Rosetta Stone question

[koko]

Can someone tell me what comprises a typical semester's worth of study? In other words, how many levels would be the equivalent of Spanish 1 and Spanish 2? Thanks in advance!

[DebbS]

It is my understanding that Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 would be equivalent to 2 years of study. If you have the home school edition it will include a CD with extra stuff that you can use to to round out the course. I haven't yet looked closely at the extras.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

The most useful items on the CD are the student workbook and tests. I can't imagine doing Rosetta Stone without them!

[bdaghfal]

Hi ladies,

 

I'm new at this and just read (literally last night) the languages portion of WTM and realized I need to add foreign languages to my 5th graders day this year... he's had prima latina (back in 3rd grade in a private school)...but nothing last year. I think I'm good with the latin stuff, but not sure about spanish... don't know if you remember WTM suggestions, but she gives a few options for timing...quick, slower or slowest (basically doing the RS in 2years or 4 years are our options)...what I'm not 100% clear about is... would that be Rosetta level 1 taking 4 years??? Or is it 1 and 2 taking four years (if we do the slower route)... Also, before we invest in that huge expense, can you give me peace of mind that it is a good/great program from your experience??? I'm a little nervous about plunking down all that money...just want to make sure it is worth it and if you have any positive feedback, please share!

Many thanks in advance!!

[koko]

Thank you for your responses. Debbie would that mean Level 1 is equivalent to Spanish 1, Level 2 to Spanish 2? Just trying, as bdaghfal is, to determine what exactly I have to purchase to satisfy necessary credits.

[DebbS]

1 year for Spanish 1 = 1 high school credit

1 year for Spanish 2 = 1 high school credit

[southcarolinamom]

We just finished RS Spanish (Latin America) Homeschool Version 3 - Level 1 - and counted it as 1 high school credit, calling it Spanish I on her transcript. We did every single part of every single lesson on the Level 1 CD, and about 95% of the worksheets, quizzes, and tests that are included on the "supplemental educational materials" CD.

 

I really appreciated the fact that the homeschool version automatically tracks the student's progress and keeps track of all the grades for all the lessons. My daughter was able to take certain parts of lessons over and over again until she raised her scores, and improved her language retention. All I had to do at the end of the year was print out the progress report and I had her grade all averaged out for me, with the dates and the minutes spent on each lesson.

 

We have started Level 2 a few weeks ago!

[koko]

Thanks Debb, yes I understand the credit system; perhaps my foggy brain isn't asking the question correctly. Does Level 1 of Rosetta Stone equal one year's worth of Spanish study; in other words, does Level 1 equal Spanish 1? Can you give a year's worth of credit for completion of Level 1? Thanks for being patient with me! I can't seem to find the answer on the RS site.

[southcarolinamom]

Thanks Debb, yes I understand the credit system; perhaps my foggy brain isn't asking the question correctly. Does Level 1 of Rosetta Stone equal one year's worth of Spanish study; in other words, does Level 1 equal Spanish 1? Can you give a year's worth of credit for completion of Level 1? Thanks for being patient with me! I can't seem to find the answer on the RS site.

 

Yes I asked our local homeschool association leadership that question - and she told us YES, Level I RS can be counted as 1 credit of high school Foreign Language.

 

My child worked about 30 minutes a day, and easily got through Level 1 in a school year. We are picking up the pace more this year, and working 40 minutes a day on Level 2 ...

[koko]

Perfect. Thank you SO much!!!

[DebbS]

Thanks Debb, yes I understand the credit system; perhaps my foggy brain isn't asking the question correctly. Does Level 1 of Rosetta Stone equal one year's worth of Spanish study; in other words, does Level 1 equal Spanish 1? Can you give a year's worth of credit for completion of Level 1? Thanks for being patient with me! I can't seem to find the answer on the RS site.

 

Yes..Level 1 of Rosetta Stone is equal to one year's worth of Spanish study, so Level 1 equals Spanish 1. I included that Level 1 is 1 credit because I thought that it would make it clearer that it is considered a one year course.

 

It follows then that level 2 is the same as Spanish 2. It is a one year course to be taken after Level 1.

[jplain]

Before buying, you might want to read through the links in message 8 of this thread (on another forum): "You should just use Rosetta Stone" grrr Among adult and teenage language learning enthusiasts, Rosetta Stone is not highly regarded. While some find it useful, the general opinion is that it is very much overpriced for what it does.

 

Check your local libraries to see if they have it for use on their computers. If not, consider buying directly from Rosetta Stone or any other retailer that offers the 6-month money back guarantee. Homeschool Buyer's Coop, for example, does not offer any return policy.

[DebbS]

In addition, Rosetta Stone is often sold illegally, and these disks will not continue to work. So make sure you buy from a registered dealer or Rosetta Stone itself.

 

For a serious language student, Rosetta Stone is probably not the right tool, though it could accompanied by other materials to make it a stronger course. For us, we just want to get through the language requirements and be able to communicate using Spanish or at least understand a little bit. We have all kinds of ways to practice and get our hands on outside materials given we live in a community that is about 20% Hispanic.

 

One nice thing about it is that my kids like it better than other things that we've tried. Given neither one of them are passionate about learning a language, that's a good thing. Another nice thing is that they can hear a repeat of what was just said rather than having to go back to the just finished section of a CD a hear a whole conversation over again. In our last course, that got really cumbersome.

Edited August 13, 2010 by DebbS

[koko]

thanks for the warning on illegal sales. I am looking on h/s boards to purchase it used...how would I know if it is being sold illegally?

 

I have heard the concerns/criticisms of the course, and that's why I have held off on using it until now. My son is not a serious language student and we've struggled through Abeka with him ending up just feeling frustrated. We, too, are just wanting to fulfill requirements. He tried a RS sample lesson and really liked it. We do have many Spanish-speaking friends who can provide support :-)

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

thanks for the warning on illegal sales. I am looking on h/s boards to purchase it used...how would I know if it is being sold illegally?

 

I have heard the concerns/criticisms of the course, and that's why I have held off on using it until now. My son is not a serious language student and we've struggled through Abeka with him ending up just feeling frustrated. We, too, are just wanting to fulfill requirements. He tried a RS sample lesson and really liked it. We do have many Spanish-speaking friends who can provide support :-)

I don't know how one would check but I do know that each activation code will work twice (so it can be installed on 2 computers) so if you want to install it on a 3rd computer you need to call Rosetta Stone and they will inactivate the old codes (I guess giving you new codes, they told me about it but I haven't actually done it yet). Maybe if someone buys (or has bought) it used and the codes don't work they could call Rosetta Stone and maybe they could do the same for them? I'd call and ask them before buying used because even if the original owner has removed it from their computers and was selling it legally the codes would still be "used up," possibly completely if they had it on 2 computers.

[DebbS]

thanks for the warning on illegal sales. I am looking on h/s boards to purchase it used...how would I know if it is being sold illegally?

 

I have heard the concerns/criticisms of the course, and that's why I have held off on using it until now. My son is not a serious language student and we've struggled through Abeka with him ending up just feeling frustrated. We, too, are just wanting to fulfill requirements. He tried a RS sample lesson and really liked it. We do have many Spanish-speaking friends who can provide support :-)

 

If you buy it used, the past owner needs to de-register it so that you can register. Rosetta Stone allows their product to be registered on 2 computers at a time and the package allows for 5 students on each computer. From my understanding it will only work for 30 days unregistered. Since we registered ours right away, I didn't test that.

 

The homeschool edition is pretty nice in that it helps you to keep track of how your student is progressing and time spent. I don't believe that you spend much more (if anything) to get this feature.

 

Some things to watch out for: If the package is advertised as still in the shrink wrap, it's illegal. Rosetta Stone does not shrink wrap their product. Also, if the price on a new copy is way below the registered dealer price, then it's probably illegal. Many illegal copies go up on Ebay, so you want to be careful about that. If you use Ebay, go with a registered dealer. What I found is that Rosetta Stone offers about the same price as their registered dealers plus they have all of your purchase information should you run into problems later with registration, etc....So that's a nice feature along with the 6 month guarantee. I was willing to pay the approx $10 more that I spent for that!

[koko]

thank you both...very helpful!