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Disclosure: I received a complimentary set of All About Spelling in order to review it here. I get commissions for purchases made through affiliate links in this post. All opinions are honest and my own.

Last year I began using All About Reading with my second daughter, and this year decided to use All About Spelling with her. It’s really a different approach than the reading program since it’s really focusing on spelling rules and how to recognize the different patterns in words in order to know how to spell them. We are up to Step 16 out of 24 in the first book called All About Spelling Level 1. We are really happy with it so far.

–> All About Spelling is also available from IEW <–

I love how sequential it is and how easy it is for a mom to teach. The book tells you exactly what to do for each lesson (even including little boxes of information to know how to approach a situation outside of the lesson time). It’s highly customizable for every student, which means that you can go as fast or slow through the steps as you need to with your child. We usually take 2-3 days to go through one step, doing it 2-3 times a week.

What is needed:

Card Box with word cards, phonogram cards, sound cards, and key cards (contain spelling rules)

Teacher’s Manual

Magnetic Board with Letter and Phonogram Tiles

A few other items like a notebook with paper to write spelling words, round plastic tokens (we got ours from a game we own), pencil, stickers for the progress chart.

Here is what you find in the Teacher’s Manual:

An explanation of multisensory learning, learning the phonograms, how to set up the Spelling Review Box, how to organize the letter tiles on the magnetic board.

The Six Steps to Teaching the AAS Method:

1. Read through each lesson before you teach it.

2. Gather the materials needed that day.

3. Review previously-taught concepts with the student.

4. Teach new concepts using the script included in the book.

5. Reinforce new concepts through the dictation exercises provided.

6. File the flashcards behind the appropriate divider (review or mastered).

My 3 oldest kids didn’t need a very detailed spelling program like this. They occasionally have trouble spelling a word, but for the most part they catch onto new spellings of words quickly. My fourth child has dyslexia, and reading and spelling are very difficult for her. She is now using All About Reading Level 3, but I decided to start at the beginning with Spelling with her. It has been a boost to her confidence because it hasn’t been too difficult for her, but it has also instilled the spelling rules and patterns that she needs to continue in her spelling journey. We will finish this book and immediately start Level 2!