Sept 17th, 2021 - Grade 6 (Friday)
Hari Om Parents,
We trust that each one of you is well and staying safe!
Please find below the update from our class, last Friday.
With the Almighty, our Pujya Gurudev and our dear Swamiji's blessings, we strongly believe that we are now better equipped to handle the Zoom classes until we meet in person, at the ashram. Our main topic will be Mahabharata (from Virata Parva onwards) interspersed with lessons on Indian culture, temples, festivals etc., We are extremely excited to provide an amazing online learning experience, complete games, visual aids, quizzes, interactive debates, discussions, and presentations.
Class began with Opening Prayers - 3 OMs, followed by the chanting of Sahanavavatu.
Shlokas: (My Prayers Book)
1. The kids, then took turns to recite the Daily Prayers (page#11) in the order of:
- Karagre Vasate
- Samudravasane
- Gange cha Yamune
- Sarasvati Namastubhyam
- Brahmaarpanam
- Shubham Karoti
- Kara-charana-krtam vak - kindly encourage the kids to memorize these and recite them at appropriate times throughout the day. Thus, instilling in them, not just the learning part but to put all that they learn, into practice into their daily routine.
2. As per our curriculum, we proceeded to learn the Devi Dhyana Shloka (page#39). Each of the kids volunteered to recite after the teacher and learn the shloka with proper pronunciation and appropriate diction. The students participated with so much vigor and enthusiasm that most of the kids memorized it within a matter of minutes.
In our upcoming class, our plan is to start learning the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, a couple of verses at a time and so regular review of these shlokas every week would facilitate memorization as well.
Please encourage your kids to memorize all the shlokas taught in class regularly.
3. We continued with our lesson plan by introducing an Ice-breaker activity of "Get 2 Know me" with a set of questions that will enable the teachers to know the students and for them to know their peers. Each of them introduced themselves, by their name, school they attend, favorite summer activity, favorite character from Mahabharata and the reason behind their choice of character. The kids were creative with their answers, and we are pretty sure that by the end of this round they had found common interests among them. They were then, posed a question regarding their primary choice of Balavihar activity, that they found fun and interesting. The popular choice seemed to be Games followed closely by Plays and skits.
4. A comprehensive quiz of more than 70 questions on Mahabharata, was compiled based on their 5th grade curriculum addressing an array of basic details to assess their grasp of the story. These questions were set up to be tricky as well. In such cases, the kids were encouraged to employ the time tested and effective technique of process of elimination through chain peer picks to arrive at the correct answer. The kids performed splendidly and displayed an excellent understanding of the storyline and the characters. Our lesson plan for next week's class will include continuation of this activity since we managed to cover only 1/4th of the quiz material.
5. We then, telecast in class, the Youtube video of Our Swamiji's message on Bhagavad Gita chanting followed by the Primer video on sanskrit alphabet review with emphasis on proper pronunciation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8cRDI4Cs4Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkuUCKp3BW0
The class students were then instructed to join the main Zoom session to receive blessings from our Swamiji followed by the Aarthi and concluding prayers.
Virtual Class Etiquette for participants:
Important: Our class will start at 7 pm sharp on Fridays with opening prayers. Try to log in 5-10 min early to avoid unpleasant disruption to our opening prayers routine.
1. Please sit at a study desk in a quiet room with a clean background.
2. A table lamp is recommended - light should fall on your face so the teachers can see your face clearly
3. Use of headset strongly recommended
4. All participants will be muted on entry - please raise your virtual hand if you wish to speak.
5. Please have your MY Prayers book, handbook, a notebook (no loose-leaf sheets), and pen/pencil ready at hand.
6. Kindly avoid bathroom breaks and eating during class hours
7. Keep your desk clear of unwanted electronic devices to avoid unnecessary distractions.
Next class is this Friday, the 21st at 7 pm sharp. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or queries you may have. Thank you!
At His Service
Friday Grade 6 Sevikas
Sangita Patankar & Viji Lakshmi Hari