Discover the keys to unlocking your child's reading potential with Justine from New York, as she shares her journey through 'All About Reading: Level One'. Join us for an insightful exploration into how this comprehensive curriculum not only teaches the basics of phonics and vocabulary but also captivates young minds with interactive story-based learning. Justine's firsthand account with her five-and-a-half-year-old showcases the curriculum's ability to progress from the simple recognition of letter sounds to mastering complex phonetic teams. Imagine your child's delight as they manipulate magnetic letter tiles and witness words transform right before their eyes—a testament to the curriculum's engaging and tactile approach to education.
Since I used All About Reading: Pre-Reading with my son this year, we were able to compare and contrast the two levels, which will help you, the listener, decide which level would be best for your little learner to start with!
Discover the keys to unlocking your child's reading potential with Justine from New York, as she shares her journey through 'All About Reading: Level One'. Join us for an insightful exploration into how this comprehensive curriculum not only teaches the basics of phonics and vocabulary but also captivates young minds with interactive story-based learning. Justine's firsthand account with her five-and-a-half-year-old showcases the curriculum's ability to progress from the simple recognition of letter sounds to mastering complex phonetic teams. Imagine your child's delight as they manipulate magnetic letter tiles and witness words transform right before their eyes—a testament to the curriculum's engaging and tactile approach to education.
Since I used All About Reading: Pre-Reading with my son this year, we were able to compare and contrast the two levels, which will help you, the listener, decide which level would be best for your little learner to start with!
Welcome to the Homeschool How-To Find my Curriculum, a series where we talk all about curriculum. I've been interviewing homeschooling families for over a year now on my main podcast, the Homeschool How-To, but I really wanted to zero in on curriculum. There's so much out there. How do I know what would work best for me and my child? How do I know what works for one child would work for the other? I might like the curriculum I'm using now, but how do I know there's not a better one out there, especially if I don't know all the curriculums? And what about supplemental curriculum? Should I be using that too? This series is to help you decide just that. I'm going to interview parents who are using all the curriculums so that you can decide the absolute best way to unfold your homeschooling journey. The absolute best way to unfold your homeschooling journey.
Speaker 1:
Welcome With us. Today we have Justine from New York. Hi Justine, hi Cheryl. So Justine and I know each other. We kind of started out on our homeschooling journey together, meeting in a Facebook group locally that were people interested in homeschooling and met up at the local library because they have a homeschool meetup that. We only went to that one time and, even though it's an awesome idea. I always forget, so thank you for being here Today. We are going to talk about what We'll talk about.
Speaker 2:
All about reading level one.
Speaker 1:
Okay, perfect, Because I did all about reading the pre-reading. Even though our kids are about the same age, I obviously didn't have enough faith in my son to go to level one, so I'm really interested to see what you guys did this year, you and your son, and what the differences were between the pre-reading level. So if you haven't yet listened to that episode, that is the first episode I did and, um, you can go check that out. So how, uh, let's see how old was your son when you did this curriculum with him?
Speaker 2:
So we started in the in the fall of 2023. So he was a little over five and a half when we started.
Speaker 1:
Okay, and then? What subjects does it cut? I mean, I know it's in the title all about reading, but like, does it cover anything else? Is it strictly reading?
Speaker 2:
In the curriculum. We look at blending, so the blending and I think it also probably reviews what you learned in the pre-reading.
Speaker 2:
So each lesson it does say, okay, we're going to learn these four sounds for these letters and then it'll get into blending kind of once you've learned some of the letters. And then along the way, once you get into reading the stories, it'll go into a little bit of vocabulary. So if there's a, there was a story about a yak, so it explained okay, before we read the story, you know what is a yak. So a little bit of vocabulary. And then along the way through reading the stories it says, okay, you know, after certain page number, ask this question. So it'll kind of get their reading comprehension going as well and also making predictions maybe what's going to happen. Do you think?
Speaker 1:
I like that.
Speaker 1:
Okay, yeah, we did not have the reading comprehension as much in the pre-reading not like that and it also sounds like there's quite a bit of phonics mixed into that and I only know that from talking to a couple of the moms that I've had on the podcast, like the phony make awareness. It sounds like you that it was heavily, it was heavily intertwined into your curriculum where in the pre-reading we did a very basic phonics Like I would say, because I did it simultaneously with a different phonics program. Yeah, I, it was very light on the phonics, which isn't a bad thing. It makes it so it's not overwhelming for them. So what did your day-to-day look like with this curriculum? You just talked a little bit about the story with the yak and the predictions. What other things, um, like if, if you and your son sat down, what could you expect to go over for that lesson on a day-to-day basis?
Speaker 2:
So, like I said in the beginning, maybe I don't even know, maybe the first 15 or so lessons it goes through the phonics of each letter. You know what the sounds are and along the way it'll make small words here and there. So looking at a lesson, here we'll have it's teaching. The letter sounds H, k and R. So in the beginning it'll have little. It comes with yellow cards with each letter on it and then later, as we progress through the book, the curriculum, it'll get into like they call them consonant teams, so like T-H makes or C-H or C-K, so that sort of thing. So we have yellow cards and then you know we also have they call them letter tiles. So they're magnetic, so you can stick them to a magnetic board or you can also download the app. I chose the magnetic board. It's free, they send it with. They send it with the curriculum, so I don't need to, you know, go and and buy the app, which I think is around $20 for the app, so we'll learn those sounds or new consonant teams wherever you are at in the book and then you'll kind of get into. The parent will first kind of blend through a word. So I'm looking here the first word that we learned in this specific lesson was rat. So I would go through and, you know, show him how the book wants them to sound these words out and then you know it'll get into him sounding out the next word. The next word was had. You know this is lesson six. So at this point you know we've gone through a couple letters so far and then it'll get into kind of playing, change the word. So we go from maybe the word had to the word ham. You know, just changing one letter showing that you can change one letter will then make a whole new word. And then within these specific ones, these specific lessons they also have sometimes there's games. Each, each lesson will be a different game. Maybe sometimes they'll repeat it and they also have in the back of the book like an appendix which will show you additional games if your child is struggling, or maybe they just need something different to you know, just different ideas to give you to get them more, you know, want them to do it. So that's the first type of lesson and then it gets into. Then we also, along with the yellow cards, there are also green cards. So these are like the practice words that you should have kind of learned within this lesson words that you should have kind of learned within this lesson. So this was like I'm probably learning about. You know the letter A and how that sound is. So rat hat rag had so sounding that A for apple. So, and then at the very end it'll get into this long sheet of practice words, it'll get into phrases and then practice words it'll get into phrases and then later on it gets into sentences. So before you finish the lesson, it's a good idea. You know, my son had a little bit struggle. He didn't want to necessarily do the entire sheet because some of them can be long. But I think it's very good practice for them. It's reinforcing that ah, ah, that they should have learned, and it's also going back and you know, maybe they've already learned, eh, that vowel as well. So it's kind of going back and just giving them lots of practice along the way.
Speaker 2:
Basically, so a lesson. Can you know, I feel like at the very beginning it took us maybe almost two weeks to complete a lesson. Can you know, I feel like at the very beginning it took us maybe almost two weeks to complete a lesson and which the book kind of recommends. You know, it could take a day, it could take two weeks to finish a lesson. Um, now, I feel like maybe, depending on what lesson we're doing, it takes maybe about a week to finish a lesson.
Speaker 2:
So there's also along with learning the letters. Then, once you've kind of gotten to a certain point in the book, you learn either a new letter or a new consonant team, which is again that CH or that TH sound, and then it lets you get into reading two stories per lesson. So each of those stories, before you get into reading the story, it will kind of go back through that practice sheet that I had mentioned prior and it'll give you the new words kind of in that story so you can practice it before you go and read the story. So it gives them a little, you know, more confidence that they know it when they go to read the story. And it'll go also give phrases that could be in the story as well. And then again it goes into the vocabulary and you know some comprehension questions to ask along the way while you're reading the story.
Speaker 1:
Okay. And then thinking back to the all about reading, pre-reading, that was 78 lessons, one lesson a day is pretty adequate. You know there was no. Take this lesson and go over a week. You know it, really there wasn't that much to it. So, um, those are some big differences. It sounds like and, and there wasn't like reading these stories. This was, uh, in the pre-reading. It's much more um, pointed, with just the words and maybe rhyming. So those are some big differences right there.
Speaker 1:
And then it's funny because I have recently started doing, uh, teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons I think that's the title of it, and I'll do an episode with somebody on that as well, because that's been interesting to go through it and it teaches like the a sound very differently than what you know. This is teaching. All about reading is teaching. So, uh, I really liked the idea that I had to do this curriculum series because in just the three little, three or four little things that I've used for reading in this one year, they've all had very drastically different approaches and it's so hard to know what would work best and how. Would anyone know unless you at least heard a 15 minute conversation with somebody about it. So thank you for being on the show today and doing this. How all right.
Speaker 1:
So you already said, one lesson takes about a week to complete. Approximately how many lessons does it have? Like, the pre-reading has 78 lessons, so it didn't quite cover a full school year. But if you had other supplemental things, it would not that it has to. You know you can move along to the level one whenever, but how long do you think the level one took to complete?
Speaker 2:
So there are 52 lessons. I'm pretty sure it's 52 lessons in level one. We started, I think, in September of 2023, and it is now a month away, beginning of March of 2024. And we are only on Lesson 22.
Speaker 1:
Okay so it might take a little bit longer.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I think it's going to definitely take probably a full year for us to finish this.
Speaker 1:
Well. So that's good for people to realize too, because if you wanted to start with the pre-reading, that doesn't quite take a year. People to realize too. Because if you wanted to start with the pre-reading, that doesn't quite take a year. It's only 78 lessons. That can all easily be done in a day. You don't have to do five days a week though with it, obviously, but even still it doesn't stretch out for quite a year. So if you took one year to do the pre-reading, and then you know that's less than a year, and then another a little over a year to do the level one, you're still averaging out to a two year process. You know, for, um, people who were deciding which one to go to do I do pre-reading or do I do the level one? Um, okay, so you did. Do you remember how much this one costs?
Speaker 2:
I believe I paid close to $200. So you buy it comes with like the activity book and like the practice sheets, so that's one book. And then you get a teacher's manual, which is another book. And then they say the letter tiles that I had mentioned. It comes with the letter tiles in a box. That is a one-time purchase. So it comes with the letter tiles, that a box. That is a one-time purchase. So it comes with the letter tiles that go all the way up to I don't even know is it lesson or level four or five they have. So that comes with everything. So that's just a one-time purchase.
Speaker 1:
And then can you use this with your other son when it's time for him, or will you have to purchase some of the stuff new?
Speaker 2:
No, so actually I didn't want to have to purchase it again. So I actually have been in the, in the, in the workbook, I'll call it, with the practice sheets and like kind of the games and sort of things. You know they're perforated pages, you can rip them out. Some some activities have to be cut out. So I've actually, you know, kept everything nice and neat and slipped it into folders, so now I can go and reuse it for my second son when he's, you know, at the age of reading, which will be perfect.
Speaker 1:
That was smart. I didn't do that.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
And you know now that you say that I I've heard of people do like the Treehouse Schoolhouse. Lady Lindsay, you take out the perforated page and put it inside of like those clear sheets.
Speaker 1:
I can't think of the name now, but you know what I mean. They're clear and then, as you write on it with the marker, you can wipe off the marker after the lesson and then reuse it as many times as you want. Yeah, that would have been a lot smarter for me to do. Hey, I can't do it all. I'm doing a podcast. So you talked about the games and there are extra games in the back of the book. Was there any other fun little stuff like that? Crafts.
Speaker 2:
No, we have not come across any crafty type things yet. I think it's kind of just little games, like you know. They have like a picture of a monster, so I glued it to a cardboard. They say, glue it to a cereal box. I didn't have one, so I took like an Amazon box, I glued it to it and so I've been letting him, as he reads his green cards, which are like the review words, him as he reads his green cards, which are like the review words, he's been, you know, sliding the green cards into the monster's mouth as he reads them. He seems to like to do that more.
Speaker 2:
This isn't in the book, or, yeah, isn't in the book, but I kind of he likes, you know, cars, trucks, motorcycles, whatever it might be, bicycles, little toy ones, and so I would just put a bunch of words on the floor and like let him drive his vehicle or whatever it might be to the word and let him, you know, sound out whatever word or phrase it was that he wanted to. So I wasn't kind of forcing what he was doing. Um, but there are plenty in the back of the book and that was just kind of when I came up on my own.
Speaker 1:
Oh, nice, yeah, you're crafty like that. Okay, so you already talked about you can do this with another child. Could you do this curriculum with two kids at one time, like say, you had twins right now or you had someone else's kids?
Speaker 2:
Um, I think you could, because you know, as you're learning the, the phonetic cards, like each of the words or each of the, the consonant teams, like the TH, you know, you could probably make them both, you know, sounded out at the same time and then when you get into, like revealing the words, maybe each child kind of alternates saying a word when it gets into reading the stories. I feel like that part probably has to be separate because that's something that a child that you know, five or six years old, definitely needs the practice on. So they're going to need to read a whole story to get that practice. So I think there's bits and pieces that you could do together, definitely. Your adjustments, yeah, practice on. So they're going to need to read a whole story to get that practice. So I think there's bits and pieces that you could do together, definitely.
Speaker 1:
Your adjustments. Yeah, and then this isn't a religious program correct no no. Yeah, I didn't remember there being any sort of religious affiliations in this one. Um, now, was there anything that you didn't like about this curriculum?
Speaker 2:
Now was there anything that you didn't like about this curriculum. In the beginning, you know, I thought that it was going to be very boring and I had asked other people you know what are some other curriculums out there that might be more engaging. But I got the response of it's a great curriculum, don't change. And I said, okay, fine, like you know, I you know posted on one of the Facebook groups homeschool groups and everyone said to use it. So I said, okay, fine, I'll just stick it out. And you know what I, I really like it. Now. I I think it's been great. I mean, again, we're only on lesson 22. We kind of go at a slow pace but he can any word I give him. He can sound out like he's mastered. He may be not mastered, you know, seeing the word hat and knowing it says hat, but he can sound it out Like no problem, he can sound out any word. So I think it's been really great and I I would definitely recommend it to anyone.
Speaker 1:
Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, People definitely recommended this one. When I had put things on Facebook or Instagram about curriculums, they were very heavily. You don't know if that's like their marketing, like do they just the most well-marketed curriculum around or do people actually use it and like it? But yeah, I agree it's. Sometimes it's like just getting in the routine and getting your kid in the routine of like this is what it's going to be.
Speaker 1:
And then they get more used to it, and we get more used to it as we're comfortable with it. So would you use this again with you? Have a younger son that will be coming up uh, you know doing the reading, so would you use this curriculum with him?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I'll definitely use it again and you know, once my oldest graduates from once we finished level one, then I'll definitely move on to level two.
Speaker 1:
Perfect. Well, thank you so much for talking about all about reading level one with us today.
Speaker 2:
Thank you, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1:
I hope you enjoyed this episode. Thank you so much for listening. Please consider sharing this podcast or my main podcast, the Homeschool how To with friends, family, on Instagram or in your favorite homeschool group Facebook page. The more this podcast is shared, the longer we can keep it going and the more hope we have for the future. Thank you for your love of the next generation.