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Is it realistic for a second-grade child to learn English well without organized courses or private tutors if they already know the alphabet and some basic words from attending kindergarten classes?
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Tatyana Levanovich
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I'm sorry, but that's not included in our program.
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August 28, 2025, 4:12 PM
Danilova Svetlana
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Of course. It's really simple — there's nothing complicated about it.
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August 28, 2025, 4:12 PM
Darya
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My son is studying independently. I purchased Uzorova's supplementary materials and help him myself. For now, we're doing fine without tutors.
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August 28, 2025, 4:13 PM
Elena
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They're doing well in school. Until second grade, they didn't know any English.
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August 28, 2025, 4:13 PM
Ekaterina Berezanskaya
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It's possible. My older son started learning English in first grade, and even by fourth grade he didn't need a tutor. He earned top marks, although the curriculum wasn't easy. What really matters is the child's motivation and desire to learn.
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August 28, 2025, 4:14 PM
Katerina
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Danilova Svetlana It seems a bit odd to me that the very first exercise in a first-year textbook is "Read and sing the song."
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August 28, 2025, 4:15 PM
Gala
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A tutor in second grade? Wow — that's surprising. Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It really makes you wonder how kids used to learn without tutors.
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August 28, 2025, 4:18 PM
Olga
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It depends on what you mean by "good to have." Could you clarify what you have in mind?
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August 28, 2025, 4:18 PM
Marina
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A lot depends on the teacher. Judging by the curriculum, it doesn't seem very realistic. My son was unlucky with his teacher — he’s basically starting from scratch, even though he isn’t unintelligent. For my daughter, both the program and the teacher have changed, so we’ll see how it goes. What frustrates me most is that they’re expected to read from the very first lessons, even though they haven’t been taught how to blend sounds yet.
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August 28, 2025, 4:19 PM
Danilova Svetlana
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Danilova Svetlana This is because the series includes a 'Starter' level that isn't taught in schools. I understand that can be confusing.
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August 28, 2025, 4:20 PM
Katerina
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Danilova Svetlana Hi — could you tell me what's included in the starter? Does it include numbers, colors, the alphabet, or other basic elements?
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August 28, 2025, 4:21 PM
Katerina
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Marina That's exactly what I mean. If a child is expected to start reading right away, when should they begin learning, and who should teach them? I'm just trying to understand the timing and who usually takes responsibility.
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August 28, 2025, 4:22 PM
Katerina
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Gala In the past we had real teachers, but now there are instructors who mostly just hand out materials. Children start learning English as early as kindergarten. Our English teacher will be demanding — she runs her own courses, so I expect she'll be strict with students who haven't had extra tutoring.
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August 28, 2025, 4:24 PM
Alena
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Could you tell me what kind of program this is, please?
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August 28, 2025, 4:24 PM
Agapova Inna
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If a child is quick to learn and the parent is willing to help, the chances of success are very high.
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August 28, 2025, 4:25 PM
Katerina
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Alena Russian School
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August 28, 2025, 4:25 PM
Danilova Svetlana
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Danilova Svetlana Introductory course. Come watch, talk, listen, and draw — learn a language the way children do at the start: by exploring, imitating, and playing. Take your time; it's okay to make mistakes.
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August 28, 2025, 4:26 PM
Katerina
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Agapova Inna Let's hope we can manage — we'll be okay )
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August 28, 2025, 4:30 PM
Katerina
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Olga If you can, please give a rating of 4 or 5. Thank you!
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August 28, 2025, 4:30 PM
Olya
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Grammar.
You should start studying verb tenses right away — at least the present tense.

Present Simple (regular or permanent actions): "I go to school." — used for routines or actions that happen regularly, e.g. "I go to school every day."

Present Continuous (actions happening now): "I am going to school." — used for actions that are in progress at the moment, i.e., what a person is doing right now.

You don't necessarily need a tutor. You can study the second-grade program on your own if you don't already know it.
There's a lot of information online — you can ask Yandex or Google how something is used and why.
Google Translate can also read words aloud. If you're unsure how a word is pronounced, use Google or Yandex for help.

If you'd like, I can help or recommend resources.
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August 28, 2025, 4:33 PM
Olya
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Grammar.
You should start learning verb tenses right away — at least the present tense.

Present Simple (habitual or regular actions: "I go to school." This means "I go to school every day." — a regular action)
I go to school

Present Continuous (actions happening right now: "I am going to school." This means the person is doing it at this moment.)
I am going to school

You don't necessarily need a tutor; you can study a second-grade curriculum yourself if you're not sure.
There is a lot of information online — you can ask Yandex or Google how to use something correctly and why.
Google Translate (and Yandex) can read words aloud. If you're not sure how a word is pronounced, use their pronunciation feature.
You can do this — start with the basics and take it step by step.
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August 28, 2025, 4:35 PM
Elena Opalovskaya
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Marina It's not the teacher's fault — it's the curriculum. If the Ministry of Education has approved a textbook that presents topics and assignments in a certain way, teachers have very little room to deviate from the plan. At best, a teacher can spend an extra hour or two preparing students for a particular assignment, but that comes at the expense of other topics later on. That can be frustrating, especially since truly "easy" topics are rare, even in second grade. The current approach emphasizes inquiry-based learning: whereas teachers used to explain everything and give the answers, now students are expected to find and study parts of the material themselves, in the textbook or in supplementary resources. This shift affects not only English classes but the whole curriculum, and I understand how that can be upsetting for both parents and students.
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August 28, 2025, 4:36 PM
Alena
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Alena Could you please tell me which English program we're using?
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August 28, 2025, 4:45 PM
Alena
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Alena Do you mean 'Spotlight'?
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August 28, 2025, 4:46 PM
Katerina
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Alena We haven't received the textbooks yet. We'll let you know as soon as they arrive — thank you for your patience.
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August 28, 2025, 4:48 PM
Yana
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It often depends on the teacher and on whether you can help at home by going over what your child didn’t understand in class. I had to spend the whole year working extra with my son on English. This year I asked to move him to another group — the teacher there actually explains things and uses supplementary materials, which has helped.
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August 28, 2025, 4:55 PM
Olya
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Grammar.
You should start studying verb tenses right away — at least the present tense.

Present Simple (habitual or regular actions): I go to school. This means "I go to school every day" — a repeated, regular action.
Present Continuous (action in progress): I am going to school. This means the person is going right now.

You don't need a tutor; you can study the second-grade curriculum yourself if you're not familiar with it. There's a lot of information online — you can ask Yandex or Google how things work and why. Google Translate also has a pronunciation feature. If you're unsure how a word is pronounced, use Google or Yandex for help.
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August 28, 2025, 5:42 PM
Natasha
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Gala Please don't compare the past and the present )) I started learning English in first grade. We spent that whole year learning letters and sounds and practicing simple one-syllable words. And now you open a textbook and the very first exercise is: 'Read the text and translate it!'
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August 28, 2025, 5:49 PM
Marina
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Marina I understand why this is worrying. Yes, the curriculum is part of the problem, but the teacher is a factor too. I work at the same school and have seen how that teacher approaches lessons; I also hear feedback from the primary teachers (they sometimes sit in on English classes to check notebooks). My son didn't have English in second grade — they only started it in third grade and then rushed through the program. All of these factors combined worked against him.
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August 28, 2025, 6:09 PM
Gala
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Gala Most people who commented on that post said their children are doing just fine without tutors. So it seems things aren't as bad as they might have seemed.
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August 28, 2025, 6:30 PM
Natasha
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Gala It depends on the child. Many things are possible in this world, but for some it can be difficult )
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August 28, 2025, 7:03 PM
Katerina
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Ekaterina Berezanskaya I really hope so. My son picks things up quickly and has a good ear for words.
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August 28, 2025, 7:18 PM

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