Language and Section: Russian Advanced
Date: 10/30/12
Class theme/topics discussed: Students’ rituals/beliefs or how to be successful on an exam without preparing
Goal of the class:
– to advance the ability to understand video materials in Russian
– to practice reading
– to inform the class about students’ traditions/rituals in Russia
Structure of the class:
– Asking students how they celebrated Halloween, what costumes did they wear etc. (as a warm-up)
– Watching a video about the monument to the dog (in Moscow subway) that brings luck
– Talking about the video (What did students notice?)
– Showing more pictures of the monument
– Reading the text about history of the monument (each student read a passage at front of the class)
– Discussing the text (in order to check how they understood the content)
– Telling the class about other students’ rituals in Russia (including watching a video about students catching “khalyava” at campus and showing a monument to the students’ beliefs)
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
– Yandex.ru (to show pictures)
– youtube.com (to show videos)
– Russian money (to demonstrate one of the rituals)
– handouts with text
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
This class worked well because it involved a whole range of different activities and skills necessary for them. Students were interested in the topic: they learnt a lot of new information even though they all were in Russia before. It was useful for me as a teacher since I understood that even advanced students need to work more on their reading.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
I would not change anything.