Curriculum Review: All About Spelling

Spelling has always been a struggle for me. My 11yo daughter avoids writing because she is restricted by her poor spelling. My 8yo son hates writing and prefers to only do copy work. My 4yo daughter wants to learn to read and do schoolwork. Imagine my delight to find a system that helps us all. Yes, it even helps me. All About Learning Press has a system called All About Spelling that has already produced great results in just a few weeks.

The All About Spelling System from All About Learning Press

My youngest is working on her letter sounds. We had covered the upper case letters, and she knew most of them, but this system focuses on the lower case letters and all of the sounds of each letter. Now, that makes sense doesn't it? For her, each lesson involves arranging magnetic tiles on a board and going over the sounds, all of the sounds, as we place them on the board. This company has another system called All About Reading that I am looking into for when she needs them.

Did you know that s has two sounds? 

Yes! the /s/ sound you hear in say and the /z/ sound you hear in was. 

My older two are working through the levels at different rates and actually enjoying it. Their spelling has improved and they've begun writing for fun. During a writing lesson, my daughter has begun sounding out the syllables and I have a new way to help her besides just spelling out the word for her.

Break it into syllables. What kind of syllable is it? open? closed? r-controlled? 

And me? I am amazed at how much I never learned. Spelling for me was memorizing a list of words for a test on Friday. I am sure the spelling rules that I am fascinated with were discussed in those cartoon clad workbooks. Those highlighted tip boxes off to the side were important for learning to spell, but I paid them no attention because they were not important to my Friday test. Now, as I go through these lessons with my children, I am finally learning the rules that will help me to become a better, more confident speller. 

Did you know that silent e has five jobs? 

I have tried several spelling systems over the years but this is the first one that the kids enjoy and works. I also love that it is not consumable so I can use the same set for each child. I usually shy away from large multi-component systems, but I was fortunate to have seen this at a friend's home before buying it.  The many magnetic letters and the stacks of materials worried me. I am a firm believer that you don't need a specific curriculum to learn, just the information. However, I also recognize that when a system works well, it is worth looking into. I am very pleased with my purchase and I haven't returned anything, but my friend says that they have an excellent return policy. No system is right for everyone, but if you struggle with spelling, this is worth a look.