My son can read but his spelling is horrible.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Sherri.
Tahrin
says:The information in reason #1 is brilliant. It makes sense to use the single-subject areas especially in these early years as we’re starting K in our house right now! I really hope to do your programs!
Kelly
says:Hi, I have a Special Needs kiddo. He has Autism & Dyslexia and probably ADHD in some form. He cannot read or spell. I’ve tried several Reading programs and he also spent the last 4 years in private special needs schools. I decided to homeschool him again with an emphasis on therapies and your mastery Reading / Spelling program (also using MathUsee) I’m starting him at level 1 in all about Reading. When should I introduce the level 1 all about Spelling? Thanks, Kelly
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKelly,
Yes. In this situation, we would recommend starting All About Spelling level 1 while working in All About Reading level 1. For students that have struggled with other reading programs, working on spelling can help. Spelling approaches words from the opposite direction and will provide additional review, as he needs to read each word he spells to ensure he spelled it correctly.
All About Reading (AAR) slowly introduces the letter sounds three or four about every other lesson. All About Spelling (AAS) reviews all the letter sounds in the early lessons. Because of this, it may be best to wait on AAS until your son gets to about lesson 16 of AAR level 1 when all the letters have been introduced.
AAS reviews all the sounds of all the letters at the beginning, but you can proceed forward in spelling as long as your son knows the first sound of each letter. He can then work on learning the rest of the sounds each letter makes while learning to spell words using the first sound. Our How to Teach Phonograms blog post includes printable games for reviewing letter and phonogram sounds.
I hope this helps, but let me know if you have further questions or need anything else.
Michelle
says:As a writing teacher I put a high value on my kids’ ability to read and spell.
Michelle
says:I am a writing teacher so I have a lot of personal charge around my kids’ reading and spelling capabilities. Choosing the right curriculum is giving me knots!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceDo you have any questions I can help you with, Michelle? We have a good overview video on All About Reading and All About Spelling here (just scroll a bit).
Sue Edmunds
says:Should you teach spelling first?
Thank you
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGood question, Sue. No, spelling should not be taught before reading.
We recommend waiting to begin spelling until your student has complete All About Reading level 1 or the equivalent reading level. Having a good foundation in reading helps students have the best success in spelling. We discuss this further in our The Right Time to Start Spelling Instruction article.
Christy
says:Thank you for this! I appreciate the concrete examples given.
Liezl Nel
says:Love this! There’s no reason to keep a child back from a world of reading because he’s struggling with spelling. Makes so much sense! I’m definitely going to check myself more on this. We use AAS and love it!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat to hear that you are enjoying All About Spelling, Liezl!
Tami
says:I love your spelling program. It makes it so much easier!
Jonell
says:This makes so much sense.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThanks, Jonell.
Michele
says:I notice with my son that it is easier to see a phonogram and know the sounds it makes, but much harder to hear a sound and think of which phonogram he should use in a word. The different combinations and rules take longer to think of when spelling as opposed to the few sounds certain letter combinations make. Just think, an “a” in a word only makes a few sounds, but there are half a dozen choices when you want to spell the “long a” sound.
Separating reading and spelling means we can take our time to let the spelling rules really stick without holding back on reading. I just love your program!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Michele! Yes, it is much easier to see a phonogram and remember its sound or two, than to hear a sound and have to decide which of the many (sometimes up to eight or nine!) ways to spell that one sound.
Jennifer Vasquez
says:My girls test in the very high above average each year when they are evaluated. I give credit to this curriculum. I am so grateful I found it. We have truly enjoyed it!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThis is wonderful, Jennifer!
Amanda
says:Thank you for breaking this down! It makes sense why my son struggled with spelling before.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Amanda.
Charity
says:This is so logical!
Allie G
says:This makes a lot of sense
Sarah
says:This makes so much sense!
Marie
says:Aaaah! That makes so much sense now! I remember learning English (2nd language) by reading a lot. And now my 5.75 yo has taught herself to read incredibly fast (currently at a 4th grade level!) but she will write “speshul”. Even if she reads and writes a lot, she often does not remember how to spell many words she’s seen. I am now curious to try AAS!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceDo you have any questions about All About Spelling or need help with placement, Maria? Let me know.