We tend to have a bent toward classical education so when we heard that Roman Roads Media was our next product review, I wanted to check out one of their newest products Picta Dicta Natural World. It is one in a series of three. Picta Dicta Vocabulary Builder which focuses on vocabulary and has a goal to improve your vocabulary. Picta Dicta Ancient World is coming soon and will focus on Latin, English, and even a little Greek covering over 500 historical concepts. They sound cool, don't they?! We thought so too.
We chose Picta Dicta Natural World because I thought that all of us (me included) would be able to use the product. I was right! All of the Picta Dicta offerings are self-paced courses that are suited for elementary through high school and their motto is See It, Hear It, and Understand It. Those three concepts are the basis for their entire program by using hand drawn illustrations to introduce the Latin vocabulary words, hearing the word pronounced as the see the word which helps all types of learners, and then the definition of the word to make sure the student clearly understands the word they are learning.
Eldest working on it on my Android phone.
The app works with an internet connection on all major browsers, except Internet Explorer. And you can also even use your phone to access Picta Dicta! Each student will need their own account/subscription so you can see everyone's individual progress throughout their course. And if you think your student needs written work as well you can download the free workbook which has exercises, drills, and puzzles to help reinforce their learning on the app.
Typing in her answer
Another feature of Picta Dicta is that there are several levels you can set your account up as to fit the stage of your student. They include Basic, English, Reader I, Reader II, Express, and Teacher (I only just found this one). Since my younger 2 are still slight struggling readers we chose Reader I for them, my eldest is using Reader II, and I put myself at Express. When you log on with your account you can set yourself as a student and the teacher/administrator of the whole account. The other levels are explained so you can pick the best one. Below is a video of the basic way to get your account up and running. And the second video is a walk through of the program.
The difference in the levels is really how fast they are introduced to the vocabulary. So for Express you learn the lesson in 3 parts - Learn Latin II, Latin Picture II, and Spell Latin. But for Reader II (the one my eldest is using) it is broken down into 6 parts - Learn Latin II, Latin Picture II, Article II, English II, Spell Latin II, Review Latin VII. It is still all the same information, just broken down a little more and some more emphasis on spelling both in English and Latin. For Reader I (this is what my two younger children are using) the lessons are broken into 9 sections -- Learn English (2 different ones), Article I, Learn Latin, Latin Picture, Choose English, Spell English, Choose Latin, Spell Latin, Review Latin II. The other levels are similar and progress up to Express.
Express level
Reader II
Reader I (see the stars of progress)
As you move through the sections in each lesson your student will play a series of "games" or what they call campaigns to learn the Latin vocanulary. The words in Natural World focus on 400 common words from animals to fruits, basic anatomy to constellations and more. When they complete a lesson they will get anywhere from 1 to 5 stars. If they get only a few stars I usually make them repeat the lesson so that we work on mastery of the Latin vocabulary.
other levels upcoming
In the Express level there are stories that go along with the picture of the vocabulary word. These stories do not seem to be in the lower level. These stories are pretty long and would be good for strong readers and older students. You are given about 6 words to learn and then pictures which have both pictures you have learned and those you have not been introduced to yet. You match the picture to the word and also the word to the picture. Then you have to spell the word both in English and in Latin. This is where mine have gotten lower stars then in the first few sections of the lesson and then have redone these lessons.
a word in English
typing it in Latin
The game way of learning is really fun and unique. And with Latin being the base of the Romantic languages (French, Spanish, and Italian) as well as the basis of scientific words and the base to a lot of our own English words it is the perfect way to get a good grip on having strong vocabulary.
Shows progress on the top right.
Here are some thoughts from my kiddos on their thoughts:
Arianna - "One thing that I liked was that it gives you a grade but in stars and reminds me of playing a game. The more stars you get the better your score was. For the main lesson with each new word it has a story or information about that word. It's pretty long, but in the lower levels younger people can have it read it to them. Then it also speaks to you when you get your next "card" (they look like cards to me) and helps have the correct pronunciation for the Latin. You get to match the pictures with the word. So you get a card that has a picture of a sheep, but under it says 'an animal used for wool and meat' and then the next card you have to pick the correct Latin word out of 6 or 9. I really like it and it has helped me with learning Latin."
choices of 'cards'
Audrie -- "Picta Dicta is fun because you get to do Latin, English, and spelling all in one program. It doesn't feel like you are doing school, but just doing a fun activity or game. I think it is easier to use the computer rather than on our phone, but both work. I had to use my mom's phone because we've just moved and she was using her computer. But since you can use the phone I could still work on my school. It seems to help make learning Latin easier since they start off in grouping. So first you learn animals and then fruits, trees, and nuts, and then there's several review lessons. My version is broken up into smaller sections because I'm on a different level. It makes it easier to learn. When you do a lesson you can get up to 5 stars. If I get less than 4 stars, I do that lesson again. Sometimes I have to do a lesson 2 or 3 times, but it helps me learn that better."
Seanan -- "I think it is super fun and I like working on it. It isn't that hard, but I'm on a lower level then my older sister. My level reads to me and I get to work on Latin and English."
No comments:
Post a Comment