Learning the Cyrillic Alphabet

Introduction: The Cyrillic alphabet is named for St. Cyril, a Greek monk who brought the written language to Christian converts in the mid-9^th century in what is now Russia. In the early 18^th century, Peter the Great simplified and regularized the forms of the letters. In 1918 unnecessary letters were removed leaving the alphabet as it is today. The Russian alphabet contains 33 letters, 21 consonants, 10 vowels, and 2 letters without sound.

Objective: The students will read, write and pronounce the Cyrillic alphabet.

Grade Level: 5-8

Materials Needed: Copies of the Cyrillic alphabet. A very good pronunciation of this copy can be heard at http://www.friends-partners.org/oldfriends/language/russian-alphabet.html.

Guided Practice:

1. Students will repeat the pronunciation of each letter after listening to the teacher or the recording.

2. Students will copy each letter as they repeat the pronunciation.
3. Teacher will call on students to say the pronunciation of various letters.

Independent Practice: Students will write and say each letter three times.

Conclusion: A good conclusion to this lesson is to have students transliterate their own names. Simply sound out each letter in their name and substitute the Cyrillic letter. For example, Paul is transliterated to become Payl.

(All words in Russian are to be read as they are written. No combinations of letters make any other sounds but the sequence of their own.)

Extra Enrichment: There are many English words that sound the same in Russian. Examples include photo, bank, MacDonald’s, mineral, and taxi. Have students search the Internet or other Russian language sources to find these words.

Assessment: The students can show their understanding of the Cyrillic alphabet through verbal or written responses.