Tony Silva

All About Spelling
http://www.all-about-spelling.com
$29.95 for each level, Additional materials required.

You probably remember “I before E except after C” from your elementary school days. What else do you remember about spelling? You may have learned enough to find the misspelled words in this text. Or if you’re like me, you need Bill Gates to help you out. May we suggest a better alternative? All About Spelling is an effective and systematic multisensory approach to one of life’s greatest challenges.

Getting Set Up

All About Spelling uses a lot of tools. Each level contains different Phonogram Cards, Sound Cards, Word Cards, and Key (Rule) Cards, plus any extra resources needed for that level. All levels require letter tiles which are printed on laminated 81/2 by 11 inch paper and need to be cut out. You’ll provide an index card box to keep all of the cards in, and it’s a good idea to keep the letter tiles and other manipulatives in a zipper bag or a box.

Set up was a lengthy chore as the letter tiles and the cards in this version were not perforated. It is important to carefully read the introductory material to understand how all these materials work together to provide a multisensory learning experience for your children.

Step-By-Step

Once you’re set up, the manual guides you through the process step-by-step. The lesson plans are interactive and include built-in daily reviews. First, you’ll assess the student’s knowledge of the first 26 phonograms. The phonogram cards are then divided into those mastered and those to be reviewed… and you’re on your way. Each lesson recommends wording you can use to present the lesson. These help ensure your instructions to the student are clear and in line with the lesson’s objectives.

The lessons come to life with fun activities that take advantage of the three key learning modalities, auditory, visual and kinesthetic. My favorite is “writing” on tactile surfaces ranging from sand in a shoe box lid to a Baggie full of pudding. Yes, they even tell you this is one you can eat after the lesson.

User Friendly

With the review box, cards and tiles prepared, my wife and our two younger children began to warm to the well structured design of All About Spelling. “Spelling tests” do not appear to be the horrifying trauma we grew up with. One reason is that phonograms are taught in a user friendly sequence; words and phrases your child will be asked to review make sense. Reviewing before teaching helps identify material that has already been mastered so the student doesn’t get bored before the lesson has begun. The teaching methods presented in the manual make using the curriculum easy for a busy homeschooling parent to prepare for the lessons and the review box keeps things organized in a way that makes learning and review seem fresh.

There are four levels in print with two more on the way. All About Spelling explains on their Website that the levels are not tied to specific grades. However, once a student has completed all six levels, he or she will have a high school spelling proficiency.

Quibbles & Bits

As we sat down to compare notes for this review, my wife encouraged me to give All About Spelling a very favorable review. Even after taking the labor aspect of setting up each level into consideration, we found the curriculum to be well worth the investment of time and money.

Unlike many newer resources in the homeschool marketplace, All About Spelling recognizes that you may want to use the curriculum for more than one child. Duplicates of program materials are only needed if you’re teaching more than one child at a time; there is no restriction on passing the materials down from one child to the next. We found it just as easy to teach both of the younger boys together even though the recommended method is for each to have his own materials.

One huge complaint was the fact that the cards and letter tiles had to be cut out by hand. Future versions with micro-perfed cards will be a welcome site.

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