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Russia
Russian Map:
Russian Flag:
Basic facts:
The information in this section are facts that are foundational in
nature in that they allow one to gain a better understanding of Russia.
Area: 17,075,400 square kilometers
Terrain: Broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous
forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains {Caucasus
range} along southern boarders.
Capital: Moscow {this is also the largest city in Russia}
Population: 142 million people
Currency: Ruble {According to the March exchange rates, one U.S.
dollar is equivalent to roughly 24 rubles}
Language: Russian is the only official state language, but the
Constitution allows the individual republics the right to make their
own native language co-official next to Russian. There are over 160
ethnic groups with over 100 languages spoken. According to the 2002
census, 142.6 million people speak Russian, followed by 5.3 million
people who speak Tatar, and 2.9 million people who speak German.
Education: Russia has a free education system which is
guaranteed to all its citizens by the Constitution. The literacy rate
is 99.4%. Higher education is a right guaranteed by the Constitution
free of charge and through competitive entry. The Constitution allows
education for skilled students as opposed to only those that can afford
it.
Government: Russia is a federation and a presidential republic. The
have a President {Vladimir Putin} which is the head of state and a
Prime Minister {Viktor Zubkov} who is the head of the government.
Fundamentally, the Russian Federation is structured similar to that of
a representative democracy.
Religion: Russian Orthodox, Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism,
Protestant, Buddhist, other.
Ethnic Composition: Facts and figures are from the Russian census of
2002.
Russian - 79.8%
Tatars - 3.8%
Ukrainians - 2.0%
Chuvash - 1.1%
Chechen - 0.9%
Armenians - 0.8%
Others/Unspecified - 10.3%
Geotour
The information in this section is a suggested geotour of Russia. This
is only suggested and can be modified if one finds an area that they
like to further explore. This geotour will be taking place in June as
some of the festivals and activities only occur in June. Don't forget
a geotour can be taken any time of the year. Remember, it's your
vacation. Also, this geotour is a time for you to get to know the
culture of the local people so be sure to be respectful of those around
you.
Day One:
Today is the day you will arrive in St. Petersburg! Upon arrival you
will check into your hotel {Dinastiya Hotel}.
- To get the first taste of the Russian culture, you will be visiting
Platforma. Here you will experience live music, a choice of alcohol.
Interestingly there is a library in the back where you can experience
some of the poetry, literature, and art shows.
Being that you have just come to St. Petersburg, the first night is
your own. You can stay as long as you like at Platforma. You will be
able to mingle with the locals as well as get a feeling for the culture.
Day Two:
- When you wake up you are free to eat breakfast at the hotel or go to
a local pastry shop to enjoy a cup of coffee and pastry.
- During the noon and afternoon hours, you will take a St. Petersburg
city tour. This tour includes all major city attractions. You will see
St. Isaac's cathedral, Vasilyevsky island, the University, The Winter
Palace, the Palace square, Church of the Savior on the Blood, the
square of Arts, Peter and Paul fortress, and other famous monuments and
places. Dinner will be included at the end of the tour at one of the
local restaurants of your choosing.
- At the end of this tour, you will be given some free time. You can go
shopping or simply wonder around the city to enjoy what you see.
- St. Petersburg is famous for opera and ballet. So you will be
enjoying a show at the Mariinsky Theatre. Your tickets will have been
booked in advance and you will know which performance you are seeing
upon buying the tickets.
Day Three:
- When you wake up you are free to eat breakfast at the hotel or go to
a local pastry shop to enjoy a cup of coffee and pastry.
- Today we will be visitng the Russian circus. Circus on Fontanka is
like nothing you've ever seen before. The shows are for children and
adults alike.
- Excursion to Pavlovsk. It is a work of architecture and art of
landscape gardening. It is described as a kind of philosophical poem
about the essence of spiritual life, its secrets, joys and serene
melancholy. This is one of the largest landscape parks in Europe.
- Since visiting in June, you will be able to visit the White Nights
festival. With the sun hardly setting, people fill the streets and
embankments of the Neva to watch the bridges being raised and to have a
good time. There are many exciting events around St Petersburg in June:
classical music and jazz festivals, rock concerts and international
film festival. Food will be served by vendors and shops alike so
don't forget to take part in the local eatery.
Day Four:
- When you wake up you are free to eat breakfast at the hotel or go to
a local pastry shop to enjoy a cup of coffee and pastry.
- You will be visiting Tsarskoe Selow which is the site of St.
Catherineâ??s Palace. The palace is magnificent and is renowned for its
baroque interiors and the 'amber room'. It is best to use a private
tour guide who will take you there and escort you around in a five hour
tour costing about 3000 rubles or you can take a coach outing for three
hours from Gostinyy Dvor for about 1800 rubles, most leaving between
lunch and
2:00pm.
- Now you are free to pack for the next Russian city that you will be
visiting {or going home if this is the end for you}. I very much hope
that you have enjoyed getting to see a different side of St.
Petersburg. Hopefully there is just the right amount of culture,
history, and geography for you and your family.
Lesson Plan
The information in this section is a suggested lesson plan for any
teacher wanting his or her students to get a better understanding of
Russia. This lesson plan is intended for the use of middle school
students and can be modified to fit your specific needs.
This lesson plan is specifically for social studies.
Day 1
Monday: History - Begin this day by passing out a map to
all the students of the area. You will want to pass out a regional map and
one so that the students can see the areas that you will be discussing
during this day. A very good map to pass out to students would be at
the following website: http://www.nti.org/db/nisprofs/maps/rusreg.gif
This is going to be a very big day for the students. As a teacher,
unfortunately we are not able to discuss this as much as we would like.
This is the time to get creative.
Be sure to relate this section to standard thirteen of the Geography
Standards. Explain how forces of cooperation and conflict among people
influence the division and control of the Earth's surface.
Pick five periods in history that you feel the students can find
information about. Remember that not all students have access to the
internet at home, so keep in mind the information provided in the
school library as well as the information provided in the book.
Five periods in Russian history that I would pick include:
- Russia and the Russian Revolution
- Russia and World War One
- Russia and World War Two
- Russia and the Cold War
- Russia and the disintegration of the USSR
Assignment: Separate students into groups and have them and give them
each a topic. You will want your students to explain what was going on
during this period. Have your students answer why the period is
important. On Friday, each group will give a five to seven minute
presentation on the topic. Each group will need to have some sort of
visual aid in order to help explain their topic. Be sure to inform them
that they will need to be able questions asked by the teacher.
During the rest of the week, you will need to carve out at least twenty
minutes a day in order for students to organize the presentation. Have
poster board, markers, colored paper, etc available to your students so
that they are able to construct the visual aid. You will need to be
involved with each group as the week progresses. Make sure each member
is contributing. Help guide the groups so that they do not
misunderstand the purpose of this assignment.
Day 2
Tuesday: Climate - This day is when the climate of the
region
will be discussed. It is important for your students to know the
climate of any region that is being studied because the climate affects
many different students. Explain standard three of the Geography
Standards. Stress the importance of how the spatial organization of
people, places, and environments are affect by the climate.
Assignment: Obtain a map. A good map to use can be found at the
following website {use any map that you feel fits better}:
http://users.rcn.com/adoptingfromrussia/images/russia_map.gif
Make a copy of the map for each student and make a transparency of the
same map. Start by writing each of the climate regions on the board.
Each region should be written in a different color. As you talk about
each climate region, you should color the region rougly where it would
be. Have the students do the same. While you are discussing each
region, allow the students to take notes they feel are necessary.
During the last few minutes of the class, I would pose a question to
the class. Given the climate and topography, where do they think a
majority of the people would reside? Why? This will be a good
introduction for tomorrow's lesson and will get the students to
relate
how climate and topography affects where populations of people live in
high numbers.
As a teacher, I would allow the students to use the maps on the test
that will be given over this unit. The students will not only make sure
that his or her map is completed to the best of his or her ability,
they will also take the notes that they feel would best help him or her
on the test.
Day 3
Wednesday: Population
This is the day the students learn about spatial distribution as well
as the people. Be sure to relate this section to standard twelve.
Explain the process, patterns, and functions of human settlement. Also
be sure to relate this to standard nine. Explain the characteristics,
distribution, and migration of human populations on the Earthâ??s
surface
{specifically, Russia}.
This section requires some research by the teacher! Keeping in mind the
question posed the previous day to the students, pick three cities with
a large population and two or three with a low population in
comparison. Have the students to pull out the maps that were given to
them the previous day with all the of climate information.
The list of the cities you pick is your decision. Listed below are the
five cities I picked {taken from the Russian 2002 Census}:
Moscow - 10,126,124
Krasnodar - 646,175
St. Petersburg - 4,661,219 Ulyanovsk - 635,947
Novosibirsk - 1,425,508 Izhevsk - 632,140
Plot these cities on the climate map.
Obtain a population density map for Russia. If the social studies book
you are using does not have a population density map, here is a map
that I suggest using : http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/wdc/downloads/maps/population/GPWv3_Population_Density_Grids/Population_Density_2000_Russia.jpg
Assignment {In-class}: Have the students write two paragraphs. In the
first paragraph, have the students pick an area of Russia they would
live in. Why did they pick that area? Does the climate or topography
play into their decision for picking that area? The second paragraph of
the assignment, have the students discuss why they believe the
population density map looks like it does. Do they think the climate
plays into population distribution?
Day 4
Thursday: Resources and Economy:
In this section it is time to discuss the resources of Russia as well
as the economy of Russia. In this section, you will want to relate this
lecture to standard sixteen. Explain the changes that occur in the
meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources.
While you can start the lecture with the economy of the past in Russia,
it is important to explain the economy now. Be sure, when you lecture,
to keep in mind specific questions that you want to answer. These
questions can include:
- Is the economy growing?
- Is the economy strong?
- What is spurring the growth or decline of the economy?
- How is the economy affecting the population of Russia?
Resources - This part of the lecture does not have to be completely
separate from the economy portion of this lecture. Relate the two
subjects. During this portion, be sure to answer specific questions,
which can include
- What are the natural resources of Russia?
- What are the agricultural products of Russia?
- What types of industry does Russia have?
Assignment {in class}: Pass out another map to the students. Use the
same map you used for the climate map. The students should be able to
plot where some of the natural resources are.
Day 5
Friday: Presentation and Test day!!!
On this day, allow the students time present about their topics. Then
pass out the test. Now would be the time to inform the students that
they are allowed to use any and all maps that were given and filled out
in class as well as any notes they took.
You will have to design a test that fits your lectures. Anything you
put great emphasis on is a subject that you will likely want to ask a
question about.
Most tests do have a section for short answer or essay. Here is a list
of questions that may or may not fit your test format:
- Are the natural resources and climate of Russia related? If so,
why?
- How do the climate and dense areas of population relate?
- Is the Russian economy growing or declining? What is the reason for
its growth or decline?
- Pick a time period during history {it can be the one you choose to do
for your presentation or a completely different period of time} and
explain its importance. Be specific.
Additional Information
Listed below are three informational web links for additional
information about Russia.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107909.html
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3183.htm
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/Russia/Background.html
