2. Sometimes you don’t need an entire textbook, just one specific topic or exercise. There’s no point in buying the entire set of three books. Let’s take one chapter at a time. I’ll tell you how to find the right chapter a little later.

3. Sometimes you might not need a complete Teacher’s Book, but only the tests. You can also buy test papers separately. I have a separate video about them.

What’s in one chapter?

Pages of one chapter from all three books: Student’s Book; Activity Book; and Teacher’s Book in both Russian and English. About 12 to 15 pages in total. For example, when opening Chapter 3 you immediately see Chapter 3 from the Student’s Book, Chapter 3 from the Activity Book and Chapter 3 from the Teacher’s Book, all in Russian; and Chapter 3 from the Teacher’s Book in English — a horizontal slice from all books.

These pages can be viewed on the website and shown during online lessons. (A video of me giving detailed instructions about online classes for “Soroka: Russian for Kids” is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvyq3WCi40k.) The pages also can be printed out; for the Activity Book you won’t even have to do this, since you’ll be drawing and doing written assignments on sheets of paper.

How do we know which chapter we need? How do we find the right chapter? On the SorokaD website, the content of the textbook is summarized by “lesson number and page,” “what we are talking about” and “how we say it.” You can navigate by this content. Here is the link to the content: https://sorokad.com/content/.

I remind you that links to download free audio files for working with the textbooks can be found on the same SorokaD website, at https://sorokad.com/audio/.

You can receive Chapter 3 from the Soroka 1 textbook as a gift. To do this, you need to open a personal account on the SorokaM website. It’s very easy to do. For those who have questions, I have a video about how you can open a personal account on the site. When a chapter is opened to you, you will receive a notification by email. Take a look, give it a spin and, if you like it, buy other chapters or even entire sets of textbooks.

Let me remind you that Soroka has four levels: Soroka 1; Soroka 2; Soroka 3; and Soroka 4 (the Sarafan textbook). Each level has three books: Student’s Book (color book), Activity Book (black-and-white book, in which we write and draw); and Teacher’s Book, which is in both Russian and English. Write your questions in the comments.

Best wishes!

I can already hear the exclamation: Well, since she is an author, she will now start promoting her textbooks! But I won’t start; later I’ll explain why. And now back to the topic. In the first part, I will tell you about selection criteria, how I personally would choose a Russian textbook, what questions I would ask during the selection. In the second part, so be it — we will talk a little about my books, and decide for yourself whether the textbook Soroka is suitable for you, or you need to look for something else. But first, how to choose a textbook.

Question 1: First think about how this Russian textbook will be delivered to you. Can you buy it in your country? If you need a physical book, then first see if it can be delivered to your country. Where to look? A local bookstore, for example; or see what search engines and marketplaces have to offer.

Why do I think this is the most important criterion? You may hear about a great textbook, but where you live it is impossible to buy it. Why waste time getting it and overpaying for delivery? Unfortunately, this issue is now coming to the fore: In our time, old logistics connections — alas — have been destroyed, and new ones are yet to emerge. Because I’m a teacher myself, when I take on students I need to somehow provide them with teaching aids. It’s easier for me to order ready-made books and work with them. You may say, what about electronic copies? The answer will be in point (advice) No. 8. In the meantime, when you’re looking for a textbook, start with delivery and payment. Don’t you agree?

Some colleagues believe that you must first find a textbook, and then by hook or by crook try to buy it, ordering from another country if necessary. Do you agree that, for the sake of a good textbook, you can endure the inconvenience of delivery? Write in the comments.

Question 2: What types of exercises are in the textbook? How interested will students be in making them? How can a textbook help you stay motivated? Modern children (and these are your students) are very busy; their lives are too full of information. Students most likely aren’t motivated to learn Russian — or the motivation is very weak. You need to learn how to constantly hold the attention of your students, and the textbook should help you with this. It’s better to learn a language through games and interesting tasks than to drill into grammar. So, look and choose.

Question 3: How age-appropriate is the textbook? If this is a course for 10-year-olds, it will most likely be difficult for 5-year-olds to learn. Teenagers want to grow up quickly, and you bring them a book for 5-year-olds? I guarantee they will refuse to study with you. So look at what age the books are intended for.

Write to me in the comments about how old your students are and what country you live in.

Question 4: What do you want to get out of it: for a child to read and understand what they read? Could you express your thoughts in writing in Russian? Or is it enough that they don’t make basic mistakes in speech? Choose a textbook to suit your purposes. You understand that knowledge of a language is too broad of a field. For example, you can perfectly read the original Russian, but not be able to tell what the film was about on the screen. You can recite poetry for kilometers, but not be able to write a note (text message, email) to your grandmother in Russia. So, what do you want? Set goals. Share your goals with me. Write in the comments what you want from the Russian course for children.

Question 5: Who will teach? I dare to suggest that most likely this textbook is chosen by a mother who lives abroad. This is an educated mother with a profession, but her profession isn’t related to teaching languages (an engineer, a veterinarian, a programmer; in my practice there were a lot of women with different professions). Do you want to teach your child at home? Or do you want to open a weekend school to teach your child, together with others? If you recognize yourself, then put a “+” in the comments!

Question 6: What help is there for teachers in this textbook? Choose textbooks that have methodological recommendations, books for teachers, and support groups on social networks. I remember when I first started teaching Russian, I was looking everywhere for any information about how to do it correctly. I still value the advice of my colleagues and listen to such advice. If you’re just starting to teach, especially if you don’t have any formal training as a teacher, you’ll need help.

Do you use methodological recommendations? Write to me in the comments.

Question 7: I’ve already mentioned this point, and we’re returning to this question again. Is it possible to access an electronic copy of this textbook? This is a little cheaper because the issue of delivery by mail is removed. But there are a few “buts” here. Not all textbooks have an electronic version. Printing on a printer, especially color books, is very expensive, often even more expensive than a book in a store. What is more profitable for you? Do the math!

I’ve already said that I don’t like the electronic version, but that’s my own preference. Personally, I prefer paper books.

Which textbooks do you prefer: paper or files? Write in the comments.

Question 8: Decide whether you’re planning to take exams according to the Russian school program. If so, then it will be one textbook; if not, then it will be another.

Question 9: If you answered that you’re not planning exams according to the Russian curriculum, then I categorically don’t recommend textbooks that are published for schoolchildren from Russia. Such textbooks are designed for children who study Russian as a native language. This is a completely different category of students!!! Both their goals and objectives are completely different.

Question 10: Think about how working with the textbook will fit into your students’ workweek. They’re all very busy. They all go to the local school; they need to get good grades there. Besides this, they also have other activities. How much time can they devote to Russian language classes? You might ask, what does this have to do with choosing a textbook? Good question. You should always know your students well (or at least pretend that you do). You can prepare (come up with) a great program, but the students only have time for a small part of it. And your whole plan …

Write in the comments how many hours of Russian per week your students have.

Question 11: When choosing, first read the description given by the author themself. This description must indicate the age of the children for whom the course is designed, the level of language proficiency and what skills this course is designed to develop. And if the description indicates that this is a manual for bilingual children who already know how to read, you shouldn’t take this course for those who are starting from absolute scratch.

Question 12: At the very end, read reviews of other people of the course you have chosen. In this category I include not only reviews from parents and teachers, but also annotations written by a publishing house or trading platform. This is very important to do at the very end, when you’re almost ready to decide. When you have done the work, the opinions of other people can confirm that you’re right; or, conversely, force you to continue searching. But I insist on exactly this sequence — the opinion and recommendations of the author themself, and only then the opinion of other users.

Well, at the end, as promised, I’ll tell you why I didn’t intend to promote my textbooks. Because there’s no universal textbook that suits everyone indiscriminately. Because for me it is more important that you achieve success and get results from your classes. In this case, I don’t care whether you take my textbook or not. Why is that?

I have a reputation that I value. My first textbook was published in 2016. During this time, I was thanked many times for precisely what I said: “My textbooks are not suitable for you.” If I sell you a book that you don’t need, then I will lose my reputation. And if I help you with your choice, then we will all benefit. So how is it? What is more important — $4 from the sale of a book or …? You decide.

I know that my colleagues, Russian teachers, are reading this now. I invite them to leave a comment: Do you agree that there is no universal textbook that suits everyone?

Now about Soroka. Yes, my textbooks can be easily bought in the USA, Europe, Japan, Turkey and Russia. They are sold on Amazon and other marketplaces. Yes, I have a lot of games and other interesting exercises in my textbook (and I have videos about games in class). Yes, in class we talk a lot and learn grammar through play. Yes, I have methodological recommendations, support groups on social networks and a blog. Yes, the textbook is designed for ages 7 to 9, and is very suitable for children at this age.

Remember that a well-chosen textbook brings pleasure to both the student and the teacher. All parties will see an improvement in results from the classes, as well as in motivation and enjoyment.

Regular books can be purchased all over the world. Primarily in the USA, this is via the Asordi.com site. You can buy Soroka books in Europe from the site of a store in Greece, called Kalinka. Books are sold in Turkey, and in Russia, of course. In Japan and Australia, they are sold by Amazon. By the way, Amazon also sells in other places, including Europe and the USA. Why not? On Amazon in your country, search by ISBN and my name.

Now your questions.

General questions on the books

Is it possible to look inside the book?

Certainly! Open your personal account on the SorokaM.com website and you will receive access to Chapter 3 of Soroka 1. See how everything works; if you like the book, buy it. Here is the link to the site.  If you have a personal account on the site, then put a “+” in the comments.

Which publisher?

It is self-published. I prepared it for printing myself. I print through special services.

Is there an audio for the textbook?

Yes, there are free audios. They are on the SorokaM.com website and you can download them. I have video instructions on how to download audio files to your computer. People who have already downloaded the audio, please write + in the comments.

Who are your helpers?

In Russia there is Anna Leonova, who speaks English, by the way. In the USA, there’s Tamara Aksyonova, who often answers calls and emails. I have a video editor, who’s also my consultant for all video and photo content (and she’s also my daughter, Maria). And I have a proofreader, Peter, who lives in California and helps me with texts in English.

What year was Soroka released?

In 2016.

In what city did Soroka come out?

I live in a city called New Orleans, in the southern USA. You could say that Soroka came out here.

About electronic copies

You say that the site is American, but the phone number on the site is with a Russian number. Why is that?

Because the technical support staff live in Russia. Google employees, for example, live in India. Due to the time difference, it’s more convenient.

Can I print electronic copies? How many times?

You can print an unlimited number of electronic copies.

Can I save it to my computer?

You cannot save it to your computer.

Can I get PDF versions?

No, PDFs are not provided.

For how long do you provide access?

Time is not limited.

About printed books

Have you left Amazon?

Not yet.

Which countries do you deliver to?

Almost any.

Where can I buy paper books?

In the USA, this is through the Asordi website; in Europe, through the Greek store Kalinka in Russia, through the RuSoroka website; and in Turkey, through a partner in Ankara.

Amazon has free shipping. What about you?

We offer free shipping within the USA.

If you have any questions, write them in the comments.

 [PH1]Will the link be added here later?

 [MA2]Yes

1. Maria Goncharenko’s books for teaching bilingual children are now available at asordi.com.

2. A big summer sale has started at asordi.com. Get a 20% discount on the books of the Soroka and Sarafan Courses, including the book “Vassily the Cat”.

3. A new section titled “Samizdat” (SELFPUBLISHED) designed specifically for teachers who want to publish their materials but, for some reason, are unable to work with established publishers, was introduced on the YouTube channel.

The subjects we have already covered and to which I’d like you to pay attention are:

• An interview with Olesya Baltak – how many words per line, lines per page, and chapters a graded reading book should have;

• A presentation of Tekstometr, a tool that allows you to independently analyze the text and determine whether it meets the specified level;

• Technical aspects of publishing on Amazon and Teachers Pay Teachers;

• Publishing your own magazine for bilingual children.

First, let’s see what the Teacher’s Book says. In the course, we have a matrix of learning designed to conduct all the lessons from the Activity Book and the Student’s Book of Sarafan 1. Thus, we read the instructions and it turns out that we should start our work with a picture from Exercises 8 and 9 in the Student’s Book. We scrutinize it, note some interesting details, and answer the questions from Exercise 9. Later those questions and responses will serve as the basis for further work on Exercise 9 in the Activity Book.

Why don’t we have keys to these assignments? We don’t have them because these tasks refer to creative work; here students apply the material they remembered and master the knowledge they gained. Answers can vary significantly in these tasks.

When I was writing the Sarafan book, I assumed that my students should first complete Soroka 3. Because Exercise 9 in Sarafan 1 is exactly the same as we did in Soroka 3, I propose to get back to the Student’s Book and Activity Book of Soroka 3 so that we can refresh our memory.

So, we go back to Soroka 3 and see that from the very beginning of the Activity Book, students write lists. This is the first stage that prepares them to make a short text.

On Page 28, we start to apply the scheme for the first time. We look at words and cross the odd ones out.

On Page 32, Lesson 8: Now the scheme contains the gaps, which we need to fill in independently. But, as we have seen a short text in the upper part of the page, we already have an idea of what it should look like in the following exercises.

On Page 40 of the Activity Book, the scheme looks the same as in Sarafan 1. Here, we describe the picture from Page 6. We watch carefully, decide what we are going to write about and get down to work. As in any creative work, various answers are possible since each student performs it at his own discretion. Students can describe the exercise, or a man in the picture, or the situation. Here we learn to make short sentences, which we will further merge into one text.

I hope I have answered all questions concerning the exercises in the Activity Book. If there is anything you would like me to cover, you are welcome to comment below.

All the best!

When I was writing “Sarafan 1,” my idea was to show Russia and tell some facts about this mysterious and faraway country.

As the country is huge, it was hard to make a choice. That’s why I preferred to go on the beaten track. Being from the Ural region, I decided to choose the characters from the “Ural tales,” which were collected and published by Pavel Petrovich Bazhov. I grew up with the characters of these tales: the Silver Hoof, the Fire-Fairy, the Stone Flower and the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, who could turn into a little lizard. So you walk in the forest, see a little lizard and think: “Could it be the Mistress herself?”

Besides the Ural, the characters of “Sarafan 1” fly to Kamchatka and see volcanoes there. They view the Northern Lights in Murmansk and visit Lake Baikal.

Why do they choose these places for visiting?

It is no accident. When I was selecting material for the course, I recalled how one boy living in the U.S. became interested in the Northern Lights. Then I thought that for other boys and girls, it might also be interesting.

Also, my pen friend from France constantly mentioned Lake Baikal in conversations. She even started to learn Russian, because she dreamed of visiting this place.

As for Kamchatka, it is a remote and hard-to-reach region; I read about it when I was a child. And recently one of my students traveled with his parents to Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. to see geysers. When they came back from the trip, he asked me, “Are there any geysers in Russia?” This is how geysers and Kamchatka appeared in the Sarafan book.

As you may see, there is little information about Moscow and St. Petersburg in the book; there is only a short reference to the Moscow Museum. However, it has enough information about monuments from other cities, such as those devoted to the Nose, the Letter “YO,” the Family and others. What’s the reason? Believe me, I love both Moscow and St. Petersburg, and I really have something to tell about these cities. In other books and sources, a lot is written about them, but nothing is written about the Ural and Kamchatka.

Finally, in “Sarafan 1” there is a thing that only a few people can notice. In the beginning of the story we meet aliens who are looking for a landing site; and Natasha who goes with her cat Sasha from Chelyabinsk to the country, explaining the grammar rules on the way. The details that we learn from different pages in the beginning, we encounter in the last pages, as well.

Natasha and Sasha find a baby alien on the lakeshore somewhere in the Ural, bring him tea and send him home to his mother. At the end of the story we see a quote from the popular cartoon.

I hope I have answered all questions concerning country studies in “Sarafan 1.” If anything remains unclear, you are welcome to write your questions in the commentary sections. All the best!

Those, who already have the Teacher’s Book of Soroka 1 in the personal account on the site, have already received them as a gift.

Additionally, you may buy them on the websites TpT and asordi.com

I already wrote articles in my blog and submitted video instructions on my YouTube channel, where I explained how to work with flashcards and how we learn to read Russian using them.

On asordi.com you may also find new books.

Firstly, there are Darya Kriviborskaya’s books for reading in Russian. Secondly, you will find a print version of the comic “Urfin Come Home”.

To enhance the convenience, we created two special book sets: the first comprises six detective stories of Daria Krivoborskaya and the second consists of 8 books which beside Daria’s books includes the comic “Urfin Come Home”, and the book of Polina Guelfreikh “Vassily the Cat”. It is more profitable to buy book sets.

Finally, I would like to add that now the book “Illustrated Russian Grammar” by Goutta Snetkov is also available to order on the site.

Now the promised links to the articles and videos. Here what I wrote about reading in the blog:

Reading With Flashcards. Link here.

Reading Russian Words Correctly. Link here.

Everybody Needs Comics. Link here.

Russian Alphabet at Our First Lessons. Link here.

How to Read at the First Class? Link here.

Parent’s Manual. Unit 1 Lesson 2. Link here.

Here are the videos that I filmed for my YouTube channel:

Reading with Flashcards. Link here.

Alphabet at Our First Lessons. Link here.

How to read at the First Class. Link here.

You can purchase it on Amazon, here is the link,

and my web-site, here is the link.

The same book is also available on my web-site. Here is the link https://sorokam.com/en/catalog/Teachers_Book1_inEnglish

If you prefer pdf files you can purchase them on TpT press here https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Soroka-1-Teachers-Book-in-English-6691239