gdata.io.handleScriptLoaded({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-08-26T08:12:09.894-05:00"},"category":[{"term":"homeschooling"},{"term":"IEP"},{"term":"liquid watercolor art activities"},{"term":"children's books"},{"term":"siblings"},{"term":"curriculum"},{"term":"OT"},{"term":"busy book"},{"term":"Testy Shop"},{"term":"Testy Homeschool \u0026 Teacher Shop"},{"term":"crafts"},{"term":"CEU Challenge"},{"term":"review"},{"term":"cardsets"},{"term":"quiet book"},{"term":"light box"},{"term":"preschool"},{"term":"language"},{"term":"therapy"},{"term":"Michael"},{"term":"supplements"},{"term":"weeklyreview"},{"term":"daily life"},{"term":"tidbits"},{"term":"blogging"},{"term":"audiofiles"},{"term":"app"},{"term":"giveaway"},{"term":"reference"},{"term":"car ride activities"},{"term":"Apraxia"},{"term":"Ava"},{"term":"SLP"},{"term":"articulation"},{"term":"Dala"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Testy yet trying"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"A Speech Pathologist Mother and Her Daughter Diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/-/review?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d6"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/-/review?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d6"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/search/label/review"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/-/review/-/review?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026start-index\u003d7\u0026max-results\u003d6"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"https://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"19"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"6"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-7657480265215841570"},"published":{"$t":"2013-09-02T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-09-02T05:00:01.394-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Scholastic News Classroom Magazine: from a Homeschool Perspective"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I subscribed to the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://sni.scholastic.com/SN1/\"\u003efirst\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://sni.scholastic.com/SN2\"\u003esecond\u003c/a\u003e grade editions of the Scholastic News Magazine for this school year.  I added Science Spin on to the subscription for each.  Now, fair warning.  I thought I was going to be able to subscribe for the stated price of $4.49 per student + $0.99 cents for Science Spin.  I found out that you only get that price if you are ordering for 10 or more students.  When you want to order a single copy, you must call the 1-800 number and they charge significantly more.  I don't recall what the price was since I ordered 4 or 5 months ago, but I'm going to guess it was something like $15 or so per subscription.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e It was completely worth it.  If you subscribe to Scholastic News and Science spin, you get 5 magazines per month (one Scholastic News per week and 1 Science Spin per month).  The \"magazines\" are only 4 pages long.  You have the cover, a two page spread in the middle, and an activity/review on the back.  The topics are usually science or social studies oriented.  They are supposed to increase in complexity and language level over the course of the school year.  My kids LOVE them.  That's not even the best part though.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e As part of the subscription you get access to Scholastic News online.  There you can find teacher's guides, printable worksheets, and online versions of each magazine.  The online version of the magazine can be read at the regular reading level, or switched to a lower reading level.  There is at least one video and sometimes more that is associated with each magazine and the final page of the magazine (the activity page) is interactive and can be completed online.  There is also an online \"game\" for every magazine which is really a learning activity/review.\u003cBr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e The online site for each grade level also has access to the digital versions of the past two year's worth of magazines and all the videos and printables.  You can easily do a magazine a day online.  I find that the children adore sitting down at the computer for our Scholastic News magazine time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Eventually, you will need to log in to access the Scholastic News online content, but the site is completely open through the end of September.  \u003ca href\u003d\"http://sni.scholastic.com/SN2\"\u003eCheck it out\u003c/a\u003e.  Use it between now and then.  If you like it, you can call and subscribe for the rest of the school year.  We've even used a couple of the digital versions of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://sni.scholastic.com/SN3/09_02_13_SN3/\"\u003eGrade 3 magazines\u003c/a\u003e while they're accessible for free.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e I like that the magazines are a fun way to hit language arts while browsing through a wide variety of science and social studies topics.  The activities on the final pages and the online games are an entertaining way to introduce young children to a wide variety of skills such as graphing, main ideas and supporting details, opposites, and more.  And all that was just in the first month.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Enjoy! "},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/7657480265215841570/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/09/scholastic-news-classroom-magazine-from.html#comment-form","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/7657480265215841570"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/7657480265215841570"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/09/scholastic-news-classroom-magazine-from.html","title":"Scholastic News Classroom Magazine: from a Homeschool Perspective"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-8991834043081040608"},"published":{"$t":"2013-08-30T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-08-30T05:00:02.465-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"daily life"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dr. John's Candies - A Review"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I've been trying to reduce the presence of sugar in my life.  Which is great for health, but otherwise rather sad.  I intensely dislike the taste and aftertaste of artificial sweeteners which eliminates the option of replacing sodas and candies with diet products or products aimed at diabetics.  One of the things I mourned most was the loss of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2012/01/lovely-indulgence-breville-one-touch.html\"\u003emy tea\u003c/a\u003e because I just can't drink it unsweetened and I dislike it with the usual suspects of artificial sweeteners.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Then I discovered the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohol\"\u003esugar alcohols\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013P3KC6/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003dB0013P3KC6\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003exylitol \u003c/a\u003eand \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XA49BG/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003dB007XA49BG\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eerythritol\u003c/a\u003e. These are natural, low or zero calorie sugar alternatives that are low-glycemic and do not contribute to cavities.  Xylitol actually fights cavities.  And they taste pretty great with no aftertaste.  Now I find I like the flavor of xylitol and erythritol mixed together at about a 1:1 ratio.  Some people experience... gastric distress if they consume too much xylitol and so some people I've converted to xylitol and erythritol choose to consume erythritol straight over xylitol.  Xylitol's is slightly better for the teeth.  They also have slightly different tastes.  Experiment and choose for yourself.  I have been unable to find them locally and so I've been buying them on Amazon for over a year now.  I use them just for sweetening tea and I haven't tried using them as substitutions for baking, so I have no comments on how they work in that capacity, but I don't use sugar at all in tea any more.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I recently discovered \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.drjohns.com/default.asp\"\u003eDr. John's Candies\u003c/a\u003e.  These are xylitol candies.  Xylitol has 75% fewer calories than sugar.  It also inhibits the growth of cavity causing bacteria in the mouth.  It does not raise blood glucose levels.  And they taste great.  The children are just as delighted to have a Dr. John's lollipop as they are to have a regular one.  I adore their hard candies.  They taste great.  Seriously.  I've tried the butterscotch, strawberry cheesecake, mango, natural cafe caramel, and natural double dutch fudge hard candies and I really like them all.  Ok.  I've also tried a yet to be released cream soda flavor which is my absolute favorite because they happened to include it in the sampler I ordered.  When I couldn't find one that looked like it on the website I called their customer service to ask about it and discovered it isn't available yet on their website.  I'll be making another order as soon as it appears.  My son enjoyed a chocolate caramel from the sampler and claimed to like it even more than the lollipops.  I wasn't as impressed with the caramel that I tried, but I'm not a huge fan of caramels in general.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e I just wanted to let you guys know that there is a candy out there that you can feel good about giving to your kids that tastes really great, doesn't contain sugar or artificial sweeteners, and is actually good for the teeth.  You can also enjoy them guilt free yourself.  I find that a couple of Dr. John's hard candies will help curb a sugar craving.\u003cBr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e The company also has some chocolates that I would love to try given how good their hard candies are, but the price is just a little too high.  You can't get them in a sample size, and at nearly $20 per box, I just can't justify trying something I might not like.  If anyone out there has tried their chocolates and wants to let me know what they thought, please leave a comment! "},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/8991834043081040608/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/dr-johns-candies-review.html#comment-form","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/8991834043081040608"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/8991834043081040608"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/dr-johns-candies-review.html","title":"Dr. John's Candies - A Review"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-5778063576585666044"},"published":{"$t":"2013-08-26T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-08-26T05:00:00.656-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"curriculum"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"All About Reading - Level 2: Curriculum Review"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1184\"\u003eAll About Reading: Level 2\u003c/a\u003e - A Homeschooling Parent's Review\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W7KcgeJhhCo/Uhab8K6jmsI/AAAAAAAAEkU/0eHx4DReyck/s1600/All+About+Reading+Level+2.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W7KcgeJhhCo/Uhab8K6jmsI/AAAAAAAAEkU/0eHx4DReyck/s320/All+About+Reading+Level+2.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eBackground\u003c/h3\u003e I am a certified Elementary and Early Childhood teacher and a certified Speech-Language Pathologist.  I am homeschooling my kindergartener and preschooler.  My son was always precocious where reading is concerned.  He's reading independently at this point and I credit our experiences with \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1144\"\u003eAll About Reading\u003c/a\u003e for much of that.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Even as a toddler, he was always interested in his letters.  When we read \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0066U1SJU/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003dB0066U1SJU\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eChicka Chicka Boom Boom\u003c/a\u003e to him as a toddler he was very interested in identifying all the letters at the beginning and end of the book.  We fed that interest.  He just loved to tune into letters and their sounds.  So, a little over a year ago, when I began to think about homeschooling I decided to dip my toe into the water, so to speak, with a reading program.  Michael loved letters.  I loved reading.  It seemed like a great place to start.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After researching many programs and trying the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1146\"\u003efree sample materials\u003c/a\u003e for All About Reading Level 1, I decided that I wanted to go with the All About Reading curriculum.  I wanted a phonics based program.  Research supports a solid understanding of phonics as being essential to reading.  I also knew I wanted a program that specifically addressed fluency.  The fluency sheets in this program are well designed to practice single words, phrases, and sentences.  The readers are exquisite and address phonics skills at the story level and reading comprehension at the same time.  The flash cards teach sight words to mastery.  The teacher's manual ties together all of these elements in an easy to teach way.  I liked the design of the program.  I liked it a lot.  Also, they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee for a whole year.  \u003cb\u003eYou have a full year to try the materials.\u003c/b\u003e  If you are unhappy for any reason, just return the materials for a full refund.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When I received them, the materials were amazing.  The program is comprehensive and full-featured.  The \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1185\"\u003eactive online forums\u003c/a\u003e were helpful more than once.  The customer service was prompt and went above and beyond to be helpful (they sent me out a free replacement CD-ROM that I had lost).  After completing Level 1 with Michael I purchased Level 2 for Michael and the Pre-Reading Level for Ava.  That is how happy I am with the reading programs by the All About Learning Press.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eProgram Overview - All About Reading: Level 2\u003c/h3\u003e The program is multi-faceted.  You get two lovely hardback readers.  The black \u0026 white line drawing illustrations are beautiful and Michael found the stories to be genuinely entertaining.  The words used in each story are matched to highlight the new phonics concepts recently taught and review phonics already mastered.  You have a box of index cards that lets you review sight words and phonograms (the sounds that are associated with each letter or letter combination).  There are magnetic letter tiles that help you build words and practice blending and breaking words apart.  The teacher's manual is well written and easy to follow along with.  You are walked through exactly what to do and when.  Lessons move along at a pace that introduce new concepts while still reviewing the old ones so that concepts are consistently practiced until mastered.  The lessons are accompanied by fluency pages for essential practice and fun games and activities that my children absolutely adore.  They even include a progress chart to keep track of lesson progress with stickers and a certificate of achievement for the end of the level.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e For the most part, the lessons follow an A B pattern.  In the first lesson you teach a new phonics concept, play a game or activity to reinforce using that concept to decode words, and read fluency sheets that feature words that use the new phonics concept.  Then you practice flash cards with words that use the concept.  Those cards are then intermixed with the other flash cards that are not yet mastered for review at the beginning of the next lesson.  In the second lesson of each pair, you begin with a pre-reading worksheet that previews key words and phrases that will be in the story.  The lesson plan walks you through some brief pre-reading conversation designed to activate prior knowledge and then the child reads the story from the reader to you.  There is some kind of post-reading discussion or activity to be done after the reading of the story.  I often begin the second lesson in each pair by having Michael choose one story from the reader that he has already read to re-read before we move on to the new material.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eOrganizing the Materials and Using the Program\u003c/h3\u003e Michael and I are 10 lessons away from finishing \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1184\"\u003eAll About Reading: Level \u003c/a\u003e2.  We have loved going through the program and are anxiously awaiting the release of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1186\"\u003eLevel 3\u003c/a\u003e.  When I received the program materials there was a lot of preparation.  I spent at least a couple of hours - maybe more - getting all the materials organized.  All of the flashcards are printed on full sheets and have to be torn apart along the perforated lines and then placed behind the appropriate index card dividers in the index box.  I took all of the activities and fluency pages out of the student book (again along perforated lines) and 3-hole punched them and put them in a binder.  I did the same with the lesson plans.  That way I have everything I need in one binder.  I keep all of the materials together in a single bin on a nearby bookshelf.  When it is time for Michael's reading we simply have to grab the bin and go.  (Here's a peek in our bin.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e   \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOLYD8cZVJk/UhaeDzNuF4I/AAAAAAAAEkg/-rtAN_vRx-s/s1600/All+About+Reading+_+Level+2+What's+in+the+box.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOLYD8cZVJk/UhaeDzNuF4I/AAAAAAAAEkg/-rtAN_vRx-s/s400/All+About+Reading+_+Level+2+What's+in+the+box.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Once the initial preparation is done, very little planning time is needed after that.  At the end of each lesson I let Michael have a few minutes of free time (no more than 5 minutes usually) while I preview the next lesson.  I highlight the sections of the lesson plan I need to focus on.  I cut out the parts of the activity for the next day.  I make a few notes about how the day's lesson went and what I want to remember for next time.  That way, everything is absolutely ready to go for the next day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eTime Commitment\u003c/h3\u003eOnce the initial setup is done, planning does not require more than 5-10 minutes (at most) per lesson.  If you're happy to cut a few things out during a lesson rather than before, preparation time is even less.  The program is designed to be done with a teacher.  It is not the type of curriculum where you can set a child up and then let them work independently while you do something else.  You need 30-60 minutes at least 3-5 days a week to devote to this.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eDownload Free Samples\u003c/h3\u003eYou can download generously sized free samples of key program components like the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1187\"\u003eteacher's manual\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1188\"\u003estudent activity book\u003c/a\u003e, and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1189\"\u003efirst\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1190\"\u003esecond hardback readers\u003c/a\u003e.  It isn't quite try before you buy, because the included lessons are not consecutive, but it is enough to get a good feel for how the program works.  The teacher's manual includes the table of contents, introduction, and lessons 1, 4, 5, 27, 38.  The student activity book samples include some sample games and activities and some sample fluency pages.  The sample from the first reader includes 3 entire stories out of the 12 stories in the reader.  The sample from the second reader also includes three full stories of the eleven in the reader, including Pumpkin and the Kitten.  We just read this one last week.  Michael was fascinated by the story and Ava abandoned her independent play to come over and follow along while he read it.  When Pumpkin is jealous of the new kitten and verbalizes a plan to get rid of the kitten Michael's voice got very quiet and his sister and I had to strain to hear him.  He obviously found the story to be quite powerful.  Both children were delighted when Pumpkin learned to give the kitten a chance at the end of the story.  The storybook samples are definitely worth checking out!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eWhich of the products I actually bought.\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbsolutely necessary:\u003c/b\u003e  You definitely need the teacher's manual and one student packet for each student you will be teaching with the program.  You'll definitely need the two readers as well.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e\u003cb\u003eVery nice to have:\u003c/b\u003e  I very much enjoy having the reading review box and the index divider cards.  You could just as easily buy an inexpensive index card box and make your own divider cards though.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e   \u003cb\u003eDepends on the child:\u003c/b\u003e  The letter tiles and magnets for the letter tiles are considered to be a main part of the program.  If you have a child who is tactile and learns best with manipulatives you'll want these.  I bought them, but rarely use them.  Instead I use a small dry erase board and dry erase markers for the sections of the program that are designed for the magnet tiles.  I find it quicker and more space efficient and Michael simply doesn't need to move tiles around to get the phonics concepts.  In fact, when I do get them out he's distracted and I spend more time keeping him on task.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e    \u003ci\u003eSome of the links in this post are affiliate links.  If you click on one of those links and make a purchase a portion of your purchase will go towards offsetting the costs of running this blog.  I purchased all of the products I reviewed in this post on my own, long before I started using affiliate links and the opinions expressed are completely my own.\u003c/i\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/5778063576585666044/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-about-reading-level-2-curriculum.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/5778063576585666044"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/5778063576585666044"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-about-reading-level-2-curriculum.html","title":"All About Reading - Level 2: Curriculum Review"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W7KcgeJhhCo/Uhab8K6jmsI/AAAAAAAAEkU/0eHx4DReyck/s72-c/All+About+Reading+Level+2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-5762217210950169875"},"published":{"$t":"2013-08-23T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-08-23T05:00:01.255-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"children's books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"4 Fun Halloween Picture Books"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"What is it about monsters, ghosts, witches, ghouls, and goblins?  My children love stories about them (as long as they're nice, and not scary).  We discover them when they're out and about during the Halloween time of year, but we tend to keep them on the shelf and enjoy them year-round.  Here are four of our favorites that we've been enjoying for several years now.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pII5BtARppU/Uf-6kOYEBsI/AAAAAAAAEhQ/K0Cyj5cEkck/s1600/4+Fun+Halloween+Picture+Books.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pII5BtARppU/Uf-6kOYEBsI/AAAAAAAAEhQ/K0Cyj5cEkck/s400/4+Fun+Halloween+Picture+Books.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e These are listed in no particular order of preference.  Three are meant to be sung and one is just a great story.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e1.  \u003cu\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545174805/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0545174805\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eThe Spooky Wheels on the Bus\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/u\u003e by J. Elizabeth Mills.  This is a Halloween version of The Wheels on the Bus crossed with a counting book (up to 10).  It begins, \"One spooky bus goes RATTLE and SHAKE, RATTLE and SHAKE, RATTLE and SHAKE. One spooky bus goes RATTLE and SHAKE, All through the town.  It continues with 2 white wipers (skeleton arms), 3 black cats, 4 glowing wheels (jack o'lanterns), 5 big spiders, 6 singing mummies, 7 silly monsters, 8 wacky witches, 9 magic brooms, and 10 goofy ghosts before returning to the original lyric.  The children enjoy the lyrics and love the pictures.  They are not scary at all.  They are full of detail.  We had read / sung the book at least a dozen times before we notices that each picture gives a hint of what is to come on the next page.  You can actually guess who is about to get on the bus next.  All in all, it is a fun adaptation that we enjoy every time.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e2.  \u003cu\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439158044/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0439158044\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eTen Timid Ghosts\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/u\u003e by Jennifer O'Connell.  I sing this book. For the life of me, I cannot think of what the tune I use is so that I can tell you.  Hopefully it will just come to you as you read the book.  You could also simply read the book.  It is enjoyable either way.  It is a countdown book.  It begins with 10 and counts down to one.  It begins, \"Ten timid ghosts in a haunted house - A witch moved in and wanted them out.\"  She proceeds to do a series of practical jokes on the ghosts each one scaring off another ghost.  The children love searching the illustrations to figure out how the witch is pulling off her trick and if you look you can always find her.  At the end, the last little ghost figures out that it was the witch all along and tells his friends and the witch gets her comeuppance in the end.  It is fun to sing, the story is cute, and the illustrations are well done and add something fun to the experience of reading the story.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e3.  \u003cu\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760745552/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0760745552\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eThe Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/u\u003e by Joe Troiano.  This is a great story that celebrates differences.  Spookley is the only square pumpkin in the pumpkin patch but that quality about him saves the day during a storm.  When the farmer realized how special Spookley was he saved his seeds for the next season.  The next season all the pumpkins in the patch were unique and people came from miles around to choose a special pumpkin.  My retelling doesn't really do the story justice.  The pictures complement the story beautifully and the story is told in a rhyme that it fun to read.  Excellent book.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e4.  \u003cu\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061767980/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0061767980\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eLittle Goblins Ten\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/u\u003e by Pamela Jane.  This is an adaptation of the song/nursery rhyme \u003ca href\u003d\"http://more2.starfall.com/m/talking-library/over-meadow/play.htm?f\u0026d\u003ddemo\"\u003eOver in the Meadow\u003c/a\u003e (click here to hear \u003ca href\u003d\"http://lavendersbluehomeschool.com/song-over-in-the-meadow/\"\u003ea lovely version sung\u003c/a\u003e).  I've always loved the melody of this song and I've always loved singing the traditional nursery rhyme version.  It is just as much fun, if not more to use the same melody while singing this book.  This halloween version begins, \"Over in the forest, Where the trees hide the sun, Lived a big mommy monster, And her little monster one.\"  The song hits 9 other types of halloween monsters.  The illustrations are gorgeous and not at all scary.  The children love seeing the various Halloween creatures and their parents.  The final page has all of the creatures together setting off to Trick or Treat.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you liked these children's book suggestions, I have \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/search/label/children%27s%20books\"\u003eseveral others\u003c/a\u003e ranging from board books through early chapter books.  Check them out.\u003cbr /\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/5762217210950169875/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/4-fun-halloween-picture-books.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/5762217210950169875"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/5762217210950169875"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/4-fun-halloween-picture-books.html","title":"4 Fun Halloween Picture Books"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pII5BtARppU/Uf-6kOYEBsI/AAAAAAAAEhQ/K0Cyj5cEkck/s72-c/4+Fun+Halloween+Picture+Books.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-1352782921743392193"},"published":{"$t":"2013-08-16T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-08-16T05:00:01.468-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"children's books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"4 Outstanding Picture Book Variations on the Classic Gingerbread Man Tale"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I always found the classic fairy tale of the gingerbread man to be a little boring growing up. It felt like just another story with a moral.  Then I discovered a captivating version of the classic tale with adorable illustrations and the story written in verse.  The tale became a fun one to tell and I even turned the \"catch me if you can\" verse repeated throughout the story into a little song.  The children and I loved it and we read it weekly for several months and continue to read it at least once every couple of months two years later.  I began looking for other well done variations on the tale.  Not all of them were great, but I highly recommend these four.  We have been reading and re-reading these four in our household for several years.  The children liked them as toddlers and still love them as preschoolers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s6MyH73VkZg/Uf6V9saRdiI/AAAAAAAAEhA/SGDVdigeIo8/s1600/4+Excellent+Picture+Book+Variations+on+the+Gingerbread+Man.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s6MyH73VkZg/Uf6V9saRdiI/AAAAAAAAEhA/SGDVdigeIo8/s400/4+Excellent+Picture+Book+Variations+on+the+Gingerbread+Man.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e These are listed in no particular order of preference.  They are all short, simple, and sweet.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e1.  \u003cu\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545235146/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0545235146\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eThe Gingerbread Man\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/u\u003e by Jim Aylesworth.  It's all in the telling.  This is the classic story of the gingerbread man, but the rhyme and rhythm make it a pleasure to read and so much more engaging for the little ones.  You'll want a great telling of the classic story for several reasons.  First, you need something to compare the others to if you're doing a unit on how fairy tales are often retold in different variations.  Also, the Gingerbread Girl stories I'll be talking about shortly set themselves up as direct sequels to the Gingerbread Man story often referring to what happened to the original Gingerbread Boy.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e2.  \u003cu\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399250522/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0399250522\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eThe Gingerbread Man Loose in the School\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/u\u003e by Laura Murray.  This variation of the gingerbread man takes place in a school.  He is baked by a class of children who leave for recess while they wait for him to cool.  He thinks he's been abandoned and searches the school to find his class only to discover at the end that they've been searching for him as well.  The illustrations are done in a comic panel format which usually irritates me, but it isn't overdone in this book.  In fact there is a lot of detail and humor to be found in the illustrations and it really does add layers to the story to take the time to fully examine the illustrations.  Some of the common core standards involve using illustrations to add information so this is an added bonus in the book.  Like all the other gingerbread man tales I'm featuring, this one is written in rhyme and is a pleasure to read.  My kids love this one too.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e3.  \u003cu\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525476679/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0525476679\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eThe Gingerbread Girl\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/u\u003e by Lisa Campbell Ernst.  This book is so much fun.  One year later, the little old man and little old woman decide to try again but this time they bake a gingerbread girl.  As she bakes she overhears the old man and woman discussing what happened to her brother and she decided that she will not meet the same fate.  Later in the story she ends up face to face with that fox and I still clearly remember the anticipation the children felt when they didn't know if the fox would get her.  It is fun to read and sing (if you like, just make up a tune) and is a delightful twist on the gingerbread man tale.  (One small caveot.  The fox uses the words \"airhead\" and \"dumber\" in reference to the gingerbread girl.  You could either read as is and take the opportunity to discuss why using those words is unkind, or you can simply substitute something less offensive like \"silly\" while reading.)\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e4.  \u003cu\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525422595/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0525422595\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eThe Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/u\u003e is a sequel to The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst.  This sequel is at least as awesome as the original, possibly better although you wouldn't enjoy it as much if you hadn't read the first one.  This time the gingerbread girl has been with the little old man and little old woman for a year and they give her a present - a box of animal crackers.  She loves it because she's always wanted friends like her, but then the noisy mob of animal crackers runs away.  The overall story structure is familiar, but the individual pages are so well done.  Each page features a different animal cracker rhyme.  \"My legs move so fast, I'm practically flyin'. You can't catch me, I'm the wild cracker lion!\"  You can pause before the last word and treat it like a riddle and ask the children if they know which animal cracker the verse is about.  There's an excellent balance of tension in the scene with the fox and a great resolution at the end.  Outstanding book.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you liked these children's book suggestions, I have \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/search/label/children%27s%20books\"\u003eseveral others\u003c/a\u003e ranging from board books through early chapter books.  Check them out.  As soon as I get a chance, I'll share 4 fun books for halloween.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/1352782921743392193/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/4-outstanding-picture-book-variations.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/1352782921743392193"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/1352782921743392193"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/4-outstanding-picture-book-variations.html","title":"4 Outstanding Picture Book Variations on the Classic Gingerbread Man Tale"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s6MyH73VkZg/Uf6V9saRdiI/AAAAAAAAEhA/SGDVdigeIo8/s72-c/4+Excellent+Picture+Book+Variations+on+the+Gingerbread+Man.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-499316303888026431"},"published":{"$t":"2013-08-05T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-08-05T10:27:27.022-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"curriculum"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Curriculum Review: All About Reading - Pre Reading"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ch2\u003eAll About Reading: Pre-Reading - A Review\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eMaS3I_Ck_M/UflHOLXQ0CI/AAAAAAAAEeA/cSjjhyoSVPQ/s1600/All+About+Reading+Pre+Reading+Program.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eMaS3I_Ck_M/UflHOLXQ0CI/AAAAAAAAEeA/cSjjhyoSVPQ/s320/All+About+Reading+Pre+Reading+Program.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e So you know where I'm coming from, let me give you a little bit of background about myself.  I have an undergraduate degree in psychology, a master's degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, a second master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology, and was just shy of getting a doctorate in Communication Disorders with a focus on Reading when life took a detour into motherhood a little earlier than I had planned.  Priorities shifted, and lots happened in between, but now I'm homeschooling my preschooler and kindergartner.  Because I have such a strong background in education I really enjoyed searching for just the right reading curriculum for my little ones and when I found \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1144\"\u003eAll About Reading\u003c/a\u003e I fell in love.  I've been using their curriculum materials for over a year now and I have personally purchased and used the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1145\"\u003ePre-Reading program\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1146\"\u003eLevel 1 program\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1147\"\u003eLevel 2 program\u003c/a\u003e with my children.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eProgram Overview - All About Reading: Pre-Reading Program\u003c/h3\u003e The program takes your child through the alphabet twice.  First you do uppercase letter activities and then lowercase letter activities.  You are working on letter recognition, letter sound correspondances, pre-reading skills (such as finding specific letters on a page, parsing print on a page into words, reading from left to right, etc.), and critical phonological awareness skills such as rhyme, syllable awareness, and isolating initial, final, and vowel sounds in words.  All of these skills are critical pre-reading skills.  I really wish the All About Learning Press would publish a stand alone phonological awareness program for children who are fine with the visual aspects of pre-reading, but seem to really struggle with the phonological awareness part of things.  Speech-pathologists that work with young children would LOVE it.  But I digress.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Each lesson teaches one letter.  You show the letter, read one to three short stories or poems featuring that letter, do a simple craft-based activity page with that letter, and do a phonological awareness activity.  The lessons are pretty short.  If your child isn't craft oriented or you choose to omit the craft the lesson may only take 5-10 minutes.  If your child really lingers over the craft it may take as much as 20 minutes.  If you supplement the program (more on that later), you might spend 30 minutes on the lesson.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eOrganizing the Materials and Using the Program\u003c/h3\u003e I'm using the program with my four year old daughter.  With my son I skipped the Pre-Reading Level and started with Level 1, but Ava has a history of a speech disorder called apraxia.  Children with apraxia often have co-existing problems with phonological awareness and struggle with reading as they progress through school so I particularly wanted Ava to have a good grounding in phonological awareness skills.  I specifically chose to start her with the pre-reading level because of the phonological awareness component.  Also, Michael was starting homeschooling in earnest and Ava was feeling left out.  She wasn't ready for Level One, but she was tired of watching her brother get to do reading every day without being able to do reading herself.  And so we invested in the AAR: Pre-Reading Program.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e   We keep all of our materials for a specific lesson (Ava's reading, Michael's reading, Math, Handwriting, etc.) in a bin on a shelf in our schoolroom.  Here's Ava's reading bin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-by7y3l1B6Rk/UflVKjaD-kI/AAAAAAAAEeQ/wBNPrWh54dI/s1600/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-reading+Storage.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-by7y3l1B6Rk/UflVKjaD-kI/AAAAAAAAEeQ/wBNPrWh54dI/s400/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-reading+Storage.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Inside I have a binder (where I put the teacher's manual pages, activity pages, and keep the progress chart), the two hardback books that come with the program, and the card box with dividers and phonological awareness cards). You'll also find our ziggy puppet in there.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0NnURBTIyU/UflVSH6_eyI/AAAAAAAAEec/PPpf6SHcs7E/s1600/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-Reading+What%2527s+in+the+box.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0NnURBTIyU/UflVSH6_eyI/AAAAAAAAEec/PPpf6SHcs7E/s400/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-Reading+What%2527s+in+the+box.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e The teacher's manual is well written.  It tells you exactly what to do in each lesson and educates you, where necessary, about how to do things or why you need to do things in a certain way.  Ava began the program very excited about the simple activity pages, but eventually we abandoned them because she lost interest.  They are a simple coloring sheet for each uppercase and lowercase letter of the alphabet combined with a fun craft you can do with things you find around the house.  (Crumple tinfoil to make stars and glue on, glue on construction paper to make water, etc.)  The phonological awareness activities strongly lean on a character you introduce named Ziggy the Zebra.  I underestimated Ziggy.  I chose not to purchase the optional $18 hand puppet and then found myself making a sock puppet version of Ziggy because Ava LOVED Ziggy and using the hand puppet adds so much to the phonological awareness activity.  He isn't used in every single lesson and Ava often begins the lesson by asking me if it will be a \"Ziggy Day\". \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Almost all of the preparation is when you first receive the materials in the mail.  It takes time to review the materials, separate all the perforated cards, and if you wish - transfer the teacher's manual and activity pages to a three-ring binder.  After that, the program requires very little day to day preparation.  If your child is doing the craft, you need to gather a few simple materials.  Otherwise once you're into the program, you can pretty much sit down with your bin and go.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eA Typical Lesson\u003c/h3\u003e\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003eGrab bin.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eIntroduce letter of the day.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eRead selection(s) from hardback book.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eDo phonological awareness activity.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eDo craft (optional).\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eDownload Free Samples\u003c/h3\u003eYou can \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1144\"\u003edownload free samples of the key program components\u003c/a\u003e (scroll down a bit).  I recommend it.  It gives you a good look at the teacher's manual, activity book, and the two hardback books that are integral to the program.  (I love the hardback books in the AAR programs.  I particularly like the poetry in Lizard Lou.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eWhich of the products I actually bought.\u003c/h3\u003eI bought the basic package and added on the activity box and animal stickers.  Essentially I skipped the reading tote bag and the ziggy puppet.  In retrospect, since I ended up making my own ziggy sock puppet I think some kind of zebra is a nice addition to the program.  Buy their puppet, make one from a sock, find an inexpensive stuffed zebra, or just print a picture of a zebra, but I do recommend some kind of zebra visual aid for the phonological processing activities.  Want to see our Ziggy sock puppet?  Promise not to laugh?  Squint your eyes and use your imagination and maybe, just maybe, this looks like a zebra...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxQpOJ--klE/UflVrMI1PbI/AAAAAAAAEeg/FKW5rsVCrvI/s1600/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-reading+Our+Ziggy.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxQpOJ--klE/UflVrMI1PbI/AAAAAAAAEeg/FKW5rsVCrvI/s400/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-reading+Our+Ziggy.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eGreat Supplemental Materials for the Pre-Reading Program\u003c/h3\u003eI found that Ava wanted to do a little more so I found some materials to supplement the AAR: Pre-Reading Program.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsborne Farmyard Tales - Alphabet Book:  This book is a perfect complement to the program. It has a sentence on each page with the targeted letter in red so it stands out.  There are many items included in each picture that begin with the targeted letter.  There is a little duck hiding in each picture and Ava loved to search for the duck.  We would read the page in this book for the letter that matched the letter in the AAR lesson of the day.  Unfortunately the book seems to be out of print, but there are many used copies available \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qsort\u003dp\u0026isbn\u003d0746030142\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439784395/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0439784395\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eABC Sing-Along Flip Chart \u0026 CD\u003c/a\u003e:  This product is amazing.  There is a song for each letter of the alphabet - one per page.  Each page has a full color illustration.  The songs are sung to familiar tunes.  The songs are really, really well done.  Ava and Michael can sing every one from memory (up to V - that's as far as we've gotten).  We often sing these in the car or while I'm fixing Ava's hair to pass time.  We use dry erase marker to circle all the targeted letters in the poem as we sing the song on the first day.  (You could also listen to them on the CD - the production value on the songs is really nice.)  We actually sing through all the songs we know, looking at the page and reviewing the highlighted letters at the beginning of each lesson.  The songs are short, so it only takes 5 minutes or so to do the entire set and Ava loves it!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eSome of the links in this post are affiliate links.  If you click on one of those links and make a purchase a portion of your purchase will go towards offsetting the costs of running this blog.  I purchased all of the products I reviewed in this post on my own, long before I started using affiliate links and the opinions expressed are completely my own.\u003c/i\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/499316303888026431/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/curriculum-review-all-about-reading-pre.html#comment-form","title":"11 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/499316303888026431"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/499316303888026431"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/curriculum-review-all-about-reading-pre.html","title":"Curriculum Review: All About Reading - Pre Reading"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eMaS3I_Ck_M/UflHOLXQ0CI/AAAAAAAAEeA/cSjjhyoSVPQ/s72-c/All+About+Reading+Pre+Reading+Program.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"11"}}]}});