Lesson 4.2 Ёж, бе́лка, лиса́, за́яц, волк

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this together: Say лес, де́рево, берёза, лист, гриб. Who lives in the forest? Today you meet the forest animals in Russian.

2. Teach the new idea

   Read aloud: The story. Jesus said: Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? God takes care of the squirrel with its nuts and the hare in the snowy woods. He takes care of you even more.

   Read aloud: How Russian sounds. Ёж is yohsh, short and prickly. Бе́лка is BYEL-kuh. Лиса́ is lee-SAH. За́яц is ZAH-yeets. Волк is vohlk. In Russian fairy tales the fox is always clever, the hare is always nervous, and the wolf is always hungry!

   Read aloud: Say it and move. Curl up in a ball: ёж! Nibble a nut: бе́лка! Tiptoe slyly: лиса́! Hop with long ears: за́яц! Howl: волк! У-у-у!

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.

   • ёж [yohsh]: hedgehog
   • бе́лка [BYEHL-kuh]: squirrel
   • лиса́ [lee-SAH]: fox
   • за́яц [ZAH-yuhts]: hare
   • волк [vohlk]: wolf
4. Show how

   Show: Which animal hops and has long ears? Say it in Russian.

   Say this: “A hare hops and has long ears.”

   Say this: “Hare is за́яц.”

   Answer: За́яц.

   Show: Which animal is clever in Russian fairy tales?

   Say this: “The clever one is the fox.”

   Say this: “Fox is лиса́.”

   Answer: Лиса́.

5. Practice together

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

   Ask: Say hedgehog in Russian.

   Listen for: Ёж.

   Ask: Say squirrel in Russian.

   Listen for: Бе́лка.

   Ask: Say fox and wolf in Russian.

   Listen for: Лиса́, волк.

   2 more on the lesson page.

6. Project: Paper-plate hedgehog

   Read aloud: Make a hedgehog with a paper plate and brown paper spikes.

   Steps:

   1. Fold the plate in half: that is the hedgehog’s body.
   2. Glue brown paper spikes (or draw them) along the round edge.
   3. Draw a face and a black nose at one end.
   4. Name your hedgehog and say: Э́то ёж!

   Tips for you:

   • Make a squirrel or a fox too.

   Done when your child can say:

   • My hedgehog has spikes and a face.
   • I can name five forest animals in Russian.
7. Sketchbook

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

   1. In your notebook, draw a hedgehog, a squirrel and a fox. Write ёж, бе́лка and лиса́ with a parent’s help.
8. From history

   Read aloud: The hare and the wolf are famous in Russian stories and songs. The hedgehog is a favorite too: in winter it sleeps all season long under a pile of leaves, and in Russian picture books it often carries apples and mushrooms on its spikes.

9. Watch for
   • Saying LEE-sa. The loud part is at the end: lee-SAH.
   • Saying yozh with a z sound. At the end of a word ж sounds like sh: yohsh.
10. Game: Animal charades

    One person acts out a forest animal without speaking. The others guess in Russian. Whoever guesses first acts out the next one.

11. Narration

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

    Listen for: Name five forest animals in Russian.; Tell which animals are in Russian fairy tales.; Know that God feeds the birds and the animals.

12. Scripture

    Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

    In the Russian Bible (Synodal translation), this verse reads: <i class="ru-bible" lang="ru">Взгляните на птиц небесных</i> God feeds the birds and the animals of the forest every day. You are worth even more to Him.

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.