All About Spelling

All About Spelling was specifically designed for homeschoolers and tutors with scripted lessons that take the guesswork out of teaching. It has a bunch of helpful features that are great for one-on-one instruction. All About Spelling takes a multisensory approach so that the student can be successful in spelling regardless of his particular learning style. The program can be customized for each student, with daily review of concepts the individual needs to cover. For each level, you will need the Teacher Manual and Student Materials Packet. The Letter Tile components and the review box with divider cards are used with all levels of the program but are NOT included in the Teacher Manuals or Student Material Packets so you will need to purchase them initially as you begin the program. For the teacher, the lessons are scripted for pick-up-and-go daily usage, with plenty of teaching tips built into the lesson right where you need them. Take a little time to read about 10 pages to familiarize yourself with the program's approach, punch out and sort the materials provided, and you're ready to roll! The publisher has recently updated Levels One and Two and all levels will eventually be revised. The revision includes a separate full-color activity book with over 200 pages of varied activities and word banks. The teacher guide is also in color and includes over 150 pages of new material to make it even easier to administer the lessons.

The key to this program is learning phonograms, which are the sounds that a letter or letter combination make. Using this approach, after learning his phonograms, a student knows what his choices are for spelling that particular sound. Different researchers have come up with different numbers of phonograms that exist in the English language. The phonograms used here are based on the work of neurologist Dr. Samuel Orton and psychologist Anna Gillingham and includes 72 phonograms that the student learns and uses over the 7 levels. Each level includes a teacher book and a student materials packet. The Letter Tiles Kit contains items used with all 7 levels, including durable color-coded phonogram tiles, two storage bags, tokens to use with Level 1, updated syllable tags, and optional peel-and-stick magnets used with the phonogram tiles so that they can be used on a magnetic board as well as a level surface. Instructions for downloading the Phonogram Sounds App from the publisher's website are included. The only other items you'll need are the Review Box sold with the divider cards (or you can pick up your own box and purchase the divider cards separately), and lined notebook paper. Levels are not related to grade levels, but rather skill levels (our suggested grade levels are just a rough guide of where many students will be). Each book contains around 25 steps, or lessons. Some of the major concepts covered in each level are mentioned below. 400-450 words are specifically covered in each level, but remember that these are really example words; the program is giving the student the tools to spell any word using the phonogram approach.

In Level 1, students first learn the 26 most basic phonograms corresponding to the letters of the alphabet. Unlike phonics programs, which tend to teach short vowel sounds and hard consonants sounds first, All About Spelling teaches all possible sounds for each phonogram. For instance, the letter (and phonogram) A can make a short A sound (apple), a long A sound (acorn), and the "ah" sound (water). Phonograms are shown on yellow Phonogram Cards in the student materials packet with the letter or letter combination on the front. On the back are the sounds made by that phonogram, and a key word with that sound. Student or teacher can also listen to the pronunciation on the Phonogram Sounds App by clicking on the color-coded phonogram; after the initial letters, phonograms are grouped here and elsewhere in the program according to vowel and consonant "teams". After the phonograms are learned, oral exercises are included in the book to ensure that the student can discriminate the sounds in a word and identify the phonogram that he hears. Another exercise has the teacher dictate a sound from a Sound Card (red) to ensure that the student can write the phonogram that is spoken. Key Cards (blue) are used to highlight definitions or spelling rules. Word Cards (green) contain words used to test the students understanding; the student either spells the words using the phonogram tiles or writes the words on paper.

While this may sound complicated, the teacher book couldn't be easier to follow. Goals for each step are shown at the beginning of each step, as well as specific materials needed. Review begins every lesson, and the concepts and words being reviewed are based on areas where the student needs practice. Pictures of the particular cards or tiles used in the lesson are shown at the point of use in the book. Lessons have just the right amount of scripting so the teacher is never at a loss for what to say or do next. Additional words for practicing a just-learned concept are also given. Teaching tips and side notes are right where you would expect them. A cardstock Progress Chart shows the students advancement through the steps of each level; upon completion the student gets a suitable-for-framing Certificate of Achievement.

This spelling program is designed to be used with students who can read at a beginning level (able to read consonant-vowel-consonant words and words with blends such as stop and fast). Also, keep in mind that this program focuses entirely on spelling and does not include vocabulary.

This spelling program is unique in its multisensory approach to teaching spelling, and may help students succeed who might otherwise struggle. Kudos to author Marie Rippel for putting together such a well-designed program for student and teacher alike. ~ Bob