May 5 - Annual Day - Fab. Five Game Show

Hari OM,

The Fifth grade team has been diligently working for the last couple of weeks in planning and practicing the Fab. Five Game Show. Today at 11AM, we had our stage rehearsal in Cross Roads middle school. We got all the props required for the game show: Game Board, Score Board, question and answer tiles, clip boards, markers & pencils, bell, etc. We rehearsed once on stage, and found out our Green Room for the evening event. The Tech. team spruced up the power point presentation with appropriate backgrounds for each round, info. about the Prizes, etc.

The class met again at 3:30PM, anxious for their turn to host the show. The hosts and announcers had dressed in black and white. Every one else was looking fabulous in their indian costumes. Publicity & Campaigning team reached out to the Players and confirmed that they are all reporting to the green room by 4:15PM. When the teams reported, they briefed the three teams about the rules of the game show and answered their questions.

At about 5:15PM we left the green room and quietly assembled back-stage. The Stage Setup and Props team arranged the stage for the game show and the emcees called out the fifth grade team to present the game show around 5:30PM.

The Announcers took over the mike and explained what the game was all about to the audience, introduced the playing teams and the presentation team for the first round. The Team Explosive Samosas got their first question: Husband of Uma. The props team maneuvered the game board with express speed and accuracy. No one in the audience saw them in action, but those of us in the back-stage were amazed with their focus and speed. Excitement slowly mounted as the various teams started competing with each other. At the end of Round #1, all the questions on the names of Shiva had been completed.

For Round #2, the music to time the players solving the word clue, finally kicked in to action, adding a wonderful audio effect. This was purely a fifth-grade students' idea that evolved with suggestions of popular music tunes, a fifth grader played and recorded a version of the Pink Panther music with custom effects for the last 5 seconds. None of the teams were able to solve the word puzzles in the category Vishnu.

The announcers kept the audience engaged while presentation teams switched for the third round. Category was Names of Devis. At the end of the three rounds, one team had not scored any points. Hence, only the other two teams moved on to the FIRE round.

The topic for FIRE round was daanam. (giving, generosity, charity). The teams waged the points they had earned. But unfortunately both the teams did not sove the clue to the answer "Sage dadhici".

After all the rounds, Team Explosive Samosas came first with 100 points, Team Supreme S.I.V.A came second with 50 points.

Then it was time for Prize distribution. The publicity & campaigning team gave away fabulous prizes with their hard-earned money - AMC Gold experience movie tickets for two with a voucher for pop-corn to the winning team , ITunes gift cards for $20 each to the runners-up. The third team, Team SEVAKS, got a consolation prize for participation, ITunes gift cards for $10 each.

The fifth grade team lined up on stage and the audience gave them a big round of applause for hosting a fabulous game show, indeed.

The teachers are extremely happy and pleased with the fifth grade kids' team work, co-operation and attention to details. Special thanks to the two girls who agreed to substitute for the kids who could not make it to the game-show due to health issues. That is the kind of team-work all these kids demonstrated through out this game-show.

Note to Parents: If any of you recorded the game-show, please share with the group.

CONGRATULATIONS,
Fifth Grade Teachers: Anjana Aunty, Prasad Uncle, Sangita Aunty & Kasturi Uncle

March 17, 2013

Hari OM.
Kids started with the Likhita Japa of the stuti - "OM durgaayai namaH". The class meditated for a few minutes, holding their hands in chinmudra. We sang our opening prayers.

** Section 1 **
We discussed the Devi names that the kids are familiar with. It was surprising to the kids that most of the girls/female relatives whom they knew had one of Devi's names as their name. We then moved on to the topic of the day - "Durga". We understood what the name Durga meant: the one who destroys evil tendencies, "Durgati hariNi" in sanskrit. Then we carefully examined the form of Durga, the various weapons she holds in her hands, the vehicle on which she is riding, the skull necklace that she is wearing, etc.

We then discussed the story of MahiShaasura, the boon he had acquired, and the trouble he was stirring up for the Devas. We recalled how Durga got her power and weapons from all the Devas, and after a fierce battle that raged for nine days, she vanquished all the demons. The day she slayed all the demons is also celebrated as the Vijaya Dasami day, the tenth day after NavaRaatri.

We then looked at the symbolism behind slaying MahiShaasura. MahiShaa, the bull, represents laziness, the evil tendency in all of us that prevents us from reaching our full potential. Praying to Durga, helps us overcome our laziness, procrastination, and other evil tendencies.

We did a small project to re-inforce this concept. We had a picture of Durga Maa traced in a big sheet of paper hung on the white-board. She was adorning a necklace. Each child got a paper cut-out of a skull. They carefully thought about the evil tendency that they would like to overcome and wrote it in their cut-out. Kids identified Over-eating, lethargy, procrastination, resentment, laziness, over-confidence, anger, etc. in themselves as the evil tendency they would like to overcome. Kids then chanted the mantra "hrIm" for a few minutes. They learned to chant the dhyana shloka "sarva managaLa maangalye ..". After the small prayer, each skull was attached to the necklace on Durga Maa. The skulls in Durga Maataa's necklace, are nothing but the evil tendencies of her devotees, slayed by Her.

** Section 2 **
....

** "Fab. Five" Game Show Planning by the Fifth Grade Team **
Now it was time for both the sections to get together and plan for the game show. Our friends from the other section joined us. Kids found their team-mates, based on the role assignments in the last class. Each Team shall be mentored by one of the four teachers. Few kids who were absent in the previous class, signed up in one of the four teams. We then brain-stormed the topics or categories for the questions. The final topics or categories are:

1. Names of Vishnu
2. Names of Shiva
3. Names of Devis
4. Characters renowned for daanam in Ramaayanam, Mahaabhaaratam and Bhaagavatam.

We ironed out some more details of the game show. We played two mock rounds of the game, with the clues and tiles prepared by one of the students, on the topic "Names of Vishnu" from Vishnu Sahasranaamam. Kids: Please send your questions to "5thgradecmtc@gmail.com". We request each student to research and send at least five fabulous words on the above mentioned topics. Here is a suggested format:

     Word #1:

• Topic: Names of Vishnu
• Clue: A Pure Soul 
• Answer: pu̅ta̅tma̅
• Author: {kid's name}

Each Team shall decide when, where and how often they would have to meet to get their tasks accomplished.  At the end of the class, we found out that the Hosts & Presentation Team, already decided the roles for all the current team-members :) Way to go!! Good Job, kids.

With closing prayers and pledge the class dispersed.

Parents: please stay tuned with the emails regarding game show preparatory meetings and help the kids work as a team. We need your help to host the fabulous game show, that the kids are enthusiastically planning out.

Blessings,
Fifth Grade Teachers
Anjana Aunty, Sangeeta Aunty, Prasad Uncle, and, Kasturi Uncle

March 10, 2013

Hari OM.

After Likhita Japa and meditation, the class sang opening prayers and bhajans.

We started the class with an interesting discussion on Day Light Savings, and why it is followed in certain parts of the world. We learned that in the Hindu calendar, based on sun's relative position to Earth, a year is divided in to dakShiNaayaNam and uttarAyaNam. uttarAyanam starts from Makara Sankranti, ~ Jan 14th and lasts for a period of six months. dakShinNaayaNam follows uttarAyanam for a period of six months. Sun has been worshipped as a deity in many parts of the world and is depicted to be riding on a chariot in the sky, pulled by seven horses. These seven horses symbolize the seven colors in white light: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.

We then discussed about the Game Show that the fifth grade Team shall be hosting, and brain-stormed on the format of the game. Both the sections assembled together. We discussed the various tasks that the game-show would require and came up with 5 teams. The five teams are:

1. Campaigning, Publicity & Prizes
2. Stage set-up and Props
3. Computers & Technology
4. Hosting & Presentation
5. Topics, Questions & Tiles 

All the students then chose the Team that they would like to work on for the game-show. As coming up with questions for the game show is a learning experience, all kids shall contribute to the pool of questions. Please email your suggestions and questions to 5thgradecmtc@gmail.com.

Going forward, the two sections shall work together in the last half hour during balavihar sundays, to plan and organize the game-show.

Kasturi Uncle talked to the class about sponsoring a brick towards the construction of the new building at Vrindavan. Fifth grade Team 2012-2013, would raise money to support the construction, standing together as the Fifth grade family.

We then dispersed to the auditorium for Arti and pledge.

Blessings,

Fifth Grade Teachers