Self-instruction manual for the Russian language from scratch. How to learn Russian faster and easier

A post that should have been written a long time ago: how to teach Russian to children who come to learn from scratch in preschool age. With adults, everything is clear: there is a RCT method, there are RCT textbooks, there are tests. What to do with young children who have to learn Russian from scratch in a foreign language format? We don’t have a clear, understandable, step-by-step methodology. Textbooks, actually, too.

We have an hour a week + homework, at best, and a child who has learned to say hello on the way to class. I’ll tell you how I see the solution to this problem, and below I’ll give a comment from Ekaterina Protasova and a very useful quote from her manual.

RCT for kids?

What can we take from RCT, a technique that in its classical form is completely unsuitable for preschoolers?

1.Basic principles of teaching.

For example, information that the teacher must give a speech model at the beginning of a task or game. Not just “now we’ll play shop,” but speech patterns: what the child says, what the adult says. When we have a new teacher at our school who is not familiar with the RFL methodology, we have to constantly remind about speech models and check their presence at every lesson. We show the task and how to perform it, we talk through what the child should say.

Reason for lack of progress #1: lack of speech patterns from the teacher.

2.Grammatical and speech formulas

In essence, language consists not of words, but of formulas. For example, “I want to buy” is a formula. We change the last word in the formula: I want to buy an apple, I want to buy milk, I want to buy fish, strawberries, yogurt, cheese... And we have many offers. Language is a constructor, we change one word in the formula - a new statement appears, add the particle “not” - a new statement appears. In the lesson plan and program, we first prescribe what speech formulas we give to the children, and only then the vocabulary. Formulas and phrases are more important than words. There is no point in learning words outside of formulas, there is no point in learning words outside of context.

Reason for lack of progress #2: we learn words, not formulas. Children often come to us who know a lot of words on topics: animals, fruits, vegetables, home, clothes. But they cannot speak even in the simplest sentences.

3.Order of presentation of grammar

Grammar? Preschoolers? For kids? “These are children,” what grammar. We have two problems with our attitude to grammar: grammar is often understood as spelling (from the word “competently”?), grammar is often understood as theory (“the accusative case answers the questions “who, what”, in the feminine gender the ending changes to -u, -yu, exceptions are nouns with a soft sign at the end"). At the same time, grammar is simply the structure of a language, its skeleton, without which we will again be left with a jumble of words “by topic.”

If you are not familiar with the RCT methodology, you can simply open the RCT textbook for adults or, for example, the table of contents of Nina Vlasova’s RCT textbook for children. Look in what order the authors give the cases. This choice is not random; it is determined by the frequency of use of cases in speech. At the same time, the authors do not take ALL meanings of the cases, but select the most necessary ones at the elementary level.

For example, in the prepositional case these meanings are:

Place: in a bag, on the sofa;

Transport: ride, sail, fly on something, etc.

Is it possible to avoid all this grammar, studying cases?

It is possible if you place the child in an environment. For example, if you have a Russian-language kindergarten. Do we tell the child that
learning the prepositional case? No, of course, the child just plays, completes tasks, learns to speak as part of the study of individual speech formulas.

Reason for lack of progress #3. There could be many reasons for this, in fact. Cases need to be automated in speech. So that a child, having once said “I want to buy milk,” hears himself and understands that something is wrong, “they don’t say that,” you need to think again. This automation may be missing. Just “understanding the topic” is not enough. Just saying it correctly a few times is not enough.

There may be a lack of gradualism and step-by-step elaboration.

There may not be enough games to practice, or there may not be enough games to use what you have learned in your own statement, in your speech. There may be a lack of spaced repetition of what has previously been learned.

The cases in this paragraph are for example. There are a lot of other topics: gender, number, agreement of nouns and adjectives, etc., but the general approach remains the same.

Or maybe not an RCT?

Maybe not an RCT, not instead of an RCT, but together with it. You can take benefits for monolingual children with speech impairments and developmental delays. These are grammatical and lexical notebooks by Kosinova, materials for the development of coherent speech of children with special needs by Arbekova, etc. You can partially take general developmental materials for kids.

But I have never seen an effective program for non-Russian-speaking children, built only on materials for monolinguals without additions or processing. It's all about the difference in goals. Each manual solves its own problems, and the authors of speech therapy manuals for monolinguals have completely different tasks than teachers and parents who want their child to learn to speak Russian.

You can look for ideas in English materials for kids. There are a lot of ideas there, I myself subscribe to dozens of blogs of American kindergarten teachers and teachers of English as a second native language. But the procedure for introducing grammar in Russian is still different. They are more about the design of the assignment, the presentation of the material, and game options.

Reason for lack of progress #4. A “patchwork quilt” of many aids that helps to spend the lesson time, but does not solve specific problems. There are a lot of printouts and cards, but there is no unified system. If the system is not in the program, then systematic language learning will also not work.

Or maybe just play?

You can do an experiment. Go to the teaching community and ask how to teach Russian to kids who are learning it from scratch. I bet one of the first comments will be: "Which lessons? Which programm? Kids learn through play, just play. To the store, to the zoo, to dolls, to bingo. I liked this lotto about dishes: link. You can also sing songs and dance in a circle.”

If you spend several hours with your child every day, then just communication and just play will be a developing and learning environment. Download the lotto about dishes, memorize the songs, take out the toy cash register and start playing. If you have an hour a week, then “just playing games” will just kill a lot of time without achieving anything.

Therefore, we return to a systematic approach: what grammar are you practicing, what formulas can you derive from it, what vocabulary will you need in the process, what games can you come up with to practice vocabulary and formulas. There are games, they are at the end of the chain. And they work for a specific task. And they do it! We include songs as a warm-up at the beginning of the lesson, a round dance as a break, lotto as an interval repetition of the previous topic (and do not forget to repeat not only vocabulary, but vocabulary inside a sentence, inside a formula). Look, everything was useful, everything had a place inside the system.

Reason for lack of progress #5. Well, you understand, I guess. Games are not built into the program, into the system. And in this case, you can play for 5 years, and the child will not speak even the most basic Russian. And not because...

“We only have an hour a week”

I write about this very often and continue to write, because an hour a week also makes sense if you have a flexible program, a systematic approach, specific tasks for each lesson and tasks with games that solve these problems. If you see the rhythms of the students and adapt to them. If you see potential, an opportunity to move to a new, more complex level, and take advantage of this opportunity. If you're trying to figure out why it's not working, rather than explaining everything for an hour a week. If you are ready to temporarily take a problem student into individual training, this also often helps to catch up with the group. If both you and your parents understand that you are moving forward in small steps, it cannot be otherwise with such a volume of work and such short classes. But you are making progress.

About homework

And lastly: what to do with homework. Here's my option. If the child has Russian-speaking family members, they will help him repeat what he has learned in class and help him make a couple of worksheets. If there are no Russian speakers in the family, what remains are songs, educational videos for kids on YouTube, or short videos specially recorded by you for homework. And so on until the child learns to read. As soon as I have learned, we have the opportunity to assign tasks to complete independently. Copybooks, match the word and picture, worksheets with elementary tasks and vocabulary familiar to the child. The child grows up, Russian progresses, homework becomes more complicated.

Russian is the most widespread of the Slavic languages ​​and the 6th largest in terms of the total number of speakers. Therefore, many people strive to learn Russian for work and career prospects, some need it for education, and others want to get to know Russian culture better.

In this article we will give you 10 practical tips that will help you learn Russian and make this process interesting and exciting.

1 - Start with the simplest

The first step to learning Russian is to master its alphabet. The Cyrillic alphabet, unlike the Latin alphabet, is based on the Greek alphabet. Because of this, many letters, although similar, mean different sounds, and some are completely unique. So, for example, the Russian letter “P” is similar to the English “R”, and the Russian “N” is nothing more than the English “N”. If you spend enough time on the alphabet and basic phonetics from the very beginning, further learning of many aspects of the language will become easier and will progress much faster.

Children's fairy tales are well suited for teaching reading; a list of them can be found on Wikipedia. They are written in simple and correct language and are easy to understand. This kind of reading will help you get a feel for the basics of the language and learn how to construct sentences beautifully and correctly. More complex things are best left for later.

2 – Repetition is the mother of learning

So says the old Russian proverb. Glue leaves with Russian names on pieces of furniture, appliances, dishes and everything that surrounds you in all the places where you spend a lot of time: at home, in the office, in the car. This will help you always keep new words before your eyes and, over time, remember them without resorting to boring memorization.

3 - Write everything down

You shouldn't always rely on your memory. Especially if you are in another country and everything that surrounds you is often new phenomena. Always keep a notebook or mobile phone handy so you can quickly and conveniently take notes. At the end of each day, review your notes; there will certainly be something worth remembering.

4 - Always stay in touch

VKontakte is the Russian analogue of Facebook, which in many post-Soviet countries is much more popular than its older brother. Russian-speaking users are happy to make new acquaintances with foreigners, which can be very useful for language practice. Thanks to communication on social networks, you can quickly improve your knowledge of spoken language and learn someone else's online culture. In addition, sometimes friends and acquaintances during such informal communication can explain some phenomena and concepts much better than teachers.

5 – Cinema and music

For many, the most interesting way to learn another language is watching movies and listening to music. In the case of the Russian language, it will be an excellent help official channel of the Mosfilm concern, where all the old Russian films are collected. The channel has a separate playlist with films with subtitles.

Far From Moscow is an excellent platform where you can find a lot of Russian music from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries. All genres and trends are represented here, and there is a lot of content that can be legally listened to and downloaded.

These resources will help not only improve your language skills themselves, but also find new topics for conversations with friends.

6 - Read in Russian

Reading develops language skills very quickly. Try to read as much Russian as possible, such as news sites and Russian-language blogs. This way you will improve your language skills and be able to delve more deeply into the Russian mentality, culture and everyday life. In the end, it’s just interesting to read how the same events are written about in different countries.

7 - Never refuse invitations

Russians sometimes seem not very friendly and cold, but this is only until you find yourself at their home. If you are invited to a party, or just for tea, then rest assured that you will be treated to the best food and the most unusual stories will be shared with you. Such lively and relaxed communication is a great way to improve your speaking skills, learn new things about the culture and make friends.

8 – Visit a Russian-speaking country

Complete immersion in the language environment is the surest way to start speaking Russian quickly. In the vast expanses of the former USSR, the Russian language is very widespread; it is not necessary to go directly to Russia - you can find cities in other countries where Russian is one of the main languages ​​of communication. Such a place can even be found in the European Union. For example, the city of Daugavpils in Latvia: for 80% of its residents Russian is their native language, and 96% of residents speak Russian fluently. In Daugavpils, standard modern Russian without any accent is used as the main language for communication, which makes this city a very attractive place to study it.

If possible, it is better to live not in a hotel, but in a family where the main language of communication is Russian. Many language training programs provide this opportunity. This way you will never fall out of the language environment, and you will be forced to speak Russian, which will certainly bear fruit over time.

9 - Find someone to talk to

Finding an interlocutor for whom Russian is a native language is not so difficult. You can use social networks, but if you are in a Russian-speaking country, be sure to find someone to spend time with. This will not only help you make new friendships, but will also help you get involved in learning the language faster.

The main thing to remember is that if your goal is language, then you should not forget about the need to write down and remember everything new. Analyze your meetings every time, learn new words and expressions. Thus, with each subsequent “lesson” you will feel more confident, which means you will be ready for more difficult things.

10 - Find a new hobby

Do you like to cook? Ask your friends to teach you how to cook some traditional dishes. Are you into music? Learn several traditional songs and several popular modern Russian compositions. Dive deeper into Russian culture. This will make you an even more interesting conversationalist and allow you to better understand the Russian mentality. This way you will be able to quickly find a common language with Russian-speaking people and gain much more conversational experience.

Russian culture and the language, which is an integral part of it, are incredibly interesting and, therefore, attract many. We are confident that the tips we have given you will simplify the process of learning Russian. If you are interested in courses to learn this language, which provide a unique cultural experience and practice, be sure to check out the information on our website. Don't be afraid of difficulties and learn Russian!

The Russian language rightfully takes the place of the most complex language in the world. Russian-speaking students of language schools who stubbornly study German, French, English and other languages ​​probably do not fully understand how complex and extensive the language they already know is. It is worth approaching the study of Russian in a multi-faceted way and with all the attention.

Learn Russian Language

The channel contains detailed materials for learning Russian as a foreign language, which are suitable for beginners in the Russian language and those who already have basic knowledge. The channel boasts a rich archive of educational videos with subtitles, which is updated weekly. Videos are provided in the form of a monologue by the presenter or in the form of understandable presentations. These lessons are suitable for those who have just started learning and want to learn Russian without rushing. For those who have mastered the basics of the language, there may also be useful materials. The channel's presenter actively practices speaking and dialogues.

Lingua-Baikal

Channel of the authors of the Russian as a foreign language textbook. Here you can find several educational lectures recorded in the classroom with students and an experienced teacher. Students act as students, during the lecture they answer the teacher’s questions and complete pronunciation tasks. For advanced students. During the lectures, the student will be able to correct pronunciation and expand the vocabulary necessary for a foreigner planning to visit Russia or Belarus.

RCT for everyone

The main emphasis in the material presented is on the most difficult thing - the grammar of the Russian language, which is presented in illustrations and clear examples. The authors of the channel try to present the material in such a way that it is understandable to students with different levels of knowledge. Information is conveyed through clear presentations with audio. Students will study numbers, cases, pronouns, adjectives.

Free apps for learning Russian as a foreign language

To make language learning as effective as possible, you should devote every free minute to the process of learning or repetition. Mobile apps can help with this.

Mondly: Learn Russian FREE- a versatile application that trains writing, speaking, reading and listening skills. Both those with elementary and advanced levels of study will find the application interesting; it will be useful when traveling and in business. Download the application for, for

Learn English with Babbel– offers to study Russian through short lessons designed to qualitatively improve the level of language proficiency of a potential student. It will be useful for beginners and continuing students. The authors of the lessons are experienced teachers and native speakers. Pronunciation training is possible through the speech recognition function. Download the application for, for

6000 Words - Learn Russian Language for Free- an application created to replenish a student's vocabulary and has a rich vocabulary library. For ease of use in the application, the words are divided into difficulty levels and topics; you can listen to a new word. Mini-games have been created to make memorization easier. Download the application for, for

This is not just a website, but an entire social network for foreigners to learn Russian. There are a lot of Russians on the site (~ 5000 people) who will be happy to help you learn the Russian language. You can also create your own group on the site, where you can invite those interested in learning your language (for love, meeting Russians, go here - - ->> http://inter-perepiska.ru).

Go to registration on - - - >> .

2. Project Modelino

A good site for learning Russian from scratch and for those who already know a little something. The site has many links to audio books, films in Russian with subtitles, audio tutorials, audio lessons, audio courses, television, radio, dictionaries, libraries of subtitles and scripts, electronic dictionaries, computer programs for learning the Russian language.

3. LearnLanguages.Ru

The site contains a variety of teaching aids, articles, tests and other auxiliary materials necessary for learning the Russian language: courses, reference books, dictionaries, tutorials, textbooks, audio courses, tests, dictations, articles. High-quality educational materials are presented for different categories of students: young children, schoolchildren, students, as well as for the older age group - everyone who has just decided to start learning the Russian language or wants to improve their existing knowledge acquired earlier. All educational materials on the Russian language that are available on the resource are available for free download.

4. Time to speak Russian!

The site is available in several languages: English, Russian, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian. Very interesting, game design. The site contains free materials for foreigners to learn the Russian language: a basic course, a grammar reference book, a media library, dictionaries, testing, and a library.

5. Learn Russian for free

An interesting site for English speakers with an abundance of free materials, dialogues, courses for different levels of Russian language proficiency, language games, and cartoons.

In an effort to master fashionable and prestigious languages ​​- English, German, Chinese - modern young people pay less and less attention. Some do not consider this necessary, others rely on text editors, and there are those who are sure that for current activities it is quite A school course is enough.

However, employers pay attention to the literacy of documents compiled, so for many people it is important to independently study the Russian language. But is it possible to achieve the desired result without a tutor?

Here are some tips from teachers:

Start with grammar. Few people have the innate ability to “feel” language. To maneuver freely among the vast majority of rules, it is enough to master textbooks for grades 5-10. It’s even easier if you had good grades in school. In this case, diagrams and humorous pictures-rules, of which there are plenty on the Internet, will help you “get back into shape.”

Try to use text editors as little as possible. Firstly, they are often wrong, and secondly, they reduce your self-confidence.

Don't relax. Studying the Russian language on your own requires constant work on yourself, so even when chatting with friends you need to pay attention to spelling and punctuation.

Work on your pronunciation. Incorrect emphasis in words such as “cakes” and “call” during communication will reveal your gaps in education.

Read the classics. This is how you visually remember how certain words are written. At the same time, your choice is huge. An excellent alternative to Dostoevsky’s “boring reading” will be the works of foreign authors translated into Russian. However, before reading, you should ask for reviews about the quality of the translation.

And one more piece of advice. To improve your pronunciation, repeat after the announcers of news programs or programs on cultural channels. This is where you have the best chance of “absorbing” the thoroughbred sound. And if you want to learn with us, welcome! The site has a lot of interesting material for

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See also:

Preparation for Russian language exams:

The most necessary from the theory:

We suggest taking tests online: