My name is Elena Farkas. I am a Russian teacher and a Russian immersion program coordinator from Anchorage, Alaska. I was born in Russia and moved to the United States in 1992. I have an MA in Education and Linguistics, and a BA in Social Studies and English.

For the last 6 years, I have been working on developing Russian language programs in elementary and middle schools in Anchorage, Alaska. Along with that, I have been teaching Russian at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

One of my focuses in Russian language program development has been on creating a Russian puppet theater and teaching kids the Russian language through games, theater, and art.

As you know, I will be teaching the Russian Children’s Class as a “demonstration” for a group of teachers attending an institute about curriculum development for foreign languages.

During the week, the students and I will be preparing a Russian puppet show “Kolobok” (little round bun). We will learn some traditional Russian children’s songs and games, make a traditional Russian clay toy, and learn some Russian expressions that your child can use in everyday life. Your child will be introduced to the Russian alphabet and will be taught to read simple Russian words.

I have prepared a packet with the vocabulary and songs that your child will be learning in class. The packet has an audio CD that includes the materials introduced in class. You can use these supplementary materials to help your child practice the Russian language introduced in class, both during the week of class and later.

The students will begin bringing home some simple homework that will show more of what they are learning. There will also be a final summary of their learning for you at the end.

I am looking forward to meeting you and your child and to teaching the classes ahead! If you have any questions, please feel free to talk with me before class (as I usually meet with the institute participants right after class).

Thank you!

Elena Farkas