Rosetta Stone not working out?

[LuvingLife]

This program just isn't working for me, I have been using it for three years and am just starting to grasp a few things now. I think I need something to supplement or a whole new program entirely, any suggestions?:bigear:

 

I get all A's but I just can't seem to translate it into everyday life. I get what they are saying but trying to apply it to life just doesn't seem to work for me, and I have a solid A+ right now! It's not making any sense....

Edited September 20, 2010 by LuvingLife

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Can you be more specific? What version? What language? What levels? What are your scores when completing lessons? What don't you don't understand/etc?

 

We have been really enjoying Spanish 1 (version 3, homeschool) but have found it lacking in grammar so we added some grammar resources.

[LuvingLife]

Can you be more specific? What version? What language? What levels? What are your scores when completing lessons? What don't you don't understand/etc?

 

We have been really enjoying Spanish 1 (version 3, homeschool) but have found it lacking in grammar so we added some grammar resources.

 

I have Rossetta Stone version 3 Spanish 1 homeschool version. I have all A's right now and I enjoy it, but I wish there was a bit more to it, I don't understand how to speak it, like if I were to talk to someone in spanish. But I can understand people speaking spanish so that's a good thing.

 

What grammer resources do you use? I'd love to know!

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I have Rossetta Stone version 3 Spanish 1 homeschool version. I have all A's right now and I enjoy it, but I wish there was a bit more to it, I don't understand how to speak it, like if I were to talk to someone in spanish. But I can understand people speaking spanish so that's a good thing.

 

What grammer resources do you use? I'd love to know!

 

So, you've been doing Level 1 over 3 years? Have you been plugging your way through it or re-doing it every year? That would be equivalent to 1 year of high school Spanish. I think speaking to someone in Spanish after just 1 year of high school Spanish would be very limited and really only possible if the conversation stayed within the parameters of what you had learned so far. Have you been using the workbook? That's how I was able to pin down what they didn't really understand. I took 2 years of Spanish in high school and remembered enough grammar that I was able to easily figure out what was throwing them (like verb conjugations).

 

I have several of the Practice Makes Perfect workbooks (verbs and pronouns/prepositions) and am waiting on an E-Z Spanish Grammar from Barron's. The PMP books go into greater detail on their specific subjects but it looks like the EZ grammar one has a lot more general grammar information that would be more useful at first. My impression is that the PMP books will be more useful as we get into higher levels and that the EZ will be more useful now due to the broader general info. If you like, I can tell you what I think once it arrives.

Edited September 20, 2010 by Cheryl in SoCal

[Mom22ns]

So, you've been doing Level 1 over 3 years? Have you been plugging your way through it or re-doing it every year? That would be equivalent to 1 year of high school Spanish. I think speaking to someone in Spanish after just 1 year of high school Spanish would be very limited and really only possible if the conversation stayed on within the parameters of what you had learned so far. Have you been using the workbook? That's how I was able to pin down what they didn't really understand. I took 2 years of Spanish in high school and remembered enough grammar that I was able to easily figure out what was throwing them (like verb conjugations).

 

:iagree::iagree:

Adding the worksheets made a huge difference for us. The kids find things that are very hard or that they just can't do when they can do everything in the program. Verb conjugations is a big one around here too. Once we practice them straight out on the worksheets instead of the indirect approach of the program, we all get it and do much better.

[Susan C.]

We like these:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Makes-Perfect-Basic-Spanish/dp/0071458050/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1285017612&sr=8-3

 

http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Deviants-Spanish/dp/1581983204/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1285017817&sr=1-1-catcorr

 

http://www.amazon.com/Madrigals-Magic-Key-Spanish-Creative/dp/0385410956/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1285017904&sr=1-1-catcorr

 

In fact, this is all dd is using for Spanish and she is doing much better than ds who used Rosetta Stone. Once you get to Madrigal's, then you need the Standard Deviants 3 and 4 dvds for Spanish.

[AHASRADA]

Rosetta Stone has been working well for my ds, but it is true that it doesn't provide for enough speaking practice (at least not the version we have), and needs some additional grammar work.

 

He also receives excellent grades, and has learned the vocabulary much, much better from RS than from traditional textbooks. However, since there is no translation given, he is sometimes unsure of the exact equivalent in English.

 

We have ended up using RS as an independent immersion program, supplemented with conversation and grammar review. We are using Amsco French 1st Year Review Text, and it is working quite well.

 

I would recommend supplementing with specific grammar work (so you understand why and how the sentences you are learning in RS are constructed), and find an opportunity to practice speaking.

[Matryoshka]

I have Rossetta Stone version 3 Spanish 1 homeschool version. I have all A's right now and I enjoy it, but I wish there was a bit more to it, I don't understand how to speak it, like if I were to talk to someone in spanish. But I can understand people speaking spanish so that's a good thing.

 

 

No one's ever going to really learn Spanish using Rosetta Stone. I actually just bought the program for a 6-month trial, because I wanted to see if it might be useful like a "language lab" - don't know if they have those anymore in schools, but they used to be places you went in school where you could listen/imitate recordings. I thought that might be somewhat helpful as a supplement to what we're doing (albeit an extremely pricey one).

 

What I'm using for my kids as my main program is Breaking the Spanish Barrier - I really like this program. I think if you used that as your backbone and used the RS just for pronunciation and practice speaking in sentences and understanding spoken Spanish, that might be a good combo. I also add extra reading from actual Spanish texts. You'd be amazed how much you can pick up from reading - vocabulary, syntax.

[Pam in MA]

That's what we're doing: Breaking the Barrier French with a supplement of Rosetta Stone. It's working out well so far for my dd. I think RS is doing a decent job developing the accent, but there is very little grammar instruction. You can try to pore through the books that come with the program, but it's tough going.

[In The Great White North]

:iagree: Think of RS as your language lab, but use a grammar book with it.

[AngieW in Texas]

Rosetta Stone and Tell Me More were both busts for my middle dd. Visual Link Spanish is working much better for her. I know that NARHS gives credit for one year of high school Spanish for completing level 1 of Visual Link Spanish, so that's how I plan to credit it. She'll do the rest of her Spanish at the cc (starting over with their level 1).

[MIch elle]

VLS has you speaking in sentences from lesson 1! It's cheap ($89) and easy to do.

[emubird]

Pimsleur worked a lot better for us than Rosetta Stone for learning to speak. We haven't tried Visual Link (because our library has Pimsleur but not VLS).

 

Destinos works well for improving listening. The text also covers reading and some grammar. (I can't remember now if all the grammar is in the text. It might be. Although it's also possible some of it spills over into the workbooks.)

Here are the free videos:

http://www.learner.org/resources/series75.html

 

You might find that there are a lot of grammar resources at the library.

 

The same people who did Destinos also put out Sol y Viento, but I'm having trouble figuring out how this is a beginning course:

http://www.google.com/search?q=sol+y+viento&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=sol+y+viento&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=7yO&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivsbo&source=univ&tbs=vid:1&tbo=u&ei=jr2YTPFThYGUB_ifvVc&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CC0QqwQwAg&fp=6f32b8af52b7e0b8

[distancia]

We like these:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Makes-Perfect-Basic-Spanish/dp/0071458050/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1285017612&sr=8-3

 

http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Deviants-Spanish/dp/1581983204/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1285017817&sr=1-1-catcorr

 

http://www.amazon.com/Madrigals-Magic-Key-Spanish-Creative/dp/0385410956/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1285017904&sr=1-1-catcorr

 

In fact, this is all dd is using for Spanish and she is doing much better than ds who used Rosetta Stone. Once you get to Madrigal's, then you need the Standard Deviants 3 and 4 dvds for Spanish.

 

Those ^ ^ ^ are all fantastic resources. My husband and I (both advanced Spanish speakers) utilize them to keep our language skills sharp.

 

Destinos is also a great program: it is free, it is a soap-opera based program (and it's quite interesting, if you can get beyond the 1980's shoulder pads) and it is STILL used at community colleges today for Intro to Spanish students, those who have little or no experience. You can get the workbooks and textbooks cheap cheap on eBay, and like emubird said, the videos are free at learner.org, just go to her link and check them out. One chapter in the textbooks/workbook and one video equals one week of Spanish study. No syllabus needed.

 

I was a Spanish language major in college and what Rosetta Stone lacks is a formal program of grammatical instruction.

 

Rosetta Stone has a lot of hype and TV commercials which make it seem like a great product, but it is lacking in many areas. Unless you are utilizing an additional resource (or resources) to understand grammar construction and the nuances within the Spanish language (i.e las verduras versus los legumbres) you will not progress at a reasonable speed.

 

Good luck.

Edited September 21, 2010 by distancia

[LuvingLife]

Now I know why I haven't been understanding Spanish. And since when does Rosetta Stone have a workbook??! I never got a workbook with my set,:confused:!!

 

I think I am going to be looking into the links that some of you have posted, they look great and I can't wait to start speaking and learning spanish! And yes, Rosetta stone is a okay program much better than textbooks, but you need more with it. Thanks everyone for clearing this up for me.:001_smile:

 

(I never got a workbook!)

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Now I know why I haven't been understanding Spanish. And since when does Rosetta Stone have a workbook??! I never got a workbook with my set,:confused:!!

 

I think I am going to be looking into the links that some of you have posted, they look great and I can't wait to start speaking and learning spanish! And yes, Rosetta stone is a okay program much better than textbooks, but you need more with it. Thanks everyone for clearing this up for me.:001_smile:

 

(I never got a workbook!)

If you bought the homeschool version it will be on a CD. I think it says "Supplemental CD" or something like that on it.

[Mom22ns]

You can also get the workbook pages in pdf form from the Rosetta Stone website.

[LuvingLife]

If you bought the homeschool version it will be on a CD. I think it says "Supplemental CD" or something like that on it.

 

That's what I have, ok thank you for clearing that up!

 

You can also get the workbook pages in pdf form from the Rosetta Stone website.

 

Great! I will go there now and start downloading them for extra practice, thank you!

[Mom22ns]

Just in case you have trouble finding them, here is a link:

http://www.rosettastone.com/homeschool/sem