Teachers of Russian as a foreign language are increasingly taking into account modern international experience of teaching foreign languages. In this regard, it seems relevant to revise methodological approaches and methods of teaching new vocabulary, which are used mechanically in domestic textbooks. The purpose of the article is to give a comprehensive analysis of existing approaches in working out methodological support for teaching vocabulary, in creating teaching aids, which reflect the authors’ system of presenting and teaching new vocabulary. The article analyzes manuals written by the teachers of the Russian language department of the Military Science and Training Center branch of the Navy “Naval Academy” in Kaliningrad. The analysis has revealed the most effective methods of teaching vocabulary: practising grammar skills in everyday speech situations and common vocabulary followed by learning the same grammar models in specialty texts, incorporating new vocabulary into a broader context, not only memorizing new vocabulary and grammar rules, but forming typical cognitive and grammar models, increasing the amount of tasks on text producing.