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Marty Sheppard, AzGA
Sierra Vista Middle School
Sierra Vista, AZ
OVERVIEW
Students will learn and apply knowledge of
place and culture as they read and interpret a
Russian Fairy Tale, then write a fairy tale of their own.
GRADES
Written for grades 5 - 8, but easily adapted
for grades 3 - 12.
CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM
This lesson is part of a complete unit on
the geography of Russia.
STANDARDS
 #4 The physical and
human characteristics of places.
#6 How culture and experience
influence people's perception of places and regions.
TIME
1 - 3 class periods (50 minutes each).
PROCEDURES
1. Discuss the purpose
of a "Fairy Tale." Have the students name some fairy
tales they know.
2. Place:
a.
Have the students locate the Volga River on a map of Russia.
b.
Describe the land or environment which is often found near rivers.
c.
Are there any places similar to this region near your locale?
d.
Create a "mental picture" of the region this fairy
tale takes place.
3. Review the
Russian vocabulary used in Sasha and
the Little Birch Tree (last page of the fairy tale).
4. Read Sasha and the Little Birch Tree.
5. Discuss the
fairy tale and how it relates to the Russian culture.
6. Show the student
a real Matryoshka.
7. Share with
the student the paragraph on how the Matryoshka is really thought
to have derived.
8. Have the students
write a fairy tale of their own and draw the story of their fairy
tale on the fronts of the matryoshka
doll outlines provided.
9. When completed,
allow those students who wish to read their fairy tales aloud
and/or display the matryoshka doll drawings on a bulletin board.
EXTENSIONS
1. For the integrated
teaching team approach:
a.
Science: Students can study the animal and plant life
found in Russian forests.
b.
Math: Students could compare lengths of rivers in Russia
and convert meters into miles. They could convert the price of
a matryoshka from dollars into rubles. (July 1996- 1 U.S. dollar
= 5100 Russian rubles; Cost of a Matryoshka could run from $3.00
- $300).
c.
Language Arts: Students could write their own fairy tale.
Study the Russian alphabet.
d.
Social Studies: Cultural ideas, vocabulary, and geographical
setting could be emphasized.
e.
Art: Study famous Russian artists and their works.
f.
Crafts: Make Ukrainian Pysanky Eggs.
g.
Music: Sing Russian Folk Music and learn a Russian Folk
Dance.
h.
Physical Education: Play the number one sport in Russia
- Soccer.
i.
Life Management: Prepare Russian food for the class to
sample.
2. Research fairy
tales from other countries and interpret their meaning in relation
to that country's culture, history, or customs.
RESOURCES
 Back to
Curricular Materials
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Geographic Alliance
In Nevada