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Curriculum Units and Resources

CREEES works with educators, school districts, and state officials to “fill the gaps” between teacher knowledge and the set goals of curricular mandates. As part of our efforts, we have created classroom-ready curriculum units utilizing primary source documents, area studies content, and classroom activities for middle and high school students.
The following modules were developed in line with the standards set out by the State of Texas. Texas’ mandated content standards—the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)—are closely aligned to national standards in the social studies, however, you should feel free to adapt the activities below to fit your individual classroom and state standards.

We have additional educator resources at : https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/creees/educator-resources/

CREEES-Developed Curriculum Units

The Life and Times of Dmitri Shostakovich (PDF, 5.2MB)

A Curriculum Unit for Middle School Students

The activities in this lesson are intended to help students understand the life and music of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Students will gain an appreciation for music as both a controversial form of human expression and as a response to pressing social issues.

Introduction to Central Asia: Lesson Plans for 6th Graders (PDF, 12.7MB)

This unit contains three lesson plans intended to introduce middle school students to the region of Central Asia. The countries which define the region of Central Asia include: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Each lesson is designed to broaden students' understanding and appreciation of Central Asia through topics broadly related to geography, social studies and culture. Lessons begin with the understanding that in order to best understand another region, country or society, it is important to first understand your own.

Where East Meets West: An Introduction to the Caucasus and the BTC Oil Pipeline—A Curriculum Unit for High School Students (PDF, 7.7MB)

The activities in this unit are intended to introduce students to the geopolitical issues that surround a highly debated infrastructure project: the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. In studying the BTC pipeline, students will: 1) work collaboratively to learn more about the Caucasus and the BTC pipeline through Internet-based research; 2) explore the varied geopolitical issues which the construction of the pipeline has created; 3) view a documentary film about the BTC pipeline which explores both its global and local impact; 4) thoughtfully and critically examine the interests that various stakeholders have in the BTC pipeline; and 5) defend the interests of a particular interest group in a conflict-resolution activity.

The Essentials of Azerbaijani: An Introductory Course (PDF, 683KB)

This course has been designed to cover the basic structures and features of the Azerbaijani language. It includes text and audio pronunciation guides. The goal of the course is to provide learners with a solid foundation for the future study of Azerbaijani. The course does not presume any linguistic knowledge or prior language study.

From Peter to Putin: The Enduring Myth of Saint Petersburg

When Peter the Great founded his new Russian capital in 1703, the imagined and forced city of St. Petersburg became the center of Russian art, architecture, and literary culture for the next 200 years. During that time, the city and its denizens became part of a “myth,” a collection of legends and tales connected to the image of the city in cultural texts and in the collective Russian consciousness.

This presentation traces the development of the Petersburg Myth in the literary works of the great writers (including Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tsvetaeva), art (Benois, Kramskoi and “The Wanderers”), and architecture (Rastrelli, Rossi, Quarenghi), focusing on the creation and perpetuation of this salient phenomenon in Russian national culture. We will examine cultural products (literature, art, film) that represent various perspectives on the Myth, and bring its relevance right up to the 21st century and one of Petersburg’s most (in)famous native sons, Vladimir Putin.

Access the recording and materials here.

Hemispheres-Developed Curriculum Units

Hemispheres: The International Outreach Consortium

Connecting to the larger world. Transforming old ideas into new. Providing innovative approaches to world studies.

Hemispheres, the international outreach consortium at the University of Texas at Austin, offers a broad educational program to increase knowledge and understanding of Western Europe; Latin America; the Middle East; Russia, East Europe, and Eurasia; and South Asia. Using the resources of one of the nation’s largest research institutions, we work with educators to address critical needs and to supplement existing knowledge of the world around us.

We are actively involved in content-based teacher training, standards-aligned curriculum development, and the presentation of instructional resources in a variety of formats and levels.

Using our funding sources wisely, we are able to provide the majority of our services for no or little cost. With our network of campus affiliates and partners, we can expand our services to provide comprehensive services to a wide variety of audiences on an almost limitless number of topics.

Resources for Language Teachers

In addition to hosting professional development events for K-14 teachers of Russian language, CREEES has compiled a list of free online resources to help you in your LCTL curriculum development and teaching:

For assistance downloading or accessing the materials available on this page, contact Cara Keirstead, CREEES Communications Coordinator. She can be reached by e-mail at carakeirstead@utexas.edu.