Stages of working with texts in Russian language classes at higher education institutions

Abstract

This article examines the main stages of working with texts in Russian language classes at higher education institutions and their didactic significance. It discusses the key objectives of higher education, including teaching specialised vocabulary and terminology, improving students' skills in working with professionally oriented educational texts in Russian, extracting relevant information, summarising specialised texts, and developing oral communication skills based on texts related to students' fields of study. Particular attention is also paid to developing general academic skills, especially the ability to work independently with reference materials. The article outlines the essential requirements for educational texts, emphasising their accessibility, appropriate length, and suitability for students' levels of language proficiency. Three consecutive stages of text-based instruction are described: pre-text, while-text, and post-text activities. The pre-text stage focuses on overcoming lexical and grammatical difficulties, while the second stage aims to develop reading comprehension and understanding of textual content. The final stage involves activities such as preparing an outline and retelling the text according to the proposed plan. The importance of gradually progressing from pre-communicative exercises to communicative activities is emphasised.