Russian rap and how to get students to study Russian

[Kat Tancock]

Oh, you're so right! Cheesy pop music works great too, and it's great for
lower levels, because the vocab terms aren't too complex. I think it would
be fun to make a tape of Russian music etc. (poetry could even be included)
a compulsory part of a course, like a textbook. By the end of the class the
goal would be to have made it through the whole tape (hopefully memorizing
the whole thing as well).

Another good thing about music is students don't get as bored with it when
it is listened to repeatedly. I have to say, I read Stantsionnyj Smotritel'
so many times through my degree, in at least three variants, that I can
barely stand the story now! (Sorry, Pushkin). Another thing we read a lot
was Chekhov's "comedies" - which weren't nearly as funny when it took you
ten times as long to get through the story than he intended.

Kat

> From: Mourka1 at AOL.COM
> Reply-To: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list
> <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
> Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2000 09:44:36 EDT
> To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: Russian rap and how to get students to study Russian
>
> Dear Seelangers,
>
> Whew, it took me over an hour to read all the "why nots", and then somebody
> mentioned, God forbid, "rap".
>
> The truth is, my truth, anyway, and I feel that I am a fairly successful
> language teacher (A Russian emigre and certified in Russian, ESL and French)
> is that to get kids attention these days (and it is difficult), I must make
> my lessons relevent to these kids lives.  Currently I teach 7, 8 and 9th
> grade French in an inner city school.
>
> Notice how kids remember every word in their R&B songs and raps?  The words
> are rather intricate and often difficult to say.  I do the same.  I use
> French rap and Russian rap.  The kids learn them and love them.
>
> A true story:  Thanksgiving dinner with the whole family and the family asks
> the child  the old question, "what language he is taking and would he say a
> few words", not expecting much.  The 9th grader preceded to recite my entire
> rap and the guests nearly fell off their chairs.
>
> I have a professional theatre background which helps me to sing and dance
> through class, however, I think that generally, rhythm helps language
> learning.  I use rhythm with everything--grammar points particularly.  The
> kids remember everything.
>
> I don't believe this idea is limited to elementary and secondary schools.
> I've taught at the college level as well and I've taught adults and everybody
> enjoys it and memorizes things without knowing.  I never used a book when I
> taught Russian in high school.  I found most books extremely dry.  I used
> games, raps, songs, culture and lots and lots of communacative interaction
> relevant to their lives.
>
> In short, at least at the beginning level, language learning needs to be
> enjoyable and fun or else it is deadly.  Particularly for Americans for all
> the reasons that you have already mentioned.
>
> Thank you for reading.
>
> Mourka
>
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