“Songs help”

This chapter addresses the use of songs and animated films in the beginner/intermediate Russian as a foreign language (RFL) university classroom. The authors review the literature on the subject and provide ways that teachers of Russian can use the Soviet-era song “A Million Scarlet Roses” [Миллион алых роз] and a scene from the Soviet animated cartoon “Junior and Karlson” [Малыш и Карлсон] as linguistic and cultural learning tools. Based on their experience using songs and animated films with students of RFL, the authors reflect on their practice and suggest a set of guiding principles for incorporating these types of authentic materials into instruction.