Readings in Russian. Leo Tolstoy (1).
What you'll learn
- At the end of this course, you will find yourself in an exciting adventure of reading classical Russian literature in the original. The adventure will start with well-known short stories written by the Great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy for children. Sub-titled and illustrated lectures are recorded twice: at a slower pace and at a faster pace. Plenty of supplementary materials, exercises and step-by-step instructions will help you improve reading, listening, writing and speaking skills, e.g. put word stresses correctly, master native speaker's intonation, recognize and understand old language forms and idioms, expand Russian vocabulary and improve grammar, and so forth. Last but not least is that you will be introduced to the phenomena of Russian culture and mentality discovered by Leo Tolstoy.
Requirements
- Upper beginner, low intermediate or higher level of Russian language proficiency.
Description
'Readings in Russian. Leo Tolstoy (1)' is the first pilot sub course in the series 'Readings in Russian.' which is planned to be continued. The major goal of the series is to help my virtual students start reading classical Russian literature at the upper-beginner level.
You would say: ‘No, this cannot be true! Russian classical literature is too complicated and this is not something to start learning this terribly difficult language with!’ Well, of course “War and Peace” or “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy, “Seagull” or “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov, poetry by Alexander Pushkin are not what I’m offering here.
For the series I have picked up well-known short stories for children by the Great Russian writers. In this very first sub course you’ll read six short stories by Leo Tolstoy: Косточка, Котёнок, Акула, Филипок, Отец и сыновья, and Мужик и водяной. I am planning to continue with more texts by the author.
Every lecture contains an audio of one short story recorded at a slower pace, illustrated and subtitled for easier comprehension by the student. There are also some downloadable supporting materials, e.g. full texts of stories with and without word stresses, vocabulary notes, etc. Plenty of 'multiple choice', 'true/false', 'fill in the blanks' exercises with feedback are included. To get the maximum benefit from the course step-by-step instructions are provided. I also guarantee chat support in case students have any questions.
If you start right away then in just a week you will be able to proudly say: “I have read Leo Tolstoy in Russian!” – Я читал ЛьваТолстого на русском!
Who this course is for:
- The course is recommended for everyone who is interested in Russian Language, Literature, and Culture and who has at least an Upper Beginner or Low Intermediate level of proficiency in the Russian language.
Instructor
- 4.6 Instructor Rating
- 65 Reviews
- 720 Students
- 3 Courses
Irina Liner, PhD
Qualifications:
Native Russian speaker with over 20 years of in-depth experience in teaching English to Russian students of Economics at Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation (Russia) and Russian to native and non-native Russian speakers (private individual and group teaching).
PhD in Russian language and Literature (Russia, 2004); Fulbright 2009 – 2010 Faculty Development grantee at Berkeley Language Center, UC Berkeley.
Professional Experience:
WyzAnt tutoring - Teacher of Russian Language, Literature and Culture (05/2013 - present)
Russian Program ‘Krugozor’, Berkeley - Teacher of Russian Language and Literature - (09/2015 - present)
ZeroChaos, formerly WorkforceLogic - Adds Quality Rater (10/2015 – present)
Berkeley Russian School, Berkeley, CA - Teacher of Russian Language and Literature (10/2013 - 06/2015)
ZeroChaos, formerly WorkforceLogic - Adds Quality Rater (05/2013 - 05/2014)
Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Department of Foreign Languages - PhD, Associate Professor (05/2010 - 10/2012)
University of California Berkeley, Berkeley Language Center - Visiting Fulbright Student Researcher / computer assisted language teaching and learning research (08/2009 - 05/2010)
Laney College, CA, USA - Assistant ESL teacher (02/2010 - 05/2010)
All-Russian Distance Learning Institute of Finance and Economics, Department of Foreign Languages - PhD, Associate Professor, Chair of Curriculum and Research Department (06/2007 - 08/2009), Senior Instructor, Chair of Methodological Commission (06/2002 - 06/2007), Instructor (09/1994 - 06/2002), Methodologist (02/1993 - 09/1994)
“Silver Rain” radio station / Russia (09/2004 - 10/2008) - Copywriter
Education:
University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley Language Center) - Certificate of Completion of the Fulbright Scholarship Program (09/2009 - 05/2010)
University of California, San Diego, UCSD Extension, English Language Institute - Certificate of Completion of Academic English Program (08/2009 - 08/2009)
Orel State University, Faculty of Foreign Languages (post-graduate study), Russia - Scientific Degree of Candidate of Philology/PhD (09/2001 - 06/2004)
Orel State Teachers' Training Institute, Faculty of Foreign Languages (English and German Languages), Russia - Teacher of English and German (07/1989 - 06/1993)
Saint-Petersberg State Teachers' Training Institute, Faculty of Foreign Languages (English and German Languages), Russia (09/1988 - 07/1989)
Membership in professional associations:
CATESOL (Californian Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages), NATE (National Association of Teachers of English, Russia), NAAL (National Association of Applied Linguistics, Russia)
Publications, conferences, refresher training:
More than 40 scientific and scientific-methodological articles on linguistics and education, 5 textbooks for students of Economics, 9 textbooks reviews, several articles on Linguistic Nature of Humor and more general burning issues on problems of philanthropy in Russian magazines and newspapers; more than 50 local and international conferences, seminars and webinars attended and organized, around 700 academic hours of refresher training
Passions and interests:
Pragmatics, linguistic nature of humor, computer assisted language teaching methods and techniques, teaching ESL and Russian, cooking, and gardening