Grade 08: Hindi

In this unit, 'Essay writing', you learn to write an essay. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Essay writing' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: write an essay, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Plan an essay in three parts: प्रस्तावना [introduction], मुख्य भाग [main body] and उपसंहार [conclusion]। Take the title जल ही जीवन है [Water is life]। List two points for the body, uses of water and the water problem, and one solution, before you write any full sentence.
2. Step 2, Write the introduction. जल प्रकृति का अनमोल उपहार है [Water is a priceless gift of nature]। इसके बिना पेड़, पशु और मनुष्य जीवित नहीं रह सकते [Without it trees, animals and humans cannot live]। A good opening states the idea of the title in simple, strong words.
3. Step 3, Write the first body paragraph on uses. हम पीने, खाना पकाने, नहाने और खेती में जल का उपयोग करते हैं [We use water for drinking, cooking, bathing and farming]। खेतों को पानी मिलता है, इसलिए अनाज उगता है [Fields get water, so grain grows]।
4. Step 4, Write the second body paragraph on the problem and the answer. आज कई जगह भूजल का स्तर गिर रहा है [Today in many places the groundwater level is falling]। वर्षा जल संचयन से हम पानी बचा सकते हैं [We can save water by harvesting rainwater]। नल खुला न छोड़ें [Do not leave the tap running]।
5. Step 5, Write the conclusion. अतः हमें जल की हर बूँद बचानी चाहिए [So we should save every drop of water]। A proverb adds weight: बूँद-बूँद से सागर भरता है [Drop by drop the ocean fills]। Then check that each paragraph has one idea and the essay runs about 150 words.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write an opening and closing sentence for the essay पेड़ हमारे मित्र हैं [Trees are our friends]। Model answer: पेड़ हमें छाया, फल और शुद्ध हवा देते हैं [Trees give us shade, fruit and clean air]। अतः हमें अधिक से अधिक पेड़ लगाने चाहिए [So we should plant as many trees as possible]।

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Write an essay: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Unseen passage', you learn to answer questions. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Unseen passage' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: answer questions, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Read the passage. रेखा रोज़ सुबह पाँच बजे उठकर अपने पिता के साथ खेत पर जाती थी। वहाँ वह गायों को चारा देती और फिर स्कूल के लिए तैयार होती थी। [Rekha rose at five each morning and went to the field with her father. There she fed the cows, then got ready for school.]
2. Step 2, Read the second part. उसके शिक्षक उसकी मेहनत देखकर प्रसन्न थे। उन्होंने उसे पुस्तकालय की सदस्यता दिलवाई। अब रेखा खाली समय में कहानियाँ पढ़ती है। [Her teachers were pleased to see her hard work. They got her a library membership. Now Rekha reads stories in her free time.]
3. Step 3, Read the questions first, then reread the passage. Answer literal questions in full: रेखा कब उठती थी? [When did Rekha get up?] रेखा सुबह पाँच बजे उठती थी। [Rekha got up at five in the morning.]
4. Step 4, Answer vocabulary and inference. प्रसन्न का अर्थ क्या है? [What does प्रसन्न mean?] इसका अर्थ है खुश। [It means happy.] शिक्षक प्रसन्न क्यों थे? [Why were the teachers pleased?] क्योंकि रेखा मेहनती थी। [Because Rekha was hardworking.] Add a suitable title: मेहनती रेखा.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A student writes रेखा देर से उठती थी। Correction: the passage says she got up at five in the morning, so the answer is रेखा सुबह पाँच बजे उठती थी। Always check the text, never answer from memory or guess.
6. Step 6, Your turn: answer what Rekha does now and give a one-word quality. Model answer: अब रेखा खाली समय में कहानियाँ पढ़ती है। उसका गुण है मेहनत। [Now Rekha reads stories in her free time. Her quality is hard work.]

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Answer questions: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Idioms and proverbs', you learn to explain and use. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Idioms and proverbs' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: explain and use, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, An idiom (मुहावरा) has a special meaning, not the literal one. आँखों का तारा [apple of the eye, a dearly loved person], नाक में दम करना [to pester someone], हाथ मलना [to regret], दाँतों तले उँगली दबाना [to be astonished]. Learn each meaning.
2. Step 2, Use idioms in sentences. नन्ही गुड़िया पूरे घर की आँखों का तारा है। [The little girl is the apple of the whole family's eye.] शरारती बंदर ने सबकी नाक में दम कर दिया। [The naughty monkey pestered everyone.] Replace the idiom with its meaning to check.
3. Step 3, Learn a proverb (कहावत): ऊँट के मुँह में जीरा means a very small amount compared with the need. Use: दो रोटियाँ पाँच लोगों के लिए ऊँट के मुँह में जीरा हैं। [Two rotis for five people is a drop in the ocean.]
4. Step 4, Use idioms in a short paragraph. परीक्षा में पहली आने पर रानी के माता-पिता खुशी से झूम उठे। अध्यापक ने उसका काम देखा तो दाँतों तले उँगली दबा ली। [Her parents were thrilled when Rani came first in the exam. The teacher was astonished when he saw her work.]
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A student writes the literal meaning of नाक में दम करना as to put breath in the nose. Correction: it means to trouble someone constantly. Always give the figurative meaning of an idiom.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write one sentence with हाथ मलना and one with आँखों का तारा. Model answer: समय पर न पढ़ने वाले विद्यार्थी अंत में हाथ मलते रह जाते हैं। मोहन अपने दादाजी की आँखों का तारा है। [Students who do not study on time are left regretting. Mohan is the apple of his grandfather's eye.]

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Explain and use: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Debate and speech', you learn to give a short speech. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Debate and speech' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: give a short speech, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Take the motion मोबाइल फोन पढ़ाई के लिए लाभदायक है [Mobile phones are useful for study]। Open with a greeting: माननीय निर्णायकगण, आदरणीय शिक्षकगण और मेरे प्रिय साथियो [Respected judges, respected teachers and my dear friends]। Then state your side: मैं इस विषय के पक्ष में बोलने आया हूँ [I have come to speak in favour].
2. Step 2, Give your first point with a reason. पहला, मोबाइल पर हम शब्दकोश और पाठ खोज सकते हैं [First, on a mobile we can search a dictionary and lessons]। Give a second point: दूसरा, ऑनलाइन कक्षा से दूर गाँव के बच्चे भी पढ़ सकते हैं [Second, online class lets children in far villages study].
3. Step 3, Answer the other side, called a rebuttal. मेरे विपक्षी साथी ने कहा कि मोबाइल ध्यान भटकाता है [My opponent said that a mobile distracts]। परंतु समय-सीमा तय करने से यह समस्या हल हो सकती है [But fixing a time limit can solve this problem]। परंतु means but.
4. Step 4, Plan the timing. A short speech of two minutes at about 100 words a minute is about 200 words. If you speak for 40 seconds on each of three parts, opening plus point, second point plus rebuttal, and closing, that fills 120 seconds, which is exactly two minutes.
5. Step 5, Close strongly. इसलिए मेरा निवेदन है कि हम मोबाइल का सही उपयोग करें [So my request is that we use mobiles properly]। धन्यवाद [Thank you]। Delivery tips: speak slowly, pause after key words, look at the judges, and use one hand gesture, not many.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write an opening line, one point and a closing line for the motion विद्यार्थियों को रोज़ खेलना चाहिए [Students should play every day]। Model answer: मेरे साथियो [My friends]! खेलने से शरीर स्वस्थ रहता है [Playing keeps the body healthy]। इसलिए रोज़ खेलिए। धन्यवाद।

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Give a short speech: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Greetings and first words

Notes: Greet people politely, say your name and name five family members in Hindi. Notes: teach नमस्ते (namaste, hello) and मेरा नाम ... है (mera naam ... hai, my name is ...) by ear; learners greet a partner and point to family photos while saying each word.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · The Devanagari script

Notes: Recognise the vowels and first consonants of Devanagari and copy them neatly under the top line. Notes: show how letters hang from a horizontal line, then write क (ka) with correct stroke order; learners find it in three printed words and read each one aloud.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Simple sentences and postpositions

Notes: Read and write short sentences with verb at the end and use postpositions such as में (in) and पर (on). Notes: model किताब मेज़ पर है (kitaab mez par hai, the book is on the table); learners make five sentences about a classroom and draw each one.

This course: Grade 08 Hindi is at this level. Its units include Essay writing; Unseen passage; Idioms and proverbs; Debate and speech.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Daily conversation and tenses

Notes: Hold a short conversation about daily life using present, past and future tenses with correct gender agreement. Notes: contrast वह जाता है (he goes) with वह जाती है (she goes); learners ask a partner what they did yesterday, then write six sentences marking each verb ending.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Reading, writing and register

Notes: Read a news article and write a formal letter of about 200 words, choosing between polite and casual forms. Notes: compare आप, तुम and तू (you, three levels of respect) in one dialogue; learners rewrite it for a teacher, a friend and a child.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Literature and linguistics

Notes: Analyse a Hindi poem or story for theme, form and vocabulary origins, and write a critical essay in Hindi. Notes: use a short poem; learners sort ten words into Sanskrit-derived, Persian-derived and English-derived, then argue in 500 words how word choice shapes tone.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Research, translation and teaching

Notes: Design a research or translation project on Hindi language or literature, justify the method and present findings to peers. Notes: pick a topic such as code-switching in advertising; collect forty examples, classify them, discuss limits of the sample, and have a fluent reviewer check every claim.