It is proposed that the concepts of location and goal are helpful instructional tools in Russian, encouraging competence and discouraging incorrect analyses of sentence structure. Minor reorganization of conventional instructional materials and addition of a few sentences for discussion would be of significant assistance in student understanding.…

Discusses general strategies and specific devices to motivate intermediate and advanced students to use the language laboratory frequently and efficiently. Suggests types of materials most effective for language laboratory use. (PMJ)

This resource book provides 50 learning activities with background materials for teaching about tsarist Russia and the emergence of the Soviet Union. Use of literature, history, geography, primary sources, various learning strategies are all included. The lessons provide study of 19th and 20th century events to Mikhail Gorbachev and perestroika.…

Advocates the use of good teaching practices in Russian language teaching. Specific recommendations are made regarding class preparation, motivation, and pattern drills. Attention is called to bad practices that are to be avoided. (AM)

Describes a program in which students were immersed in Russian culture and history in an effort to help them better understand the text of Turgenev's "Mumu." (FL)

Describes methods for creating a database for computer-assisted teaching of Russian by outlining an approach to one general problem, that of entering vocabulary. It is done in such a way that the same entry is available for a wide range of grammar drills. The program's key feature is its flexibility. (PJM)

This article suggests that to better prepare students for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) oral proficiency interview, it is up to instructors to see that these students are better prepared in oral, creative speech. Bridging exercises between dialogue memorization and personalized situations can be used to help…

The final report chronicles activities for the two years of a grant to develop an intermediate-level test of Russian language proficiency based on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines. The resulting test is designed to determine proficiency levels of students with two or more years of high school…

Six-day residential intensive language courses in German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian, sponsored by the City Lit language department and Wansfell college, were extremely successful due to careful planning in site selection, various learning activities, and courses structure. (Author/BP)

In 1870, after the successful publication of "War and Peace," Leo Tolstoy began imagining a story about a high-born society woman, "Anna Karenina," who destroys her life by having an adulterous affair. By presenting his adulteress as a sympathetic character, Tolstoy aimed to expose injustices in such Russian institutions as…

By comparing Russian and English on the phonological and grammatical levels, guidelines are offered for teachers of English as a second language to Russian students. (CFM)

A technique for rapid teaching of the Cyrillic alphabet uses a five-phase mnemonic strategy: attending to the materials, developing connections in class, practicing recall, using the information memorized as a basis for acquiring new information, and testing recall over time. The technique is based on current theories of information processing.…

A survey conducted in a large, predominantly white suburban high school in the midwest investigated student attitudes toward study of Russian and other foreign languages. Respondents were 815 students of Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Latin at three levels of instruction. Students were first asked to rank the reasons they chose the…

The lexical approach to teaching Russian grammar is explained, an instructional sequence is outlined, and a classroom study testing the effectiveness of the approach is reported. The lexical approach draws on research on cognitive psychology, second language acquisition theory, and research on learner language. Its bases in research and its…

These teacher-developed activities help the student to gain a greater awareness of the richness of Russian history and the Soviet past. New materials have been added from the original version and much has been updated. The volume is not a full curriculum but can be integrated into existing study of the world region. The book is divided into five…