mamaluvs2hs Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Hi, I am looking at this program to use as a supplement for Rosetta Stone next year. Has anyone used Breaking the Barrier spanish with Rosetta Stone? Do they work well together? On the BTB site they have a package deal that includes student text, answer key and cd's along with another book called "Oasis" for $60. Will I need the teachers guide also? I'm also open to other suggestions to use as a supplement for RS. Thanks, Mel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
April in CA Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Hello! My older son did Breaking the Barrier Spanish level 1 this year along with Rosetta Stone. The two complement each other, but don't march in lockstep. My son was working through Level 2 of RS at the same time. BB moves fast and covers lots of grammar. We really felt the need for the grammar structure. My son found that having already done RS level 1 gave him some vocab foundation to grasp the quickly-introduced vocab in BB, and the grammar introduced in BB helped him better understand what he was learning in RS. RS also has much more auditory input than BB does, of course, and that, in turn, helps the student practice the vocab and grammar structures in BB. I think they work well together. DS may work through BB2 this year, but we are not sure at this point. He enjoys learning Spanish, but he is not passionate about it, and his schedule is packed even w/o foreign language. We need to check with the colleges he is interested in to see what they require. As far as I know, the teacher's book is the same as the student book, but with the answers filled in. The answer key, on the other hand, has about 4 pages of student exercises (with answers) shrunk down to fit on one page of paper. It is cheaper the just get the answer key, but the teacher's book would be so much more convenient, especially if you wear bifocals (as I do!). I don't know what the Oasis book is; maybe someone else can tell us both! Hope this helps! Blessings, April Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I looked at Breaking the Barrier online (there are samples). I don't speak Spanish, so I can't do it. My husband took Spanish in college, and said that it was solid, but he won't be here to teach it.... I ordered Madrigals and Practice Makes Perfect, they just came, so I don't have a review yet. I will use them with either Rosetta Stone or Mango Languages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaluvs2hs Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Hello!My older son did Breaking the Barrier Spanish level 1 this year along with Rosetta Stone. The two complement each other, but don't march in lockstep. My son was working through Level 2 of RS at the same time. BB moves fast and covers lots of grammar. We really felt the need for the grammar structure. My son found that having already done RS level 1 gave him some vocab foundation to grasp the quickly-introduced vocab in BB, and the grammar introduced in BB helped him better understand what he was learning in RS. RS also has much more auditory input than BB does, of course, and that, in turn, helps the student practice the vocab and grammar structures in BB. I think they work well together. DS may work through BB2 this year, but we are not sure at this point. He enjoys learning Spanish, but he is not passionate about it, and his schedule is packed even w/o foreign language. We need to check with the colleges he is interested in to see what they require. As far as I know, the teacher's book is the same as the student book, but with the answers filled in. The answer key, on the other hand, has about 4 pages of student exercises (with answers) shrunk down to fit on one page of paper. It is cheaper the just get the answer key, but the teacher's book would be so much more convenient, especially if you wear bifocals (as I do!). I don't know what the Oasis book is; maybe someone else can tell us both! Hope this helps! Blessings, April Thanks for your reply. Ds did RS last year, but we really feel like he needs more grammar. It's good to hear that the two programs copliment each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaluvs2hs Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 I looked at Breaking the Barrier online (there are samples). I don't speak Spanish, so I can't do it. My husband took Spanish in college, and said that it was solid, but he won't be here to teach it.... I ordered Madrigals and Practice Makes Perfect, they just came, so I don't have a review yet. I will use them with either Rosetta Stone or Mango Languages. Thanks for the suggestions. I will check them out :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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