New 5th Grade Ukrainian Language Textbook Sparks Educator's Outcry: Focus on Abstract Sensory Experience Raises Questions About Core Grammar Instruction

Kyiv, Ukraine – A recent video posted by Ukrainian tutor "totoshka_online" has ignited discussions among educators regarding the content of new 5th-grade Ukrainian language textbooks. The tutor, who specializes in Ukrainian language instruction for students from grades 1 to 11, expressed profound shock and confusion over a specific assignment in a textbook she was using to prepare for a lesson. In her video, the tutor detailed an exercise that instructs students to "close your eyes, call imagination for help, and say what you imagine, what you feel when you hear the given words." The assignment then lists words such as "Matyola" (wallflower), "Chebrets" (thyme), "Strumok" (stream), "Kovyla" (feather grass), "Pukh" (fluff), "Krasolya" (nasturtium), "Lement" (wailing), "Vervechka" (string of beads), "Uzvar" (compote), "Omshanik" (mossy place), "Povin" (flood), "Tsitryna" (lemon), "Khvirtka" (wicket gate), "Sunytsia" (wild strawberry), and "Soloveyko" (nightingale). The tutor voiced her dismay, stating, "I am a little shocked. I sit preparing for a Ukrainian language lesson with a fifth-grader, and I took the textbook... but listen to the assignment." She continued, "Each word has its own aroma, taste, color, clear images, or peculiar texture that appears in the speaker's imagination when it sounds." She then questioned the fundamental shift, asking, "Is this a Ukrainian language lesson or some kind of... I can't even pick the word. Maybe I'm not competent, but after flipping through the textbook, I realized that ordinary topics, you know, like stressed 'e' and 'y', or alternations, they are not there. Everything here is like this... it's completely these kinds of words." She acknowledged the potential for emotional education but emphasized the absence of foundational grammar. "I understand this is emotional education, but where are the ordinary Ukrainian language topics?" The video has resonated with many, prompting a broader conversation about the balance between emotional development and core linguistic skills in the national curriculum.

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Підручник з української для 5 класу здивував завданням "понюхати слова" (ВІДЕО)

"Де звичайні теми з української мови?" Мережу спантеличив підручник НУШ для 5 класу, де дітей просять "понюхати" слова