Alexander Pushkin The Tale of Tsar Saltan

A must tale to read to my students

UNIT MAP
School: Lane Middle School
Teacher: Olga N. Volnycheva
Grade Level: 6

Time Frame: October 31 - November 14, 2016

Subject: Russian Language Arts

Standards by Design (Proficiency Stage 5). Oregon Department of Education.

Students at Proficiency Stage 5 (ACTFEL Intermediate-Mid) can identify main ideas &
supporting information from a wider range of sources.
Listening:
SL.PS5.IL.01 Demonstrate understanding of ideas & supporting details from more
complex conversations.
SL.PS5.IL.02 Infer the meaning of some unfamiliar words & phrases when used in familiar contexts.
Reading:
SL.PS5.IR.01 Demonstrate understanding of ideas & supporting details from longer & more complex written texts.
SL.PS5.IR.02 Draw conclusions & make interpretations, supporting them with information from the text.
Speaking:
SL.PS5.IS.01 Create language, questions & strings of sentences the exchange ideas & to provide & get information.
SL.PS5.IS.02 Participate in a more extended conversation using a variety of related questions & responses.
Writing:
SL.PS5.PW.01 Create/Compose original language using questions & strings of sentences on familiar & some unfamiliar topics.
SL.PS5.PW.02 Make attempts to maintain the attention of the audience.
GOAL:

Alexander Pushkins classical work is a rich and enduring component of Russian culture. Known as Russia's greatest poet, Pushkin revolutionized
Russian literature with poetry & prose, plays and fairy tales. Pushkin was descended from African as well as Russian-Slavonic ancestors. His greatgrandfather Abraham Hannibal was the son of an African prince in Eritrea, North Africa, who later became a general to the Tsar Peter the Great.
The goal of this unit is to continue introducing students to Pushkins literary heritage through one of his fairy tales, and examine the aesthetic, social,
and emotional values that it reflects. Students will improve their comprehension of the continuing cultural influence of Pushkins works as well as
develop their understanding of Pushkins pride in being descended from the black people.

Day 1
Obg: Students should be able to:

Day 2
Obg: Students should be able to:

Day 3
Obg: Students should be able to:

Day 4
Obg: Students should be able to:

Day 5
Obg: Students should be able to:

- comprehend & discuss the bio

of A. Pushkin

- comprehend & lean new

vocabulary

- revise & train new vocabulary

- predict the plot of the tale

- identify the main structural

components of Pushkins tale
- comprehend & discuss the bio
& artwork of the Russian artist
Mikhail Vrubel

W-Up/A-B sharing
If smb wakes you up in midnight
to ask the name of the greatest
Russian poet, you answer will
be Why?

W-Up/A-B sharing
What were the forms of
transportation in Old Russia?

W-Up/A-B sharing
What does the expression the
grass is always greener on the
other side mean?

- read the tale while listening to

its audio
- watch/listen to the cartoon
- discuss the plot
- comprehend the poetic
language of A. Pushkins
- explain the treatment of
traditional gender roles in
Russian culture
W-Up/A-B sharing
Listen to the peace of music.
What have you seen while
listening? [Flight of the
Bumblebee/ Tsar Saltan Opera
by N. Rimsky-Korsakov. 2 min]

Review: Pushkins Autumn

poems, & The Song of the
Wise Oleg.
Pushkins Bio PPoint
Pushkins Bio text/
Russian Troika expert
group-work

Lukomorie poem by Pushkin

(teacher by heart)
Pushkins Bio review
Tale Vocabulary - PPoint
Vocabulary-crossword

Vocabulary review
Gallery Walk on
vocabulary Pics/w-sheets.
Partner work
Tale prediction
illustrations by Palekh
artist A. Kurkin (before
reading)
Homework Color tale
pencil illustrations

Engaging with the tale

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Obg: Students should be able to:

- understand the connection
among the beauty of art, music,
& poetry

Obg: Students should be able to:

- Define authors lyric
- Express their emotions on the
painting & tale

Obg: Students should be able to:

- recall, identify and define
literary devices
- Finish their essay

Obg: Students should be able to:

- make connections between
their recent leaning of the
Slavs & Old Russia & the
new info on Slavonic tribes

W-Up/A-B sharing

W-Up/A-B sharing
What is the palette in Vrubels
The Swan Princess?

W-Up/A-B sharing
Why Pushkins mastery of
language is so great?

W-Up/A-B sharing
Does the Buyan Island really
exist or not? If yes, where could
it be? If no, why not?

Flight of the Bumblebee

listening
Review of previous tale
reading.
Finishing engaging with
the tale (last chunks)
Tale start sketch casting
Vrubels paintings slideshow
Vrubels Bio.
Russian Troika expert
group-work
Day 10
Obg: Students should be able to:
-recognize similarities and
differences between activity &
inactivity
-classify the activity & inactivity
according to character traits of
the male protagonists
-check their comprehension of
the tale, bios, lit. terms & new
info via Kahoot quiz
W-Up/A-B sharing

What character in The Tale of

Tsar Saltan would you like to be

Meaningful chunks work:

reading & listening/
discussing
watching cartoon
/discussing
Talking about predictions. Were
they correct?

W-Up/A-B sharing
The magic Swan changes the
Prince into three different insects.
Which ones & what happened?

If you could change the title of

this tale, what would it be called?

friends with & why?

Tale start sketch (characters

to be friends with or not)
Swan Princess by
Rimsky-Korsakov. (1 mintwice) What have you
seen while listening?
Brief discussion.
Swan-Princess PPoint
/discussion
Russian Troika expert
group-work on Vrubels
The Swan Princess

The Swan Princess

Review/PP & text
Swan-Quotes from the tale
(authors lyric)
Emotions PPoint
Essay: Describe Vrubels
painting & express your
emotions on the painting &
the tale. (Draft)

Discussion on Pushkins
mastery of language
Literary Terms PPoint
review
Literary Terms in Pushkins
The Tale of Tsar Saltan
Worksheets
Final essay on Vrubels
Swan Princess

Day 11
Obg: Students should be able to:
- accept the fact that Pushkin,
was descended from
African/Russian ancestors
- express their opinion on
Pushkin's racial identity
W-Up/A-B sharing
If you were Alexander Pushkin
would you be ashamed of having
black ancestors?
Unknown facts on
Pushkins Bio (PPoint)
Discussion
Essay:
If I were Alexander Pushkin I
would (would not) be ashamed of
having black ancestors. Give
meaningful reasons.

YouTube:
" " (Audio):
http://asbook.net/abooks/russlit/384-as-pushkin-skazka-ocaresaltane.html
(cartoon):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-yO_m3FKJk (53 min)
.. - - (Flight of the
Bumblebee): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQf5jt94nds (2
min)
N. Rimsky-Korsakov. Swan Princess:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf6yHXOJ45o (1 min)
History. Baltic Island Rgen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=pc5KLtmMM2k (5 min)
Insel Rgen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6snpyRrrnXQ
(3 min)
.. (Pushkins Day in Africa-2016):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P3FNcyKPJU (4 min)

Some thoughts to share with students:

German island Rgen in

the Baltic Sea slide show
Island
Rgen/Buyan Slavonic
culture/ Text/ Reading,
questioning, discussing
Connection to history.
Students knowledge on
Slavonic tribes & Old
Russia learned in Sept-Oct.
Youtube video: History.
Baltic Island Rgen

Tsar Saltan vs
Prince Gvidon character
traits w/sheet
Venn diagram on Saltan &
Gvidon
Kahoot : The Tale of Tsar
Saltan quiz

o The Tale of Tsar Saltan is a masterpiece of Russian poetry. It has the same appeal for a child of
six and for the most sophisticated poetry reader of sixty.
o This is a poem full of imagination, adventure and beautiful verses with some humorous images.
What I still love about Pushkin's style are the words he chose to describe every image, every
thought. A rich, exquisite language with a silly, dreamy smile out of admiration. Even while writing
about the simplest things. Not in vane he's considered the greatest Russian poet.
o Alexander Pushkin had done an excellent job at writing this lovable Russian folktale as the story is
heartwarming and interesting at the same time. I love the way how Pushkin portrays each character
in this book, especially Tsar Saltan as he is shown as a kind and lovable father who was a victim in
the two sisters and his evil cousin.
o Look at the images of the Russian clothing that the characters wear as they are extremely colorful
and gorgeous and they truly bring out the Russian influence of the story. (Illustrations by Palekh
artist Alexander Kurkin)
o The Tale of Tsar Saltan is truly a brilliant and amazing book about the power of love for your
family.
o The Flight of the Bumblebee & The Swan melody come from an opera by Nikolai Rimsky
Korsakov (Pushkuns drawing of Korsakow!) called The Tale of Tsar Saltan, which is based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin. RimskyKorsakovs opera, premired in 1900, broadly follows Pushkins storyline.
o The unusual thing about Russia is that it reached cultural maturity in the nineteenth century. Russia didnt have the Middle Ages of Dante
and Chaucer, the Renaissance of the Italians, or the Elizabethan age of the British. They werent even sure what language to write in. Pushkin
more or less created the Russian literary language, and Pushkin was born in 1799. They were doing for the first time what other cultures had
been doing for hundreds of years. Richard Pevear (US poet & translator)