2014 – SSE Group 2 Lesson Plans

Teacher: Vidya Chandra

Attendance: Shreya, Diya,Vaishnavi, Sahit, Tejus, Prahlathan, Krithik, Pravarna, Atesh, Sujay

Value: Right Action Sub value: faith and Condfidence

Discussed Christmas and its significance, based on the play enacted last week

Story of Hanukkah and its significance.

What are the major values emphasised by the festival: Faith and self confidence

How difficult is it to be confident and have faith in the lord during trials and tribulations?

Life application:

With the knowledge that you have god within you, choose things you would like to change from the �dislike� part we did in the class and make resolutions with self confidence for the new year-2015.

Lesson Plan Enclosed

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Teacher: Sushama Tangella

Attendance: Tejus, Gopal Krishna, Pravarana, Prahalathan, Kruthik, Sahit, Sujay, Atheesh, Diya, Tarashree, Shreya

Value: Truth Sub-Value: Keeping your word
Lesson Plan Attached

Life Application: Practice speaking Truth always.

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Teacher: Sundar Venugopalan

Attendance: Prahlathan Prathibhan, Krithik Jeygandhi, Pravarrna Prathibhan, Atesh Suresh, Sahit Dokku, Karina Boodoo, Aarsha Joshi, Neela Boodoo, Diya Rajput , Reshma Boodoo, Tejus Bhalla, Sujay Sundar, Tarashree Dorairaj, Pranav Paranji, Gopalkrishna Baliga.

Life Application Homeowrk submitted: : Gopalkrishna, Sahit, Aarsha, Tejus, Reshma, Karina, Neela, Diya

Value: Nonviolence Subvalue: Service (Seva)

Quote

“Service to man is service to God.” – Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Newsletter, Summer 1994, p.32

Story : “A Story from Abraham Lincoln’s Life”

Affirmation

“I am an instrument of the Divine Will.”

– Life Application

Find a way to serve someone in need this week. See yourself as an instrument of the Divine Will. Write down thoughts about your experience.

Lesson Plan enclosed

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Teacher: Vijeya Ayer and Chie Fujishima

Attendance: Tejus, Gopal Krishna, Sahit, Aarsha, Reshma, Karina, Neela, Vaishnavi, Tara Shree, Diya

Value: Right Conduct

Sub value: Gratitude

Lesson Plan Document Enclosed

Group Activity:1

Gratitude Streams

Supplies Needed: None

Objective: To practice an easy way to stay grateful all day long .

(Read aloud slowly or paraphrase: )

For today”s activity, we”re going to go around the room and invite each person to share something they”re grateful for from the past 24 hours. The only two rules are: you may not say the same thing as any other student and you may pass if you can”t think of anything. I”ll start…

(Note: No one has to say, “I’m grateful for…” at the beginning of their gratitude. That”s assumed. Also, if someone says, “My family,” it”s still all right for someone else to say, “My little brother.”)

(When finished, discuss: )

– How did that feel?

– When are five times during a normal week that you could use the Gratitude Stream to feel better?

(Write their answers on the board. Some may include…)

– In the car or bus on the way to school

– Before getting out of bed

– Before meals

– In the shower

– In the bus on the way to or from a competitive event

Group Activity :2 Gratitude Tree.

Objective: To improve in the skill of finding things to be grateful for everywhere we look

For this activity they will be given a tree template and ask them to complete the tree by writing the things they are grateful for.

(Once they”re in place, continue)

Today we”re going to learn how to make a Gratitude Tree. The person with the longest hair will begin by saying one thing they”re grateful for. Then the person to their left will share a different thing they”re grateful for in three seconds or less.

If they can”t think of one before I clap my hands (or ring a bell) OR if they repeat one that”s been said, then they”ll have to pass it. If someone says, “My family,” it is still all right for someone else to say, “My little brother.”

Any questions? (Begin the gratitude drill. If everyone gets “out” really quickly, you can bring up five new students to do it.)

Life application: Pick someone, you are thankful for each day to send a nice appreciation to. It can be a simple picture, a note or a post card. Bring it in next week and share it in the class.

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Teacher: Sundar Venugopalan

Attendance: Prahlathan Prathibhan, Krithik Jeygandhi, Pravarrna Prathibhan, Atesh Suresh, Sahit Dokku, Karina Boodoo, Aarsha Joshi, Vaishnavi Ravichandar, Neela Boodoo, Diya Rajput , Reshma Boodoo, Tejus Bhalla, Sujay Sundar, Gopalkrishna Baliga

Value: Right Action Subvalue: Right Deeds

Spiritual Principle (Purpose): To realize that Right Action, as expressed through right deeds, is an important part of our nature.

1. Three Oms, 3 Gayatris, Light Meditation

2. Prayer (in unison)
Oh Lord take my love and let it flow in fullness of devotion to Thee
Oh Lord take my hands and let them work incessantly for Thee
Oh Lord take my soul and let it be merged into One with Thee
Oh Lord take my mind and thoughts and let them be One with Thee
Oh Lord take my everything and let me be an instrument to work for Thee

3. Review Life Application from previous lesson.
Provided by Athesh, Diya, Tejus, Pravarrna, Vaishnavi, Kruthik, Sujay, Gopalkrishna

4. Quote
“It is your duty to be good and see good. That is the way to make the world good and be yourself good.” – Sathya Sai Speaks Volume

What does this mean to you?

5. Affirmation

“I am always looking for ways to help others.”

6. Story: “September 11th : A Day That Changed Our Country”

Pre-Story Question
9-11 was an event that changed the world. What happened on that day?

September 11th : A Day That Changed Our Country

September 11, 2001: it was a beautiful, peaceful morning. All seemed to be well. Then, tragedy struck. We all remember the shock and horror of seeing the destruction of the World Trade Center. Buildings were on fire and people were trapped. Thousands of people needed help. Some died immediately. All of New York City came to a halt. There was a great deal of chaos and confusion. As we watched the news, we experienced a mixture of feelings: deep sadness at the loss of so many innocent lives, anger at the invasion, and shock and a feeling of helplessness that we could not do anything to prevent this tragedy. At the same time, all airplanes traveling to the United States were told they were not allowed to land and had to find a place to land elsewhere. When the pilot on an American Airlines flight heard this news, he landed his airplane in Canada. Fifty airplanes landed there that day, and lined the landing strip. All airplanes were full of passengers who were not told the news of what had happened until they landed. The people of the town rallied to help these passengers. They felt an urge to provide services. They cancelled all the schools and set up cots and sleeping bags in gyms and churches. They took people into their homes. One lady who was pregnant was even given a place to stay across from the hospital. Bus tours were arranged to take the passengers to interesting places.

After three days, the planes were allowed to fly into the United States. The passengers were now calling each other by first names and many had become friends. They felt so thankful to the people of the town. One man stood up in the airplane and asked the stewardess if he could have the microphone. This is usually prohibited. However, under these unusual circumstances, she agreed. He began talking, “My friends, the people of this town have stopped everything in their lives to take care of us, to feed us, to entertain us. I know we are all very grateful and would like to thank them in some way. Let us take up a collection of funds to send a needy student to college. What ever is collected, I will personally double the amount.” There was a moment of silence and then cheering. The collection was given to a high school student to fund his college tuition. In the midst of this tragedy, many other people volunteered their services. In New York City, emergency aid agencies were mobilized through which all help was channeled. Volunteer fire fighters, security people, and EMS workers rushed into the buildings in order to try to help people and save as many lives as they could. Many children also wanted to help urged by a genuine feeling of caring in their hearts. They collected money from friends, family, people in their neighborhood and businesses. They even contributed some of their own money. As a result of their work and time, they collected a lot of money. The business community supported them because of their caring and spirit of patriotism.

As a result, many groups of children collected money which was then donated to funds for firefighters and other service workers and for families who had lost loved ones in the tragedy. By giving freely of themselves, these children helped those in need. They performed a deed that served others.

Many other people and organizations helped those in need during this crisis. On that same day, one firefighter was about to get married. He was in the church with his bride-to-be when he got the emergency call. He was faced with a hard decision. He chose to leave the church and go to service as a firefighter to try to save lives. He felt called to do this from deep inside. He saved many lives that day but in doing this he lost is own life. He sacrificed his own needs and even his life to do good for others. Although the World Trade Center event was a tragedy, what grew out of it was a lot of good: caring for others and acting for the highest good for others. Many people allowed God to act through them by helping through selfless and loving service.

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Teacher: Bhaskar

Attendance: Tanisha, Diya Rajput, Tarashree, Vaishnavi, Pranav, Pravarna, Athesh, Prahlada, Tejas and Sahit.

Lesson Plan Attached

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Teacher: Vijeya Ayer

Attendance: 1.Vaishnavi, 2.Diya, 3.Karina, 4.Neela, 5.Reshma, 6.Aarsha, 7.Tarashree, 8.Gopalakrishna ,9.Athesh, 10.Sahit, 11..Prahlathan, 12 .Praverna, 13..Tejas, 14. Pranav, 15.Krithik

Value:
Lesson Plan Enclosed: Five Human Values

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Teacher: Sundar Venugopalan

Attendance: Prahlathan Prathibhan , Krithik Jeygandhi , Pravarrna Prathibhan , Atesh Suresh , Pranav Paranji, Sahit Dokku, Karina Boodoo, Aarsha Joshi, Tarashree Dorairaj , Tanisha Mohan , Vaishnavi Ravichandar, Neela Boodoo, Diya Rajput , Reshma Boodoo, Tejus Bhalla, Sujay Sundar

Value: Nonviolence

Subvalue: Unity

Lesson Plan: document enclosed

Life Application

– Write the significance of each religious symbol and what it represents/means to you?
– Mention one other religion other than your’s and research one teaching of that religion
– Search for a Chinna Katha based on “Unity of faiths” in radiosai.org and listen to it. Also, try to borrow the Chinna Katha book from the center library in rotation every week.

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Teacher: Tanuja Rajput and Anu Venkateswaran

Attendance: Sujay Sundar, Prahlathan Prathibhan , Krithik Jeygandhi , Pravarrna Prathibhan , Atesh Suresh , Pranav Paranji, Sahit Dokku, Gopal Krishna Baliga , Karina Boodoo, Aarsha Joshi, Tarashree Dorairaj , Tanisha Mohan , Vaishnavi Ravichandar, Neela Boodoo, Diya Rajput , Reshma Boodoo, Tejus

Lesson Plan and documents are enclosed. 1 1 1

We had a session on Hinduism keeping the occasions of Avatarhood Day and Deepawali in mind. We dealt with the basic core principles of Hinduism, significance of Avatar hood day and also the significance of Deepawali-victor of Good over evil.

Life Application: Make a daily journal and write this affirmation daily: “I Respect and Love ALL”. Also note down in your journal when you noticed you did or din’t have a steady mind and whether you Respect or Disrespect anyone. What happened as a result? Share with the class next week.

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Teacher: Vijeya Ayer and Manorama Saxena

Attendance: Diya, Vaishnavi, Tanisha, Athesh, Kruthik, Sahit, Gopalakrishna, Sujay

Lesson Plan enclosed

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Teacher: Suhasini Jonnavithula

Attendance: 1) Karina Boodoo, 2) Sujay Sundar, 3) Prahlathan Prathibhan, 4) Aarsha Joshi , 5) Tarashree Dorairaj , 6) Tanisha Mohan, 7) Krithik Jeygandhi , 8) Pravarrna Prathibhan, 9) Atesh Suresh, 10) Pranav Paranji, 11) Vaishnavi Ravichandar, 12) Neela Boodoo, 13) Sahit Dokku , 14) Gopal Krishna Baliga, 15) Diya Rajput, 16) Reshma Boodoo

• Reviewed Life Application from Last Class and all children brought the homework and shared the situations they rendered help each day of the week.
• This month we started lessons on the Unity of faiths and gave abroad overview on the various religions of the world.
• Explained about the Sarva Dharma Symbol, the various Religious symbols, its inner significance and children understood and also drew the picture. Picture enclosed.
• Explained the significance of Navarathri, the three Goddesses who are worshiped during the nine nights and inner meaning of celebrating the festival and honoring the Divine Mother
• We delved on Hinduism in this class and the lesson plan is taken from the Group 2 SSE Lessons in the Teachers handbook

Value: Nonviolence ; Subvalue: Respect

Spiritual Principle (Purpose): He who blesses others is blessed and he who injures others is injured.

Affirmation : “I treat others with respect.”

Story : God Resides in Everyone – Narrated the Story of Parvathi, Ganesha and the cat.

Discussed about seeing God in everyone, both animate and inanimate.

Life application : Make a daily journal and write this affirmation daily: “I Respect and Love ALL.” Share in your journal on a daily basis incidents where you were able to practice to Respect All and Love All

Sarvadharma Significance
Sarvadharma Symbol Attached

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Teacher: Pushpa Reddy and Raji Iyer

Attendance: Tanisha, Aarsha, Athesh, Pranav, Krutik, Vaishnavi, Reshma, Neela, Karina, Shane, Pravarrna, Prahlatan,Gopal Krishna,Tejus, Sahit, Diya, Tarashree

Value: Love
Subvalue: Service

Spiritual Principle (Purpose): To realize that the love expresses itself and grows though service

Quotes:
“Service to Man is Service to God”. Sai Baba, Sathya Sai news leter, Summer 1994, p. 32.
“The body has to be utilized for service to others.More bliss can be got from serving others than from merely serving oneself.” Satya Sai Baba

Lesson Plan enclosed

Life Application: Every day make it a point to help someone. Keep a record of it on a calendar and share with the class next week.

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Teacher: Tanuja Sankar Rajput and Radhika Dokku

Attendance: Aarsha, Vaishnavi, Diya, Tarashree, Reshma, Neelia, Karina, Sujay, Saahit, Atesh, Pranav, Pravarna, Prahladan, Gopal Krishna, Kritik, Tejus

Lesson plan attached

Life Application:

We have requested the students to recite the night prayer every day before going to bed in connection to the lesson plan we covered yesterday for non-violence and Respect for Life. Also requested kids to show compassion and feeding the birds.

Here is the prayer – we request parents to assist and help kids with night prayer.

Karacharana Kritam Vaa
Kaayajam Karmajam Vaa
Shravana Nayanajam Vaa
Maanasam Vaa Paraadham
Vihitama Vihitam Vaa
Sarvame Tat Kshamasva
Jaya Jaya Karunaabdhe
Shri Mahaadeva Shambho
Jaya Jaya Karunaabdhe
Shri Saideva Shambho

O Lord, kindly forgive all the wrong acts and omissions I have committed, whether I committed them knowingly or unknowingly, with my hands, feet, words, ears, eyes, or mind. Glory to you, Mahadeva, who is the ocean of kindness and compassion, and the cause of happiness.

Before going to sleep, one ends the day with this prayer. One asks the Lord for forgiveness for wrong acts that one may have knowingly or unknowingly committed during the day.

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Teacher: Vijeya Ayer and Manorama Saxena

Attendance: Diya, Aarsha, Tanisha, Tarashree, Vaishnavi, Gopala Krishna, Sahit, Tejas, Prahlathan, Pravarrna, Pranav, Kruthik, Athesh, Sujay

Value: Right Conduct

Sub Value: Determination

Objective: To stimulate thinking about the meaning of the word Determination and how it is essential in reaching the goal in life.

Discuss these questions.

1. What are 5 “D” as per Swami? Duty, Discipline, Devotion, Discrimination and Determination.
2. What is the meaning of the word “Determination”?
3. Have you ever practiced determination any time ?

Swami’s explanation about ‘Determination’

What is Determination? Swami explains:

The state of being firm in decisions, the act of deciding and continuing to follow through on decisions, will power.

1. With determination anything is possible.

2. You must all make up your minds to have unwavering faith and a steadfast vision. Never give up your determination.

LESSON PLAN DOCUMENT ENCLOSED

Life Application:

Decide on a goal which they can follow the entire week with determination. Let their parents know about the goal. End of the week ask their parent to write a little comment on how did they follow that goal, share it in the next class

Teacher: Mangala Shankar

Attendance: 1. Atesh, 2. Diya, 3. Tanisha, 4. Sai Omkar, 5. Tejus, 6. Pranav 7. Pravarna , 8. Kruthik

Lesson Plan: To learn about Judaism religion through Values Love and Subvalue Forgiveness.

Jewish Prayer: Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai ekhad.

“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”?This prayer affirms the Jewish belief in monotheism and allegiance to one God.

Story: Joeseph and His brothers

Taught bhajan :

Don’t Worry Be Happy For Baba Loves Us So
Illusions Are Many But Underneath Them All
There Is One Reality That You And I Are One
That God Is Love And Love Is God And God And Man Are One

Life Application: Practice forgiveness using the following exercise.

“What to do” lists: “What should I do if I feel hurt by my brother or sister or friend?” and “What should I do if I think my brother or sister or friend has been hurt by me or is angry with me?” Fill in the two lists this week as situations arise.

Lesson Plan Attached

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Teacher: Tanuja Sankar

Attendance: Diya , Pranav, Pravarna, Omkar, Atesh, Tejus, Kruthik

Unity of Faiths– ISLAM

QUOTATION: “Be like the Star which never wavers from the Crescent and is ever fixed in steady faith.”- BABA

BHAJAN: “Allah o Akbar”.and explored the meaning of “Alla Ho Akbar” and “Lailaha Ilallah Muhammad ur rasulallah”

Discussion on the Life and Mission of Mohammad the Prophet, the five Pillars and teachings of Islam.

Lesson Plan Document enclosed. Lesson Plan Document(2) enclosed.

Life Application:

As continuation to last week’s life applications, as many of the kids couldn’t not memorize about Buddhism. They are requested to memorize about Teachings of Buddhism, Eight fold path and Teachings of Islam and The five pillars of Islam and significance of Islamic symbol. They will be discussed again next week.

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Teacher:Suhasini Jonnavithula

Attendance:Tanisha, Diya, Pravarrna, Aatesh, Kruthik, Saiomkar, Tejus

Unity of faiths- Buddhism

Discussion on Life History and Teachings of Buddha.

The Four Noble truths

The Four Noble Truths are:

1. Dukkha: All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed and entails suffering.
2. Samudaya: There is a cause for suffering, which is attachment or desire rooted in ignorance.
3. Nirodha: There is an end to suffering, which is Nirvana.
4. Magga: There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Eight Fold path

1. Right Vision
2. Right Thought and Feelings
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

The Three Jewels

1. Buddham Sharanam Gacchami
2. Dhammam Sharanam Gacchami
3. Sangham Sharanam Gacchami

Activity: Draw the The Wheel of Law or Dharma Chakra and label the eight fold path

Taught the Buddist Bhajan “Sainatha bhagavan”

Life Application:

Learn the four Noble Truths, the Eight fold path, and research the significance of the White Lotus Symbol in Buddhism References: http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01JUN06/Cover_Story_Buddha.htm

Document enclosed

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Teacher: Vijeya Mani Ayer

Attendance: Sai omkar, Sahit, Athesh, Praverna, Krithik, Diya, Tanisha

Value: Love

Sub Value: Gratitude (Showing gratitude towards our mother’s love)

Objective: To stimulate thinking about the meaning of gratitude towards our mother.

Lesson Plan– enclosed

Group Activity:

Tell the students to write an Acrostic Poem about their mothers in the given format.

Life Application:

List a few things that make your mother very happy. Then, do some of the things on the list, and tell us next class how you and your mom felt.

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Teacher:Tanuja Sankar

Attendance: Tejus, Sahit, Krithik, Omkar, Prahlathan, Pranav, Atesh, Diya & Tanisha

Value: TRUTH

SUB-VALUE: SELF-CONFIDENCE

Spiritual Principle:

Having faith in God is having complete faith and self-confidence in oneself.

Quotation:

“Faith in God. Faith in Yourself. That is the secret of greatness” – Divine Discourse to Teachers, Prashanti Nilayam, 8/14/1983

“If you know what is right, don’t ask. Do it. That is confidence, God Power.” -Conversation with Sathya Sai Baba, 1976.

We spoke about the faith in God and faith in Yourself which is self confidence. As the State test season is going on to help boost the confidence in them, that, with all their best efforts adding up with Swami’s grace they can do their best with confidence.

As Mother’s day is approaching, I also linked faith in God to Faith in Mother that whatever parents plan and implement is for our utmost benefit and in our interest.

Also as a part of activity we prepared a Coupon book for Mom as a present for Mother’s Day.

Lesson Plan Document is enclosed.

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Teacher: Mangala Shankar

Attendance: Pranav, Diya, Omkar, Gopal, Ateesh, Pravarna, Sahit, Kruthik

Value: Love, Subvalue: Sacrifice

Lesson plan:

To realize the importance sacrifice in our daily lives. Story of Easter and Sacrifice of Jesus.

Life Application: Practice sacrifice for the following week in any one of your action in school or home.

Lesson Plan documents enclosed Plan Story

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Teacher: Vijeya Ayer and Chie Fujishima

Attendance: Aksheya, Diya, Tanisha, Sahit, Omkaar, Gopalkrishna, Athesh, Praverna, Kruthik

Lesson Plan Attached

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Teacher: Sushama Tangella

Attendance: Pranav, Kruthik, Sahit, Pravarna, Athesh, Omkar, Tejus, Akshaya, Tanishree, Diya

Value: Right Conduct
Lesson Plan: enclosed

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Teacher: Manorama Saxena and Radhika Dokku

Attendance: Akshaya, Ateesh, Pravarna, Sahit, Omkar, Tejus, Krithik

Value: Love

Subvalue: Compassion, Selfless Service

Objective: To identify the contribution in humanitarian services by Mother Teresa and understanding the importance of Selfless Service

Lesson Plan document enclosed. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Life Application: Help someone in the community. Write and explain why Selfless Service is important to you. How does it bring change in you?

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Teacher:Tanuja Sankar

Attendance: Omkar, Saahit, Pravarna, Krithik , Atesh, Akshaya and Tanisha

Lesson Plan Enclosed

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Teacher: Mangala Shankar

Attendance: Pravarna, Athesh, Sahit, Tejus, Krthik, Diya, SaiOmkar

Value: Peace, Subvalue: Concentration

Affirmation: I concentrate easily. I will complete all my tasks on time. Whatever I do in life, I give it my full attention.

Lesson plan:

a)To realize the importance of concentration in our daily lives .
b) Holi festival and legend of Holika and Prahlad

Lesson Plan Document Enclosed.

Life Application: Practice concentration everyday. Write the affirmation 3 times for one week.

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Teacher:Srividya Chandrasekhar

Attendance: Diya, Tanisha, Pravarna, Atheesh, Omkar, Tejas, Kruthik, Gopalakrishna

Value: Right Action Subvalue: Determination

Lesson Plan Purpose: To learn that determination is essential in reaching the goal

Quote

“You need determination to face the challenges of life, which is filled with ups and down, successes and failures, joys and sorrows. These challenges have to be faced with faith in God.” Sai Baba

Affirmation

“I face the challenges of life with determination and faith in God.”

Story: The mythological story of Prahlad was narrated and how he overcame obstacles with determination and how that led to the descent of the avathar and good for all.

QUESTIONS:

Why does the story show the importance of determination?
How many of you have faced criticism while doing right action?
How have you faced it?
What is the attitude to be maintained while doing right action?

Determination of little Sathya to go to school and do well in his exams, despite traveling long distance to school. How he built universities later for education and brought good for all.

Swami’s School Days in Bukkapatnam

To Discuss certain important instances such as :

How swami was the top student despite poverty
How he walked to school to Bukkapatnam and for his exams travelled 5 miles to Penukonda
Despite that he was the only one to pass his exam

ACTIVITY

Students were asked to write down one resolution they want to make, and turn them into affirmations. Students shared these affirmations with the class.

Life Application :Choose one of your affirmations and this week say it over and over to yourself. Stick it in a place you can see everyday and work towards this goal starting this day.

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Teacher:Vijaya Mani and Manorama Saxena

Attendance: Tanisha, Pravarna, Saiomkar, Athesh, Tejus, Sahit, Pranav, Gopal Krishna

Value: Nonviolence Sub Value: Harmlessness

Objective: To stimulate thinking about the meaning of Harmlessness towards all living beings especially animals.

Story: Pages 59 and 60 from book “A Catholic Priest Meets SAIBABA” by Don Mario Mazzoleni.

Group activity: Memory Game with quotations form Swami’s discourse on “In defense of Vegetarianism”

Life Application: Practice one different way to get pure food through any one sense (Eyes,ears,Nose,Touch and Taste). Record your experience and share it in your next class.

Lesson Plan Attached

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Teacher:Vidya Chandra and Pushpa Reddy

Attendance: Omkar, Tejas, Pranav, Sahit, Pravarna, Ateesh, Krithik, Akshaya, Diya, Tanisha

Value: Love; Subvalue: Devotion

Quote: “He who has much satisfaction is the richest man in the world.” – Sathya Sai Baba

Significance of Sivarathri

“Sivarathri has a variety of meanings. ‘Rathri’ implies the darkness of night. But ‘Sivarathri’ connotes not darkness but the special sacredness of this night. There is darkness in this night also, but this darkness is invested with auspiciousness. The reason is that on this l4th day after the Full Moon (Chathurdasi day), the moon, who is the presiding deity for the mind, has shed fifteen of his sixteen digits. This is an auspicious time for having proximity to God. The mind is intimately associated with the moon. Chandra, the deity of the moon, is the presiding deity of the mind. He loses one sixteenth of his brilliance every day after the full moon day and continues waning until, on this night, he is left with just one sixteenth of his power. The waned moon may be taken to stand for the mind with all its wild fancies and waywardness reduced after it has been conquered by spiritual discipline. On this night, there is just a minute part more to be conquered, and that can be done by keeping vigil and dwelling on the glory of God. The vigil that is prescribed is symbolic of the eternal vigil one has to observe, while the rite of fasting is symbolic of divesting the senses of the pleasures for which they crave. The night-long devotional singing is significant of the life long consciousness of the Divine Presence that everyone should cultivate. The rites and vows laid down for Sivarathri being absent on other nights of the year, their observance on this day comes as a reminder that they are useful.”
-Sathya Sai Baba

Discussion about Lord Shiva’s appearance and the formless aspect – Shiva linga

Story on Sivarathri:

Story of Kannappa nayanar

To Illustrate how god is Bhava priya and not bahya priya

This translates into the Lord being a lover of feelings and not the one interested in the show that is put on.

Activity: Video on shivratri

Affirmation: I have good thoughts. I am the master of my mind.

Bhajan: Jagadeeswari daya karo ma

Life application: To spend the night of Shivratri thinking of Lord Shiva and to fill the mind with divine thoughts during Shivaratri

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Teacher: Vijay Reddy

Attendance: Pravarma, Pranav, Tejus, Sahit, Diya,Atesh.

Value: Love
Sub value: To spread the love, Live in Love

Introduction:

“God is Love, Live in Love”; “Love all serve all”
… Sri Sathya Sai baba.

Historical facts and significance of Saint Valentine’s Day celebration

1. Historical facts

2. Historical reasons are not clear but the celebration significance is spread of love among fellow human beings

3. A token of gift or some written expression of your love.

4. We discussed various Swami’s quotes on love

5. We learned Martin Luther King Jr’s civil rights moment “to love and respect fellow human being”

Play cross word puzzle on civil rights words

LORD, TAKE MY LOVE:

O Lord, take my love, and let it flow in fullness of devotion to Thee;
O Lord, take my hands, and let them work incessantly for Thee;
O Lord, take my soul, and let it be merged in One with Thee;
O Lord, take my mind and thoughts, and let them be in tune with Thee;
O Lord, take my everything, and let me be an instrument to work for Thee.

Life application: Pray every morning

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Teacher:Sujatha Anant and Radhika Dokku

Attendance: Akshaya, Taneesha, Atheesh, Pranav, Gopalkrishna, Pravarna, Krithik, Sahit, Tejus and Omkar

In our Group 2 class today, we talked about Chinese Spring Festival/New Year. We discussed its history, signficance and customs observed during the festival.

We drew parallels with Swami’s teachings on the importance of observance of festivals in general with Chinese New Year in particular. Discussed how it is celebrated in Prashanthi Nilayam.

Kids learned about Chinese zodiac signs and the related animals they represent. Each kid identified his/her zodiac sign, read the traits related to the animal that represented the sign. Kids learnt a chinese/tibetan mantra that was chanted at Kulwant Hall in the presence of Swami by hundreds of Buddist followers. We watched a video of the same.

As an activity, we made Chinese lanterns which are made at the end of celebrations of Chinese Spring Festival. The lantern is said to bring light and love to one and all. Lesson plan attached.

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Teacher:Vijaya Mani Ayer and Manorama Saxena

Attendance: Athesh, Tejus, Sai Omkar, Sahit, Kritik, Pranav, Diya, Pravarna, Ahshaya, Tanisha, Shreya

Value: All Values (Non Violence)(each value leads to another)

Sub Value: Selfless service

10 Top qualities of Mahatma Gandhi were discussed

Affirmation: I will consider all as children of the Lord, as our own brothers and sisters. I will develop the quality of love and seek always the welfare of humanity.

Story of Mahatma Gandhi: Father of the Nation

Group Activity. Trivia Game with the questions from Gandhiji’s story.

Life Application : Find out one interesting story about Gandhiji ,(that story should show one human Value), write it down and share it in the next class.

Lesson Plan Document enclosed

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Teacher:Pushpa Reddy

Attendance: Taneesha, Pravarna, Athesh, Sahit, Omkar, Gopal Krishna, Tejus, Kruthik and Akshaya

Value: Right Action Subvalue: Determination

Quote:

“You need determination to face the challenges of life, which is filled with ups and down, successes and failures, joys and sorrows. These challenges have to be faced with faith in God.” – Sai Baba

Affirmation

“I face the challenges of life with determination and faith in God.”

Stories:

1) “Glenn Cunningham”
2) Prahalada’s story for determination and faith in God.

Activity:

Word Search

Life Application :

Students were asked to write down five resolutions they want to make and practice one of them this week. Share their experiences of following resolution next week.

Lesson Plan Enclosed.

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Teacher:Bhaskar Ananth, Vijay Reddy

Attendance: Tanisha, Karthik, Akshaya, Atesh, Suresh, Tejus, Sahit, Gopal Krishna, Diya, Saiomkar, Shruthi, Pranav

Value: Peace

Sub value: Unity and reinforcing self-awareness

Lesson Plan Attached

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Teacher:SriVidya Chandrasekhar

Attendance: Tanisha Mohan, Krithik Jeygandhi, Pravarrna Prathibhan, Akshaya Swaminathan, Atesh Suresh, Pranav Paranji, Gopal Krishna Baliga, Diya Rajput, Saiomkar Iyer, Sritanvee Dabburi

We learnt the effect of food on the 3 gunas.

Children were shown pictures where they classified the food they eat everyday into satwic, rajasic and thamasic.

They were taught the food prayer , along with the meaning and asked to learn and chant it everyday before eating food.

We discussed how eating fresh food directly from the earth is healthy and tasty rather than processed food, based on a story.

The three types of purity regarding food patra shuddhi (cleanliness of vessels), padartha shudhi (raw materials) and paga shudhi (cleanliness of the cook) were discussed along with an analogy from the ramayana.

The meal prayers from various religions (Bilble, Torah, Koran, Aztec) were discussed.

Life application: To eat satvik food and note it down. Observe the difference when you eat more satvik food (such as fruits)

Food prayer:

Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir
Brahmagnau Brahmana Hutam
Brahmaiva Tena Ghantavyam
Brahmakarma Samadhinaha

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Teacher:Vijeya Ayer and Manorama Saxena

Attendance: Gopalakrishna, Saahit, SaiOmkar, Tejus, Ateesh, Pravarna,Krithik,Pranav, Diya, Tanisha

Value: Nonviolence

Sub Value: Selfless service

Objective: To stimulate thinking about the meaning of nonviolence and selfless service.

Lesson Plan enclosed.

Group Activity.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Crossword (see the attached file for the format)

Life Application

On the occasion of Martin Luther King,Jr.Day, brainstorm and come up with one idea through which you think you can make a difference in this community or world to make it a better place to live.

See the attached file for the format

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