literature
In Literature courses, students read works of literature of various levels of complexity by Russian and foreign authors. Our objective in these classes is to read good books that may be too intimidating for students to read on their own and show students that reading in Russian can be both exciting and rewarding, and give them the confidence to read books in Russian on their own.
Literature Lukomoriye (3-4 grades)
In Lukomoriye courses, students read works of literature by Russian and foreign authors. About half of the reading is done in class by the teacher, and discussion focuses on reading comprehension, plot lines and characters. Students are expected to read 5-10 pages per week at home, with parents’ help, if necessary. Examples of works read in the past: Ирина Пивоварова “Верная собака Уран”, Ян Экхольм "Тутта Карлссон и Людвиг Четырнадцатый", Нина Дашевская "Тео - театральный капитан", Эдуард Успенский "Вниз по волшебной реке", Виталий Бианки "Мышонок Пик", Эрик Распэ, “Барон Мюнхаузен”. These courses are geared towards students in 3rd-4th grade who understand and speak Russian and can read at least several paragraphs on their own.
Literature Chernomor (4-5 grades)
In Chernomor courses, students read longer, more complicated works of literature with more difficult vocabulary and more complex sentence structure, and with more sophisticated themes. Classwork and homework involves some writing assignments, and students are expected to read 10-15 pages per week at home, with parents’ help, if necessary. Examples of works read in the past: Астрид Линдгрен "Рони - дочь разбойника", Руне Белсвик "Простодурсен", Александр Пушкин "Руслан и Людмила", Юрий Коваль "Недопёсок", Константин Паустовский “Растрёпанный воробей” и другие сказки, Александр Куприн “Белый пудель”. These courses are geared towards students in 4th-5th grade who understand and speak Russian and can read at least a short story such as Dragunsky or Nosov, or a chapter in a chapter book on their own.
Literature Gvidon (5-6 grades)
In Gvidon courses, students will read short novels and poems by classic and modern Russian and foreign authors. Classwork and homework involve longer and more creative writing assignments, and students are expected to read 15-25 pages per week at home, with parents’ help, if necessary. Examples of works read in the past: Анатолий Алексин “Мой брат играет на кларнете”, Нина Дашевская "Скрипка неизвестного мастера", Михаил Лермонтов "Мцыри", Элия Барсело "Хранилище ужасных слов", Александр Грин, “Алые паруса”, Михаэль Энде "Момо. These courses are geared towards students in 5th-6th grade who understand and speak Russian and can read short modern chapter books on their own.
Literature Saltan (7-10 grades)
In Saltan courses students will tackle longer and more complex works of fiction from the 19th and 20th century. In 2021-22 academic year, students read: Михаил Булгаков, "Собачье сердце"; Александр Пушкин, "Повести Белкина", английская классическая поэзия в переводе русских поэтов 20 века (Пастернака, Маршака, Бродского). In 2022-23 academic year, students will start the year off with more classics from the Soviet period - Борис Васильев "Завтра была война", Евгений Шварц "Дракон".
