ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the concepts and contextualizes the realities of supplementing curriculum practices in the instruction of Russian as a second or foreign language. As the authors establish teaching without a textbook as a trend in modern education, they contemplate the joys and challenges of teaching an L2 without a textbook and discuss what forms such instruction may take. The chapter analyzes teacher and learner attitudes toward textbooks, curriculum, and supplementation and points out the main themes developed by the authors of this volume. The most prominent themes are authenticity of materials, language, and content; presentation and perception of culture; student agency and ownership of learning; and intentionality of supplementation practices. The authors then present the main parts of the volume and explain its structure.
