All About Spelling

All About Spelling
http://www.all-about-spelling.com/
is a multisensory method for teaching spelling. It uses the Orton-Gillingham approach to spelling. It is customizable, with step-by-step lesson plans.
With each level you get a lesson book, letter tiles, flashcards, magnets, index divider cards, progress chart and a completion certificate. The cost for the whole package is $29.95, you can also purchase extra materials, letter tiles, magnets, and they also sell a Phonogram Audio cd-rom. The phonogram cd might be good for those who aren't familiar with the English language and all the sounds the letters make.

Here's some info on what the package contains:
The lesson book is written out to the parent/teacher. The lessons are well-laid out. They give simple, organized information on how to implement their program.
Flashcards: printed on sturdy cardstock;

• Phonogram cards: teach the sounds of letters and letter combinations. On the front there is the letter, and on the back the sounds the letters make with key words that use that particular sound.
• Sound cards: teach how to write the phonograms. The parent reads the sound and then the student writes the letter.
• Key cards: teach spelling rules.
• Word cards: help to master the spelling words.

Letter tiles: contain the letters and letter combinations that corresponds to the basic phonograms. The tiles are made on sturdy cardstock and laminated for easy sliding on tables or magnetic boards (The kit comes with magnets for the tiles too). This is great for those tactile learners.

When I first received this package I was a little intimidated. I was lucky to receive all four levels, although at first I didn't feel lucky....because you have to cut out every flashcard, and I had four levels of flashcards to cut out. Although, I have to commend AAS because they heard our requests (or maybe our whining :o), and are now changing their flashcards to perforated, so no more cutting (yes, you can thank TOS Review Crew for that! ).

Anyway, I started with the first level for my two younger kids (7 & 8), and with my 7yo she caught on fast. As for my 8yo (who is special needs), it's a little slow going but still a good program for him. He has an auditory disorder, so verbal information is very hard for him to decipher...with AAS they incorporate all types of learning styles in their program. Even though he is great with visual cues/information, I also want him to learn from verbal information. And this program incorporates both aspects.

The downside with this program (for me) is that it is not a self-paced program. You can't just assign a page to the student for them to do on their own, the teacher has to teach this to the student. But all-in-all this is a very well-rounded program, good for all types of learners.

You can check out samples on their website....they have samples to each level. Here is where you can see a sample to level 2: http://www.all-about-spelling.com/media/support-files/level-2-sample-pages.pdf

**NOTE: As I mentioned above, I did receive 4 levels, but I based my review on only the first level. The reason for this was because I wanted to do a fair assessment of not only this product, but the other products I have to review as well. Being part of TOS Review Crew has been a wonderful experience, and so I want to make sure to do a good job reviewing the products we have been graciously assigned to review.