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Parent guide · Grade 1 Russian · Unit 1

Lesson 1.2 Ба́бушка и де́душка: My Whole Family

Written for the parent. The Read aloud parts are written to your child; read them as they are. Do this parts are for you. Answers for you are marked Listen for.

At a glance

Time
3 sessions of 15–20 minutes
Goal
Name grandma and grandpa in Russian. Say Э́то моя́ семья́ (this is my family). Know God’s command to honor father and mother.
You need
  • Cardstock or a paper plate
  • Crayons, stickers
  • A family photo or drawing
  • Glue
  • A sketchbook or plain paper, and crayons
  • A King James Bible
Print
Worksheet A · the lesson page (it also has a short video (2:08))

Steps

  1. Do this together: Say ма́ма, па́па, брат and сестра́. Who is Mom’s mother? Today you learn grandma and grandpa in Russian.

  2. Read aloud: The story. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, one of them was for children: Honor thy father and thy mother. To honor means to treat someone as very important: to listen, to obey, to say thank you and to be kind. God promised a blessing to children who honor their parents.

    Read aloud: How Russian sounds. Ба́бушка is BAH-boosh-kuh, loud at the start. Де́душка is DYEH-doosh-kuh. Семья́ is seem-YAH. To show your family, say Э́то моя́ семья́. (EH-tuh mah-YAH seem-YAH).

    Read aloud: Say it and move. Bend over and walk slowly with a pretend cane: де́душка! Pretend to knit: ба́бушка! Spread your arms wide to hug everyone: Э́то моя́ семья́!

  3. Do this: Say each word clearly; your child says it back twice. Point to a picture or the real thing when you can.

    • ба́бушка (babushka) [BAH-boosh-kuh]: grandma
    • де́душка (dedushka) [DYEH-doosh-kuh]: grandpa
    • семья́ (semya) [seem-YAH]: family
    • моя́ (moya) [mah-YAH]: my (with a feminine word)

  4. Show: Who is Dad’s father? Say it in Russian.

    Say this: “Dad’s father is your grandpa.”

    Say this: “Grandpa is де́душка.”

    Answer: Де́душка. (DYEH-doosh-kuh)

    Show: Show your family photo and say “This is my family.”

    Say this: “This is: э́то.”

    Say this: “My family: моя́ семья́.”

    Answer: Э́то моя́ семья́.

  5. Do this: Ask out loud. Let your child try first; help only after a real try.

    Ask: Say grandma in Russian.

    Listen for: Ба́бушка.

    Ask: Say grandpa in Russian.

    Listen for: Де́душка.

    Ask: Say family in Russian.

    Listen for: Семья́.

    2 more on the lesson page.

  6. Read aloud: Make a frame for a family photo or a drawing of your family.

    Steps:

    1. Draw your whole family, or glue a family photo, in the middle of the paper.
    2. Decorate the border.
    3. A parent writes Э́то моя́ семья́ across the top.
    4. Show it to a grandparent (in person or on a video call) and name everyone in Russian.

    Tips for you:

    • Add a pet if you have one: соба́ка (dog) or ко́шка (cat).

    Done when your child can say:

    • My frame shows my family.
    • I can say Э́то моя́ семья́.

  7. Do this: Your child picks one or more; you write the date.

    1. Draw your grandma and grandpa in your picture dictionary. A parent writes ба́бушка and де́душка under them.

  8. Read aloud: In English, babushka can mean a head scarf, because Russian grandmothers often wore one. In Russian, ба́бушка only means grandma. Russian grandmothers are famous for their pancakes, called блины́.

    • Saying ba-BOOSH-ka, the way English speakers say babushka. In Russian the loud part is first: BAH-boosh-kuh.
    • Mixing up ба́бушка and де́душка. Ба́-ба for grandma, де́-де for grandpa.

  10. Roll a ball. Whoever catches it names a family member in Russian, then rolls it to the next person. No repeats until all six words are used!

  11. Say this: “Tell me what you learned today.”

    Listen for: Name grandma and grandpa in Russian.; Say Э́то моя́ семья́ (this is my family).; Know God’s command to honor father and mother.

  12. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

    Exodus 20:12 (KJV)

    In the Russian Bible (Synodal translation), this verse reads: <i class="ru-bible" lang="ru">Почитай отца твоего и мать твою</i> God tells children to honor their father and mother, and He promises a blessing to those who do.

Spread over the week

3 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.

  1. Session 1. Warm-up, then read and teach the new idea and the new words. Show how.
  2. Session 2. Practice together, then start the project. Finish the project, then the sketchbook.
  3. Session 3. Narration, the game and the Scripture.