AVKO
I was recently asked to review the membership site for AVKO. AVKO publishes Sequential Spelling levels 1-7. We weren't given Sequential Spelling to review so my comments in no way reflect the actual curriculum. I am reviewing the membership site which costs $25 to be a part of for a year. Your membership will give you a 25% discount for all the printed materials you order from the site. That, in and of itself, would make it worth it.
So what does the membership portion of the website have to offer?
*Several e-books related to spelling and reading. A couple of the titles are The Reading Teacher's List of 5,500 Basic Spelling Words and The Teaching of Reading and Spelling.
*Audio CD's done by Don McCabe such as...
-Phonics: The Misunderstood Approach to Teaching Reading
-Create You Own Spelling Program that Really Works
-You Don't Need a Master's Degree to Teach Your Kids--Just a Degree of Caring
*Reading for Comprehension (which I will describe in more detail below).
All in all, the website was overwhelming to me. There is a lot there, but I found that most of it I wouldn't personally use. We have a spelling program that we are doing well with, and honestly we don't spend tons of time on spelling. So I found many of the e-books to be too much information for me to use. However, I can see that if you have a child that is struggling with either reading or spelling that these resources would be helpful. I had other TOS Crew members tell me that these resources and Don McCabe have been very helpful in teaching their children that struggle with dyslexia. The audios were hard to listen to in that the quality of the audio wasn't great. Sometimes it was slightly garbled. But Don McCabe has several audios that would be beneficial in the realm of spelling and reading. With the various materials on the site you could actually create your own spelling program if need be.
So here is my warning: The Readings for Comprehension section of the website I found somewhat offensive....yes, offensive! Now there was some material on there that was of value, but there was some that I can't see using with a child. There were puns, questions and other jokes related to adultery, lingerie and suicide. Frankly, no one can convince me to use that type of material with a child! I feel like I have to put this warning in here because I would hate for a parent to print something off the site and then hand it over to their child without realizing what is there.
That being said, if you are looking to invest in a lot of the printed materials from AVKO, the membership might be worth it for the discount. While I didn't find the website to be helpful, I know that some of the material is of value and could help many a homeschooler.
To see what others are saying about AVKO, see this.
