Lesson 5.1 Не́бо, со́лнце, луна́, звёзды, ра́дуга

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this together: Look up at the sky. What do you see in the day? What do you see at night? Today you learn sky words in Russian.

2. Teach the new idea

   Read aloud: The story. Alexei Savrasov painted the Russian countryside in every kind of weather. In this painting a storm has just passed. The sky is still dark on one side, but the sun has come out, and a bright rainbow stands over the wet fields and the little stream. Whenever we see a rainbow, we remember what God told Noah: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

   Read aloud: How Russian sounds. Не́бо is NYEH-buh. Со́лнце is SOHN-tseh: the л is written but not said! Луна́ is loo-NAH. Звёзды is ZVYOHZ-duy (one star is звезда́). Ра́дуга is RAH-doo-guh.

   Read aloud: Say it and move. Make a big circle over your head: со́лнце! Make a crescent with your arm: луна́! Twinkle your fingers: звёзды! Draw a big arch in the air: ра́дуга!

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.

   • не́бо [NYEH-buh]: sky
   • со́лнце [SOHN-tseh]: sun
   • луна́ [loo-NAH]: moon
   • звёзды [ZVYOHZ-dih]: stars
   • ра́дуга [RAH-doo-guh]: rainbow
4. Picture study: Landscape with a Rainbow

   

   Do this: Look at the picture together for a quiet minute before anyone talks.

   Read aloud: Savrasov was famous for painting the sky. Here the storm clouds are still dark, but the rainbow shines through them. Look how the water on the ground reflects the light.

   Point and find:

   • Find the rainbow. Say ра́дуга.
   • Is the sky light or dark?
   • Find the water on the ground.
   • Has the storm just started or just ended?

   Ask:

   • “How do you feel when you see a rainbow?”
   • “What does the rainbow remind you of?”
5. Show how

   Show: What shines at night and changes shape? Say it in Russian.

   Say this: “The moon shines at night.”

   Say this: “Moon is луна́.”

   Answer: Луна́.

   Show: Which letter in со́лнце is silent?

   Say this: “Со́лнце is said SOHN-tseh.”

   Say this: “The л is not said.”

   Answer: Л.

6. Practice together

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

   Ask: Say sky in Russian.

   Listen for: Не́бо.

   Ask: Say sun in Russian.

   Listen for: Со́лнце.

   Ask: Say moon and stars in Russian.

   Listen for: Луна́, звёзды.

   2 more on the lesson page.

7. Project: Day and night sky

   Read aloud: Make a picture with the day sky on one half and the night sky on the other.

   Steps:

   1. Fold the paper in half.
   2. On one side, draw a blue sky, a yellow sun and a rainbow.
   3. On the other side, color the sky dark and add the moon and stars.
   4. Label everything in Russian: не́бо, со́лнце, ра́дуга, луна́, звёзды.

   Tips for you:

   • Copy one label yourself.

   Done when your child can say:

   • My picture shows the day and the night sky.
   • I can name five sky words in Russian.
8. Sketchbook

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

   1. In your notebook, draw the sun, the moon and a rainbow. Write со́лнце, луна́ and ра́дуга with a parent’s help.
9. From history

   Read aloud: Russian children love the Russian space story: the first person to fly into space, in 1961, was a Russian named Yuri Gagarin. He circled the whole earth in less than two hours.

10. Watch for
    • Saying the л in со́лнце. It is silent: SOHN-tseh.
    • Saying ra-DOO-ga. The loud part is first: RAH-doo-guh.
11. Game: Day or night?

    A parent says a sky word in Russian. If it belongs to the day (со́лнце, ра́дуга), the child jumps up high. If it belongs to the night (луна́, звёзды), the child curls up and pretends to sleep.

12. Narration

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

    Listen for: Name sky, sun, moon, stars and rainbow in Russian.; Find the rainbow in Savrasov’s painting.; Tell what God promised with the rainbow.

13. Scripture

    And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

    In the Russian Bible (Synodal translation), this verse reads: <i class="ru-bible" lang="ru">И будет радуга Моя в облаке</i> God set the rainbow in the clouds as a sign of His promise. He always remembers His promises.

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. Picture study and 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.