This is a beginner’s course for kids interested in learning Russian. No previous experience in Russian language is required, but previous experience learning another language is definitely a plus. Students must be self motivated to learn. I will keep the class fun and play some games but Russian is not an easy language to learn so interest in the class is crucial.

Week 1

We will begin by learning a few key phrases and questions (such as “what, where, when” and “repeat after me”) that will enable me to communicate with the students mostly in Russian throughout the rest of course. This will help them learn Russian without translating through English.
We will apply these Russian phrases with a mix of English nouns to build confidence using those phrases and then start mixing in basic Russian vocabulary consisting mostly of nouns. For example; colors, numbers, household objects, animals, and basic adjectives. I will use flash cards to exemplify the vocabulary.

Week 2

We will continue to build on the skills learned in Week 1. I will be talking with students almost entirely in Russian at this point. We will begin playing some memory games with toys, and answering questions such as “What color is the ball?” and “Which is bigger?”

Week 3

This week things will get a little more complicated, we will start playing some modified “I Spy” games once they are comfortable with simple compound questions such as “Find three small purple cars.”

Week 4

We will take this week a little easier and just practice all the skills learned in previous weeks ensuring that everyone is completely comfortable with the material we’ve covered thusfar. I will however throw in some verbs such as “standing, sitting, running, eating, drinking, etc.” 

Week 5

This week we will add some new questions and start playing games similar to “Guess Who”. Flashcard related questions will become more difficult, we will practice sorting them into new categories. 

Week 6

We will practice everything learned up to this point and try having short conversations. At this point all students should be able to answer common day-to-day questions such as “How old are you?” “Do you like _____?” “What is your favorite animal?” etc. Up to more complex questions such as “What color is your favorite shirt?”

This will be the end of the beginner course. I will make an intermediate course available upon completion.