☰ Contents · Russian language

S. Ya. Marshak and N. N. Nosov

Lessons 47–48 · 2 lessons · Yu. Yu. Musurmanova. Russian Language, Grade 5 (textbook for general secondary schools with Uzbek and other languages of instruction). “O‘qituvchi” Publishing and Printing Creative House, Tashkent, 2020
47

S. Ya. Marshak. «Весёлое путешествие от А до Я»

Textbook: pp. 192–193
GoalS. Ya. Marshak's poem «Весёлое путешествие от А до Я»: the Amu Darya, rhythm and rhyme.
New words
река · daryoпустыня · cho‘lпесок · qumстихотворение · she’r
Explanation

Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak (1887–1964) was a great Russian poet and translator who wrote many poems for children. In «Весёлое путешествие от А до Я» the Amu Darya flows from the letter «А» to the letter «Я», so the poem plays with the alphabet. The poet dreams that the river's water will make sandy, waterless lands fertile. The poem has rhyme (words that sound alike, like «суша — душа») and rhythm, so it is easy to learn by heart. When reading it aloud we raise and lower our voice and read with melody.

Worked examples
About the river. «Аму-Дарья — большая и могучая река. Её вода течёт через песчаные пустыни. Там, где раньше было сухо, теперь растут сады и хлопок. Поэт мечтает, чтобы земля давала богатый урожай. Мы должны беречь воду, потому что она нужна всем.» (The Amu Darya is a big, mighty river. Its water flows through sandy deserts. Where it was once dry, gardens and cotton now grow. The poet dreams that the land will give a rich harvest. We must protect water because everyone needs it.)
Words: «безводный» (without water), «бесплодный» (without fruit), «песчаный» (of sand), «струя». Prefix «без-»: «безводный, безлюдный».
Class activity

“My alphabet”. Make an alphabet about your homeland: А — Андижан, Б — Бухара, В — ... . Write one place name for each letter in Russian.

Practice
1
Name the poet and years.
2
What does «безводный» mean?
3
Which river is described in the poem?
4
Why is a poem easy to learn because of rhyme?