Homeschool SpellingAll About Spelling  has become immensely popular as a spelling, phonics, and reading curriculum in a very short time.  Just read the testimonials to get an idea how happy homeschooling families are with this spelling program. If you have questions about how this multisensory curriculum works, visit the homesite for All About Spelling . You can also purchase the curriculum directly from the publisher on that site. Click to visit the All About Spelling website.

Marie who is the author of All about Spelling offers Weekly Spelling Tips as well as a free download: 20 Best Tips for Teaching Spelling. This is a great resource for homeschooling. All you need to do is go the her website and sign up for the Spelling Report and Tips. Quick and Easy! Don’t pass up this free resource.

(If you want to look at used All About Spelling curriculum that is for sale, click  here . You may find just what you need.)

All About Spelling  Review- Questions and Answers

by Julie Simmons of Best Homeschool Buys

All About Spelling is a spelling program that is intimately connected to phonics and reading. If you use All About Spelling, it may serve as your reading instruction curriculum as well.

What type of learning method is used in the All About Spelling Program?

All about Spelling is based on the intensive phonics method of the Orton-Gillingham. This method is also used in The Writing Road to Reading as well as several other Homeschool reading programs. The secret of All About Spelling is its multi-sensory approach which tends to work well.

How does All About Spelling Method work?

Words with similar phonograms are learned together. Other words are grouped when their spelling follows rules. Seeing and learning the consistent pattern and rules serves to reinforce the rule and commit it to memory.

How is this helpful for reading instruction?

A phonics based reading curriculum teachers the sounds of letters and phonograms and helps children blend the phonograms by sounding them out while reading aloud. The All About Spelling Method does the same thing while teaching spelling.

How quickly should a beginner be expected to move through the All About Spelling lessons?

Speed of learning is a very individual thing for each student.  Generally, you would plan to proceed at a much slower pace with a kindergarten child than with a 1st grader and older students. You never want to “push” with reading/spelling lessons.

Can you give an example of what the first lesson in All About Spelling is like?

Step One in the Level One book uses color coded cards to teach the sounds of the consonants and the vowels. A basic lesson format guides the teacher to facilitate mastery in learning these basic phonograms, consonants and vowels. Also taught are rules that relate to spelling with consonants such as “g” or “c”.

This is the beginning foundation for spelling or reading. Younger children will go slowly through learning the basic consonant and vowel sounds, and may need a lot of reinforcement. Older children may be able to learn several letters (or phonograms) a day.

After introducing the letters and their sounds, Level One teaches children how to segment words by picking out the sounds that are within words. The color-coded letter squares are the basic hands-on manipulative that ups the multi-sensory value of the All About Spelling program. Children learn to put the tiles in alphabetical order. Then they use the tiles to construct words., then for constructing words. Children learn a phonogram including the sound(s) of that phonogram (for example, the 2 sounds of the letter “c” or the multiple sounds for each vowel.) Since learning phonograms is the foundation for spelling and reading, children naturally learn to read and spell at the same time once they start creating words.  AAS also uses dictation as a method of learning.So, all of these foundational skills are worked on in Steps 1 through 11.

The video shows how children use the letter tiles to practice spelling. The particular spelling listen concerns the use of the letter “k” and “c”.

 

How does All About Spelling use dictation? (a Charlotte Mason method)

Children begin taking dictation early in this program. By the end of step 10, they are writing several phrases such as “fat bug” with each lesson. Children are gently nudged toward writing dictation. First, instead of writing dictation, they use the letter tiles and form the words on the board. The children respond to their first dictation lessons by choosing correct  letter tiles rather than writing. After they become accustomed to forming multiple words with the tiles, then the lessons move them on to writing down the dictation on lined paper. So not only are they learning reading and spelling, they are also learning handwriting. The handwriting in the context of learning phonogram sounds, lends itself to additional multi-sensory value, which makes a stronger connection for learning. All About Spelling does not include handwriting instruction. You can incorporate your choice of any handwriting program or style with your All About Spelling lessons.

How long should I expect the basics, Steps 1 through 11, to take?

This depends on the student. One step may take one day or many months. Don’t feel pressured. Children will learn! The speed is not as important as helping them keep a delight in learning.

What are digraphs and when are they taught in All About Spelling?

Step 12 teaches consonant digraphs “th,” “sh,” and “ch,”. From there the program introduces the more challenging phonograms, compound words, and multi-syllable words.

What books and materials are required for All About Spelling?

There are three resources required for each All About Spelling levels:

  • The Level Book (no separate teacher book is needed)

  • The Material Packet

  • Basic Interactive Kit

The Material Packet for Level One includes:

  • filing dividers

  • flashcards (with phonograms, sounds for dictation, rules, and spelling words) to cut out and put into your own filing box (recipe card size)

  • Tokens to use during the lessons

  • A progress chart

  • A completion certificate.

Subsequent Material Packets: Each Level continues to uses some materials from the first materials pack, but adds to it:

  • new phonogram cards

  • new rule cards

  • spelling word cards

  • progress chart

  • student completion certificate

 

For some children the progress chart and the certificate can prove to be very useful as motivational rewards that encourage progress.

 

Basic Interactive kitThe Interactive Kit includes

Phonogram CD-ROM

Letter Tiles

Magnets

Divider Cards

The Phonogram CD-ROM is an interactive-audio computer program that provides phonogram practice- see and hear thej for reinforcement.

All About SellingThe Letter Tiles are one-inch square laminated tiles for all of the letters and phonograms. (NOTE:These letter tiles will not be needed by all children. For those students, Rippel suggests that they write out words on paper or a white board instead.Young children will benefit the most, and also older children that are having trouble with spelling and reading- adding this multisensory activity will be a great help to developing their reading skills.)

For those that wish to use the Letter Tiles, you can use them with or without magnets attached .

Optional: You can purchase a magnetic board (2’ x 3’) to do the letter work – you will need to attach the magnets to the backs of the tiles for this option. Since the magnetic letter tile stay put on the magnetic board, all of the tiles can be stored on the board.

If you choose, you can store the letters-without magnets- in zip lock bags and pull them out as you use them in lessons, using a table or other surface for the hands-on letter tile activities.

If you can find an eraseable white board that is also a magnetic board, you will be set with the tools to do several of the activity options recommended by All About Spelling. This is not required by the program, though.

 

What is Level Two like?

Level Two of All About Spelling starts off with a quick review of what was taught in Level One. Then 11 more phonograms are taught. The program teaches spelling rules, basic generalizations for reading & spelling, and syllabication.

In a multi-sensory way, your student will learn:

  • The open and closed syllable types

  • Dividing words into syllables

  • Spelling multisyllable words

  • Rule: When y can say /î/

  • Rule: Silent E can make a vowel long

  • Syllable type:vowel-consonant-e

  • Two spellings the /z/ sound

  • Two sounds of long u

  • Rules and Generalizations for hard and soft c and g

  • Ways to spell long e

  • Rule: English words don’t end in i, j, u, or v

  • Spelling the sound  /er/

  • Rules for using ow/ou, oi/oy, aw/au

Syllable “tags” in The Materials Packet for level two includes syllable TAGS to be used with the Letter Tiles in Level 2 lessons. RULE BREAKERS like”of” and “was” are taught at this level, but sight words such as these are few since the program concentrates on the words and phonogram sounds that are not exceptions to the rules. Dictation in the lessons grows to include several phrases & sentences each day.

Is All About Spelling easy to teach?

Yes! This program in very teacher friendly. Lessons are explained quite simply, but thoroughly. Marie Rippel created this program for her family, it is very family friendly and practical including teaching tips and warnings concerning common problems. All this is so helpful to parents, especially those who are new to homeschooling or who don’t have a CLUE about how to teach spelling and reading.

This is such a big plus to busy homeschooling parents, particularly for beginner homeschoolers who have many new subjects to prepare for homeschool. It can be overwhelming to read many teacher pages for many subjects and students. Using All About Spelling, you learn as you go–when you need the information.

Advice for using All About Spelling with Older Children

If your child has already learned to read, you can probably start her/him at All About Spelling-Level Two. There will be needed resources from the Level One Material Set and you will also need to buy the Letter Tiles since they are also used in Level 2.

There are other reviews on All About Spelling that might include different information or answer questions about the program. Many families using All About Spelling are finding it to be a good choice for their families. Marie Rippel the author of All About Spelling has done an amazing job with her spelling program that is suits many homeschool families so well. Click to visit the All About Spelling website.

Some of Spelling Choices on Best Homeschool Buys- Used Homeschool Curriculum Choices