The UnfamiliarIn fact, that is what Russian is “all about”. This is the essence of modern language teaching ie. making the “unfamiliar” more “familiar” and providing the student with the means to communicate with a living person from a different country, other than……in English!
The fact that it is different from Western European languages means that mastering Russian can give a real sense of personal achievement. We quote an ex-Senior Pupil, Ellen Jones:
“Wow! I can speak Russian – to a Russian!”
What do I learn via Russian?We aim to enable you to communicate. We have specialist teachers, using modern methods to achieve this. We use Russian actively – especially in the early years – in speaking, reading, listening & writing activities. We cover the following topics in the first year of Russian:
- The Cyrillic Alphabet
- The family, town, and home
- Free time
- Travel
- Shopping
- Holidays
You also learn something about Language in general, as studying a foreign language also teaches you more about your own. You may be surprised by what you learn about English.
You will learn about Russia itself, the biggest country in the world & a major world power. Maintaining and developing an interest in Russia can help to enhance the study of the language. We ask beginners to undertake a project in the first term of study and to collect information from the media about Russia. In Years 10/11 there is an opportunity to visit Russia via our school exchanges, one with a school in St. Petersburg and another with a school in Borisov, Belarus. Many of our current students have pen-friends in these schools.
What`s it like, learning Russian?
Try it & see! You may never get the chance again! However, we know that to study Russian can appear a shot in the dark. We are well used to helping overcome initial apprehensions about choosing such a different language with a different alphabet and, what is more, to enjoy the experience. For instance, you will be so used to the Cyrillic alphabet after 6 months, that you will be able to use the dual-alphabet computer keyboards in C19! Later on, as Russian is a National Curriculum modern language, it may be studied to GCSE, AS & A2 Levels. It may be taken as the compulsory modern language at GCSE. We also have an excellent record in successfully preparing students for University and Oxbridge Entrance.
Finally, we would point out how fortunate you are to have the chance to learn Russian. Latymer is the only school in North London where you can do so.