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.

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.

Myth #1: Language can be learned by watching cartoons.

If you read a “Cartoons” article, then you remember that cartoon level should match language level. I also draw attention to the fact that we use cartoons only as an additional assignment. Before watching it, we are to drill all unfamiliar words and phrases so that children can hear them in speech.

Myth #2: Speaking Russian with a child will make him speak it, too.

Imagine that you came to Norway and need to ask the way to the hotel. You see the first local man, approach him and ask. You expect to hear the answer in English, but he starts talking Norwegian. Will you understand him? I don’t think so. The situation will be the same if you suddenly start speaking Russian with your child. Shifting sharply from one language to another may evoke embarrassment and stress; that’s why it’s better to do it gradually. For instance, start with separate words and then add phrases. When the child gets used to how the language sounds, you can try to make sentences out of familiar words. Believe me, if your child comprehends you a little bit, he will be interested in learning language.

Myth #3: Learning poems by heart and reading Russian literature help to master language rapidly.

You should understand that the language of Russian writers and poets is replete with words and expressions. If the child is not acquainted with them, he won’t understand the content. Certainly, you can read masterpieces of Russian literature; but without understanding, it will be in vain. You can begin by reading adapted tales that correspond to the interests of children. Later on, as you master the language, you can read the same tales but at an upper level — the higher the level, the more details you know and the more fascinating the process is.

Myth #4: Knowledge of the rules doesn’t ensure a correct speech.

There is no guarantee that if you learn the rules, you will speak without mistakes. Why? Because at the moment of speech, we don’t have time to recall the right rule. That’s why we need to make the pronunciation of words and phrases automatic. You can read how to do this in the “Introducing Language to Speech” article.

To sum up, it’s a private matter to believe or disbelieve myths — but please, don’t take everything you read or hear at face value. You can always check information in professional groups or dedicated forums.

As they say, trust but verify. All the best!

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?

The attitude toward Russian language among native speakers changed.

Several years ago, my colleagues and old friends, particularly those who live in Russia, often asked me: “Do foreigners really learn Russian? Why do they do this?” Now the attitude toward Russian language between speakers has been changing. People don’t ask such a question as often. Russian people began to realize that foreigners learn Russian and their enthusiasm is steadily growing. They also started to realize how their native language is interesting and how rich its culture is. It is all worth learning. Soroka demonstrates that learning Russian can be as much fun as learning other modern and popular languages. It’s fascinating.

Educational books became closer to people.

Soroka was one of the first books where dialogue with the teacher appeared. You know that there are all kinds of teachers – mostly these are people who have any other profession and who don’t have teaching experience. That’s why when they conduct individual classes, they don’t know where to begin or how to arrange the lesson. Now such teachers have support. Initially the Teacher’s Book, with all of its detailed and methodical recommendations, was written for the Soroka course. Later on, a YouTube channel with instructional guidelines and additional videos for the course, as well as groups in social networks where teachers share their own recommendations and additional tools, appeared.

Modern pictures appeared in the books.

Kids of the 21st century need videos of the 21st century. In the Soroka course, we have only contemporary pictures. Kids look modern – without stockings and hats from the last century.

The approach to teaching changed.

As we conduct a lesson just one hour a week, we don’t have time for a linear approach, where one lesson follows another. We carry out lessons in the form of mini-cycles. The concept is that whether the student visited the previous lesson or not, he would gain a “drop” of knowledge. I often compare this approach to water. When drops of water accumulate, they create an ocean. We have the same thing with our lessons, but instead of an ocean we get the voluminous Russian language.

Lessons are conducted in the form of mini-dialogues.

The concept of mini-cycles has brought lessons in the form of mini-dialogues – students mainly learn words and phrases rather than rules. The Student’s Books turned into peculiar phrase-books.

To sum up: Over six years Russians realized that their language is valuable, that there are people in the world who are interested in it and who learn it. Illustrations and characters in the books became contemporary. The approach of mini-cycles appeared, which has brought lessons in the form of mini-dialogues. This approach has proven to be the most suitable for learning language one hour a week.

Some call it a revolution. From the perspective of transformations, I agree that the revolution occurred. But from the perspective of new teaching methods, there was no revolution; we assembled existing methods and adjusted them to our goals and tasks.

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).

The Soroka course suits them perfectly! The font is large; colorful illustrations are everywhere; each page has factoids that can be seen easily; and all words and phrases can be heard on audio recordings.

When working with students over 50, you should and must follow the instructions of the Teacher’s Book — play the guessing games, anagrams, and write dictations of Surikov. The “Three Bogatyrs” training aid may also come in handy for you. There is no difference who you teach in this regard — 10-year-old children or adults over 50. The concept of this training aid is learned through multiple repetitions, shifting of objects (in our case, flashcards) and pronunciation of words. It is useful for all students.

People over 50 enjoy studying with children’s books, as they evoke positive emotions.

The curriculum of the Soroka course is slow — we introduce the material softly and gradually in order to avoid information overload. There are lots of repetitions in the course that are also essential for the 50-plus audience.

Still, there are some remarks. The 50-plus audience differs from children. When you work with adults over 50, you need to revise the learned material more often and move backward all the time, as they absorb it slower and forget more quickly than children.

Try to make notes of the material. In addition to the Activity Book, ask the students to purchase a regular notebook where they can write down words or transcriptions. Rewriting is generally useful for learning.

Having a separate notebook doesn’t exclude exercises for listening and writing — be sure to do them. You’ll probably have to help your students to download an audio file, but you can go without it. Sometimes it is enough to play a file during the lesson and have the students repeat after you.

Students who are 50-plus love to put knowledge into practice. The Soroka course is perfect for that, as it is focused on speaking. We speak and act out simple conversations from the very first lesson. Ordinarily, adults over 50 years old are motivated already; they know that they want to learn Russian, and that’s why they came to you — so appreciate it.

During the lesson, you should become a part of the group, an equal partner. Set up the chairs and desk “in the round,” so that the teacher sits in a circle together with the students. Let every member of the group speak up. Repeat the questions softly, let them take their time to answer, and be ready to prompt the correct answer.

It is better to learn from a printed book instead of an e-book. Students over 50 usually hold conservative views; so even if you conduct online lessons, it is better for them to have a printed book.

When learning, it is better to use visual memory instead of abstract concepts. In this respect, the Soroka course is again ideal for them.

Be glad when students ask you all sorts of questions, and encourage them to do so. Even if you have already discussed a topic and the answer is transparent, repeat the answer one more time.

Ask questions that the students can answer from the perspective of their life experience — for instance, inquire about languages that they had been studying in their childhood, and let them talk about their experience. If they had a negative experience, show them that you take this into account, and manage lessons in a manner to avoid the same mistakes.

If you conduct group lessons in a regular class, then you should come in advance in order to greet everyone and exchange a word or two.

Take a break more often, so that the students can have some time to rest.

Don’t forget that the teacher is a kind of adviser, a guide to the world of Russian as a foreign language. The Soroka course will be very helpful in working with this age group.

Step 1: Acquaintance

You display this picture to the students and start asking: Is the dog sleeping? Is the dog reading? And your student answers: No, the dog is not sleeping, it is reading. Then we continue: Where is the girl? Is the girl sleeping? Is the girl sitting? Where is the girl sitting? The girl is sitting on the cloud.

We acquaint students with a rule, a word or a phrase. When we meet a person for the first time, we remember his face and name, right? We have the same thing here. If you can recognize, then you can get acquainted. Everybody knows how acquaintance goes – you show an object and say its name. You do the same thing when introducing a new phrase or rule – you show it and pronounce it, so that the students can recognize it.

Step 2: Oral Drill

All words and phrases are to be pronounced. It’s important! For instance, in the topic of “prepositional case” we drill orally all words, which the students already know, in the form of this case: в доме, в облаке, в кофе, в чае, в коробке, в книге. Absolutely all words!

There are two reasons why we need oral drill. The first reason is that the students are involved in the process – their mouths are working; their ears are hearing. It differs from learning the material during lectures or from studying the material by sight, like you are doing now while reading this article, right? We need to have our students speak. We introduce language to speech. That’s why we make THEIR organs of speech work. I want you to understand – YOU already know this language, and now your student should learn how to speak it. If the student doesn’t say anything in the learning language BY HIMSELF, no one will do it for him. There is no other way to learn it.

The second reason: When we speak, we don’t have time to recall the rule. In attempting to do so, our speech becomes slow. I hope you agree with me. That’s why we need to make the pronunciation of words and phrases automated. To do that, we should repeat words and phrases in the form of each case over and over again.

Step 3: Speaking

We drill all words and phrases by using short dialogues presented in the Student’s Book. The little speaking heads of our characters give an example of dialogues, which we further use for our work – asking and answering questions. I want to remind you that we need to escape from inner translation. How do we do this? Through repetition. Repeating after the teacher. Repeating the whole question. Each time you ask a question, the students should repeat it. Then you will see progress. If a student doesn’t understand a question, he or she can hardly repeat it.

To develop speaking skills, we play guessing games. For instance, the game when we speak about clothes of different colors – Андрей в черных джинсах, Катя в зеленом платье, and so on.

Or describe pictures. For instance, view the picture from the Student’s Book of the Soroka 1 course.

You display this picture to the students and start asking: Собака спит? (Is the dog sleeping?) Собака читает? (Is the dog reading?) And your student answers: Нет, собака не спит, собака читает. (No, the dog is not sleeping, it is reading.) Then we continue: Где девочка? (Where is the girl?) Девочка спит? (Is the girl sleeping?) Девочка сидит? (Is the girl sitting?) Где девочка сидит? (Where is the girl sitting?) Девочка сидит на облаке. (The girl is sitting on the cloud.)

The students can do writing and reading exercises only after everything is uttered, and introduced into speech.

Please don’t forget that oftentimes rules exist in the kid’s (or adult’s) head separately from practical application. For instance, a kid learned the traffic rules – red light means stop, green light means go. And the kid seems to know them, but still crosses the road at the red light. To start crossing the road at the green light, he needs to train: He should see the red light first and then stop; next, he should see the green light and keep moving.

Learning how to speak in the foreign language requires the same thing. Students should drill their skills through speaking. That’s it.

Leave your comments and share your opinion.

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

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.

I think there are a lot of other different ideas, interesting ideas, such as the dictation of Surikov, when the teacher dictates some words and the student draws those words. For example, the teacher dictates “red book,” “a girl in the red dress sits on the chair,” and the student draws these images. All of these instructions are written in the teacher’s book.

On top of these instructions, there are very detailed recommendations for each lesson. For example: when you need to open the book, and when you need to close the book. This is written in Lesson 3 of the “Teacher’s Book” for “Soroka 1.”

The Teacher’s Books also contain answer keys that are very useful when Russian is not your native language. They also are useful for those who doubt the spelling of some words, or are unsure of how to answer a question. Someone might have trouble understanding a question and could check the Teacher’s Book, which contains all the answers.

That’s why I strongly recommend that you look through it, and perhaps even buy it and use it in your work. Not matter what, you definitely need to use it in your work.

You can find the link to the Teacher’s Book here.

I wish you all the best and, as usual, look forward to your feedback and comments.

Watch my video on YouTube about the Teacher’s Book. English subtitles are available. Here is the link.

Goodbye until next time!

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:

“Books are closed.”

Teachers immediately ask a question: “What do I do now?”

Everyone is so used to working with books, opening them and looking at them; but now the books are closed. However, if you continue to read the Teacher’s Book you will understand that something interesting is starting now. The teacher starts counting little objects, which she brought with her.

She counts pencils, buttons, beans, chips, little toys, books; so the teacher starts counting and children slowly join her. Students repeat counting after the teacher, therefore we begin with listening.

The Teacher’s Book continues: “Next phase. Write numbers from 1 to 10. Students are repeating while you are writing.”

The most important thing here is that books are closed, students listen to their teacher counting and repeat after her. And you can learn about this process only from the Teacher’s Book, since there are no other ways to learn it.

Next time, I will talk more about how the Teacher’s Books are an important component of the “Soroka: Russian for Kids” courses.

You also can watch my video about the Teacher’s Book on my YouTube channel. English subtitles are available.