Can I use this book in conjunction with any Russian language course?

Yes – it was designed to complement instruction at any level.  The ten lessons of Unlocking Russian Pronunciation could be assigned over the course of a year or a single term.  I have created a sample syllabus and other materials that are available for teachers.  The sample syllabus makes it clear that students are responsible for studying, practicing, and checking all of their own work.  It also suggests some optional practice and assessment activities for you to conduct as the instructor, but the materials were designed to benefit students without any additional input or interaction from you.

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Can I use this book alongside other instructional materials on pronunciation?

Absolutely.  Many Russian language textbooks provide instruction on pronunciation early on, and many teachers have found online videos they like to use to get students speaking right away.  If this is the case for you, go ahead and use that material as you have in the past.  Just let students know that they will be revisiting these topics in greater detail as they work through Unlocking Russian Pronunciation, and that the answer keys are written as though students have had no access to other information.  

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How often should I assign a lesson? 

I recommend assigning one lesson per week for ten weeks, although you may want to assign lessons more frequently in the beginning to facilitate the development of good habits. 

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Are answer keys included?

Full answer keys to every exercise are provided within the book, and students are encouraged to check their work and practice what they miss.  Consequently, students retain full control over and responsibility for their mastery of the material, and the use of the book poses no burden for teachers in terms of grading. 

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What about assessments?

I would recommend asking students to transcribe a few words taken straight from an answer key every day in class for a little while, once they have worked through Lesson 2.  I wouldn’t grade these mini-assessments at first, I’d just treat it as a game or a daily challenge – whatever students find fun.  I might transcribe words incorrectly and let my students find the mistakes.  On a written test, students could be asked to transcribe a few lines from a song.  If you wish to assess student pronunciation itself, a goal-setting approach could be useful.  See the forms in the URP Teacher Pack for inspiration...or just use them wholesale. 

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Will the transcription system take a lot of time and effort to absorb? 

These materials are designed to make your job easier, not harder!  It may take you ten minutes to get the hang of the transcription system, but the videos really do walk you through it step by step.  You could even assign some lessons to a few advanced students as a flipped classroom learning experience, and ask them to teach you how it works the first time around.  Extra credit! 

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Can I skip around in the book? 

The answer keys are written as though students are proceeding through the lessons in order, so it might be difficult to skip around.  You probably could, but I think it would be easier not to! 

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Does it matter whether students read the book or watch the videos first?

I have written the book as though students are reading first and then watching, but either way might be fine.  In fact, it might even work to assign only the videos and the written exercises, leaving the explanations in the book to serve primarily as a quick reference when needed.  However, it’s critical that student spend significant time checking their answers against the answer keys in the book and practicing what they missed.  Sometimes students think they’re done once they’ve completed the written exercises.  If this is where their efforts end, they are missing out on a huge portion of the value of these materials. 

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What if I disagree with some of your transcriptions, or prefer to use other symbols? 

If you prefer to transcribe certain phenomena differently, feel free to override my explanations!  Transcription is more of an art than a science, and there is no need for rigidity in any approach to anything as fluid and organic as a living language.  Besides, different systems of transcription serve different purposes.  One system may be more suited to fully describing the intricacies of pronunciation, while a simpler system may be more helpful to second language learners.  In the end, you are the expert and you have the final say in your classroom.