Maggie’s
Activity Pack
Name __________________________
Date ___________________________
Life in a Russian Village!
Maggie is visiting her friends in Borok Russia. Olga and Dimitri live near the Volga
River. Maggie learns a fun fact. The Volga River is not the longest river in Russia. But it
is the longest river in Europe. This is because Russia spans two continents, Asia and
Europe. The Volga River is found in just the European part of Russia. This isn’t the only
interesting thing about Russia that Maggie will learn on her trip. Read her journal. You
will discover other fun facts about life in a Russian village.
I Arrive in Borok, Russia
The train ride here was fun. I
loved the train car. It had a tea area
with a Russian samovar. I boarded the
train in St. Petersburg around 6:00 in
the evening. I slept until someone woke
me at 2:00 am. We were nearing the
station. I was lucky I didn’t have far to
travel as Russia has 6.6 million square
miles and 11 time zones.
I washed my face, took my bags,
and stood near the door until the train
came to a halt. I stepped into the cold
night air. I smiled when I saw my
friends, Olga and Dimitri running to
meet me. They took my luggage and
loaded it in the van, and started the 15
miles to Borok.
I was almost asleep. Then a
sudden stop woke me. Olga laughed.
She said that a black bear was in the
road. I peered into the forest. But the
bear had already run away. Dimitri said
that Borok is in a part of Russia called,
Yaroslav. The bear is their emblem. He
told me this wouldn’t be the only bear I
would see.
We jerked along the dirt road into
the village. We pulled up in front of the
guest cottage. Dimitri jumped out and
held the door open for me. “No locks
here,” he smiled. Olga and Dimitri gave
me a choice of rooms. I plopped into a
twin bed and fell asleep.
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2007. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.
.
Monday, My First Day
When I awoke, I looked out the
window. What I saw made me hold my
blanket tighter. Snow was falling.
There was about 3 inches on the
ground. Olga told me that it snowed in
Borok as early as October. They had
snow as late as May. Soon Olga and
Dimitri came to take
me to the Borok café for breakfast.
Along the way, I saw a big crane
frozen in mid-air. When I asked about
it, Olga laughed. “That’s so much a part
of Borok that I sometimes forget about
it.” She explained that the crane had
stopped in 1991. This was the year
everything changed in Russia.
Tuesday, Museum Day
.
I love my Russian breakfasts of
sausage, bread, cheese, and pickles.
At first it seemed strange, pickles for
breakfast? But this seems normal. I
still don’t care much for the beet soup,
borscht. I try not to let Olga and Dimitri
know of my dislike. That wouldn’t be
polite.
Today my friends took me to the
museum. Inside are stuffed examples of
the animals found in and around Borok.
I wasn’t surprised to see a big bear. But
what did surprise me was the huge
stuffed boar. It looked frightening.
Dimitri told me he had once met a wild
boar in the woods. He had to climb a
tree to get away from it. I was also
She told me that from 1917 until 1991,
Russia was led by communists. They
made Russia and many near-by
countries into a big nation called the
Soviet Union. When communism fell,
Russia became known as Russia again!
Borok was a village founded by
the Soviet Union for biologists. They,
and their families, had been sent here to
study the effects of dams on the Volga
River. But when communism fell, work
on the village just stopped. Olga
explained that freedom was wonderful,
but money was a problem. One way
they saved money was to grow food.
Each family had a plot of land for
gardening. They still have these kitchen
gardens.
amazed to see a huge moose and a tiny
mouse that makes a two-room nest.
All the signs were written in
Russian. Dimitri had to read them for
me. Russian is written using the Cyrillic
alphabet. There are 33 letters. It was
invented about a thousand years ago by
a man named Cyril.
I loved looking at the displays of
the animals and plants found around
Borok. The Russians respect their local
plants and animals. The museum
curator had been taking care of the
exhibits for 50 years. He treated this
small museum like a member of his
family. He had no modern computers
here. In fact, he kept an abacus on his
desk. Imagine that in this computer
age!
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2007. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.
Wednesday, Shopping
Day
.
I spent the afternoon shopping in
Borok. The village has one store that
sells just about everything from meat to
fishhooks. The first floor of the shop
sells some food. You can get canned
meat or an ice cream cone here.
Upstairs there are long glass counters.
There aren’t many items in this small
room, but you will find many different
things. You can buy toothpaste, books,
dishes, or even winter boots. I was
talking to one of the women about
buying a winter hat, when I heard
barking. I was so surprised to see two
dogs playing in the store! Soon another
dog joined them. Then all three dogs
Thursday, School Day
I went to Olga’s school today.
First she took me to see the 6, 7, and 8
year old classes. A teacher stays with
the class for three years. Students do a
lot of work. They go to school 6 days a
week for 10 months each year. Olga
said she loved her primary teacher, Mrs.
Pavlov. She encouraged Olga in art.
The village schools do not have much
money for supplies. The children collect
material from the forest. They use it for
art projects. Olga showed me baskets
they had woven from reeds. They had
painted on birch bark. She said this bark
had fallen from the trees. We then went
to the upper grade classrooms.
Students study math, science, Russian
literature, writing, history, English, art,
.
turned and trotted down the stairs.
Dimitri told me that dogs roam freely in
Borok. No one thinks it is strange for
the dogs to “go shopping” too!
I didn’t find a hat in the village
store. But this was Wednesday. That is
the day many people bring their goods
to Borok. They set them up in an
outdoor market. There were many stalls
of boots, eggs, and hats. We walked
along the row of tables. Finally I pulled
out a few rubles and bought a wool hat.
Now I was ready for the Russian
weather!
We walked to the Borok fish lab
where Dimitri’s parents worked. It was a
good day!
music, and physical education. Olga told
me is important to learn English. Many
of the students’ parents are scientists.
They work on projects with scientists
from many countries. English is the
language they use. Parents want their
children to learn English. They hope
many of them will grow to be scientists,
too.
Olga likes the fine arts. She
practices the piano three hours each
day. She spends about 2 hours working
on her art. I asked her how she fit all
this into her day. I knew she also had to
do many hours of homework. She said
there was no television. She also said
her grandmother, called babushka in
Russian, wants her to do well. Older
people are respected in Russia.
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2007. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.
Many Studies…Social Studies!
Many different “studies” are part of what we call social studies. Here is a
list of some of the areas we think about when we say social studies:
History
Geography
Economics
Education
Culture
Below is an outline that will help you to better understand information
about life in a Russian village. Use Maggie’s journal to help finish the outline.
I. Russian History
A. Communist era
1. began - ______________
2. Russia known as _________________________
3. government built - ____________________________________
B. Post-Communist era
1. began - _____________
2. what happened to people in villages - _________________________
________________________________________________________
II. Russian Geography
A. Big country
1. square miles - ______________
2. has ______ time zones
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2007. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.
B. Borok area
1. known for _________________________________________
2. communists built dams on the ______________________
3. weather is ______________________________________________
III. Russian Village Economics
A. Goods
1. money is called ______________
2. shops are _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
3. marketplace has __________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
4. there is little money for _____________________________________
5. people grow vegetables in __________________________________
B. Daily work
1. scientists study ___________________________________________
2. people work in ___________________________________________
IV. Russian Village Education
A. School year
1. lasts _______________months
2. go to school ______________ days each week
B. Primary education
1. students have _____________________________________________
2. art is important, supplies come from ___________________________
3. even primary students ______________________________________
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2007. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.
C. Upper grades
1. students study _____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
2. English is important because _________________________________
_________________________________________________________
V. Russian Culture
A. Respect
1. Russian word for grandmother - __________________________
2. Russians respect the _______________________________________
B. Alphabet
1. called _________________________
2. has ___________________ letters
3. invented by ______________________________________
C. Food
1. favorite soup is ______________________________________
2. breakfasts consist of _________________________________
Thinking For Yourself…
What is one thing about life in a Russian village that you liked?
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2007. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.
Dear Colleague,
This activity is based on my week spent in the charming science village of Borok,
Russia. For years, our family had hosted scientists from Borok when they visited the United
States. I was excited when it was my turn to experience Russian hospitality when I traveled
to this village. I was completely overwhelmed by the friendliness and joy of the people. I can
just give you and your students a taste of this; I only hope it will make you want to learn more
about this fascinating country.
Kathy
Suggested answers:
I. Russian History
A. Communist era
1. began - 1917
2. Russia known as Soviet Union
3. government built – village for scientists
B. Post-Communist era
1. began - 1991
2. what happened to people in villages – all construction stopped, people had
economic problems
II. Russian Geography
A. Big country
1. square miles – 6.6 million square miles
2. has 11 time zones
B. Borok area
1. known for science
2. communists built dams on the Volga River
3. weather is cold and snowy
III. Russian Village Economics
A. Goods
1. money is called ruble
2. shops are poorly stocked, sell many kinds of goods, etc.
3. marketplace has stalls that sell different kinds of goods and food
4. there is little money for food, goods, art supplies (answers will vary)
5. people grow vegetables in kitchen gardens
B. Daily work
1. scientists study the effects of dams on the Volga River
2. people work in fish lab, the village store, schools, kitchen gardens, (answers will
vary)
IV. Russian Village Education
A. School year
1. lasts 10 months
2. go to school 6 days each week
B. Primary education
1. students have one teacher for 3 years
2. art is important, supplies come from nature
3. even primary students do a lot of work
C. Upper grades
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2007. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.
1. students study math, science, Russian literature, writing, history, English, art, music,
and physical education.
2. English is important because scientists speak it when they work with scientists from
other countries
V. Russian Culture
A. Respect
1. Russian word for grandmother - babushka
2. Russians respect the flora and fauna (local environment)
B. Alphabet
1. called Cyrillic alphabet
2. has 33 letters
3. invented by Cyril
C. Food
1. favorite soup is borscht
2. breakfasts consist of sausage, pickles, bread, and cheese
Goals:
Students will read journal entries about a visit to a Russian village. They will find social
studies facts about culture, history, geography, education, and economics in this realistic
fiction. They will use these facts to complete an outline. Students will see how these facts
can be organized for efficient learning. This activity is available on both the primary and
intermediate levels. The activity correlates with the National Social Studies Standards:
Culture, People, Places and Environment, and Individuals, Groups, and Institutions.
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2007. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.