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Russian - Beginners

Vak
2012-2013

Tag(s)

GC

Admission Requirements

N/A

Description

Russian – Beginners is a Russian language course for students with no knowledge of the language. The course will provide students with the basics of Russian and aims to develop language skills in grammar, speaking, listening, reading and writing. An important aspect of the course will be the cultural knowledge about Russia. The course provides the knowledge to communicate and understand Russian at A1 level.

Course Objectives

The required competences for a A1 level language can be described as follows: the student Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

Mode of Instruction

The course has an interactive and communicative way of learning language. Course contents are grammar practice together with vocabulary building and developing the skills with class activities. The classes will be highly interactive and students will often work in pairs or groups to practice their language skills. During the course, students will give oral presentations.

The course is based on coursebooks, materials prepared by the instructor and the Internet. A blackboard site will be available with essential documents i.e. planning, hand-outs, additional exercises and links to various educative websites.

A substantial amount of self-study is required and the students are expected to prepare the classes. Attendance and participation in the class is required as well and will count towards the final mark.

Assessment

The tests assess speaking, reading, listening and writing skills.

Assessment: Listening comprehension exam
Percentage: 15%
Deadline: Week 4 and 12

Assessment: Reading comprehension exam
Percentage: 20%
Deadline: Weeks 5 and 15

Assessment: Oral presentation + discussion
Percentage: 20%
Deadline: Week 5 and 13

Assessment: Written exam: vocabulary/grammar/Creative writing
Percentage: 25%
Deadline: Week 6 and 16

Assessment: Compositions
Percentage: 10%
Deadline: TBA

Assessment: Attendance and participation
Percentage: 10%
Deadline: N/A

Literature

Compulsory Textbooks:
Passport to Russia 1, Textbook(+CD), Louwerse, N. / Lubotsky, L. / Meijman, D. / Pluimgraaff, H. Pegasus,paperback, 2011, ISBN 9789061433576

Passport to Russia 1, Workbook, Louwerse, N. / Lubotsky, L. / Meijman, D. / Pluimgraaff, H. Pegasus,paperback, 2011, ISBN 9789061433583

Recommended:
Oxford Russian Dictionary, Marcus Wheeler, Boris Ottokar Unbegaun, Paul Falla, Oxford University Press, 2007, ISBN 9780198614203

Any other pocket dictionary will be sufficient for Russian A1:

Russian-English, Langenscheidt, Pocket books Us, 2009. ISBN 9781439142370

Russian Berlitz Pocket Dictionary, Berlitz Publishing Company, 2006. ISBN 9789812469458

The Pocket Oxford Russian Dictionary, Jessie Coulson, Nigel Rankin, Della Thompson, Oxford University Press, 2000, ISBN 978-0198601500

Contact Information

m.e.avaguimova@hum.leidenuniv.nl

Weekly Overview

Week 1: Chapter 1 Alphabet
Week 2: Chapter 2 Introduce yourself and other people
Week 3: Chapter 3 Meet and Greet
Week 4: Chapter 4 How do I get to the Bolshoi Theatre? + Listening exam
Week 5: Oral presentations and reading exam.
Week 6: Chapter 5 In the supermarket + Written exam
Week 7: Reading week
Week 8: Chapter 5 In the supermarket
Week 9: Chapter 6 Telephone. Tense and Verbal Aspect
Week 10: Chapter 6. Tense and Verbal Aspect
Week 11: Chapter 7 Visit and appointment
Week 12: Chapter 7 Visit and appointment + Listening exam
Week 13: Chapter 8 and 9 At school/Ready to count? + Oral presentations
Week 14: Chapter 8 and 9 At school/Ready to count?
Week 15: Chapter 10 The weather + Reading exam
Week 16: Chapter 10 The weather + Written exam

Preparation for first session

It is important to bring the books to the first class. For the first class students read chapter 1 of the Textbook and learn the Russian alphabet.