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mooreboyz
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| Posted: June 10 2009 at 6:15am | IP Logged
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For those of you who have had success with Rosetta Stone Spanish could you please let me know how you planned it out for your kids? I bought the home school kit 2 years ago and the kids worked through the computer lessons only a couple times a week...they never really got into it though. If I asked them to speak to me in Spanish, they couldn't. I did a bunch of the lessons too and while I memorized a lot it never really stuck. I'd like to go back and start everyone over using the workbook and tests and speaking part as well this year. I'm just curious if anyone has had their kids put all this effort into it and if they have had success. And how they did this if they did have success.
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Jackie
7 boys - 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 years
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: June 10 2009 at 1:52pm | IP Logged
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I have it but got it when we had "extra" funds, the kids were mostly to young to do a lot of it.
But it's my understanding that if you do not SPEAK the language, you will not learn it as a speaker. How to do that? I don't know.. maybe set aside part of the day for speaking spanish only? But the only people I know who've learned it as a second language and can speak it.. are ones that DO speak it.. whether they're in an area that gives them that opportunity, or a job or if they went to a spanish speaking country for a time.. it's all about speaking it if that's what you want to be able to do.
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G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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Karen T
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| Posted: June 11 2009 at 11:41am | IP Logged
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We used Rosetta one year when our state had a license to offer it through the libraries online, but supplemented with Baron's Spanish Now workbook b/c Rosetta is pretty weak on grammar IMO. This was for a high schooler; for younger kids just wanting learn vocab and pronunciation it seems fine.
I agree with Jodie, though, that you need a lot of practice speaking it and hearing it. I can read Spanish pretty well just from what I've picked up helping ds but I can barely decipher a few words when I hear it spoken; it seems to go so fast!
We've just recently made friends with a family whose mom has been teaching Spanish in the local middle school but is quitting this year. She's from Colombia so a native speaker; I'm hoping to set up something for our homeschooling group and get her to tutor us.
Karen T in Md
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Taffy
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| Posted: June 11 2009 at 12:54pm | IP Logged
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My mother is from Mexico and I grew up hearing spanish at home. I was never pushed to speak it though and I really wish that I was!
When I was 16, we went to Mexico to visit family and within 2 weeks I found myself thinking in spanish which is a HUGE step towards fluency I think. I was also forced to speak it A LOT.
Sadly, I have had very few opportunities to speak spanish since. I listen to it at least once a week when I talk to my mom and occasionally on TV. Now, 20 years later, I'm still pretty fluent in listening to spanish (the mexican dialect at least) but speaking it literally makes my brain hurt.
All this to say that I totally agree with everyone's remarks here, speaking the language, preferably with someone who is fluent, is key.
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Susan
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: June 11 2009 at 3:59pm | IP Logged
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Fwiw, Rosetta Stone went through an overhaul and the newer version supposedly has more grammar in it. I haven't seen the old one so I can't compare.
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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mooreboyz
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| Posted: June 12 2009 at 6:59am | IP Logged
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So, when kids are learning a foreign language be it at home or in public school it is more about learning to read and write it and recognize some when spoken very slowly and clearly and not so much about being able to speak it? When one has taken a year or two of foreign language they wouldn't be expected to speak it very well?
Also, if you used Rosetta did the kids just do the computer work or did you use the workbook and tests also?
Thanks for all your responses. Ideally it would be great to have a native speaking tutor come to the house or teach a coop class; but, I don't see that happening. I find it tough to let them loose on this because I don't know Spanish and it is hard to not be able to help them. I tried to keep up with them last time, but had just had the baby and I couldn't do it. Maybe I could try again.
Ugh.
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Jackie
7 boys - 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 years
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: June 12 2009 at 7:39am | IP Logged
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Yes, we use all the worksheets, quizzes and tests, as well as all the speaking options within the program.
I guess it depends on why you are studying a foreign language.
I want my kids to have a working knowledge of Spanish so that they can communicate at least minimally, given that our country's population of Spanish speakers is growing. So Rosetta Stone's focus on practical Spanish works for us.
But others study foreign language for the added ability to understand how languages are built, for the grammar benefits, and for the exercise of the brain in this kind of thinking. If these were my goals, Rosetta Stone would not meet my needs. Instead, I'd look for a good Latin program (such as Latina Christiana to begin with).
Hope this helps??
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Blessings,
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Betsy
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| Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 4:13pm | IP Logged
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Can I dove tail off of this question???
How long did it take you to go through a level? I have a 2nd &4th grader that I would be using it with.
Betsy
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: Rosetta Stone Spanish
