Russian Folktales: A Reader for Students of Russian (Second Edition)

Russian Folktales: A Reader for Students of Russian, Second Edition, offers intermediate and advanced students an ideal opportunity to engage with eight authentic cultural texts of the Russian folkloric tradition. Each transmits a popular tale long beloved by Russians—from The Frog Princess, to Prince Ivan, to Vasilisa the Beautiful, and others—that moreover presents a wealth of linguistic content. The Second Edition builds upon strengths of the First by offering a greater range of pre-reading and post-reading exercises to suit a wider variety of learning styles. Notes and a Glossary offer further aids for comprehension and interpretation. 

Russian-language audio/video files of each tale may be found on the Russian Folktales title support page here.

SKU
27954g

Jason Merrill and Colleen Lucey

November 2016 - 180 pp. - Imprint: Focus

Grouped product items
Format ISBN Price Qty
Paper 978-1-58510-489-5
$16.95
Instructor Examination (Review) Copy 978-1-58510-489-5
$3.00

eBook available for $14.50. Click HERE for more information about Hackett eBooks.

Russian Folktales: A Reader for Students of Russian, Second Edition, offers intermediate and advanced students an ideal opportunity to engage with eight authentic cultural texts of the Russian folkloric tradition. Each transmits a popular tale long beloved by Russians—from The Frog Princess, to Prince Ivan, to Vasilisa the Beautiful, and others—that moreover presents a wealth of linguistic content.

The Second Edition builds upon strengths of the First by offering a greater range of pre-reading and post-reading exercises to suit a wider variety of learning styles. Notes and a Glossary offer further aids for comprehension and interpretation.

Russian-language audio/video files of each tale may be found on the Russian Folktales title support page here.

 

Reviews:

"This reader beckons students of Russian, together with their teachers, into the magical world of Russian folktales. With an excellent Introduction, a clear structure, a thorough Glossary, and a variety of exercises that fulfill various learning tasks—from reinforcement of grammatical and structural knowledge, to broadening students’ lexical base and deepening their knowledge of Russian culture, to the development of narration and description skills vital to the achievement of ACTFL advanced-level proficiency, to cognitive thinking and analytical skills—this reader makes what can be a daunting genre accessible to intermediate-level students and provides enormous help to their instructors, from the secondary and to the university level and beyond. It could be used independently, as the basis for a unit or course on Russian folktales, or as a supplement to other texts and readings. Finally, it encourages creativity in a variety of forms. Let the adventures begin!"
     —Karen Evans-Romaine, University of Wisconsin–Madison

"The Russian students in my elective class are of varying levels and this has always been the biggest problem. What is wonderful about this new edition is that it approaches Russian fairy tales with more extensive and targeted pre- and post-reading exercises, and also seems to take into account lower-level abilities. In the previous edition, my weakest students were often not up to some of the expectations of the exercises. There seem to be many more exercises and more examples in each exercise. Best of all, there are more exercises that deal with basic issues of case usage, which is what the students most need at the 2nd and 3rd levels.
     "I’m also very pleased to see more advanced exercises that allow the students to integrate their learning and apply it in a broader context like in retelling the tales from a different perspective etc. I see some truly inspired and creative ideas here!
     "In addition to the written exercises, this version includes better and more extensive questions for discussion and for role playing, which will allow for work on speaking and listening skills as well. The recognition of different learning styles and availability of on-line audio files is without a doubt the most outstanding addition, which will make integrating this work into my class much easier because the students can better take control of their learning themselves.
     "Likewise, the inclusion of the colloquial and obsolete terms in the glossary will come in handy when my students use the text on their own. I deeply appreciate the inclusion of the ACTFL Standards "five C's" which I try to incorporate into my Russian classes.
     "Finally, even the appearance and layout of the new addition is much more sophisticated and professional. Overall, this second edition appears to be a well thought out and carefully designed textbook based on Russian fairy tales, instead of just a basic reader like the first version. This is exactly what I needed. I might even be able to use this for independent study work.
     "I’m really very excited about this new edition and can’t wait to teach my fairy tales class again so that I can give it a try."
     —Erika Haber, Syracuse University


About the Authors:

Jason Merrill is Professor of Russian, Michigan State University.

Colleen Lucey is Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian, University of Arizona.