From YouTube to the Classroom

The Media-Didactic Use of Maša i Medved’ in Russian Language Teaching

Abstract

This article explores the educational potential of Maša i Medved’ for teaching Russian as a foreign language. As one of Russia’s most notable cultural exports in recent years, the animated series has gained global acclaim, with 142 episodes broadcast in over 100 countries (as of December 2024) and numerous international awards. The series, based on a Russian folktale, appeals to a global audience with its universal themes, such as friendship and loyalty, and its simple, linear narrative. Tailored to very young audiences, the seven-minute episodes feature minimal dialogue, limited to Masha’s character, while the other animals understand her but do not verbally communicate. This raises the question of how, and to what extent, the series can be effectively used in teaching Russian as a foreign language. The article aims to answer this question by demonstrating 1) how the episode Raz v godu [Once in a Year] can be used at different levels of language proficiency (A1+/A2 and B1), and 2) the media-didactic potential the series as a whole holds for teaching Russian as a foreign language.