Rosetta Stone Ltd.
www.RosettaStone.com
135 West Market Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
800-788-0822
We love Rosetta Stone. The End.
Kidding! Just kidding! Let's jump right in, shall we?
Rosetta Stone is a comprehensive language instruction program with epic properties. Put out by Rosetta Stone Ltd., the Rosetta Stone brand has developed a reputation among professionals for its thorough, all-encompassing programs covering 30 languages. Its ease of use and dramatic effectiveness have become legendary, thereby increasing its presence in industry, schools, libraries, and non-profit groups.
Rosetta Stone's foray into separate programs to address separate needs has not diluted the product in any way. If you have experience with Rosetta Stone, you know you can expect CD-ROMs, Curriculum Text, and User's Guide. The Homeschool Edition also includes an Installation Guide and a Handbook for Teachers--both labeled specifically for homeschooling. The package arrives in a good quality slide-apart box that can easily be used as the permanent storage solution.
Installing the software is an easy process, with plenty of clear direction provided. Rosetta Stone can run on Windows or a Mac. Technical support is available online or via 800 number, weekdays only by phone. Once installation is complete, a user of nearly any age can begin immediately by just clicking through the pictures as they appear on the screen. The student can move quickly or at a more leisurely pace. In the beginning, a pupil will spend much time listening and reading (with some speaking). More speaking and then writing will come later in the program. This is particularly useful for younger children who may wish to do less writing but more speaking as they acquire a new language.
My kids (ages 5, 7, 10, 12) have really enjoyed the format. It's easy for virtually anyone to use; retention is immediate and good, and there's plenty of material to cover. Even my youngest can click through the beginning lessons. My oldest is using Rosetta Stone as a supplement to another Latin program, and he has experienced gains--particularly in vocabulary. He now notices Latin roots all the time, commenting on them often.
There are two pre-loaded lesson plan tracks: Comprehensive or Accelerated. With either track, the student cannot continue on to the next level until he or she has achieved a pre-determined proficiency level. Activity sets conclude with a test, at which point the proficiency level becomes an issue. Another user-friendly feature--the ability to create a report and then export it for grading or record-keeping--is especially helpful for older students thinking about high-school transcripts.
In poring over the Handbook for Teachers, I noticed in the FAQ section that Rosetta Stone uses the "broadcast standard" accent. This really tickled me--I wonder what the "broadcast standard" is for Latin? More seriously, I didn't notice that either ecclesiastical or classical pronunciation was indicated in the materials.
My only caveats: Latin is rarely spoken these days, as many other languages are. If you're looking to Rosetta Stone as an entire program, you may want to supplement with more reading or writing. Also, some may find the cost prohibitive: $209 for Level 1. (The website shows a new payment plan option.)
With 400 hours of instruction available in Rosetta Stone Latin Homeschool Edition, Level 1 is, in my opinion, the finest example of a Latin language immersion curriculum available on the market today. It is imperative that I be able to turn my kids loose with a curriculum and know that they can learn exactly what it claims to teach while not encountering anything inappropriate. This is what I've found herein. We love Rosetta Stone. The End.
Product review by Carrie Wilbur, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, August 2007
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