Russia -- School-age
Russia
Things to Know
The official name for Russia is the Russian Federation.
From 1917/22–1991 Russia was called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, (U.S.S.R.) also called the Soviet Union.
Capital:
Official Language: Russian
Ruble
The rouble or ruble (RUB) is the currency of Russia. The rouble is divided into 100 kopecks; 100 kopecks to one rouble.
Russian Currency
Russia is the world's largest country in terms of landmass. It occupies about one-tenth of all the land on Earth. There are 9 time zones, until 2010 there were 11 time zones, in Russia across two continents (Europe and Asia). It has coasts on three oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic).
Video
Land
Russia's land varies from desert to frozen. Much of Russia is made up of treeless plains called large areas of flat grassland. It occupies three-quarters of Russia. It is a vast region that extends from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. is known as the Asian part of Russia.
The Volga River is the longest river in Europe and flows about 2,300 miles (3,700 km). It ranks among the world's great rivers. Eleven of Russia's largest cities, including its capital Moscow, are situtated in the Volga basin.
Lake Baikal (baykal) is the deepest lake in the world, it is a freshwater lake and contains about 20% of the worlds freshwater. Lake Baikal is located in Siberia near the Russian-Mongolian border.
Ural Mountains
Animals
Russia's vast landmass is home to a variety of animals. A few of the animals native to Russia:
The Siberian roe deer (Eastern roe deer) is native to Russia and is found in Eastern Europe and Asia.
Siberian Roe Deer
The Russian Boar and bears are native to Russia.
The Russian Bear is a widespread symbol (brown bear) for Russia.
Siberian Tiger
History
There are 4 periods of importance in Russia's history:
The Kievan and Appanage Periods(860-1698)
The House of Rurik
--Became the first Russian tsar(czar) in 1547.
18th century depiction
in the State Historical
Museum of Ivan IV
The Imperial Period (1698-1917)
The House of Romanov
(1818-1881)
Notable for the abolition of serfdom. He sold Alaska and the Aleutian
Islands to the United States.
Nicholas
II, the last Russian Czar
Anastasia-The youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II.
Faberge Eggs
Faberge eggs are jeweled eggs made by Peter Carl Faberge and his assistants between 1885 and 1917. Many Faberge Eggs were created for Russia's royalty, from Czars Alexander III to Nicholas II.
The Soviet Period (U.S.S.R.) (1917/22-1991)
The U.S.S.R. was the successor to the Russian Empire of the tsars.
The political system was thus authoritarian and highly centralized, and this also applied to the economic system. The government centred on the one-party monopoly (Communist party). The political and economic order was communism that drastically suppressed political dissidence, newspapers, changed the education system, and tried to eliminate religious beliefs.
(1818-1883)
The Father of Communism
His changes were factors that contributed to the collapse of the U.S.S.R (Soviet Union).
The Post-Soviet Period (1991-Present)
In 1989, communism fell in Germany and so did the Berlin Wall, then communist rule fell throughout Eastern Europe. Boris Yeltsin was elected President of the Soviet Union in 1990. The Soviet Union officially, and communism, came to an end in 1991, the once-mighty Soviet Union had fallen. A peaceful end to a long and sometimes bloody history. Many Baltic States would declare their independence and break away from Russia.
Russia is a federation of republics, provinces, territories, and districts, all controlled by the government in Moscow. The head of state is a president elected by the people.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin
Artist/Composers
Russia is known all over the world for its literature, arts, and music, including writers like Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, composers such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and ballet dancers.
The two major ballet companies of Russia are the Kirov Ballet (Mariinsky Ballet) and the .
(1840 - 1893)
A towering figure in Russian music and one of the most popular composers in history.
(San Francisco Symphony)
Four Movements-explore the movements of Piotr Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony.
(San Francisco Symphony)
Have fun exploring, enjoy the beautiful orchestra, and play the radio to listen to works by composers such as Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky.
Russian Folk Tales
Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake was composed in 1875.
In 1891, Tchaikovsky was commissioned to compose the music for Alexandre Dumas’s adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffman’s tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King." The origin of the Nutcracker ballet, a classic Christmas Story, is a fairy tale ballet in two acts centered on a family’s Christmas Eve celebration. Here the story "Clara and the Nutcracker Doll" with Tchaikovsky's music.
Story
The Enormous Turnip
by Sue Arengo
Inventions
Russian inventions have changed the world
Igor Sikorsky - the "father" of helicopters. He invented the first successful helicopter, upon which further designs were based.
Dmitri Mendeleev has been credited with the invention of the periodic table.
Sputnik I – the world's first artificial satellite, it marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.
Nikolay Pirogov was one of the first physicians to administer ether as an anesthetic.
The worlds first personal computer was designed by Arseny Gorokhov, who in 1968.
Sites to See
Ten Russian Inventions That Have Quietly Changed The World
Around 1985 the computer game Tetris was invented in Russia (Soviet Union).
Cathedrals
St. Basil's Cathedral
St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, Russia was ordered built by Ivan the Terrible in 1552. It was completed in 1560. It is very whimsical tower, painted turrets with swirls and strips.
St. Basil's Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the city. It was was under construction for 40 years (1818-1858). There are 300 steps a person can climb to the observation walkway at the base of the cathedral's dome
St. Isaac's Cathedral
Make
Matryoshka nesting dolls fit one inside the other. The first Russian nested doll set was made in 1890.
Paper Baboushka/Matryushka Doll
Print the templates and create a Russian nesting doll.
Russian Cathedral Drawing
Use an onion shape and rectangles, add curves and swirls to decorate.
Concentric circles by Kandinsky
Russian abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky's most recognizable work is Squares and Concentric Circles (also known as Farbstudie Quadrate). Fold paper and use oil pastels or crayons to create your own squares and concentric circles. Kandinsky Color Studies--Put all together as a display to make a large piece of art.
Art Project for Kids - Kazimir Malevich
Create a picture in the style of Kazimir Malevich with geometric shapes.
Paper Snowflake Ballerinas
English translation
Step by step pictures and ballerina template.
Sites to See
Recommended
Russia ABCs: A Book About the People and Places of Russia (Country ABCs)
by Ann Berge
Masha and the Bear: A Story from Russia
by Lori Don
The Magic Nesting Doll
by Jacqueline K. Ogburn
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