Lesson 5.2 Весна́: The Birds Have Come Back

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this together: Name the birds from Lesson 5.1 in Russian. When do they sing the most? Today you learn to talk about spring.

2. Teach the new idea

   Read aloud: The story. In the Song of Solomon, spring comes after a long winter: For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come. Every spring, when the birds come back and the flowers open, God shows us again that He makes all things new.

   Read aloud: Spring words. Весна́ (vees-NAH) is spring. When spring comes, Russians say Пришла́ весна́! (Spring has come!). The snow melts, it is тепло́ (warm), the цветы́ (flowers) come up, and пти́цы прилете́ли (the birds have come back).

   Read aloud: How Russian works: one bird, many birds. One bird sings: Пти́ца поёт. Many birds sing: Пти́цы пою́т. The verb changes for one or many. The plural of many nouns ends in -ы or -и: пти́ца → пти́цы, грач → грачи́, ла́сточка → ла́сточки.

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.

   • весна́ [vees-NAH]: spring
   • прилете́ли [pree-lee-TYEH-lee]: have flown in, have come back
   • поёт [pah-YOHT]: sings
   • пою́т [pah-YOOT]: they sing
   • цветы́ [tsvee-TIH]: flowers
4. Show how

   Show: Say: One sparrow sings. Many sparrows sing.

   Say this: “One: воробе́й поёт.”

   Say this: “Many: воробьи́ пою́т.”

   Answer: Воробе́й поёт. Воробьи́ пою́т.

   Show: It is April and the rooks are back. Say it in two sentences.

   Say this: “Spring has come: Пришла́ весна́.”

   Say this: “The rooks have come back: Грачи́ прилете́ли.”

   Answer: Пришла́ весна́. Грачи́ прилете́ли.

5. Practice together

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

   Ask: Say spring in Russian.

   Listen for: Весна́.

   Ask: Say flowers in Russian.

   Listen for: Цветы́.

   Ask: Say “the birds have come back”.

   Listen for: Пти́цы прилете́ли.

   3 more on the lesson page.

6. Project: Spring window

   Read aloud: Decorate a window or a poster with spring birds and flowers and Russian sentences.

   Steps:

   1. Draw and cut out birds, flowers and a sun.
   2. Tape them in a window or on a poster.
   3. Write three Russian sentences on strips: Пришла́ весна́! Пти́цы прилете́ли. Пти́цы пою́т.
   4. Read your window aloud to the family.

   Tips for you:

   • Add a nest with eggs.

   Done when your child can say:

   • My spring window has birds, flowers and three sentences.
   • I can read my sentences aloud.
7. Sketchbook

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

   1. In your notebook, write four sentences about spring: Пришла́ весна́. Тепло́. Пти́цы прилете́ли. Пти́цы пою́т. Draw a picture to go with them.
8. From history

   Read aloud: Every Russian schoolchild learns spring poems by heart, such as Fyodor Tyutchev’s “Spring Waters” (Весе́нние во́ды), in which the melting streams run through the fields shouting that spring is coming.

9. Watch for
   • Saying пти́цы поёт. With many birds, use пою́т.
   • Saying VES-na. The loud part is at the end: vees-NAH.
10. Game: One or many?

    A parent says a sentence about one bird (Пти́ца поёт). The student changes it to many (Пти́цы пою́т), and then the other way around. Try грач, ла́сточка and сова́ too.

11. Narration

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

    Listen for: Name spring and its signs in Russian.; Say simple sentences about birds: Пти́цы прилете́ли. Пти́цы пою́т.; Know the Bible verse about the time of singing.

12. Scripture

    The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

    Russian Synodal Bible (1876): <i class="ru-bible" lang="ru">цветы показались на земле; время пения настало</i> After winter comes spring, with flowers and singing birds. God makes all things new.

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. 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.