12 Reasons Teachers Love All About Reading and All About Spelling

Our programs are based on the Orton-Gillingham approach.

This highly-structured multisensory approach uses multiple pathways to the brain to make reading and spelling accessible. Feel free to download our free e-book called The Power of the Orton-Gillingham Approach to learn about the hallmarks of the OG approach and how these proven methods are incorporated in All About Reading and All About Spelling.

AAR and AAS incorporate the research findings of the National Reading Panel.

All About Reading and All About Spelling thoroughly address the five essential components of reading identified by the National Reading Panel: Phonological/phonemic awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.

Our programs use explicit, direct instruction.

Direct instruction is a proven method in which students are taught exactly what they need to learn. With direct instruction, the information is presented very clearly through well-tested materials that rule out the possibility of misinterpretation and confusion. Language rules and patterns are taught explicitly, so students don’t have to guess or struggle. Download sample lessons here.

Lessons are incremental.

Incremental means that lessons start with the most basic skills and build gradually to more advanced skills. Each lesson builds upon previously mastered material and gradually increases in difficulty. This provides a “no-gaps approach” that allows students to learn one new piece of knowledge at a time in a well-developed, logical sequence.

Our programs are multisensory.

Multisensory learning happens when sight, sound, and touch are used to learn new information. Children learn best when they can use all their senses. When students can see a concept as it is explained, hear about it, and then do it with hands-on activities, it is easier for them to learn and retain the new information.

We teach the 72 basic phonograms.

Struggling learners often believe that reading and spelling are about memorizing strings of letters. But it’s difficult for most kids to memorize words this way, so they get frustrated and give up. Instead, we teach how each sound in a word can be represented by a phonogram, such as OA for the sound of /ō/. When students learn the phonograms and the sounds they represent, reading or spelling become much easier.

We teach just one new concept at a time.

When too much information is dumped into a child’s mental “funnel,” his or her memory can only attend to a certain amount of the new information, and the rest gets “dumped” from memory. Teaching one concept at a time respects the limitations of a student’s short-term memory and allows concepts and skills to be more easily stored in the long-term memory.

We teach reading and spelling separately.

Reading and spelling require different teaching techniques and different pacing. Reading is easier than spelling, and learning these subjects separately is much more effective for most kids. Separating reading and spelling allows students to progress as quickly as possible through reading while taking as much time as they need to become good spellers.

We teach reliable spelling rules.

Spelling is much easier when children learn a small number of reliable spelling rules. For example, knowing the rules regarding the use of C and K can help children spell words like kitchen, acceptable, and automatic. When students learn trustworthy spelling rules—like the Kids’ Club Rule—they have guidelines to help them make the right letter choices.

We make review a priority.

Consistent review is the key to getting spelling facts and spelling words to “stick.” Teaching something once or twice does not mean students have mastered it. Mastery takes time and practice, and our lessons provide interesting review activities.

Lessons are short.

We recommend just 20 minutes a day for AAR and 20 minutes a day for AAS. Short lessons five times a week are more effective than longer, less-frequent lessons because you avoid overwhelming your students with new information and you can keep their attention more easily.

No special training is required to teach our programs.

You don’t have to go through a seminar or watch training videos to learn how to teach our programs. Everything you need is right there in the teacher’s manual as you go through the lessons, so it’s very open-and-go, which cuts down on your prep time. And if you ever need a substitute teacher or paraprofessional to fill in for you, he or she can follow the scripted lesson plans.

All About Reading and All About Spelling are “building block” programs. This means that each level builds upon the previous level. For example, the rules and concepts learned in Level 1 are applied in Level 2, and then those from Level 2 are applied in Level 3, and so on.

This also means that the level numbers you see on the book covers don’t refer to grade levels. This is good news for teachers because you can place your students in the levels they need, regardless of grade level.

Tip 3: Use AAR and AAS with a Small Group

If one-on-one instruction isn’t possible, we highly recommend that students be taught in small groups of two or three students. Here’s why small-group instruction works.

• It allows students to watch the teacher demonstrate the concepts being taught.
• It gives students a chance to practice.
• It provides the opportunity for the teacher to listen to each child read.
• It gives teachers the ability to notice and correct small problems before they become big problems.
• It makes it easier to hold the students’ attention and keep them motivated.

Running Record:
This running record is used to record errors or miscues while the student reads 100 words of text. This helps you see error patterns and plan appropriate instruction.

Guided Reading Notes:
Use this document for taking notes during guided reading. When used consistently, you can see student progress over time.

Sight Word (Leap Word) Assessment:
Each level of AAR has a set of “Leap Words.” Use this chart to keep a cumulative assessment of your students’ sight word fluency.

All About Spelling Word List Assessment:
Use this chart to assess student progress on word lists and dictation exercises in All About Spelling lessons. Find trouble spots and incorporate review as needed.

All About Reading Phonogram Mastery Record:
Use this chart to assess student progress on the mastery of phonograms taught in All About Reading lessons.

All About Spelling Phonogram Mastery Record:
Use this chart to assess student progress on the mastery of phonograms taught in All About Spelling lessons.

Fidelity Checklists:
These simple observation tools can be used to give feedback to teachers and paraprofessionals regarding their implementation of AAR and AAS. This helps ensure that the programs are being used as intended.