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We used All About Spelling Level 1 last fall and fell in love. (See our AAS Level 1 review here.) Because Jonathan was an early reader and spelling has come fairly easy for him, he flew through level 1 in just a couple of months. After a break for Christmas and final preparations for the new baby, we jumped into All About Spelling Level 2. All About Learning Press gave us All About Spelling Level 2 so we could share our thoughts with you.
Between All About Spelling Levels
In between All About Spelling levels we spent some time reviewing to keep what he had learned in AAS Level 1 fresh. These phonograms and spelling rules have started to become second nature to Jonathan. Here are some things that we did in preparation for AAS Level 2:
- Review phonogram, rules and word flash cards. (Sometime with lots of running or jumping between cards!)
- Spell with the letter tiles.
- Dictation on whiteboard, chalkboard, and paper.
All About Spelling Level 2
All About Spelling Level 2 adds many new phonograms and spelling rules. We had been using a small cookie sheet for our letter tiles, but we had to graduate to a large magnetic whiteboard about half way through AAS Level 2. I'm so glad we did this. It makes it so much easier to have a space to keep all the tiles and have a space to write.
In general, I'm not a fan of scripted curriculum. I'd rather have the material laid out where I can find the information and not be tied to specific words. All About Spelling is a rare exception for me. The scripting is simple to follow and the visual structure in the book makes easy for me to use my own words as I teach and not be completely tied to teaching word for word from the book.
Using All About Spelling with an Advanced Child
It is suggested that you do All About Spelling multiple times a week. You'd split up one lesson across multiple days. Because Jonathan is spelling at this level with ease, we generally did one full lesson per day several times per week. We did not do every phrase and sentence diction when he was able to grasp the concept from the lesson. We often did 3 of the sentences and then I save the rest for review at another point.
You might think why bother with a spelling curriculum if he spells easily. What I love it that it teaches him the rules so he understands the structure of what he already has committed to memory. When words get longer and spelling because more difficult, he'll have this structure to fall back on rather than guessing. As a parent, I'm still shocked at how much I have learned about spelling. I wish I had been taught to spell this way when I was a kid!
It was so much fun to see Jonathan get excited about spelling. He loves All About Spelling so much that there were days that he'd beg to do a second lesson!
Why All About Spelling?
Before All About Spelling, Spell to Write & Read and been recommended to us. SWR is a good program and we used it for two years, but All About Spelling is so much easier to use. Soon I'll be comparing the two programs for you.
Get All About Spelling for Your Kids
All About Spelling Level 2 is $39.95 and contains the teacher's manual and the student packet. Purchase it here from All About Learning Press.
Your Turn!
Have to tried All About Spelling? What are your best tips for teaching spelling? Share in the comments! Email and RSS subscribers can join the conversation here.
Material Disclosure: All About Learning Press provided a copy of All About Spelling Level 2 in exchange for an honest review.
