Lesson 1.2 В, Н, Р, С, У, Х: Tricky Letters

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this together: Read кот and ма́ма. Now look: В. It looks like English B. But in Russian it says v! Today you meet the tricky letters.

2. Teach the new idea

   Read aloud: The story. King David wrote: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Long ago there were no streetlights. If you walked at night, you carried a little lamp to see the path in front of you. God’s Word shows us the way to go, like a lamp in the dark. Learning to read means you can read God’s Word for yourself.

   Read aloud: How Russian letters work. These letters are tricky: they look like English letters but say something else. В says v. Н says n. Р says r (roll it!). С says s. У says oo. Х says kh. Now read: Н-О-С is нос (nose). С-О-К is сок (juice).

   Read aloud: Say it and move. Touch your nose: нос! Pretend to drink: сок! Wave your hand: рука́! Pull your ear: у́хо!

3. New words

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

   • нос (nos) [nohs]: nose
   • сок (sok) [sohk]: juice
   • рука́ (ruka) [roo-KAH]: hand, arm
   • у́хо (ukho) [OO-khuh]: ear
4. Show how

   Show: Read this word: Н-О-С.

   Say this: “Н is tricky: it says n.”

   Say this: “О says oh, С says s.”

   Answer: Нос : nose.

   Show: Read this word: Р-У-К-А́.

   Say this: “Р says r, У says oo.”

   Say this: “К says k, А says ah, and the mark shows the loud part.”

   Answer: Рука́ : hand (roo-KAH).

5. Practice together

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

   Ask: What sound does В make?

   Listen for: v

   Ask: What sound does Н make?

   Listen for: n

   Ask: Read: нос.

   Listen for: nohs (nose)

   3 more on the lesson page.

6. Project: Tricky-letter detective cards

   Read aloud: Make cards that show what each tricky letter looks like and what it really says.

   Steps:

   1. On the front of each card, a parent writes a tricky letter big: В, Н, Р, С, У, Х.
   2. On the back, write the English letter it sounds like: v, n, r, s, oo, kh, and draw a picture (v for violin, n for nest…).
   3. Quiz yourself: look at the front, say the sound, flip to check.
   4. Then read нос, сок, рука́ and у́хо from cards.

   Tips for you:

   • Draw a little detective magnifying glass on each card.

   Done when your child can say:

   • I made six cards.
   • I can say each tricky sound.
7. Sketchbook

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

   1. Add В, Н, Р, С, У and Х to your letter page. Draw a nose next to нос and a glass of juice next to сок.
8. From history

   Read aloud: The Russian alphabet has 33 letters. Some came from Greek letters, like Р (the Greek rho) and Х (the Greek chi, the first letter of Christ in Greek).

9. Watch for
   • Reading Н as h. It says n: нос is nohs.
   • Reading С as k, like English cat. Russian С always says s.
10. Game: Tricky or friendly?

    Show a letter card. The child shouts “Friendly!” if it says the same as English (А, К, М, О, Т) or “Tricky!” if it does not (В, Н, Р, С, У, Х), and then says its sound.

11. Narration

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

    Listen for: Know the sounds of В, Н, Р, С, У and Х.; Read нос, сок, рука́ and у́хо.; Know that God’s Word is a lamp.

12. Scripture

    Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

    In the Russian Bible (Synodal translation), this verse reads: <i class="ru-bible" lang="ru">Слово Твое — светильник ноге моей и свет стезе моей</i> (Psalm 118:105 in the Russian numbering) God’s Word is like a lamp that shows us the next step. When you learn to read, you can read it yourself.

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.