Your pros and cons explanation videos on these curriculums has been immensely valuable as I start off on my homeschool journey. I can’t give much but here’s a comment for the algorithm.
When I saw the title of this video I couldn't wait to watch it and I think your assessment is spot on! I have looked extensively at the All about Spelling/Reading curriculum, used SWR 4 years and LOE one year. I have 3 kids ages 6 to 11. This year after using LOE I'm evaluating. Everything you said is exactly what I'm considering. Although I haven't decided yet what to do, I have determined that each kid needs their own spelling lesson time. They are just too far apart to combine unless we are learning a spelling rule. Also, I really like the open-and-go of LOE for teaching preschool/k level and getting the first phonogram education in. I just don't have the time/energy to come up with fun activities for learning the phonograms to start the process and LOE lessons make that fun and easy for myself and my youngest. And the early readers are included in the workbook. So I definitely recommend it for just starting out. For next year I'm considering going back to SWR or a sort of hybrid approach. I think I can break the rules down across the weeks so that we work on 1-2 rules per week. And then write myself a list of ways the can practice their words. Some need phonogram practice and others not as much. I can really trim down the activities for the older kids so that basically they are practicing a rule or two and their words for the week. All the flash cards for rules and phonograms and keeping track of who's learned which ones drives me crazy! I want to go back to SWR or use a better system (I have a couple ideas) where their rules are in the back of their student book and words in the front. Then they can easily reference rules or current spelling words without hunting through a workbook and have a place for them or me to easily see what phonograms/rules they have/have not learned for the year. I absolutely love the Orton-Gillingham method and can't leave it now that we know it. But as far as recommendations for others, SWR you have to be ready to learn as the teacher and be in for the long term (as you know). It's worth it. After all this time I have a feel for it. But the book could be organized even better with a few tips for where to find things. I keep having to bookmark certain pages and need a cheat sheet for where to find certain things. I agree with your final assessment: they are all good! It depends on what your family needs. I like the grammar in LOE. It costs that much because it teaches SO MUCH, and the lessons are all written out for you. In our case, we are also not going to need the grammar, so I'm going to be looking for streamlined spelling next year and sort of outlining a plan for myself.
Update: I have decided to return to SWR for this Fall. We will see how it goes. My plan is to focus on a rule per week. My oldest may learn an extra one as he is more advanced. For my youngest I will still use LOE for individual work as she is still learning phonograms. The readers included in the workbook will also be fun for her.
I have been using SWR for my whole homeschool journey and love it, but I do think your reason for switching is very valid. Teaching more than 2 levels of SWR can consume your homeschool.
I was using AAR for my struggling reader and we JUST switched to LOE. Funnily enough, LOE seems to already be helping him more than AAR did 😂 Thank you for this review! It is so helpful!
Thanks for sharing! Another example of how one curriculum works great for one family or child but not as well for another family or child. I am so thankful that we have so many wonderful options to choose from!
Thanks for this wonderful video! I have been using SWR for ~ 8 years now and have really loved it. Your video on SWR helped me years ago as I was learning how to use it. My current issue with SWR is that the distributor has changed from the Sanseri family. I wanted to buy a black learning log for next year and the 15+ dollar learning log with S&H was going to cost over 60 dollars! It is a real problem. I agree with you that SWR used to be a great option for families with a small budget, but their S&H is outrageous! If you are considering SWR as a first time family, it is not as affordable as it used to be, sadly. I may just use a notebook instead of purchasing a learning log. But I am also going to look into AAR and AAS since my fourth child has some significant reading and writing challenges.
I also started homeschooling using forums (20 plus years ago) and using Spaulding (I even took the training for it!). Orton-Gillingham is a wonderful method to use to teach reading. We went from Spaulding to AAR. I also tried Logic of English for one year. I prefer AAR for the same reason. I like being able to pace reading and spelling to each kid's pace. (We use the old version of AAS too). LOE was good for early phonics, my kids enjoyed the games, however, as it went into reading the kids didn't enjoy it as much. AAR has been the best fit for all my kids, especially my dyslexic son. I also made digital games to go along with the AAR lessons for some of my kids. Now, I use those games to tutor AAR online :)
Thanks for the video explanation. We are currently using AAR and it’s working very well but I was wondering if LOE might work even better but I think I’ll stick with AAR right now since it’s working just fine. I actually do like that the writing is minimal bc my kid hates to write.
I have tried so many phonics programs. I always end up back at AAR. It's so good and the stories are by far my kids favorite of any reading program. I also really enjoyed my years with BJU kinder/1st. LOE was SO fun. However, sadly, the kiddo who used it had gaps and needed to go back through AAR. Loved the comparison. I have been praying for your health. Happy, to see a video!
My boys really enjoyed LOE as well. It was a fun program but they are also doing better with AAR. And the AAR stories are very enjoyable for early readers. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you for this review! We have been using LOE and i have been heavily debating switching to AAR bc it is feeling like LOE doesnt have the focused review 2 of my kiddos in particular need. So thanks a ton for sharing why you swapped and how it worked for your kids.
Thank you for making this video. Super informative and very helpful. I want to say that I have the new All About Spelling and if you laminate the student activity book it's totally reusable. 😊
Gosh, why didn't I think of that? You could also use those nifty clear pocket folder doohickeys with dry (or, as our family prefers, wet) erase markers!
Hello, this year will be my first year homeschooling. I'm familiar with AAR and AAS, I plan to use it with my 6 year old this school year. I have a 5th grader that is reading at 3 grade level and is also a poor speller, wondering if Spell to write and read could help fill the gaps? Then I wonder if I use SWR for one, should I use it for both. However, from what I understand it may be overwhelming to take on, especially considering homeschooling will be new to our family.
Thank you so much for doing this review! I know you’ve used Abeka and BJU from other videos. Have you ever used their phonics programs? You mentioned using some other ones that didn’t work out and I was curious if it was either of those.
I've tried BJU phonics and spelling, Abeka phonics and spelling, Spelling U See and a few others (over my 20 years of homeschooling) but we gave up on all of them within a few months. That being said, Abeka is a good option for phonics and if I had to pick between BJU phonics and Abeka phonics, I'd go with Abeka. Jamie Erickson (Unlikely Homeschool blog) has some helpful posts on Abeka phonics as she uses it in the early elementary years. If you are considering Abeka, you might want to check out her blog posts.
Thank you so very much for this video!! Do you modify the phonogram sounds and rules to match SWR? For example, AAL uses four sounds for “y.” It’s my understanding that AAL is trying to make pronunciation match spelling…but doing so muddles the effectiveness of the rules and phonograms. If we added sounds and phonograms for every new pronunciation, our English rules and phonograms would become unwieldy and unreliable. How have you thought through this? Also, have you found that you don’t mind AAL taking a long time to introduce all the phonograms? Do you think the slow introduction could hold some students back? Thank you so much! May the Lord bless you with an ever increasing faith and joy in Him for His glory and your good as you continue to recover and trust Him in every stage of life 🙏🙏
These are great questions! I wish I had answered them in the video as I'm sure others have the same concerns. I introduce all the phonogram sounds from the beginning and stick to the SWR sounds and rules (partly because that is what I have memorized and have taught for years). If I was starting brand new with AAR, I would suggest teaching all the phonogram sounds for each of the 26 phonograms/letters from the beginning. I have found most of their rules to be very similar to SWR (with different wording) except for the rules regarding "y". I've made adjustments to those lessons as needed to fit the SWR rules I have already taught my kids regarding the "y" phonogram. That being said, I think AAR (and LOE) would still be great options even though they teach that the "y" says the "E" sound. I hope that makes sense. Please feel free to ask follow-up questions. :)
@@JanelleKnutsonReturning months later to thank you for your response! My son has medical issues, and I have been plagued with medical issues that can leave me couch/bed ridden and cognitively inhibited, which is the reason for both my delayed thank you and for my original question. Do you go through and re-word/write on the cards themselves? But maybe you yourself don’t have to if you already have them memorized? Thank you, again!
Hi Janelle, Another video Praise God. Question: Did you use a separate phonics workbook (supplement) with All about Reading and Spelling, like explode the Code or was the program enough? Thanks for sharing your spelling and reading journey!
You have been one of my favorites to follow about home schooling and I thank you for your guidance we have struggling learner who has epilepsy really bad and she's about a 2nd grade level we are looking at all about spelling and all about reading. Can they be a stand alone program? We are currently using bju that you got us hooked on we love it but spelling is not working.
This is helpful. I started my kids off on swr and i love it! I have 1 struggling reader who aar works really well with so we go back and forth between the 2 programs. I teach the phonograms and rules using swr then we practice with aar ignoring some of the aar rules that are different than the swr rules (which we try to adhere to). But with my 3rd coming along to kindergarten i dont think ill be able to juggle the back and forth for all 3. This is very helpful.ive never looked into logic of english. I'll have to do that. Thank you for this video. Also what do you use once your kids finish the all about reading and spelling program?
Your story sounds very similar to mine! I stick to the SWR phonogram sounds and rules as well (since that's what I'm familiar with and have taught for years). When they finish AAS, we are done with spelling. I never took my kids all the way through the SWR book either. We stopped spelling in junior high to focus on other things in high school. My original plan was that when they finished AAR, they would move to BJU Press Reading but I am currently having my 2 youngest do AAR (for learning to read) along with BJU Reading (for reading comprehension and literature skills/analysis.) I did a recent video on BJU Reading if you are interested. We are going slower through the BJU Reading and I try to balance AAR, BJU Reading, and their other subjects so that their school day isn't any longer than it would be doing just AAR. I'm finding that my boys just need extra time with reading at this age so we are investing in that right now and going a little lighter on other subjects. I hope that makes sense.
@@JanelleKnutson that is so helpful! (I looove swr approach and rules etc so i am such a fan) I will check out your bju video. Thank you. Yes rotating sometimes i feel so guilty but when you want what works from each program it's hard to not integrate those components . Thanks so much.
I used aar with my eldest (L 1-3) and did one year of Aas with that same child. He grudgingly did aar and disliked aas. Hes a struggling reader for sure. This year i havent done any phonics with him and the spelling curriculum i chose for this year im not liking at all. My middle is doing IEW pals which is .... meh. He is doing the same spelling as my eldest. His reading is quite strong. I start our third (also a boy) next fall. Im feeling a lot of anxiety about what to do/ what to use next year. I was leaning toward using swr to get them all moving forward and maybe fill in some gaps for the older two regarding both reading and spelling. Im just not sure. Would swr be able to do that? I feel its a bit of a confidence issue for me too, the whole area of language arts has been such a disaster to figure out. 😢
I think many homeschool moms feeling the same way about Language Arts especially since there are so many different components to LA. SWR would be a great option. Here is a video I did that might help you understand the curriculum better: ruclips.net/video/AbQx8dJ_DkA/видео.htmlsi=VGmWiDzQsk4M5IVN
I use swr and aar in combination. My strength is language arts and i feel confident teaching the mixture. I have an avid reader who caught on fast with swr and enjoys it(clicks for him better than the aar games) and i have an on level reader who doesn't like swr AT ALL (even though i did the same process with both) and if we only did swr he would hate reading but he enjoys the aar games so it keeps him interested. (I know, I've caused way more work for myself). I too have a 3rd coming up and id love to just pick 1 program... Open and go aar.... but i love swr waaay too much because of the solid foundation it gives to not do the same thing with my 3rd. It's crazy how different learning styles click with different approaches. If your kids are weak in phonics rules and sounds etc swr might be better, if they are weak in comprehension and needing hands on games id say aar. But then again all kids are different and how much time you have to commit to prepping swr is something to take into consideration.
Hello 😊 I have been following you for years but I missed the reason why you changed from BJU to All About Learning press. I was thinking about doing the transition between AAR to BJU 😅 reason why I came back to your channel. Hehehe Could you share with me the reason why you transitioned?
I love BJU for so many subjects but I have never used it for phonics/spelling. I started with Spell to Write and Read years ago and have moved to All About Learning. That being said, I have a friend who used SWR and then tried AAL and it was still too much for her to implement so she switched to BJU spelling with the video lessons and it was just what her and her kids needed. Hope that helps!
I apologize to share my family situation. I just need some help with this. We are a bilingual family and my first language is Spanish. We’re part of classical conversations and we’ve been homeschooling for 4 years now. I have a 9 year old which is not good in spelling. It’s my fault 🤦🏽♀️ I bought SWR and took one of the online classes last summer and I still don’t know how to start. 😮💨 I really feel devastated with this and I know I need to move faster on looking for a good option for us. Anyone knows which curriculum is best for us? I was planning to give it a try to all about spelling, and I need to know if anyone has been using the videos as well. Thanks for sharing the information. ❤ I appreciate any help in advance.
In regards to SWR I would first have your child take the spelling test to see where he places. The test can be found in the red book in Appendix B (I believe). Depending on how many words they miss will tell you where to start them on the spelling list. Appendix E also has a sample lesson plan that you will find useful. Then I would start with the single letter phonogram sounds. Follow the lesson plan in the back of Appendix E (in the red book)as to how to progress in the phonograms. SWR's approach is to expose the child to as many phonograms at a steady pace. Hope this helps.
Your pros and cons explanation videos on these curriculums has been immensely valuable as I start off on my homeschool journey. I can’t give much but here’s a comment for the algorithm.
Thank you.
When I saw the title of this video I couldn't wait to watch it and I think your assessment is spot on! I have looked extensively at the All about Spelling/Reading curriculum, used SWR 4 years and LOE one year. I have 3 kids ages 6 to 11. This year after using LOE I'm evaluating. Everything you said is exactly what I'm considering. Although I haven't decided yet what to do, I have determined that each kid needs their own spelling lesson time. They are just too far apart to combine unless we are learning a spelling rule. Also, I really like the open-and-go of LOE for teaching preschool/k level and getting the first phonogram education in. I just don't have the time/energy to come up with fun activities for learning the phonograms to start the process and LOE lessons make that fun and easy for myself and my youngest. And the early readers are included in the workbook. So I definitely recommend it for just starting out.
For next year I'm considering going back to SWR or a sort of hybrid approach. I think I can break the rules down across the weeks so that we work on 1-2 rules per week. And then write myself a list of ways the can practice their words. Some need phonogram practice and others not as much. I can really trim down the activities for the older kids so that basically they are practicing a rule or two and their words for the week. All the flash cards for rules and phonograms and keeping track of who's learned which ones drives me crazy! I want to go back to SWR or use a better system (I have a couple ideas) where their rules are in the back of their student book and words in the front. Then they can easily reference rules or current spelling words without hunting through a workbook and have a place for them or me to easily see what phonograms/rules they have/have not learned for the year.
I absolutely love the Orton-Gillingham method and can't leave it now that we know it. But as far as recommendations for others, SWR you have to be ready to learn as the teacher and be in for the long term (as you know). It's worth it. After all this time I have a feel for it. But the book could be organized even better with a few tips for where to find things. I keep having to bookmark certain pages and need a cheat sheet for where to find certain things.
I agree with your final assessment: they are all good! It depends on what your family needs. I like the grammar in LOE. It costs that much because it teaches SO MUCH, and the lessons are all written out for you. In our case, we are also not going to need the grammar, so I'm going to be looking for streamlined spelling next year and sort of outlining a plan for myself.
Update: I have decided to return to SWR for this Fall. We will see how it goes. My plan is to focus on a rule per week. My oldest may learn an extra one as he is more advanced.
For my youngest I will still use LOE for individual work as she is still learning phonograms. The readers included in the workbook will also be fun for her.
I have been using SWR for my whole homeschool journey and love it, but I do think your reason for switching is very valid. Teaching more than 2 levels of SWR can consume your homeschool.
I'm so happy to hear SWR is working so well for your family! It is a great program and the author, Wanda Sanseri, is a wonderful sister-in-Christ.
Do you use notebooks each year or do you purchase learning logs?
I was using AAR for my struggling reader and we JUST switched to LOE. Funnily enough, LOE seems to already be helping him more than AAR did 😂
Thank you for this review! It is so helpful!
Thanks for sharing! Another example of how one curriculum works great for one family or child but not as well for another family or child. I am so thankful that we have so many wonderful options to choose from!
Anytime I try to switch it up, we go back to LOE. When we need a break I pull out Explode the Code
Thanks for this wonderful video! I have been using SWR for ~ 8 years now and have really loved it. Your video on SWR helped me years ago as I was learning how to use it. My current issue with SWR is that the distributor has changed from the Sanseri family. I wanted to buy a black learning log for next year and the 15+ dollar learning log with S&H was going to cost over 60 dollars! It is a real problem. I agree with you that SWR used to be a great option for families with a small budget, but their S&H is outrageous! If you are considering SWR as a first time family, it is not as affordable as it used to be, sadly. I may just use a notebook instead of purchasing a learning log. But I am also going to look into AAR and AAS since my fourth child has some significant reading and writing challenges.
I also started homeschooling using forums (20 plus years ago) and using Spaulding (I even took the training for it!). Orton-Gillingham is a wonderful method to use to teach reading. We went from Spaulding to AAR. I also tried Logic of English for one year. I prefer AAR for the same reason. I like being able to pace reading and spelling to each kid's pace. (We use the old version of AAS too). LOE was good for early phonics, my kids enjoyed the games, however, as it went into reading the kids didn't enjoy it as much. AAR has been the best fit for all my kids, especially my dyslexic son. I also made digital games to go along with the AAR lessons for some of my kids. Now, I use those games to tutor AAR online :)
Thank you for sharing your experience! It's nice to "meet" a fellow Spaulding user. :)
Exactly the video I was looking for, and so much more helpful and clear than other videos I’ve been combing through. Thank you!
Glad it helped!
Thanks for the video explanation. We are currently using AAR and it’s working very well but I was wondering if LOE might work even better but I think I’ll stick with AAR right now since it’s working just fine. I actually do like that the writing is minimal bc my kid hates to write.
Do you have a video of SWR in action? If not, I'd love to see how to actually use it.
I have tried so many phonics programs. I always end up back at AAR. It's so good and the stories are by far my kids favorite of any reading program. I also really enjoyed my years with BJU kinder/1st. LOE was SO fun. However, sadly, the kiddo who used it had gaps and needed to go back through AAR.
Loved the comparison. I have been praying for your health. Happy, to see a video!
My boys really enjoyed LOE as well. It was a fun program but they are also doing better with AAR. And the AAR stories are very enjoyable for early readers. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you for this review! We have been using LOE and i have been heavily debating switching to AAR bc it is feeling like LOE doesnt have the focused review 2 of my kiddos in particular need. So thanks a ton for sharing why you swapped and how it worked for your kids.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for making this video. Super informative and very helpful. I want to say that I have the new All About Spelling and if you laminate the student activity book it's totally reusable. 😊
Good to know! Thank you for sharing. 😊
Gosh, why didn't I think of that? You could also use those nifty clear pocket folder doohickeys with dry (or, as our family prefers, wet) erase markers!
Have you ever used LOE essential?
This was so helpful! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Hello, this year will be my first year homeschooling. I'm familiar with AAR and AAS, I plan to use it with my 6 year old this school year. I have a 5th grader that is reading at 3 grade level and is also a poor speller, wondering if Spell to write and read could help fill the gaps? Then I wonder if I use SWR for one, should I use it for both. However, from what I understand it may be overwhelming to take on, especially considering homeschooling will be new to our family.
Thank you so much for doing this review! I know you’ve used Abeka and BJU from other videos. Have you ever used their phonics programs? You mentioned using some other ones that didn’t work out and I was curious if it was either of those.
I've tried BJU phonics and spelling, Abeka phonics and spelling, Spelling U See and a few others (over my 20 years of homeschooling) but we gave up on all of them within a few months.
That being said, Abeka is a good option for phonics and if I had to pick between BJU phonics and Abeka phonics, I'd go with Abeka. Jamie Erickson (Unlikely Homeschool blog) has some helpful posts on Abeka phonics as she uses it in the early elementary years. If you are considering Abeka, you might want to check out her blog posts.
Thank you so very much for this video!! Do you modify the phonogram sounds and rules to match SWR? For example, AAL uses four sounds for “y.” It’s my understanding that AAL is trying to make pronunciation match spelling…but doing so muddles the effectiveness of the rules and phonograms. If we added sounds and phonograms for every new pronunciation, our English rules and phonograms would become unwieldy and unreliable. How have you thought through this?
Also, have you found that you don’t mind AAL taking a long time to introduce all the phonograms? Do you think the slow introduction could hold some students back?
Thank you so much! May the Lord bless you with an ever increasing faith and joy in Him for His glory and your good as you continue to recover and trust Him in every stage of life 🙏🙏
I have the same question. This is the reason I never considered the AA curricula.
These are great questions! I wish I had answered them in the video as I'm sure others have the same concerns. I introduce all the phonogram sounds from the beginning and stick to the SWR sounds and rules (partly because that is what I have memorized and have taught for years). If I was starting brand new with AAR, I would suggest teaching all the phonogram sounds for each of the 26 phonograms/letters from the beginning.
I have found most of their rules to be very similar to SWR (with different wording) except for the rules regarding "y". I've made adjustments to those lessons as needed to fit the SWR rules I have already taught my kids regarding the "y" phonogram. That being said, I think AAR (and LOE) would still be great options even though they teach that the "y" says the "E" sound.
I hope that makes sense. Please feel free to ask follow-up questions. :)
@@JanelleKnutson This was helpful! Thanks! As I mentioned above, I may consider switching from SWR to AAR/S, so this is really helpful.
@@JanelleKnutsonReturning months later to thank you for your response! My son has medical issues, and I have been plagued with medical issues that can leave me couch/bed ridden and cognitively inhibited, which is the reason for both my delayed thank you and for my original question.
Do you go through and re-word/write on the cards themselves? But maybe you yourself don’t have to if you already have them memorized?
Thank you, again!
Hi Janelle, Another video Praise God. Question: Did you use a separate phonics workbook (supplement) with All about Reading and Spelling, like explode the Code or was the program enough? Thanks for sharing your spelling and reading journey!
AAR and AAS are enough. No need for another phonics/spelling program.
Which one would you say would be best if your child has a speech apraxia?
Asking the same
You have been one of my favorites to follow about home schooling and I thank you for your guidance we have struggling learner who has epilepsy really bad and she's about a 2nd grade level we are looking at all about spelling and all about reading. Can they be a stand alone program? We are currently using bju that you got us hooked on we love it but spelling is not working.
I have a quick learner, what is the most FUN?
This is helpful. I started my kids off on swr and i love it! I have 1 struggling reader who aar works really well with so we go back and forth between the 2 programs. I teach the phonograms and rules using swr then we practice with aar ignoring some of the aar rules that are different than the swr rules (which we try to adhere to).
But with my 3rd coming along to kindergarten i dont think ill be able to juggle the back and forth for all 3.
This is very helpful.ive never looked into logic of english. I'll have to do that.
Thank you for this video. Also what do you use once your kids finish the all about reading and spelling program?
Your story sounds very similar to mine! I stick to the SWR phonogram sounds and rules as well (since that's what I'm familiar with and have taught for years).
When they finish AAS, we are done with spelling. I never took my kids all the way through the SWR book either. We stopped spelling in junior high to focus on other things in high school.
My original plan was that when they finished AAR, they would move to BJU Press Reading but I am currently having my 2 youngest do AAR (for learning to read) along with BJU Reading (for reading comprehension and literature skills/analysis.) I did a recent video on BJU Reading if you are interested.
We are going slower through the BJU Reading and I try to balance AAR, BJU Reading, and their other subjects so that their school day isn't any longer than it would be doing just AAR. I'm finding that my boys just need extra time with reading at this age so we are investing in that right now and going a little lighter on other subjects. I hope that makes sense.
@@JanelleKnutson that is so helpful! (I looove swr approach and rules etc so i am such a fan) I will check out your bju video. Thank you. Yes rotating sometimes i feel so guilty but when you want what works from each program it's hard to not integrate those components . Thanks so much.
I used aar with my eldest (L 1-3) and did one year of Aas with that same child. He grudgingly did aar and disliked aas. Hes a struggling reader for sure. This year i havent done any phonics with him and the spelling curriculum i chose for this year im not liking at all. My middle is doing IEW pals which is .... meh. He is doing the same spelling as my eldest. His reading is quite strong. I start our third (also a boy) next fall. Im feeling a lot of anxiety about what to do/ what to use next year. I was leaning toward using swr to get them all moving forward and maybe fill in some gaps for the older two regarding both reading and spelling. Im just not sure. Would swr be able to do that?
I feel its a bit of a confidence issue for me too, the whole area of language arts has been such a disaster to figure out. 😢
I think many homeschool moms feeling the same way about Language Arts especially since there are so many different components to LA. SWR would be a great option. Here is a video I did that might help you understand the curriculum better:
ruclips.net/video/AbQx8dJ_DkA/видео.htmlsi=VGmWiDzQsk4M5IVN
I use swr and aar in combination. My strength is language arts and i feel confident teaching the mixture. I have an avid reader who caught on fast with swr and enjoys it(clicks for him better than the aar games) and i have an on level reader who doesn't like swr AT ALL (even though i did the same process with both) and if we only did swr he would hate reading but he enjoys the aar games so it keeps him interested. (I know, I've caused way more work for myself). I too have a 3rd coming up and id love to just pick 1 program... Open and go aar.... but i love swr waaay too much because of the solid foundation it gives to not do the same thing with my 3rd. It's crazy how different learning styles click with different approaches. If your kids are weak in phonics rules and sounds etc swr might be better, if they are weak in comprehension and needing hands on games id say aar. But then again all kids are different and how much time you have to commit to prepping swr is something to take into consideration.
Thanks for this video!! What do you use for grammar and writing while using AAR and AAS?
I've used two different options alongside AAR and AAS.
1. BJU Press English
2. IEW Structure and Style for Students and Fix It! Grammar
@@JanelleKnutsonthank you!!
Hello 😊 I have been following you for years but I missed the reason why you changed from BJU to All About Learning press. I was thinking about doing the transition between AAR to BJU 😅 reason why I came back to your channel. Hehehe Could you share with me the reason why you transitioned?
I love BJU for so many subjects but I have never used it for phonics/spelling. I started with Spell to Write and Read years ago and have moved to All About Learning. That being said, I have a friend who used SWR and then tried AAL and it was still too much for her to implement so she switched to BJU spelling with the video lessons and it was just what her and her kids needed. Hope that helps!
I apologize to share my family situation. I just need some help with this. We are a bilingual family and my first language is Spanish. We’re part of classical conversations and we’ve been homeschooling for 4 years now. I have a 9 year old which is not good in spelling. It’s my fault 🤦🏽♀️ I bought SWR and took one of the online classes last summer and I still don’t know how to start. 😮💨 I really feel devastated with this and I know I need to move faster on looking for a good option for us. Anyone knows which curriculum is best for us? I was planning to give it a try to all about spelling, and I need to know if anyone has been using the videos as well. Thanks for sharing the information. ❤ I appreciate any help in advance.
In regards to SWR I would first have your child take the spelling test to see where he places. The test can be found in the red book in Appendix B (I believe). Depending on how many words they miss will tell you where to start them on the spelling list. Appendix E also has a sample lesson plan that you will find useful. Then I would start with the single letter phonogram sounds. Follow the lesson plan in the back of Appendix E (in the red book)as to how to progress in the phonograms. SWR's approach is to expose the child to as many phonograms at a steady pace. Hope this helps.
There are so many phonics curriculum out there some really popular that are junk. Missing to much or teaching things wrong