Games in Teaching Chinese Students How to Read the Press (On the Example of a Newspaper Chronicle)

Abstract

The aim of the study is to characterize games as a means of teaching Russian to Chinese students and to offer examples of gaming techniques that can be applied in the process of learning to read on the basis of newspaper chronicle material. When writing the article, the author used the works of Russian and Chinese researchers on issues directly related to the topic of the work. The methodological basis of the study was works by Yu.O. Okhorzina, I.V. Salosina and V.S. Glinkin, A.V. Konysheva, A.N. Schukin, O.V. Rikonen, E.A. Zheleznyakova, E.V. Dushina, M.F. Stronin, Shi Teiqiang, Wang Xinyi, Miao Youyan, and others. Based on the analysis of national methodological traditions in China and a survey of Chinese students, the relevance of introducing game into the teaching of Russian as a foreign language is proved. Game techniques involve students' joint activities, their communication with each other, which is necessary when learning a language. Games can be especially in demand at the initial stage of training. The article discusses the possibilities of using games in teaching Chinese students how to read newspaper chronicles. Using an authentic media text in class with students of certification level I makes learning more communicatively oriented. In addition, topics of newspaper chronicles correlate with some of the topics provided by the Chinese curriculum in Russian. When learning to read, gaming activity can be a way of consolidating information obtained in another form, shifting attention to a different type of task or to another type of reading. Game is one of the effective ways to improve the quality and productivity of learning to read on the material of newspaper chronicles. In this article, the author proposes a set of games for Chinese students studying Russian at the initial stage (certification level I). These games can be used at the stage of consolidation and control of acquired knowledge at the lesson and as extracurricular homework that complements the process of learning to read. The author considers it advisable to primarily use oral games in a group. In this case, preparatory (pre-communicative) games will be appropriate: phonetic, lexical, grammatical, as well as communicative: subject, situational and role-playing. All games used should be thematically organized in accordance with the newspaper chronicle types. The article provides examples of games based on chronicles from the newspaper Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti. Typical and frequent topics such as "Transport", "Culture" and "Judicial Chronicle" were selected for inclusion in the training. Games can become an important element in teaching Chinese students the Russian language on the basis of newspaper texts. It is advisable to include pre-communicative and communicative games in classes that will contribute to the development of students' communicative competence. This is especially important for Chinese students, who, in connection with the established methodological tradition in China, find it difficult to communicate in Russian.