Lesson Plans

Partition in the Classroom

High School Level – Social Studies, World History, World Geography
This comprehensive curriculum unit provides a lens into the complexity of the 1947 Partition of India and serves as a case study for teaching migration in diverse classrooms. The unit requires students to synthesize information from primary and secondary sources (oral histories, speeches, maps, graphs, short stories, films) and create interpretive materials (skits, debates, comics, stories) for understanding the history and geography of Partition.

Download Partition in the Classroom Lesson Plan (PDF)

Partition in the Classroom Appendix(PDF) 

Outsourcing: understanding new business relations between India and the US

High School Level – Social Studies, World Geography
This lesson plan introduces students to the outsourcing industry and to use outsourcing in India as a case study for understanding the effects of globalization. Through the lesson’s activities, students are encouraged to critically analyze its pros and cons of outsourcing from both and Indian and US perspective, and to understand how culture and identity are part of global trade and business. The lesson’s material include various articles analyzing the effects of outsourcing, a PowerPoint presentation, as well as audiovisual content to understand the cultural stereotyping that has become part of popular notions of outsourcing.

Download Outsourcing Lesson Plan (PDF, 102K)
Download Outsourcing PowerPoint Presentation (PPT, 500K)

Photography in India

High School Level (with modifications for Middle School) - Social Studies, World History, Art/Art History, World Geography, Literature and Language Arts, World Cultures
This modifiable unit teaches students how to use photographs as primary documents, while also examining the history and technology of early photography in India. The hands-on activities help students to develop analytical skills using primary sources while also encouraging the study of images as a way for students to understand history, geography and society of India.  Through the examination of 19th century photographs students are encouraged to understand colonialism in India and how images were used as part of the imperial project.

Download Photography Lesson Plan (PDF, 40K)

Holi, the festival of colors

Middle School Level – Social Studies, World Cultures
Middle-school students can learn about the mythology and cultural practices one of India’s most widely celebrated festivals, Holi.  The lesson is activity-based and meant to visually and textually introduce middle-school aged students to the colorful festival of Holi as it is celebrated across various parts of India. Although rooted mainly in Hindu religious mythology, its enthusiastic adoption across various religious sects attests to its popularity as a community event. The lesson encourages students to understand some of India’s cultural practices (namely the celebration of festivals and holidays) as very similar to their own, while still appreciating the ways in which they may differ.

Download Holi Lesson Plan (PDF, 1.4MB)

Women in the Indian Independence Movement -  the Salt Protests of 1930

High School Level – World History, World Geography, Social Studies
The activities and materials are designed to address the following questions: What were the experiences of women in the Indian Salt Protests of 1930? What effects did women’s participation have on the Indian movement for independence?  How do different individuals remember and understand the role of women in the Salt March and the larger independence movement? How can primary source documents provide students additional perspectives on this historical event?

Download Women in Indian Independence Movement Lesson Plan (PDF, 5.1MB)

Teach India Project -- An Indian Folk Tale

Kindergarten and first grade social studies curricula frequently include listening to or etelling stories and folk tales. Children read and react to stories in which the characters odel honesty, courage, friendship, respect, responsibility and other fine qualities.

The book The Little Brown Jay: a Tale from India by Elizabeth Claire showcased in this it is a folk tale from India. It shows howkindness and helping others brings unexpectedrewards. As the authors explain in an after note, the book is illustrated in the style of Indian miniature paintings but requires no background knowledge of cultural symbols ortraditions to be enjoyed.

The objective of this kit is to provide basic information about India to young students so that they become familiar with simple things that are part of day to day life in India. Familiarity with one other culture will train students to be more open to all other cultures along with their differences and similarities.

Contents 

Study Guide with supplementary materials

Slide show presentation - India: National Symbols

Book:  The Little Brown Jay: A Tale from India Retold by Elizabeth Claire

Artifacts:  A sari, a boy's outfit, a girl's outfit, a toran

Samles of completed projects from Establishing Connections I and II

Music CD

Feeedback Form

Contact Outreach to use the Teach India Project kits

Teach India Project — Salem Trade: Artifacts from India

High School Level
The focus of this kit is the period from 1784 to around 1812 when trade between Salem and the "East Indies", specifically India, flourished. The Cobblestone magazine: Salem and the East Indies Trade (page7) tells us that, "During the same time that twelve voyages were made to Canton, China, fifty-four were made to India."

This kit introduces the student to Salem, Massachusetts, in the Age of Sail - to some of the famous merchants, captains, supercargoes and sailors and ships that sailed to far away countries. It hopes to recreate for students the same wonder experienced by those early Americans when they viewed models and pictures brought from far away.

Contents

Study Guide

Slide Shows

• Slide show presentation: Salem Trade and Artifacts From India
• Slide show presentation: Indian Artifact Display: Let's Look at this Object

Teacher Notes and Discussion Guide
Books:

• Cobblestone magazine: Salem and the East Indies Trade
• Salem: Maritime Trade in the Age of Sail produced by the National Park Service.
• Yankee India: American Commercial and Cultural Encounters with India in the Age of Sail 1784-1860 by Susan S. Bean

Artifact: Handmade puppet from Rajasthan, India in the folk style

Feedback Form

Music CD

Contact Outreach to use the Teach India Project kits