Language & Culture Classes
Cultural classes at CM DFW
CM DFW offers many diverse enrichment opportunities for children to “grow and glow.” In this nurturing environment, children discover and develop their latent talents, and also get a chance to form lasting relationships with each other.
As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and all the CM D/FW family members have plenty of opportunities to help in this process. Everyone is encouraged to volunteer and contribute in any of the activities – both for your own spiritual evolution and for reinforcing the cultural foundation of our children.
The cultural classes run weekly at the same time every week, before or after a Bala Vihar session at each center.
The students will have opportunities to present their learning on stage to the assembly of their session.
In addition to these assembly performances, there are additional opportunities for children from all centers to perform, together, in themed dance and music performances on stage presented to the entire congregation of CMDFW.
Languages (Hindi, Kannada)
In the language class, children learn to converse using simple sentences and questions. They also learn the alphabet and work on reading text.
In higher levels, they also learn to write sentences in the language.
Children are encouraged to build their vocabulary and construct sentences substituting English words when they cannot recall the word in the language. Then, they are taught the words they were seeking, to help them remember words in a meaningful context.
Swaranjali
In Swaranjali, the children are taught bhajans and devotional songs in various Indian languages. The only requirements are that the child has an interest in learning and has the voice and ability to carry a tune. While children undergoing formal musical training may tend to grasp quicker, this class caters to children of varying musical abilities, and they will be grouped and taught according to their skill levels.
Gita Chanting
The Gita chanting class is a supplement to support the memorization of verses from the Bhagavad Gita, that are chanted during the weekly assembly. Students learn to chant and memorize the verses from the selected chapter for the current year, in a systematic manner with repetition and individual attention. Children are taught the nuances of pronunciation like mahaprana, alpaprana etc. Children have fun learning these verses with different games woven into the class to aid memorization. The goal of the class is not only to learn the verses, but to also find joy in chanting.
Shlokathon
The Shlokathon program is a multi-year program to learn 2-3 Shlokas on each deity, some verses from the Bhagavad Gita as well as some Vedic Suktams. It is a self-paced program with periodic testing to verify memorization of each Shlokam. Students may learn at home or attend the class weekly for assistance in reading and chanting the material. Students are awarded a progress sticker as they complete each section. Once they complete all the sections, they are awarded a trophy at a significant mission event.
Fees:
Gita Chanting and Shlokathon are FREE and $120 per child for rest of the classes (FREE for Parivar Members)
The classes offered at each center and session vary depending on the teacher volunteers and the student interest. Depending on the availability of teacher resources and indication of strong student interest, additional offerings may be made during the year.
- Saaket S1/S2 will have classes for Hindi, Kannada, Swaranjali, Geeta Chanting and Shlokathon
- Chitrakoot C1 will have classes for Hindi, Geeta Chanting and Shlokathon
- Chitrakoot C3 will have classes for Hindi, Swaranjali, Geeta Chanting and Shlokathon
- Frisco F1/F2 will have classes for Hindi, Swaranjali, Geeta Chanting and Shlokathon
- Frisco F3 will have classes for Geeta Chanting
Timings:
For the 2024-2025 year, the following are the timings when the cultural classes will be offered.
- Chitrakoot C1, Saaket S1 & S2, Frisco F1 & F2 will have cultural classes from 10:45 am to 11:45 am Sundays, after the Bala Vihar session.
- Chitrakoot C3 **new this year** will have cultural classes from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm Saturdays, before the Bala Vihar session.
- Frisco F3 **new this year** will have cultural classes from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm Sundays, after the Bala Vihar session.
To volunteer or for more information/questions on the cultural classes ONLY, please contact Arunachalam Venkatraman (Venkat) at 972-335-6353.
