All About Reading Level 2 Review

by | Reviews, Curriculum, Homeschooling

A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #homeschoolreading #learningtoread
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I did not receive this product in exchange for my review.

After seeing success in my daughter’s beginning stages of reading using Teach Your Child to Read 100 Easy Lessons, I wondered what curriculum to do next and hoped that I would see the same success rate. After some research and prayer, we went with All About Reading Level 2, and it ended up being a great fit!

The transition from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons to All About Reading Level 2 was doable and not as harsh as I thought it would be.

I honestly had no clue how to help my children to read, so I needed all the help I could get. And the curriculum that would make it easiest for me AND help my daughter to read would be just right. Ultimately, the choice to transition to All About Reading was the best fit for my children, my style of teaching and to see reading success!

A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading

What We/I LIKED About All About Reading Level 2

  • Brief Review – Reviewing is important to me so that my daughter doesn’t forget what she’s learned, so we could appreciate the brief review time before learning the new concept.
  • Scripted Format – I appreciate a scripted format! I don’t have a hot clue how to teach reading to my children.
  • Multisensory approach:
    • Magnet Tiles – The magnet tiles are so amazing. I love that it changes things up so we’re not stuck at a desk.
    • Activities – These take no time at all to prep and they are such a great way to reinforce what was learned. Although some of the activities seemed a bit quirky to my daughter, she still thought they were nice to have and we’d always finish them because of the benefit of reinforcement.
  • Phoenic Rules – Seriously, who knew that there were so many phonics rules when it came to reading. My daughter had all the questions when it came to the a making a short sound or long sound and I had NO idea how to answer that. (I can’t remember if I learned it in public school). This curriculum answers ALL those questions and more! I was so glad I had a resource to help explain the rules. Who knew syllables made all the difference?!
  • Progress Chart, Stickers & Certificate of Achievement – My daughter LOVED the sense of accomplishment with each lesson when she got to put on the sticker. And then to cap it all off with the certificate was a proud moment for both of us! Seriously mom, try not to cry remembering all that you went through together with your child to help them to read!
  • Readers – My daughter (and I) really enjoyed the quality of the stories in the books. She laughed, couldn’t wait to find out what happened and enjoyed the pictures (even though they were black & white).
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading

What We/I DIDN’T REALLY LIKE About All About Reading Level 2

  • Price – I wasn’t prepared for the price of the curriculum. But in seeing what it all offered in the journey of learning to read, the investment made it more worth it.

What We/I CHANGED About All About Reading Level 2

  • Warm-Up & Practice Sheets – Since my daughter is working at enjoying reading, her body language would change when I’d give her these sheets. All About Reading has ideas to help through these sheets (see Appendix I in the Teacher’s Manual). I also wasn’t interested in cutting up the practice sheets and feeding the monster. So here’s what I did instead… I did not make my daughter read every warm-up or practice sheet, nor did she need to read all of it. The reason for this is because she would feel defeated really quickly. What I did instead was chose a warm-up sheet, give her a ruler so that she wouldn’t feel overwhelmed by all the reading that she needed to do and instead showed her where she needed to go until or suggested that we would go line-by-line and see how far she could get. I only had my daughter read a warm-up sheet once every 5 lessons or so. Repetition is key for reading, so how did I help grow my daughter’s ability and fluency to read? I used All About Reading Level 2 word flashcards and created a challenge. (Find out below what I did)
  • Reading the Books – Again, because reading is a challenge for my daughter, I chose to use the books as read-alouds pointing to some of the words that she could read or learned in the lesson.

So What’s All About Reading All About?

All About Reading is a scripted, open-and-go program for parents who want to teach reading in the most effective way possible.

It’s a multisensory approach learning reading through sight, sound and touch.

There are no gaps in this program. Each new concept builds upon the previous one so no steps are skipped and everything is taught.

There are five key components to reading and this program teaches all of them thoroughly:

  • Phonological Awareness
  • Phonics and Decoding
  • Fluency
  • Vocabulary
  • Comprehension

The All About Reading program has a focused mission, which is to enable you to teach your child to read while guaranteeing retention and enjoyment. This is also why their lifetime support is amazing!

A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading

What Your Child Will Learn in All About Reading Level 2

  • Three-letter blends
  • The jobs of Silent E
  • New phonograms
  • Methods for decoding multi-syllable words

Every component of reading is taught in Level 2, including:

  • Using phonics (decoding), they will learn phonograms WH, EE, ER, AR, OR, ED, OY, OI, AW, AU, OW, and OU
  • Reading words containing the new phonograms, such as whale, sheep, herd, farm, horn, toy, boil, saw, haul, flower, and found
  • Reading words with long I or O before two consonants, as in find and gold
  • Reading words with soft C, as in race
  • Reading words with soft G, as in gem
  • Learning the first four jobs of Silent E
  • Decoding (Structural Analysis)
  • Identifying base words
  • Reading contractions, such as they’ll
  • Learning syllable division rules for reading multisyllable words
  • Reading words with past tense ending ed, including all three sounds, as in wanted, snowed, and chipped
  • Vocabulary
  • Discussing new words in the context of the story and one’s own life
  • Understanding homophones
  • Understanding synonyms and antonyms
  • Fluencying
  • Reading with accuracy
  • Reading with meaningful expression
  • Reading with natural phrasing
  • Comprehension
  • Connecting text to one’s own experiences
  • Making predictions
  • Comparing and contrasting main characters
  • Skiming for specific information
  • Making inferences from the text
  • Discussing character motivation, main conflict
  • Identifying the main character

What I Did BEFORE We Purchased All About Reading Level 2

Because we started with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, I searched out what curriculum was recommended as the easiest transition to move to and everywhere I researched recommended All About Reading Level 2.

So BEFORE I purchased All About Reading Level 2, I took this placement test (scroll down a little further in that blog post to find it).

One thing you don’t want to do is purchase the wrong level being that this program is not grade-based.

A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading

HOW TO Transition From Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons To All About Reading Level 2

I found that if you’ve had success with Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons, that you can safely and fairly easily transition into All About Reading Level 2.

I will caution you though… there are new concepts in All About Reading Level 2 that Teach Your Child To Reading in 100 Easy Lessons doesn’t touch on. 

For example, the first lesson in Level 2 had review about closed and open syllables. I thought to myself, “oh no!” we don’t know this. 

BUT here’s the thing, START in Lesson 1 at the New Teaching section and then go back to the Review section of Lesson 1 and you’ll all be fine!

A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading

All About Reading Level 2 Materials I Purchased

If it’s your FIRST time considering the purchase of All About Reading and you’re starting at Level 2, this is what I purchased:

  • All About Reading Level 2 Materials – this includes the Teacher’s Manual, one Student Packet (which contains the activity book, flashcards, and stickers), and two readers.
  • Reading Interactive Kit – This is a one-time purchase, and this same kit is used in all four levels of All About Reading. It comes in two versions:
    • Basic – One-time purchase, used in all four levels. Includes Letter Tiles, Magnets, Phonogram Sounds App, and Divider Cards. (I purchased this Basic Reading Interactive Kit)
    • Deluxe – Includes everything in the Basic Kit, plus Reading Review Box and Reading Tote Bag.
  • Letter Tiles App or Magnetic White Board – I purchased a whiteboard like this one. It was important to me that my children could touch and feel the letters and see them move on a physical board. The letter tiles app comes with the purchase of your curriculum, so for fun or a change-up, I would have my daughter use the app.

What To Do When You FIRST Get Your All About Reading Materials

If you’ve never purchased All About Reading before, preparation and organization is the FIRST thing to do. The prep work is simple, but takes time, so in the long run you’re creating ease for yourself if you do it now!

STEP 1: Listen to a favorite podcast or watch a movie you enjoy to help pass the time of prep!

STEP 2: Grab your All About Reading Level 2 Materials and begin the prep.

  • In the Student Packet is the:
    • Activity Book – Tear out all the pages. Then begin cutting out where applicable. (I asked for my daughter’s help so that she could be involved in the process). You could use one page protector for each lesson if you find that a better way to organize, however, I felt that storing 5 lessons in one page protector was also doable (and resourceful)
    • Flashcards – Tear apart the phonogram and word cards and put them in an index box. This takes time, but is a simple to do. If you purchase the Reading Interactive Kit, you can add the Divider Cards here, too.
    • Syllable Tags – Use the magnets in the Reading Interactive Kit placing them on the back of each tag.
    • Stickers – To show lesson completion on the progress chart.
    • Two Readers – What Am I? and Queen Bee.
  • Basic Reading Interactive Kit:
    • Letter Tiles and Magnets – Tear apart the letter tiles and add one magnet to the center of each tile. Any extra pieces I put in a resealable bag storing in a plastic page protector.
  • Other Materials That Are Recommended or Needed

We didn’t put the magnetic white board up on the wall (because we didn’t have space). Instead I had it on the floor leaned up against a suitable area and when it was time to use it, I was sitting together with my daughter on the floor (carpet thankfully), helping her to learn the material.

STEP 3: Read the Teacher’s Manual, including Part 1 – Preparing for Level 2 and Part 3 – Appendices to gain confidence in teaching the material and how to use it.

A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading

What I WISHED I Did

Proper Magnet Tiles Set-up – at first, I wondered if it was really necessary to set-up the magnet tiles as suggested. I didn’t have the letters in order on the magnetic white board. (I’m usually trying to take short-cuts where I can). But, I quickly found out that it was easier to set-up the magnet tiles properly and use them. So I changed it to what was recommended and I’m so glad I did.
Student Activity Book Storage System – with keeping student activity book pages, I kept them all in one page protector – imagine, it all fit! This wasn’t as organized as it could be and I have one more child that needs to use this curriculum, so organizing it into a more useable format was necessary. I used this binder and these page protectors.
Read all the appendix pages – somehow I missed this portion in my initial preparation. I read the preparation pages at the beginning of the book, but in missing the appendices, I missed out on the practical suggestions and applications!

My Child’s Learning Style

I think it’s helpful in the curriculum you decide to purchase whether it’s a good fit based on your child’s personality and learning style. So here’s a little bit about my daughter: 

  • She likes rules and boundaries and will follow them (why can’t all things be black and white!)
  • Struggles with perfectionism and over-achievement. If she doesn’t get a concept immediately, she’s hard on herself.
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading

If You’re Child Is Struggling In Learning How To Read

When working with a child who doesn’t enjoy reading and finds it challenging, repetition and celebrating wins is key.

I involved A LOT of repetition to support the working memory. (All About Reading’s blog post on working memory was a light-bulb moment for me. They also have other AMAZING articles to help you in journey to support your child’s reading journey).

So I created a game (or challenge) for my daughter to find out her ability and fluency in reading. This also helped break things up.

The Reading Repetition Game & Challenge

I took 20 of the All About Reading Level 2 word cards (starting with the easiest) and put this stack in front of my daughter. I let her know that we were going to practice reading this words regularly and that I would time her to see how long it took her.

It’s important to let your child know know that the goal of timing is for them (and you) to see that their ability to read is going faster with time, practice and repetition.

My daughter agreed to this and thought it would be fun as well!

As my daughter started reading the word cards, I would start my timer and record the time it took her to read the 20 word cards. I gave her these same cards to read 2-3 times a week for a month. When a month was up we would review how much faster she got at reading those words and celebrate!

This was encouraging for both my daughter and I. We saw that, yes, she is indeed getting more comfortable and fluent at reading!

We then moved onto another 20 words and did the same thing.

A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading
A detailed and in-depth review of All About Reading Level 2 - including what we liked and didn't like, what we changed and how success in reading was achieved! #allaboutreading #learningtoread #homeschoolreading

How Long Did It Take To Complete All About Reading Level 2?

It took us one year to complete All About Reading Level 2 as we also alternated between All About Spelling Level 1 and added All About Spelling Level 2 when Level 1 was finished. I found that spelling was also helpful in the reading portion.

Have you used the All About Reading program before or are you jumping into Level 2 like we did?

If you found this detailed review helpful, please leave a comment below; I’d love to hear from you!

Anchored in Christ,
Melanie

PS: I’ve been really enjoying Mom Life Happy Life for all kinds of tips and tricks. Check it out here!