Do Your ABC: Teaching Tense and Aspect with Verbs of Motion

This paper examines the continued application of a content-based approach initially developed for teaching Russian verbs of motion (VoM) at the novice level (Six). It begins by introducing the ABC principle, a method that presents prefixed and unprefixed VoM together in their most typical contexts, rather than separately. The ABC principle ("A+B+C=D", as in поплыл + плыл + приплыл = плавал) helps visualize a three-leg journey and introduces students to two distinct sets of stems: Directional stems for A, B, and C verbs, and Non-directional stems for D verbs. The paper then explores extending the ABC principle to intermediate-level instruction, focusing on categorizing prefixed VoM into three groups based on the three-leg journey framework: 1. Departing (вышел, отошёл) 2. Navigating Obstacles and Detours En Route (прошёл, перешёл) 3. Arriving at the destination (дошёл, подошёл). The proposed approach focuses on teaching students word-building skills, emphasizing how to modify stems. It deepens their understanding of common modifications in Directional stems associated with tense and aspect (e.g., плыл – отплыл – отплывал) compared to the rare or nonexistent modifications in Non-directional stems (e.g., плавал – проплавал). Additionally, the article discusses the application of derivational chains to facilitate the introduction of secondary imperfective verbs and includes examples of the most effective assignments.