Golosa: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 2 (3rd Edition) [Hardcover]

Richard M. Robin (Author), Joanna M. Robin (Author), Karen Evans-Romaine (Author), Galina Shatalina (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131833790 | ISBN-13: 978-0131833791 | Publication Date: June 30, 2003 | Edition: 3

For courses in Intermediate or 2nd year Russian. Golosa is a two-volume, introductory Russian-language program that strikes a balance between communication and structure. It takes a contemporary approach to language learning by focusing on the development of competence in the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), as well as the expansion of cultural knowledge. Golosa is designed to help students reach the ACTFL Intermediate Range in speaking and Intermediate High in reading and listening. Each section in the text revolves around a particular topic and follows the same format: introduction of basic vocabulary, listening to introductory conversations, short dialogues with exercises and role play practice, practice in strategies for listening and reading, grammar study with practice in both oral and written form, and written workbook exercises. With its robust audio and video program on the World Wide Web, Golosa provides comprehensive explanations of Russian grammar along with the practice students need to build accuracy.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

With its careful balance of communication and structure, GOLOSA has been the pathway to contemporary Russian for English-speaking students throughout the post-Soviet era. Students learning with GOLOSA work towards functional competence in all four skills while building a solid grammatical base. This foundation enables them to increase their proficiency through additional study.

The GOLOSA program consists of two texts (Book I and Book 2), two student workbooks, a Web-based audio and video program, and additional Web-based exercises. Each book offers realistic communicative activities (in listening, speaking, reading, and writing) that are designed for use in a learner-centered classroom. Students acquire personalized vocabulary to express individual needs and practice strategies that promote the balanced development of productive and receptive skills. The problem-solving approach in GOLOSA leads students to become independent, confident speakers of Russian.

The third edition of GOLOSA, Book 2, has been revised to recycle material presented in Book I and to expand language situations involving transportation and electronic communication. In addition, the third edition Web site www.prenhall.com/golosa features a complete video program with authentic interviews appropriate for the students' level of comprehension. The Web site also provides a regularly updated set of additional resources for teachers and students that further promotes independent, individualized work with the Russian language and realia. The entire audio program—about 20 hours of recordings—is available on the GOLOSA Web site as well as on CD.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

GOLOSA (Book 1, 3rd ed. Richard Robin, Karen Evans-Romaine, Galina Shatalina, and Joanna Robin, and Book 2, Richard Robin, Joanna Robin, and Kathryn Henry; Prentice Hall) is a basic course in Russian. Students successfully completing a course taught in concert with both Books 1 and 2 can expect to reach the ACTFL Intermediate range in speaking and Intermediate High in reading and listening.

Each volume of GOLOSA includes a main textbook, and a student workbook with laboratory drills and written exercises. The audio program runs approximately 15 hours per volume and includes listening comprehension exercises, speaking dialogues, and rapid-pace oral drills. Teachers adopting GOLOSA can download the audio from the Golosa website or order CDs of the audioprogram from Prentice Hall. Teachers receive desk copies plus access to the on-line Instructor's Manual with tape scripts and keys to the audio comprehension exercises.

MAIN FEATURES OF GOLOSA

• Goal statements. Objectives are explicitly stated for the book as a whole and for each unit therein in terms of global tasks, content, and language tools (grammar and lexicon). Cultural notes are highlighted.
• Separation of skills. Each language skill (speaking, reading, writing, listening) is addressed in its own right.
• Flexibility. The textbook dictates no particular methodological approach. While all skills are presented on an equal footing, teachers and students may choose to focus on those which best serve their needs without violating the structural integrity of individual units or the book as a whole. A class can move faster by eliminating some of the activities for reading and listening for content.
• Authenticity. Each unit contains authentic materials and realistic communicative activities for all skills.
• Spiraling approach. Students are exposed repeatedly to similar functions and structures at an increasing level of complexity.
• Cultural relevance. All texts and conversations are embedded within culture relevant to Russia today.
• Learner-centered. Each unit puts students into communicative settings in all four skills. In addition to core lexicon, students acquire personalized vocabulary for individual needs.
• Variety of exercises. Oral drills and written exercises progress from mechanical to contextualized to individualized activities.
• Learning strategies. Students acquire strategies for productive and receptive skills. The variety of types of exercises assures that a wide range of learning styles is served.
• Phonetics and intonation. Pronunciation (segmental and suprasegmental features) is presented and practiced in each unit in conjunction with material covered rather than in isolation.
• World Wide Web component additional activities for reading and grammar. The complete audio program and Instructors' Manual are also available on-line.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 3 edition (June 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131833790
• ISBN-13: 978-0131833791
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Russian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly adequate textbook, December 6, 2004

By 

Gagewyn (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golosa: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 2 (3rd Edition) (Hardcover)

I used this textbook in the second half of an intensive Russian class I took in college. (Used Golosa Book 1 for Russian 1.) It follows the standard textbook format: Each chapter introduces a grammatical concept and new vocabulary. There are a few short dialogues and several exercises to reinforce the grammar and vocabulary. There are also exercises at the beginning to practice cursive in the cyrillic alphabet. At the end of the book there was a grammar reference so it was easy to review and brush up on previous lessons. It was a perfectly good textbook to use as part of a class.

In this case I also used the workbook and tape set. The workbook has additional exercises for each chapter in the book. It helped, but isn't necessary since things are covered in enough detail in the book. The tapes were helpful for picking up on how to pronounce words, but by Russian 2 I had gotten the pronunciation right and they weren't so useful. Basically they contain spoken versions of the dialogues in the text and a few simple exercises. They just supplement the text and don't add to it.

This and Golosa Book 1 is a good textbook set to use as part of a class. I used it in college but it would also work for highschool. It did a pretty good job of explaining things and covered the concepts adequately. Teachers will want to know that there is a third edition out now.

If you are trying to learn Russian on your own: If you are at the level where you can study a second year book on you own, then using these texts to review and brush up on grammar would be fine. If you are not to a point where you can pick up a second year Russian text book and follow it then you should pick up a tape and book set designed specifically to teach you Russian on your own.