Hindi Paathshala

Classes are available either online or in-person on Sundays. Children must be at least in Grade 1 to enroll in language classes.

Hindi Paathshala is now available for individuals who are not Chinmaya Mission members or students and who are interested in learning Hindi. To register and acquire more information , reach out to us via email to: languages@chinmayadc.org

Please note the offering of these classes may be adjusted subject to enrollment and availability of qualified volunteer teachers.

Learning Hindi: A Student Testimonial

How to Earn the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy

Subject	Day	Time	Format	Chapter offering this class
Hindi Paathshala	Sunday	12:00 pm – 1:00 pm	Online ( ONLY for students where In-Person classes are unavailable)	Chinmayam & Chinmaya Somnath
Hindi Paathshala	Sunday	8:45 am – 9:45 am	In-Person	Chinmayam ONLY
Hindi Paathshala	Sunday	12:00 pm – 1:00 pm	In-Person	Chinmayam & Chinmaya Somnath

The Hindi program is approved by Montgomery County Public Schools for elective language credit. This credit is available to High School students (0.5 credit for each year grades 9-12)

Curriculum for all levels

Textbooks are approved by the Govt of India, the National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT). Each level involves a thorough coverage of selected chapters, exercises, and accompanying handouts and homework material.

For each level, the child must have

Hindi Paathshala (Binder), provided free of charge to new students for the first time only, can be purchased if lost
NCERT Textbooks (Bala Bharti, Rim Jhim)
Teach Yourself Hindi by Mohini Rao
English to Hindi Dictionary
Hindi to English Dictionary

All of the above are available for purchase. Handouts and other texts provided by the teacher. For information on Hindi Classes, please email hindi@chinmayam.org

Children MUST bring all Hindi Paathshala binders, books, dictionaries, writing material to class EVERY TIME.

Build your own Dictionary: A guide to conversation.
Grammar included in the respective text.
Hindi as a means to introduce students to some basic History and geography of India.

In addition please note that students arriving later will be asked to stay upstairs.

Level Specific Curriculum

Dictionary building
The default homework for each class is what is in the back of each lesson.
Introduction to simple sentences, number counting, days of week, months of year etc.
Word reorganization from the respective text books reading and writing.
Teachers will reinforce throughout the curriculum – all levels
Buy a marble notebook for your child. Name it as Dictionary for self-improvement. Each child must write down all the words that he /she knows so far.

Class Rules/Guidelines

The classes are organized so those students on the same level of the learning curve (regardless of their grade in school) are in the same class. In Hindi and Telugu, we have standard textbooks or teaching material that we will be following. Please make sure you get this information from the teacher. Your help in having them read at home and quizzing them will help their vocabulary and grammar.

Please go through this information carefully and spend some time with your child in understanding these instructions.

Hindi Paathshala tests its student on a monthly basis. Students must pass at least 80% of exams with a grade of 80% or better and an attendance of 80% or better (punctuality and presence) to be eligible for county credit.
– Most students will be tested by their own teacher and in some situations another teacher on the outline distributed in class.
– Attendance (no unexcused absences), punctuality and class participation will be heavily rated for all Levels and will affect the progression to next Level. Late arrival and absenteeism disrupt
class activity and will not be permitted.
– Grades are given for class participation, homework as well as class work. Participation in Annual Day and at least one of the Hindi Social is also counted towards the final grade and successful completion of the class.

If the student misses four or more classes without notice, the student will have to re-register for Language classes to be able to continue (See rules below).

TWO un-excused absences will result in removal of the child from the roster, no make up class or exam is offered.

Teachers may schedule meetings with parents to discuss the progress of their children if necessary.

All class related questions should be addressed directly with the teacher. Overall questions should be addressed to the language coordinator AnilKishore.

Students are tested periodically during the school year so that better performing students do not have to wait for the end of school year to be progressed to next Level.

In general testing will be done late September, early March and in June.

Respect for self is respect for others. Children should be attentive and respectful in class, and raise their hands and wait their turn before speaking.

Student should bring two sharpened pencils with erasers, binder (with loose-leaf papers)
to place handouts and class materials.

Students should also bring their textbook to class every day. No sharing is allowed in class. The children are asked to read, write notes, and prepare recitals, and they must have their own book. Sharing disrupts the class.

All Bala Vihar discipline rules provided to the students are also applicable during Language classes.

Chewing gum, drinks, or food should not be consumed in in the classrooms.

Use of smart devices (mobile phones, tablets etc.) is not permitted during any classes. If the child(ren) are found using any of those devices, the teacher will take the smart device from the child(ren) and parents will have to collect it from the teacher..

Parents are not permitted in class unless specifically requested by the teacher(s) to assist in teaching the class or an individual student.

Please make sure that your child

is in the class promptly (see class timings for individual classes). Late arrivals not only disrupt the class but also interfere with the child’s learning process.

The class is only offered once a week and in order for the child to progress, they would require a minimum of the allocated class time each week.

If the student misses four or more classes without notice, the student will have to re-register for the Language classes to be able to continue.

Continued excessive late arrivals and absenteeism will not be permitted in class and will result in permanent dismissal from class.

attends the classes regularly and makes a full effort to complete any assignment that is given for the week.

Parents are strongly encouraged to make sure that the children are practicing the language at home. Reinforcing the language skills at home is the ONLY way to advance their command on the language.

Please note that children can move more than one level. We periodically test the children for proficiency (see Student testing). Usually the first level takes the longest.

The course syllabus is distributed at the beginning of the class and is available from the teacher. You can assist your child satisfying the requirements for a given level.

WE HAVE SEEN BEST RESULTS WHEN THE CHILD PRACTICES THE LANGUAGE WITH FRIENDS AND PARENTS. ONCE WEEKLY CLASSES CAN ONLY EMPHASIZE ON READING AND WRITING.

Information for Parents of all levels:

ATTENDANCE RULES: Any unexcused absence from the class will not be acceptable. No more than three excused absences from the class are allowed for the school year. It is the responsibility of the parent to contact the respective teacher(s) directly for any excused absence. You may do so by sending email hindi@chinmayam.org. The student will be removed from the curriculum after 3 absences.

For accountability and safety of children, at least one parent, if not both, should be on campus.

Please notify the teacher(s) before class if your child is going to be absent. In the event of sudden illness or emergency, please notify the teacher(s) as soon as possible. The telephone numbers and email addresses of teachers provided may be used for this purpose

To maximize learning and to respect the significant effort teachers put in to prepare for class, please ensure that children attend class regularly and that absences are few and far between, and only due to unavoidable reasons such as illness or other emergencies.

Parents are expected to always supervise their children during the activities ensuring the sanctity of the facility.

Feel free to discuss your child’s progress or needs, or any concerns or questions you may have, with the teacher(s) or Coordinator. We encourage and value parental involvement and input.

Hindi Textbooks (Available from Book Store for Hindi Paathshala students only)

Bala Bharti, 1-5, Rim Jhim- Part 1, 2 and 3
Conversational Hindi – Teach Yourself Hindi, by Mohini Rao
Hindi with Harry – written by Rajeev Gopal
Let’s Begin – Level 1 – Hindi Learning Series – by Rajiv Mahajan –
Hindi Paathshala Binder – Prepared and Maintained by Class Teachers
Additional poems, folk songs and reading material are provided by the teachers to the students to supplement language skills.
Some activities will involve Arts group students. Detailed class outline will be handed out in class during September and as the year progresses.

The prescribed textbooks are approved by Govt. of India, the National Council of Educational Research & Training.

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