How to choose a textbook of Russian for children: 12 questions

There are a lot of good Russian textbooks for children on the market. How can you choose the one that is right for you and your students?

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.

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Myths vs Reality

How often do you come across myths? I’m not talking about ancient stories that explain unfamiliar natural phenomena or teach us something — for example, the ancient Greek myths of Prometheus, Heracles or Perseus. Rather, I’m talking about fancies that generate dubious notions of any activity without their confirmation in practice — for instance, myths concerning what helps children to learn Russian quicker.

In life, I often encounter different parents’ views that I’d like to comment on and dispel from the perspective of teaching experience. In the article, I consider the four most widespread myths.

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Russian Instructions: Why the Future is Looking Bright

Over the past few years of teaching Russian as a foreign language, there was a breakthrough that impacted both approach to teaching Russian and attitude toward the language in general.

Could it be considered a revolution? You will know the answer later. Meanwhile, I suggest you take it slowly and remember what has happened in the teaching of Russian as a foreign language over the last six years.

Why do I say over the last six years? That is how many years old my Soroka course turned in 2022. The first course appeared in February of 2016 and students are still loving it.

What has changed over the six years?

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Soroka for Ages 50-plus

First of all, the 50-plus age is my favorite one — it’s my age!

I had a group of such students. Voice of America journalists filmed a story about it. Here is the video of our lesson (3:12).

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Introducing Language to Speech

In my teaching career, there were situations when students knew grammar well and did grammar exercises correctly, but still ignored all learned grammar rules in their speech. And it didn’t matter what language they had been learning – Russian or English. Teachers often encounter this problem, so let’s figure out what we can do to cope with it.
I suggest taking three steps.

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Soroka 2 in English

Teacher’s Book Soroka 2 is available in English. For those parents and teachers who can speak Russian but cannot read it very well.

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

and my web-site, here is the link.

Soroka 1 Teacher’s Book in English

Teacher’s Book in English is available on Amazon. Follow the link https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z2RXZB5?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

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

Teacher’s Book Helps

Last time, I talked about how the Teacher’s Books are an important component of my “Soroka: Russian for Kids” course. Today I will talk more about this topic.

In addition to helping students learn Russian not just by reading but also by listening, there are also three tests at each level of the course. If you don’t need these tests, you can use them as additional worksheets.

However, you need these tests. First of all, they are a good way to review everything. Secondly, the tests I offer are easy to grade, since these tests have the сlear criteria for grading. There are only 20 points.

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Get Help from Teacher’s Book

I once mused online about how the teacher’s books for my “Soroka” course could help us teach Russian to students. And I was impressed with a comment someone made to my musings.

One mom wrote: “I am a parent. I am not a teacher.”

In the Teacher’s Books, I write in detail about what and how to teach, and the order we follow.

If you go to my website and click on “Look Inside” of the “Teacher’s Book” for “Soroka 1” and start reading, everything is clear with warmups and endings of the lesson, but then you start having questions. For example, you read the following:

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Parents’ Questions

“My son is 5 years old. Can we use the ‘Soroka’ course with him?” a parent asked me in an email.

It depends on how well the boy knows Russian, since there are 5-year-old children who speak Russian fluently and don’t need the Soroka course.

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