Bejhar Rotii बेझर रोटी

Lesson plan developed for http://hindistartalk.lrc.columbia.edu/ by Rosanne Zeppieri and Rajni Bhargava; language notes by Rakesh Ranjan.

Targeted Performance Level: Novice High/Intermediate low

Age Range of Learners: 18 -21 years

Time: 90 minutes

Objectives: Students will be able to:

  • Understand a short video clip about the procedure of making Chapati.
  • Understand directions for making typical Indian foods.
  • Ask for information, details, and explanations during a conversation.
  • Give some information about making traditional Indian food.

Language:

Hindi has three imperative forms which correspond to three forms of the second person personal pronoun; they are tuu (you-intimate), tum (you-familiar) and aap (you-formal).

  • The intimate imperative from is the verbal stem, that is, it is formed by removing the –naa suffix from the infinitive form of the verb. (tuu) khaa – (you) eat. (tuu) paRh– (you) study/read. Such forms are often used to address small children, or among close friends. 
  • The Familiar Imperative is formed by adding the suffix – o to the verb stem. (tum) khaao – (you) eat. (tum) paRho (you) study/read. These forms are used among friends and peers.
  • The formal imperative corresponds to aap. It is formed by appending the suffix- iye to the verb stem. (aap) khaaye – Please eat. (aap) paRhiye – Please study/read Such forms are used to address elders or superiors as they confer respect. Note: The formal imperative forms of verbs lenaa (to take), denaa (to give), karnaa (to do) and piinaa are somewhat irregular. They are liijiye, diijiye, kiijiye and piijiye respectively.

Vocabulary related to cooking:

  • bhuunnaa – to grill
  • halkii aaNch par pakaanaa – to simmer
  • chalaanaa – to stir chakhnaa- to taste
  • Daalnaa – to add/ put (something)
  • beik karnaa – to bake
  • milaanaa– to blend
  • ubaalnaa – to boil
  • kaatnaa – to cut
  • chhoTe TukRe karnaa – to chop
  • talnaa – to fry (in oil)
  • phetnaa – to scramble
  • pighlaanaa– to melt
  • seknaa – to roast

Asking and answering information questions:

  • For nouns and pronouns: kyaa – what ( for inanimate nouns). For example: yah kyaa hai? yah kitaab hai. (What is this? This is a book); kaun – who (for animate nouns). For example: vah kaun hai? vah Rita hai. (Who is she? She is Rita.)
  • For adjectives: kaisaa/kaise/kaisii – how (for adjectives-quality). For example: mausam kaisaa hai? mausam achhaa hai. (How is the weather? The weather is nice.); laRke kaise haiN? LaRke hoshiyaar hai. (How are the boys? The boys are smart.) kitaab kaisii hai? kittab mahaNgii hai. (How is the book? The book is expensive) kitnaa/kitne/kitnii – how much/how many (for adjectives- quality). For example: kitnaa paani?– how much water? kitne laRke?- how many boys? kitnii laRkiyaaN?- how many girls?
  • For adverbs: kahaaN – where, kab – when, kyoN – why, kaise – how, kidhar – in which direction

Narration in the present: Verb stem + taa/te/tii + auxiliary honaa (Present). The Present Habitual construction usually indicates regular, frequent activities. It is also used to express narrative constructions in the present tense. The habitual aspect of the verb is formed by adding the right suffix to the verb stem. -taa (masculine, singular); -te (masculine, plural); -tii (feminine, singular and plural) The appropriate present tense form of honaa is used the mark the tense. For example: Mohan roz subah vidyalaay jataa hai. vahaaN vah paRtaa aur likhtaa hai. vah dostoN ke saath bateN kartaa hai aur unke saath kheltaa hai.

Performance Task: The school is hosting an “international Festival” where students share their customs and demonstrate traditions of their heritage. The Hindi students decide to hold a cooking contest. Participants will compete in making a family recipe handed down through the generations. They realize that they need to learn more about Indian food and its preparation before participating in the festival. So, they ask the teacher for an opportunity to learn more about Indian foods and practice making Indian recipes.

Learning Scenarios:

Opening Activity: The teacher sets the context for the lesson by displaying a variety of cooking utensils, ingredients, recipes typically used in the preparation of Indian foods, as well as pictures of famous dishes. (He/She might arrive to class dressed as a chef.) Teacher asks students to jot down three of their favorite Indian and American foods and then share their list with a partner. Students discuss in pairs differences between typical American and Indian foods (spicier, more healthful, more vegetarianism, etc.)

Activity 1: Teacher divides students into small groups and distributes a picture of an Indian dish to each group. Students work together to list the ingredients needed to prepare the dish and some of the actions implicated (add, stir, divide, beat, etc.). As the teacher debriefs this task, she engages students in a question/answer activity to surface additional vocabulary and takes this opportunity to introduce specific expressions students will need to talk about Indian food and their ingredients and tastes.

Activity 2: For additional practice with key expressions, students use the vocabulary generated in the previous task to categorize the expressions, write explanations of the vocabulary, and define the expressions. (They might categorize the terms as they deem appropriate and post their categorized lists on the classroom walls in preparation for a Gallery Walk. Students then circulate Time: 20 minutes among the posters to read the categories, comment on their classmates’ categories, and give suggestions toward improvement.)

Activity 3: Show the video clip, “Bejhar kii Roti”; students fill in a graphic organizer to record the ingredients and the procedures used by the cook.

The teacher leads a debriefing session using a T-Chart that includes two columns: content and structures. He/She and the students discuss and complete the chart with relevant information. The teacher takes this opportunity to highlight new vocabulary and to introduce and practice structures often used in recipes and food preparation.

Activity 4: Students scan recipes for traditional Indian dishes (recipes are provided by the teacher). They choose one that interests them and practice preparing the recipe. They video themselves as they prepare the food, name and describe the ingredients, specify the directions, and comment on the cultural significance of the dish. Students post their videos on the class Youtube station, the class Edmodo site, or on the class blog site. As homework, classmates view and comment on at least three videos.

Activity 5: Before leaving the classroom, students reflect on the essential question for the lesson, “How is what we eat reflective of our culture and family traditions?” and write a reflection on an exit ticket.