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Parent guide · Grade 3 Russian · Unit 4

Lesson 4.1 За́втрак, обе́д, у́жин: Я ем, я пью

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 20–30 minutes
Goal
Name breakfast, lunch and dinner in Russian. Say what you eat and drink with я ем and я пью. Look closely at a painting of tea in the garden.
You need
  • Your notebook
  • Colored pencils
  • A sketchbook or plain paper, and crayons
  • A King James Bible
Print
Worksheet A · the lesson page (it also has a short video (1:36))

Steps

  1. Do this together: What did you eat for breakfast today? For lunch yesterday? Today you learn to say it in Russian.

  2. Read aloud: The story. Vladimir Makovsky liked to paint everyday Russian people. In this painting an old husband and wife sit together in their garden in the afternoon. On the table is a white cloth, a shining samovar, cups and a little bowl of jam. The wife pours the tea. They do not need to say much; they have had tea together like this for many years.

    Read aloud: Meals. Russians eat за́втрак (ZAHF-truk) in the morning, обе́д (ah-BYET) in the middle of the day, and у́жин (OO-zheen) in the evening. Обе́д is traditionally the big meal, with soup first. To say “for breakfast”, say на за́втрак.

    Read aloud: How Russian works: я ем, я пью. Я ем means I eat and я пью means I drink: На за́втрак я ем ка́шу и пью молоко́. Notice that ка́ша became ка́шу: feminine words ending in -а change to -у when you eat or drink them (they are the object). Хлеб, суп, чай and молоко́ do not change.

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

    • за́втрак [ZAHF-truhk]: breakfast
    • обе́д [ah-BYEHT]: lunch
    • у́жин [OO-zhihn]: dinner
    • я ем [yah yehm]: I eat
    • я пью [yah pyoo]: I drink
  4. An elderly couple sits at a small table with a white cloth in a shady garden: the gray-bearded husband in a light suit and hat, the wife in a white cap and dark shawl; a brass samovar, cups and dishes stand on the table.
    Old People (Tea Party), Vladimir Makovsky, 1881. Image: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

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

    Read aloud: Makovsky painted many kind, ordinary moments. Look at the samovar, the cups and the faces. This couple has shared thousands of meals.

    Point and find:

    • Find the samovar. What is it for?
    • What is the wife doing?
    • Where are they sitting?
    • What time of day do you think it is?

    Ask:

    • “Who do you like to eat with?”
    • “How can you make a family meal happy?”

  5. Show: Say what you eat and drink for breakfast: porridge and milk.

    Say this: “For breakfast: на за́втрак.”

    Say this: “Ка́ша becomes ка́шу after я ем.”

    Answer: На за́втрак я ем ка́шу и пью молоко́.

    Show: Say that for dinner you eat soup and drink tea.

    Say this: “For dinner: на у́жин.”

    Say this: “Суп and чай do not change.”

    Answer: На у́жин я ем суп и пью чай.

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

    Ask: Say breakfast in Russian.

    Listen for: За́втрак.

    Ask: Say lunch and dinner in Russian.

    Listen for: Обе́д, у́жин.

    Ask: Say I eat bread.

    Listen for: Я ем хлеб.

    3 more on the lesson page.

  7. Read aloud: Keep a diary of your meals for three days in Russian.

    Steps:

    1. Make a chart with three rows: за́втрак, обе́д, у́жин.
    2. For three days, write what you eat and drink at each meal, in Russian where you can (draw the rest).
    3. Each evening, read your day aloud: На за́втрак я ем … и пью ….
    4. Circle your favorite meal of the three days.

    Tips for you:

    • Look up one new food word each day in Wiktionary.

    Done when your child can say:

    • My diary has three days of meals.
    • I can read it aloud with я ем and я пью.

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

    1. In your notebook, write the three meals and one sentence for each: На за́втрак я ем … и пью ….

  9. Read aloud: A Russian обе́д usually starts with soup. Борщ (beet soup) and щи (cabbage soup) are the most famous. There is even a saying: Щи да ка́ша — пи́ща на́ша (cabbage soup and porridge are our food).

    • Saying я ем ка́ша. After я ем, a feminine word in -а changes to -у: я ем ка́шу.
    • Saying o-BED with a d. At the end, д sounds like t: ah-BYET.

  11. A parent names a food in Russian (ка́ша, суп, блины́, хлеб, чай). The student says which meal it belongs to and makes a sentence: На за́втрак я ем ка́шу!

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

    Listen for: Name breakfast, lunch and dinner in Russian.; Say what you eat and drink with я ем and я пью.; Look closely at a painting of tea in the garden.

  13. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

    1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV)

    Russian Synodal Bible (1876): <i class="ru-bible" lang="ru">Итак, едите ли, пьете ли или иное что делаете, все делайте в славу Божию</i> Even eating and drinking can be done to the glory of God, with thankful hearts.

Spread over the week

3 sessions of 20–30 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.