Homeschool Review: All About Spelling

A few weeks ago, I gave you my list of curriculum choices for this school year. I get asked about these choices a LOT, even by public and private school parents, because they are looking for additional resources to help their struggling students. One resource for spelling that I’m always happy to recommend is Marie Rippel’s All About Spelling.

Spelling can be difficult for many students if they have never been educated on the “rules” or “patterns” that are used in spelling English words. Granted, there are many exceptions to those rules, but there are strategies that can be used to correctly spell most of the words we use daily. One of the reasons I chose All About Spelling is because of the way it teaches those strategies in an organized and systematic way. It’s a very easy program to teach, and a very easy program, for students to learn.

As it is a multisensory program (and we all know that the more senses you have involved in learning an idea, the more it sticks in their little brains), there are several pieces you will want to consider purchasing. There is an initial purchase of the Spelling Interactive Kit, which sells on the All About Learning website for $29.99. The kit contains letter tiles, magnets, a phonogram CD-ROM, and divider cards for the phonogram cards. You can upgrade that purchase to include a storage box for cards, a spelling tote bag, and stickers for your accomplishment chart. You will also need the student pack for the level you are using. It contains phonogram cards, sound cards, key cards, word cards, and a few other resources that make the program truly interactive and multi sensory. The backbone of the program, however, is the Teacher’s Manual. It is the book that spells out everything the teacher needs to do and say. This book takes all the work out of preparing for your spelling lessons. There is little to no prep work needed – the book tells it all! The Teacher’s Manual and Student Pack come together in a set for $29.95.

In the typical 15-20 minute lesson, the teacher will cover a particular phonogram or letter sound, and the student will be given several ways to practice that particular sound. Students are shown how to break words into syllables, and then taught the strategies for spelling each syllable. The program utilizes the magnet tiles, flash cards, as well as giving written work like dictation so that the student is given several ways to grasp the concept. Though the program teaches only one concept at a time, there is built-in continual review so that the student doesn’t forget what was learned in previous lessons. Don’t we LOVE that?

There are seven levels in the All About Spelling program, and this year we are on level 4. We will continue on until we have finished all seven lessons. If you are a homeschooling parent or a parent with a student who struggles with spelling in school, I hope you will check out All About Spelling. They have made a world of difference in my girl’s ability to spell and use the English language properly.

In exchange for this review I was given the Teacher’s Manual, Student Pack, and a set of stickers to review. The ideas and opinions are entirely my own, and I was not required to do a favorable review in order to receive the materials. I really do happen to love this program and think you will, too.

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