Russian as a Second Language: New class for people (kids and adults) who is not speaking Russian well and would like to start and/or improve it.  

Teacher: Tatiana Sonnikova.

Tatyana has graduated with honors from the Pedagogical University, the Faculty of Linguistics and Foreign Languages in Kazakhstan (Former Soviet Union) with a degree in Foreign Languages (English & German) and Methods of Education. After graduation she worked at the university department teaching undergraduate and graduate classes in English, Literature of the United Kingdom and the United States, Grammar, History, and ‘Geography Customs and Traditions’. She was responsible for supervision of a group of 10-15 students each year, which included all aspects of their education and development in and outside of school.

Tatiana has also worked as a teacher (4-5th grade and high school kids), where she was a supervisor and taught English classes and organized extracurricular activities.

She also has experience working in children’s camps (ages 8-12) in her native country as well as in the United States, where she was a supervisor and organizer of multiple activities such as games, hiking, crafts, etc. and also responsible for guiding campers during activities and for ensuring their safety.

Her background includes business level translation, interpretation and cultural consultation for various oil, gas and energy companies. She has served as interpreter and translator for many groups, including the sister-city organization. She currently and throughout her career has served as a private tutor for students, businessmen, and professionals in English and Russian languages.

After getting her graduate degree in business, she is working as a Lecturer/Research Assistant for the Management Department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Beginning Russian

 This course is designed for those with no previous training in Russian. In this course students will learn to read, write and pronounce the letters and sounds of the Russian alphabet; become acquainted with speakers of Russian in informal and formal settings; request and receive information; make simple statements, ask and answer yes/no questions; link topics of conversation; express dismay and delight; express judgment and emotion, including strong feelings and opinions; express indirect questions; talk about sports and professions and music; express possession, location, and permission; give commands; talk about academic matters (university life and studies); express that you can or want to do something; talk about likes and dislikes, liking and loving someone or something; talk about past and future events; use some time expressions; recount what someone else has said, among other communicative tasks. 

Russian for Native Speakers

 This course will be designed to achieve two equally important goals:

 1.  To enlarge students' vocabulary and to improve their ability to conduct conversation and discussion on a variety of topics;

 2.  To increase students’ reading fluency and improve students’ Russian-language writing skills. 

We will focus on the use of complex syntactical structures and undertake a thorough review of several major aspects of Russian grammar. Topics for class discussions will include Russian culture, history, literature and art, as well as issues relevant to contemporary Russian life. Materials will be drawn from a variety of sources including texts on Russian art, literature, music, as well as articles from the Russian press and the Internet.

 This course can and will be tailored to address the needs and interests of each individual student. Therefore, please view this description as preliminary. A more detailed syllabus will be designed after I get to know the students and become familiar with their needs.

 Readings in Russian Literature

 This course will provide an introduction to Russian literature of the 19th century, in Russian. Readings will include classics of Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. The works of other authors may be discussed if students express interest in them. The focus of the course will be close analysis of literary texts in Russian, and the development of reading skills and fluency of oral expression.
 

If time permits, we will continue with the discussion of the 20^th century classics, including (but not limited to) the works of Blok, Mayakovskii, Pasternak, Akhmatova, Mandelshtam, Bulgakov, Zoshchenko, Il’f and Petrov.