This will be our second year using All About Reading for our sons reading curriculum and I couldn’t be happier with how it has turned out. AAR has helped our son grow the confidence he needed to become the reader he is now. When we first started our homeschool journey our son barely knew all the sounds of the letters and now, two years later, he is reading small chapter books with ease. He is confident when reading, he understands what he’s reading and most importantly he enjoys reading.
The combination of phonetic memorization and hands-on activities has made this the ideal program. At the beginning of each lesson, you are reviewing what you previously learnt. Followed by two different types of lessons where you will either learning a new concept or reading a story in the book. You do this through hands-on activities like the letter tiles and paper activities from the student book. Then you will use some word cards for reading practice and there are even fluency sheets to really cement the skills you just learned. The teachers guide also prompts you to read a story or poem during each lesson, which I love because it really makes a point of getting your child reading!
On average we are able to complete one lesson in about 20-30 minutes, although you could definitely break the lessons up into smaller parts if it’s taking your child longer. There is a lesson tracking sheet that my son loves colouring in so you can keep track of your progress. The best part is that you can really tailor this curriculum so that it fits your child’s needs and your homeschool style.
Pros:
Focus on phonetic reading
Teaches vocabulary and comprehension
Works on child’s fluency
Hands-on activities, great for kinesthetic learners
Step-by-step teachers manual
Short lessons
Great for struggling learners
Letter Tiles app
Cons:
Only has 4 levels, plus the Pre-Reading level
Has repetitive parts in each lesson
Not an all-inclusive language arts program
