HindiUSA Curriculum & Syllabus
Specially designed for children of Indian origin living in the United States — ages 5 to 16
Our Approach to Teaching Hindi
When we began teaching Hindi to children in the U.S., we noticed that available materials assumed a knowledge and familiarity with speaking Hindi that children of Indian origin living abroad simply did not have. HindiUSA decided to make its own books and syllabus, specially made for children living abroad.
Our books incorporate conversation, colorful pictures, and large-font text to capture the interests of students learning in an after-school setting. Each level includes one textbook and two to three workbooks with guided activities. We also use stories, songs, poems, games, interactive CDs, videos, and cultural programs.
Course Structure
- Starter2 levels — Ages 5–6
- Beginners2 levels — Ages 7–8
- Intermediate3 levels — Ages 9–11
- Advanced2 levels — Ages 12–16
1 level per school year · One course per year · Graduation upon completing Advanced II
Requirements
Students must be five years old or enrolled in Kindergarten in the U.S.
Main Objectives
- Introduce students to Hindi language and create interest in learning
- Focus on oral, visual, and musical learning only — no reading or writing at this stage
- Teach numbers, colors, animals, birds, body parts, and household objects
- Learn action words through games, arts & crafts, and puppet shows
- Teach small Hindi poems, songs, and stories
Topics Covered
- General Hindi — greetings, simple conversation, recognizing own name
- Colors — names in Hindi, color rhymes, craft activities
- Numbers 1–10 — rhymes, games, show and tell
- Wild Animals — names in Hindi, storytelling and games
- Pets, Birds & Domestic Animals — sock puppet show, stories, poems
- Body Parts — doll activities, "Sudaama Bola" (Simon Says), Chalo Chalo Music CD
- Action Words — ताली बजाना, भागना, हँसना, कूदना, खाना, पीना and more via games & crafts
- Bhartiya Culture — Diwali, Holi, Dussehra, Raksha Bandhan, Independence Day; names of family relations and Indian dresses
Books & Materials
रंग बिरंगी दुनिया
आओ रंग भरें
एक दो तीन
छुट्टी का दिन
Requirements
Student must be six years old or enrolled in Grade 1.
Main Objectives
- Develop understanding of spoken Hindi through stories & songs
- Emphasize speaking components of Hindi
- Understand and write Hindi vowels; recognize their sounds
- Know two words starting with each vowel
- Introduction to Hindi consonants
- Hindi counting 1–10 — reading and writing
Topics Covered
- General Hindi — introductions, greetings, classroom commands, writing own name, basic conversation
- Numbers 1–10 — reading and writing in Devanagari, rhymes
- Colors — names, conversation, games, poems
- Animals — domestic and wild, stories, poems, conversation
- Vowels (अ to ऋ) — recognize, read, write; two words per vowel; Varnamala Geet poems
- Fruits & Vegetables — names, colors, shapes, taste, likes/dislikes, songs via video CDs
- Body Parts — at least 10, "Sudaama Bola" game, show-and-tell
- General Vocabulary — family relations, daily wear, festivals
- Poems & Conversation — 5+ poems, 10 topics of conversation, follow 10 classroom commands
Books & Materials
खेल खेल में हिन्दी सीखें
वर्णमाला गीत एवं कविताएं
Flash Cards Set
पढ़ो कहानी सीखो शब्द / CD
Entry Note
A new student in Grade 2 may enroll directly at this level. A student who has passed Starter II is enrolled here.
Main Objectives
- Learn to read, write, and pronounce all Hindi letters
- Know at least 3 words beginning with each letter
- Learn Hindi numbers from 1–20
- Focus on new vocabulary in conversation while learning letters
Topics Covered
- Hindi Vowels — recognize, read, pronounce, write all; know sounds in English
- Hindi Consonants — mastery of all; correct pronunciation of similar-sounding letters
- Numbers 1–20 — read, write, and speak in Devanagari
- Own Name — read, write, speak first and last name
- Hindi Commands — understand and follow (Oral Exam)
- Hindi Poems — memorize at least 5 poems with meanings
- Oral Vocabulary — days of week, shapes, colors, animals, body parts, seasons, human feelings, common verbs, fruits/vegetables, Indian clothing, relatives, festivals, daily life questions (आप का नाम क्या है? etc.)
Books & Materials
आओ सीखें हिन्दी
आओ सीखें गिनती – भाग १
आओ सीखें अक्षर
Activity Book – 1
Flash Cards Set
Requirements
Must know how to pronounce, write, and recognize all Hindi letters, words starting with each letter, and numbers 1–50.
Main Objectives
- Read and write words without maatras
- Strengthen understanding of letters and their sounds
- Converse using stories, poems, and songs
- Learn about Indian culture — Animals, Food, Arts, Festivals, Dresses
Topics Covered
- 5 words per letter — revision of all Hindi letters
- Joining letters — form 2, 3, and 4-letter words; reading, writing, definitions
- Spelling exercises — fill-in-the-blanks, crossword puzzles, picture recognition
- Question words & Pronouns — through conversation
- Classroom instructions — teacher-to-student and student-to-student
- Fables & Folktales — storytelling, morals, vocabulary
- Vocabulary — classroom objects, household objects, occupations, Bhartiya foods
- Poems — at least 4 poems with meanings
- Numbers 21–50 — reading and writing
- Maatra concept — introduction; writing baarah khadi; pronunciation with maatras
Books & Materials
अक्षर जोड़ो शब्द बनाओ
आओ जोड़ें अक्षर
हिन्दी लेखन अभ्यास
Activity Book – 2
Flash Cards Set
Requirements
- Complete mastery of all Hindi letters
- Familiar with words without maatras
- Able to write all maatras (baarah khadi)
- Know Hindi numbers 1–50
Main Objectives
- Learn all the maatras in Hindi
- Read and write all maatra Hindi words
- Prepare children to read Hindi fluently
- Learn Hindi numbers 51–75
Topics Covered
- All Maatras — आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ, ऋ maatras — writing and reading
- Maatra Vocabulary — 20–30 words per maatra with definitions; enhanced through poetry and stories
- अनुस्वर, चन्द्रबिन्दु, and विसर्ग — pronunciation, usage, 10 words each with definitions
- 4 Hindi Poems — from Maatra Praveshika
- Numbers 1–75 — reading and writing
- Oral Exam — general conversation, reading passages, dictation, vocabulary words
Books & Materials
मात्रा प्रवेशिका
आओ सीखें शब्द – भाग १
मात्रा लेखन अभ्यास
आओ सीखें गिनती – भाग २
Flash Cards Set
Requirements
- Complete mastery of all letters
- Familiar with maatra words — read, write, and know their definitions
- Know Hindi numbers 1–75
- Able to speak small sentences
Main Objectives
- Use maatra words in Hindi sentences (oral)
- Read and write all Hindi words and small sentences
- Prepare to speak full sentences in Hindi
- Learn half-letter words
- Use र की रेफ and र पदेन in words
- Learn Hindi numbers 76–100
Topics Covered
- Maatra Revision — all maatras through dictation, show-and-tell, games, conversation; reading small stories and passages
- Half-letter words — 4–5 words per half-letter consonant; definitions; use in sentences
- र की रेफ, र की पदेन — 10–12 words of each with meaning
- New Vocabulary — classroom objects, household and house parts, toys, animals, body parts, foods, fruits/vegetables, Indian dishes, sweets, drinks, family relations
- Numbers 75–100 — reading and writing
- 2 Hindi Poems — from Shabd Bharati
- Storytelling sessions — last week of every month; discussion in Hindi
Books & Materials
शब्द भारती
आओ सीखें शब्द – भाग २
आओ सीखें गिनती – भाग २
आओ पढ़ें कहानियाँ
Requirements
- Large Hindi vocabulary
- Adept at writing and reading common Hindi words
- Know all Hindi numbers 1–100
Main Objectives
- Learn the basic grammar of Hindi
- Build a strong Hindi vocabulary
Topics Covered
- Nouns — festive words, communication, occupations, travel, restaurants, weather, places & buildings, geography
- Pronouns — meanings and usage
- Gender & Number — singular/plural, masculine/feminine
- Verbs — common verbs; helping verbs with pronouns
- Adjectives
- Interrogatives — Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, How Many, How Long, How Much
- कारक — introduction to post-prepositions and pre-prepositions
- Large numbers, fractions, cardinal numbers, dates in Hindi
- Small sentences, questions and answers
- Reading passages — comprehension and answering in complete sentences
Books & Materials
व्याकरण प्रवेशिका
आओ सीखें व्याकरण – भाग १
आओ सीखें गिनती – भाग २
Requirements
- Very strong vocabulary — nouns, pronouns, adjectives
- General idea of gender and number (masculine/feminine, singular/plural)
- Completely understand everyday Hindi; speak in short sentences
Main Objectives
- Introduce Hindi sentence structure through comparison with English
- Enhance reading ability
- Answer questions about daily life
- Teach relationships between words
Topics Covered
- Types of Words — Antonyms, Synonyms, Polynyms, Homonyms, One-word substitutions
- Sentence Structure — simple sentences, questions, correcting grammatically incorrect sentences
- Subjects — place of nouns and pronouns in Hindi sentences
- Gender & Number effect on sentence structure
- Prepositions — role and effect on sentence structure
- Verbs — introduction to tenses, commands
- Adjectives
- Translation — English to Hindi and Hindi to English (small sentences)
- Practice Reading — short stories, chapters, passages, poems; answering questions about the selection
- 5+ Hindi Poems — sing or recite; oral and written
Books & Materials
व्याकरण भारती
आओ सीखें व्याकरण – भाग २
भारत भारती
आओ करें अभ्यास
Main Objectives
- Make students confident in speaking, writing, and reading Hindi
- Create detailed, complex sentences using grammar knowledge
- Develop a strong vocabulary
- Teach different types of compositions — letters, poems, articles, plays
- Give students a lifelong foundation in Hindi
Topics Covered
- Grammar Revision — Advanced I grammar review
- Hindi Typing — Microsoft Word using IndicIME or GoogleIME
- Reading & Comprehension — 'सच्चा दोस्त', 'भूतू'; summarize in English and Hindi; answer in-depth questions
- Sentence Structure — compound and complex sentences; correcting incorrect passages
- Tenses — present, past, and future; changing tenses of simple sentences
- Proverbs & Sayings — usage in sentences and stories
- Dramatic Compositions — write and perform skits, speeches; group discussions and class presentations
- Real-life Conversations — with taxi driver, grocer, store clerk, bank officer, family, friends, waiters
- Literary Compositions — four-line poems, ten-line essays, letters, story development from picture prompts
- English-to-Hindi Translation & Summarization
- Projects — Master of Ceremony at Mahotsav, Tatkalic Bhasan, volunteer storytelling for younger classes, Karam Bhoomi magazine article (mandatory)
Books & Materials
लेखन भारती
आओ सीखें लेखन
प्यारा दोस्त
भूतू
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