Russian resources

[shastanarnia]

My 10th grade ds wants to study Russian as his foreign language!! I thought...why not! But of course, I know nothing about the language. So...anyone successfully studied Russian? What INEXPENSIVE or FREE programs are available. I do not have the resources to purchase Rosetta stone or anything similar (I have the spanish...but of course he doesn't want to study that.....).

 

Thanks,

[TXMary2]

We haven't done Russian yet, but this is the language my 15 yo ds chose as well. I have been looking at two resources. One is $15 a year and the other is $70 for a set of "stuff."

 

This is currently my first choice.

 

http://russianstepbystep.com/index/buy_russian_books_on_line/0-3

 

Other option:

 

http://listen2russian.com/index.html

 

This year (10th grade) will be the intro year to Russian. For 11th and 12th grade my ds will be taking Russian at the local community college as a dual enrollment student. I plan on taking the course with him.

[In The Great White North]

I used this in college:

http://www.amazon.com/Russian-Everybody-Workbook-V-G-Kostomarov/dp/0569089255/ref=sr_1_25?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310840558&sr=1-25

 

These looks interesting but I haven't tried them.

http://masterrussian.com/

http://www.russianlessons.net/

[shastanarnia]

thanks for your suggestions....i'll have to look into those resources!!

[PeterPan]

We haven't done Russian yet, but this is the language my 15 yo ds chose as well. I have been looking at two resources. One is $15 a year and the other is $70 for a set of "stuff."

 

This is currently my first choice.

 

http://russianstepbystep.com/index/buy_russian_books_on_line/0-3

 

Other option:

 

http://listen2russian.com/index.html

 

This year (10th grade) will be the intro year to Russian. For 11th and 12th grade my ds will be taking Russian at the local community college as a dual enrollment student. I plan on taking the course with him.

 

I missed if there were printed samples, but what they showed in the videos and descriptions of that Russian Step by Step looked good. The issue with the Listen2Russian site is that most of the samples I hear were one speaker. I think, just judging by my own experience, that that listening site would serve better, as the name implies, as a listening supplement, rather than a full curriculum. That Step by Step though might be a nice option. If I could suggest, I would cover the letters book, book 1 (nouns), AND part of book 2 (at least adjectives, maybe even some about the pronouns) for first year. Then finish out book 2 for your 2nd year. When you do that 2nd year, also take the time to memorize a couple selections of poetry in russian. If you can find a native to read them into a tape recorder for you, all the better. In any case, I'd definitely break up that book 2. It looks like a lot of meat shoved into that one book.

 

It's also possible to take placement tests when you go to the university. I know I wouldn't have wanted my first russian grades to go on my permanent university transcript, mercy. Just something else to consider. You could audit and take the placement test later. That doesn't get you credit, but it still gets you placed into an appropriately higher level.

[flyingiguana]

http://www.russianforeveryone.com/

 

I haven't used it, so I'd be interested in hearing someone else's opinion.

[onaclairadeluna]

http://www.livemocha.com

 

Recently I was inspired to review the Russian I studied in college. I only completed one section however, I found that the Russian speakers were extremely friendly and eager to help. This wouldn't teach you the language but would be an excellent resource to practice speaking and listening to Native speakers.

[SonshineLearner]

Pimsleur is the one my husband used, not free or cheap, but what he thinks is the best; then the Live Mocha to speak with others. Pimsleur does have correct grammar, too. The way he gets the "correct accent" is to listen to how people who have their native language accents, try to talk like that... and then slide into the foreign language. I would try Craigslist as well as look at the library. Ask for them to purchase it... sometimes they will. And, Russian people here are very friendly and might be willing to help out. :)

[PeterPan]

http://www.russianforeveryone.com/

 

I haven't used it, so I'd be interested in hearing someone else's opinion.

 

This one looks quite good! I like the voices, the coverage of topics, etc. Very typical presentation, basically like having an interactive textbook. Just seems very good. Love the interactive exercises, but the virtual keyboard was a little cumbersome. Is it possible to set your keyboard to cyrillic and use that and be done with it? Just very good overall, a good find.

 

BTW, by typical presentation, I mean it's presenting things the way a standard college textbook would. It worked for me, so I like that. Under products it lists some conversation things, so that would be a good complement. Russian particularly is driven by GRAMMAR, and placement tests for continuing in college will be looking at your GRAMMAR skills. Conversation you can make up later.

 

Some of the explanations I have seen online of hard and soft, vowel reduction, etc. are quite good, if a little stilted. But again, that's something you can fix later. In the classes I took the first two years, we all sounded like hacks. Then in 3rd year we did a linguistics course and worked on it specifically. It can get overwhelming if you try to think through too many things at once. But whatever. That's just my experience. Do the best you can and don't sweat it.

Edited July 17, 2011 by OhElizabeth