Russian Level 1

On successful completion of this module, you will be better prepared to:

• produce a basic range of spoken language in very familiar contexts, applying A1-breakthrough level grammar and vocabulary (CEFR);
• respond to and produce very simple written texts in the Cyrillic alphabet;
• demonstrate intercultural awareness in the handling of everyday social interactions in Russian;
• use a basic range of digital language-learning tools to support your production.

In this module, you will cover the following linguistic structures:

• the present tense of the first and second conjugations;
• the imperfective and perfective aspects of verbs;
• indeclinable nouns;
• the nominative, accusative, genitive and prepositional singular, as well as the nominative, accusative and genitive plural of nouns;
• animate and inanimate nouns and their modifiers, pronouns and adjectives.

These linguistic structures will be applied to the following topics:

• making contact and talking about yourself, your studies and your routine;
• eating and drinking;
• hobbies and leisure;
• work, training and the professions.

In line with MFL communicative and active learning methodology, in-class activities cover all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and include: pair work and group work (dialogue practice, information gap exercises, discussion and collection of key terms/ideas followed by report to plenum), individual tasks (face-to-face and online); discovery and formulation of rules; work with texts, audio and video material to develop learning and communicative skills.

Weekly preparation tasks set on the VLE give you the opportunity to revise and consolidate knowledge at your pace and to develop awareness of how to use language-learning tools independently. The module follows a flipped-classroom approach to ensure face-to-face time is devoted to interactional learning and communicative skills acquisition. This approach not only ensures you engage with a wide range of tasks, but also supports different learning preferences. Written and verbal feedback is given for tasks submitted, to ensure you are supported to complete your work and aware of assessment expectations. 

All pieces of coursework are marked and returned within two weeks. Marking criteria and revision guidance (how-to guides) are included as needed with each coursework to ensure you are supported to complete your work and aware of assessment expectations. Detailed feedback is provided for each individual section of the coursework, giving the correct answer(s) along with suggestions for improvement. In addition to the number of points out of a maximum total, an overall percentage grade is given. Generic feedback on each individual piece of coursework is also provided in class.

Summative assessment consists of two pieces of coursework (one per term), one 1-hour timed assessment (test scheduled at the end of spring term), and one practical, i.e. oral examination (at the end of spring term or beginning of the summer term). Coursework and written/ oral examinations all contribute to the final grade.

• Coursework (25%): End of autumn term. Task-based pack: reading, grammar, writing (approx. 50-60 words).
• Coursework (25%): Beginning of spring term. Task-based pack: listening comprehension and oral production.
• Examination (25%): End of spring term: 1-hour in-class test, on the Virtual Learning Environment, including grammar, reading, and writing (approx. 90-110 words, by hand).
• Practical (25%): End of spring term. Oral exam: free conversation with the examiner, on topics covered in class (approx. 7-9 minutes).

• 7.5 ECTS points awarded on successful completion of the module.
• Available to take for credit towards your degree, where your department allows. Also available for extra credit. The Module options by department page has a full list of the credit options.
• You must be prepared to attend all classes and undertake approximately 3 hours of private study each week in addition to the assessment.

Coursebook

Beginner’s Russian with Interactive Online Workbook by Anna S. Kudyma, Frank J. Miller, Olga E. Kagan, Michael A. Lavery, (2nd edition, Hippocrene Books Inc., New York, 2022), Chapters 1-11. ISBN: 978-0-7818-1440-9 (paperback).

Other materials

Reading lists will be published on the VLE as required.