Rosetta Stone Curriculum Review

Published:
December 14, 2016

Carrie Fernandez

Contributor:
Carrie

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

My eleventh grade daughter has always wanted to learn a new language, but I will not lie and tell you that it didn’t intimidate me to teach it to her. We have tried other curriculum in the past that was teacher-led and I wanted to die. Yes, my last name is “Fernandez,” but I married one and he isn’t fluent in a second language either! 

This year we took the plunge and have been using Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish Level 1. We were provided a complimentary curriculum set to provide an honest review. 

There is a great deal below – so be sure to scroll down!


Rosetta Stone is a computer based foreign language program/curriculum that teaches students how to speak a new language. I like that it also teaches them to read and write the words rather than just learning to speak them.

The homeschool edition, which is what we are using, details out daily lesson plans for a 45-week or 36-week course outline. This is the path that will plan each level out over a full school year.

My eleventh grade daughter is currently using the Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish Level 1 and has been really enjoying it. It is very easy for her to learn the words and phrases with the combination of pictures and native speakers. The visual aids help to cement the words that accompany them into her mind and she remembers them more easily. Often times the lessons show the words on the screen when they are spoken, and that helps you to learn how to spell and read such words or phrases.

rosetta-stone1

The program is set up to require her to always score 90% or higher, or else she has to redo quizzes and tests. This mastery approach ensures she is ready to move on to the next lesson. Woven into the lessons are review activities to reinforce what she has learned and to make sure she doesn’t forget it.

The parent guide is really helpful and walks you through the different options for homeschool courses and lesson plans. If you are using other supplemental materials, you can fully customize this for your student.

You have several choices for how you want to use the curriculum:

  • Full Year – This path  is extensive and includes a lot of supplemental activities for reinforcement. There are lesson plans for 36 or 45 weeks.
  • Standard – More scaled down with less review, but does include a built-in feature that revisits areas that need improvement or more work. This would be more suitable for a student who already has some experience with the language they are learning.
  • Then there are even more options: extended, reading and writing, speaking and listening, placement, and more. All of these options are detailed in the parent guide. Of course, since we are using this is as a high school credit course, we are using the full year 36-week course and lesson plans. 

Because I am being totally honest with my review, I need to tell you that I messed up when she first started by not reading through the guide before I let her loose. She was so eager to start that she opened the lessons and was whizzing through them before I realized that there are supplemental educational materials on a separate CD. This is actually a very important part that you do not want to miss out on because it contains worksheets, tests, and answer keys. So yes, we had to loop back and make sure what she learned was solidified in her mind. When learning a new language your success is not a “grade” but actually being able to speak, understand, and write the new language.

In addition to the computer course and the parent guide with the lesson plans, there is also an audio companion CD. This CD supplements the computer based curriculum with speaking and listening activities that helps to solidify what they are learning in the course.

I really like the homeschool dashboard. It allows me to keep track of my daughter’s progress and preview her grades as well as the time she spent on activities.

So, what does she think?
I asked her what she thought about Rosetta Stone and she didn’t hesitate to tell me she loved it. She recently watched a video that was in Spanish without subtitles and she was able to understand it a little. She has a a natural ability to pronounce words in Spanish and actually have them “sound Spanish.” I, on the other hand…not so much. Maybe it is because she has Spanish blood in her veins, after all she is a Fernandez by blood. :-)

We have not had any software problems or found any glitches and have not had a need to contact customer service for anything, so I do not have any information regarding that. She did mention that occasionally the headset will not clearly pick up her speech and mark it incorrect when in fact it wasn’t, but I cannot say for sure if it was something she did wrong on her part.

All-in-all, Rosetta Stone is something we plan to continue to use. We will finish up Level One and move right on to Level Two. I would not be surprised if she moves on to another language after she has mastered Spanish – she enjoys it that much!

For a LIMITED TIME ONLY, you can purchase the complete homeschool set (levels 1-5) for just $144! Normal price is $229 – sale ends on 12/31/2016.


From the Website:

If speaking Spanish in the real world is your goal, you’ve come to the right place. Our program lets you learn your second language the way you learned your first, with an intuitive, immersive method that’s as fun to use as it is effective.

  • Learn at your own pace with our course that never expires
  • Access for up to 5 family members
  • Speech Recognition
  • No internet connection required

PURCHASE WITH CONFIDENCE – Includes 30-Day, No-Risk, Money-Back Guarantee. Click here to check out a DEMO.

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