|
|
 Ratings
|
|
|
| Reviewed: |
Oct 12, 2005 by World Languages Editorial Board |
| Overview: |
The Intermediate Russian Exercises site is a collection of intermediate level
exercises for learners of Russian. They are organized by parts of speech.
|
| Learning Goals: |
The goal of this site is to help learners practice their command of Russian
grammar and vocabulary.
|
| Target Student Population: |
The site is intended for intermediate level learners.
|
| Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: |
The users of this site should be learners with intermediate, or at least
very strong basic, Russian skills.
|
| Type of Material: |
JavaScript interactive exercises providing immediate feedback.
|
| Recommended Uses: |
The site can be used by both independent learners and instructors of Russian as
a supplement to their in-class work.
|
| Technical Requirements: |
One needs Russian fonts installed. JavaScript should be enabled on
ones Netscape browser
|
|
|
|
| Strengths: |
The strength of this site is the variety of different types of exercises. Using
the same technical format, the author created activities prompting users to
practice many different aspects of Russian grammar. For example, the part Verbs
contains exercises requiring producing past, present and future forms both
singular and plural, and infinitives. Exercises include single verbs as well as
sentences, the context of which is genuinely Russian based on Russian culture
realities and common everyday phrases and expressions. Thus, users have an
opportunity to not only practice their grammar skills but also to develop their
cultural literacy and awareness.
|
| Concerns: |
|
|
|
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool |
Rating:  |
|
| Strengths: |
The site is an excellent tool for Russian students who would like to increase
their grammatical accuracy. Instructors will find it valuable since it is well
organized and provides a variety of different exercises on different parts of
speech. Exercises on Russian verbs of motion is designed to significantly
enhance students understanding of the importance of context is which the verbs
are used.
|
| Concerns: |
|
|
|
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty |
Rating:   |
|
| Strengths: |
The site is easy to navigate. Its structure is simple and clear. The site
provides a layout of the Russian keyboard, directions on the installation of
Russian fonts, and general instructions on how to operate the site and switch to
the Russian keyboard. The site is also ADA compliant since it is supplies brief
instructions on how to enlarge the font size for those who are visually
impaired.
|
| Concerns: |
The only suggestion would be to provide more informative names for the
exercises. For now, all the exercises are labeled with numbers and letters such
as 1a or 5d. It might be time consuming for a user to find a particular
exercise.
|
|
|
| Other Issues and Comments: |
|
|
