День 7 из 37: Где Слинки? В газете!
📚 Слова́ дня · Words of the day: 10 – голова́, глаз, зуб, губа́, нога́, ла́па, фо́то, газе́та, флаг, где.
🔤 Бу́квы дня · Letters of the day: 3 – Г З Ф. Careful: З is not a 3!
⏱ Part 1 = 15 minutes – everybody finishes it. Part 2 = more, only if you want. · 🗺️ All days
Stand up! Yesterday's homework: touch the floor: «Пол!» Touch the wall: «Стена́!» Look up: «Потоло́к!» Put a thing under the table: «… под столо́м.» 🍌
You remembered it – that is your first win today. Yesterday it was your room. Today it is you: your head, your eyes, your feet – and one question: Где? = Where? 🔍
- Don't read anything yet. Watch Natasha's head, eyes and feet – and the cats' paws. Listen to где. 🔍🐈
- Tap the words above to hear them.
Say every word aloud and show it – the gesture is under the picture. The movement falls on the loud syllable: го-ло-ВА́ – both hands on your head on ВА; ЛА́-па – a cat washes her face on ЛА; га-ЗЕ́-та – you lower the newspaper on ЗЕ.
Tap a word or its picture – the dictionary opens. 🔊 = listen (when Natasha has recorded it).
🧠 Today your own body is the lesson. Touch your real head, your real eye – a word with its place on your body stays in memory. 😄
🙆 Me:
🐈 The cat:
📰 Things:
- A person has a рука́. A cat has a ла́па (or a нога́) – never a рука́! 🐾
- Где? = Where? – Где кот? – В су́мке! 🔍
- Г looks like a hook, or an upside-down L – and says g as in go (never as in gem): ГДЕ = gdye. 🪝
- З looks like a 3 – but says z: ЗУБ = zub, not "3yb"! 🦷
- Ф is a circle with a stick through it, like the Greek φ – and says f: ФЛАГ = flag. 🚩
- Small letters: г з ф – the same shapes, only smaller.
- Now you know nineteen letters: А К М О Т Е Р С В Н У И Л Д Б П Г З Ф. Read today's words: ГОЛОВА́, ГЛАЗ, ЗУБ, ГУБА́, НОГА́, ЛА́ПА, ФО́ТО, ГАЗЕ́ТА, ФЛАГ, ГДЕ – all of them! And one more: СКА́ФФЛЗ – her name is readable from today. 🎉
- ✍️ Пиши́те! Write them by hand: Г · З · Ф – how each letter is written, and a sheet to print.
👂 Listen first. Then try to read it – today you know every letter, except in Richard's name. Make a bag with your hands on «в су́мке», a flat table on «на столе́». 👜
- Ната́ша: Где кот? —
Сли́нки: В су́мке! 👜 - Ната́ша: Где сок? — Сли́нки: В стака́не. 🥤
- Ната́ша: Где торт? — Сли́нки: На столе́. 🎂
Ска́ффлз: Торт в су́мка! — Ната́ша: Нет! В су́мке. — Ска́ффлз: Торт в су́мке… и Ска́ффлз в су́мке! 😼- Ри́чард 👋: А где газе́та? — Сли́нки: На сту́ле… под Ска́ффлз! — Ска́ффлз: Р-р-р! 📰
And you? Put a thing somewhere and ask yourself: «Где кни́га? – На столе́!» – aloud, or just in your head. Both count. 😊 🌱 The seed of the day: Где? – and the answer в / на + a word that ends in -е: су́мка → в су́мке, стол → на столе́, стака́н → в стака́не. Scuffles forgets the -е, Natasha says «Нет!» and puts her right. In the video you also hear «У меня́ рука́ – а у тебя́ ла́па!» = I have a hand – you have a paw. Just listen and copy – the rules come later.
Say the story aloud, with the actions. Then play: do the action – say the word. Mix them up!
Где Ната́ша? – Вот газе́та, а вот я! 📰
Вот фо́то. Сли́нки и Ска́ффлз на фо́то. Фо́то на стене́. 🖼️
Вот голова́. Рука́ на голове́. 🙆
У меня́ рука́. А у тебя́ ла́па! 🐾
Вот нога́. – У меня́ рука́! – Нет! Не рука́ – ла́па! 🦵
Вот глаз. Вот зуб. Вот губа́. 👁️🦷👄
Вот флаг. Флаг в руке́. Старт! 🚩
Где газе́та? – На сту́ле! 🪑
Где фо́то? – На стене́! 🖼️
Где флаг? – В ба́нке! 🫙
Где Сли́нки? – В газе́те! 🐈📰
Ой! Газе́та! 😼
👀 read it and say it – your second proverb: Где голова́, там и но́ги бу́дут. 🐈
- Touch and say: Вот голова́. Вот глаз. Вот зуб. Вот нога́. 🙆
- Put your hand on your head: Рука́ на голове́! On your foot: Рука́ на ноге́!
- Hide behind a newspaper (or a book), then peep out: Где я? – Вот я! 📰
- Put three things somewhere and ask: Где газе́та? – На сту́ле! Где флаг? – В ба́нке!
- Have a cat? Show her paw: Вот ла́па! 🐾 No cat? Your hand is a paw today. 😄
- Speaking is optional – listening and doing count too.
Can you do it without the video? – Молоде́ц! Go to the tap quiz.
Guess, then tap. A wrong tap is not a mistake – it is a guess. 😊
Хорошо́! Молоде́ц! Two small things left – two minutes.
Yesterday Д at the end sounded like Т (под = «пот»). Today three more do the same trick:
- Г at the end sounds like К: флаг = «флак».
- З at the end sounds like С: глаз = «глас», газ = «гас».
- Б at the end sounds like П: зуб = «зуп».
- In the middle they stay themselves: нога́, газе́та, губа́ – a real г, з, б.
- 30 seconds, every day. The tongue is a muscle – this is aerobics. 💪
Tomorrow morning, play the game once with your body: «Где рука́? – Вот рука́!», «Где нос? – Вот нос!», «Где голова́? – Вот голова́!» 🙆
That is the first minute of День 8. You already know it – so День 8 starts with a win.
«Где рука́? – Вот рука́!» – hide it on «Где…?», show it on «Вот…!». Our words for the old game «Где же, где же на́ши ру́чки?». 👂 Listen and play – you don't need to read it (but today you can!).
| Say | Do |
|---|---|
| Где рука́? | hide one hand behind your back |
| Вот рука́! | show it on КА – one hand (both hands = ру́ки, День 9) |
| Где нога́? | stand on one leg, the other foot behind you |
| Вот нога́! | put your foot forward on ГА |
| Где нос? | cover your nose with your hand |
| Вот нос! | take the hand away, finger on your nose on НОС |
| Где глаз? | cover one eye |
| Вот глаз! | open it, point at it on ГЛАЗ |
| Где голова́? | duck down, hide your head in your arms |
| Вот голова́! | pop up, both hands on your head on ВА |
| Где кот? | hand over your eyes, look left and right |
| Мя́у! | paws up like a cat 🐾🎉 |
- Play it three times – a little faster each time.
- Gesture → word. Don't look at the cards. Make a gesture – say the word. Mixed order: 🦷 · 🐾 · 📰 · 🙆 · 🚩 · 👄 · 🔍 · 🦵 · 🖼️ · 👁️
- Yesterday comes back. Mix in four words from День 6: пол ⬇️ · стена́ 🧱 · потоло́к ⬆️ · ла́мпа 💡. Careful – ЛА́ПА and ЛА́МПА look almost the same: for «ла́па» a cat washes her face, for «ла́мпа» you switch on the light!
Remembering a word from the gesture works better than reading it again.
Where is the clownfish? – Natasha shows food: Где арбу́з? – Вот он! Где ры́ба? – Вот она́!
Today's question где? – and the answer вот он / она́ / оно́. Tap the title – the page opens; the bar at its top brings you back here.
Where is the school? – the little town of WikiTranslate: a school, a shop, a park, a café.
Today's question где? – with a whole town to look for. Tap the title – the page opens; the bar at its top brings you back here.
Where, where are our hands? – hide your hands, your feet, your eyes – then show them: Вот!
Today's где? and the body words глаз, нога́. Tap the title – the page opens; the bar at its top brings you back here.
Only the nineteen letters you know: А К М О Т Е Р С В Н У И Л Д Б П + Г З Ф. Read the word aloud, then tap it to check.
🙆 ГОЛОВА́ · ГЛАЗ · ЗУБ · ГУБА́ · НОГА́
📰 ЛА́ПА · ФО́ТО · ГАЗЕ́ТА · ФЛАГ · ГДЕ
☂️ ГАЗ · ЗОНТ · ГОРА́ · ВА́ЗА · МАГАЗИ́Н
🏠 СТЕНА́ · ПОЛ · БА́НКА · СУ́МКА · СТУЛ · СКА́ФФЛЗ
Now whole sentences:
ГДЕ КОТ? – В СУ́МКЕ! · ЛА́ПА НА ГОЛОВЕ́. · РУКА́ НА НОГЕ́. · ФО́ТО НА СТЕНЕ́. · ГАЗЕ́ТА НА СТУ́ЛЕ. · ФЛАГ В БА́НКЕ. · ГДЕ СЛИ́НКИ? – В ГАЗЕ́ТЕ!
👀 And now your second proverb – read it alone:
- Write three words in big letters: ГДЕ, ЗУБ, ФЛАГ. Is your Г a hook? Is your З a 3 that says z? Does your Ф have a stick through the middle? ✏️
Where the head is, the legs will be there too.
Every cat knows it: if her head goes through a hole, the whole cat goes through. At the end of the video Slinky's head comes through the newspaper – and then all of Slinky. Even big Scuffles gets through (the newspaper tears a little). Russians say it about people too: where the head (the idea, the leader) goes, the rest follows. 🐈📰 Gesture: hand on your head on «голова́», point at your feet on «но́ги».
🔊 Sound, meaning, word by word: tap the proverb – it opens its own page.
Где Ната́ша? Вот газе́та, а вот я! Я под газе́той. Вот фо́то. Сли́нки и Ска́ффлз на фо́то. Фо́то на стене́. Вот голова́. Рука́ на голове́. У меня́ рука́. А у тебя́ ла́па! Ла́па на голове́. Вот нога́. У меня́ рука́ и нога́. – У меня́ рука́! – Нет! У тебя́ ла́па и́ли нога́. Не рука́! – Р-р-р… Вот глаз. Вот зуб. У меня́ губа́. А у тебя́… рот! Вот флаг. Флаг в руке́. Старт! Где газе́та? – На сту́ле! Где фо́то? – На стене́! Где флаг? – В ба́нке! Где Сли́нки? – В газе́те! Ой! Газе́та! Где голова́, там и но́ги бу́дут. Молоде́ц! Пока́!
Where is Natasha? Here is the newspaper, and here I am! I am under the newspaper. Here is a photo. Slinky and Scuffles are in the photo. The photo is on the wall. Here is the head. My hand is on my head. I have a hand. And you have a paw! The paw is on the head. Here is a leg. I have an arm and a leg. – I have a hand! – No! You have a paw, or a leg. Not a hand! – Grrr… Here is an eye. Here is a tooth. I have a lip. And you have… a mouth! Here is a flag. The flag is in my hand. Start! Where is the newspaper? – On the chair! Where is the photo? – On the wall! Where is the flag? – In the jar! Where is Slinky? – In the newspaper! Oh! The newspaper! Where the head is, the legs will be there too. Well done! Bye!
- Г = g (as in go), З = z (not 3!), Ф = f.
- ГДЕ = where? The answer: в су́мке, на столе́, на стене́, в руке́, на голове́ – after в and на the word ends in -е. Just copy Natasha – the rule comes later.
- A person has a рука́, a cat has a ла́па. 🐾
- «У меня́…» = I have…, «у тебя́…» = you have… – listen only, one block, like a song.
- Tap a new word or its picture – the dictionary opens 📖. Tap 🔊 to hear it.
ударе́ние – stress – shows the syllable you say louder and longer, just like in English: LUN-dun (London), TEL-ih-fohn (telephone).
ЛО́НДОН – the stress is on the first syllable, as in English. But Russians say a real, round о: LON-d’n, not LUN-dun. The second о comes after the stress, so it is short and weak (like the a in sofa).
ТЕЛЕФО́Н – not like the English TEL-ih-fohn: the stress is on the last syllable: ti-li-FON (е without stress sounds like a short и). That is why we mark the stress.
🎯 Why does о sound like а?
Read it: ФЛАГ – f-l-a-g – flag! 🚩 ФО́ТО – photo! 🖼️ ГАЗ – gas!
ФО́ТО is short for фотогра́фия – Greek light + writing: a drawing made with light. 📷
ГАЗЕ́ТА comes from Venice: a gazzetta was a small coin – the price of the first news sheets. 📰
ЗУБ written by hand looks like "3yб" – but З is never a 3! 🦷
🔬 Почему́ так · Why this way
- A win in the first minute – yesterday's homework. Remembering yesterday's words without looking is one of the best-proven tools – 50 classroom experiments: Agarwal · Nunes · Blunt 2021.
- 15 minutes a day, not one long lesson. Short daily sessions beat one long one: 35 min × 6 days scored 83 vs 70 for one 3.5-hour lesson. Study with adults – Stoltzfus · Sukseemuang 2018; gaps of 1–4 days work best – Rogers · Nakata · Chiu 2025.
- Your own body is the lesson. Asher's adults learned Russian commands about the body (stand, walk, touch) faster with Total Physical Response than by listening only. Study with adults – Asher 1968.
- Moving with the letters. Whole-body movement while learning letter-sounds beat pencil practice in an 8-week study. Study with 149 children – Damsgaard et al. 2022; it did not by itself improve word reading – so the reading rows stay.
- A gesture that matches the word. A word said with a matching gesture, made by the learner, stays in memory far longer than a word only heard. Study with adults – Macedonia · Knösche 2011 (Max Planck Institute, Leipzig).
- Watching helps too. Watching the gesture helps almost as much as doing it, so the video works even before you move. 7 studies, 309 adults – Oppici et al. 2023.
- The action on the loud syllable. A hand beat on the stressed syllable helps adults pronounce new words. Studies with adults – Prieto's group, Barcelona.
- З gets a warning. Russian letters that look like other signs (З like 3) are the ones English speakers misread. Study with adults – Showalter 2020.
- A block before the rule. «Где кот? – В су́мке!» and «У меня́ рука́» are learned whole, like a song; the grammar inside comes much later. Learners pick up such ready-made blocks whole (Wray 2002, formulaic language).
- Words come back. су́мка, стол, стул, ба́нка, стена́, рука́, нос (День 3–6) are in today's story, reading rows and the gesture game; голова́ and нога́, heard yesterday, are words today. A word met four times over several days is remembered far better than four times in a row (84 % vs 63 %, Wegener et al. 2023).
- The proverb is heard first, then read. Natasha says it once at the end of the video, where the story shows it; its explanation sits in Part 2, outside the core lesson – extras inside the core lower learning of the main thing (Mayer, seductive details). An idiom learned with its picture and story is remembered better than with a bare translation (Boers 2001).
- The cat makes the mistakes. Nobody corrects the student. The student laughs and is never the one who is wrong.
- Our own method. Natasha's Language Aerobics – tested for many years with her students.
- Videos needed
- Russian голова
- Russian глаз
- Russian зуб
- Russian губа
- Russian нога
- Russian лапа
- Russian фото
- Russian газета
- Russian флаг
- Russian где
- Russian рука
- Russian нос
- Russian рот
- Russian сумка
- Russian стол
- Russian стул
- Russian стена
- Russian банка
- Russian пол
- Russian потолок
- Russian лампа
- Russian под
- Russian сок
- Russian стакан
- Russian торт
- Russian газ
- Russian зонт
- Russian гора
- Russian ваза
- Russian магазин
- Russian книга
- Russian кот
- Russian на
- Russian в
- Russian нет
- Russian вот