Moon’s Day, 9/16: The Karmic Warrior
EQ#1: What are the tenets of Hindu
belief – especially, dharma, karma?
EQ#2: How can one both be a fierce
warrior and create good karma?
EQ#3: How does The Ramayana
exemplify and teach these concepts?
 Welcome! Gather
BROWN BOOK,
Work From Front,
paper, pen/pencil, wits!
 Work on Group Project:
Teaching Ramanaya
o Groups of 1-3
o Textbooks EVERYONE
o Read and complete
Reading Guide
o Use reading and Guide
to create lesson to teach
ELACC12RI3: Analyze and explain how
individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop
ELACC12RL4-RI4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text
ELACC12RL6: Distinguish what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant
ELACC12RI6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text
ELACC12RI8: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal British texts
ELACC12RL10: Read and comprehend complex literature independently and proficiently.
ELACC12W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas
ELACC12W4: Produce clear and coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
ELACC12W5: Develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing, rewriting
ELACC12W9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis
ELACC12W10: Write routinely over extended and shorter time frames
ELACC12SL1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
ELACC12SL4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence
ELACC12SL6: Adapt speech to a variety of tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English
ELACC12L1: Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage in speaking and writing.
ELACC12L2: Use standard English capitalization, punctuation, spelling in writing.
Group Project: The Karmic Warrior
We have been talking about dharma and karma, two basic tenets of Hindu belief. Now
develop and demonstrate your understanding of those terms by applying them to your
reading of and reflecting on Ramayana. You will read the story in groups, complete the
reading guide, and teach a short lesson about how the story shows dharma and karma.
To start, let’s review the terms.

Dharma is the system of “soul energy” connecting all life in a
complex web of action and reaction, cause and effect.

Karma is the energy a soul feeds into the dharma as results of its
actions and choices in a particular incarnation, or Earthly life.
o In any incarnation, one’s acts and choices (unintentional
as well as intentional) create karma:
 good acts create good karma;
 bad acts create bad karma.
o A soul carries karma from one incarnation to the next.


Good karma – soul is reincarnated as higher life form;
Bad karma – soul is reincarnated as lower life form.
If the soul rises throughout the higher life forms creating good karma without bad karma,
it fulfills the dharma and reaches nirvana – the final state of blessed enlightenment,
when the soul has risen as high as it can, breaking the karmic cycle.
It’s tricky, but it can be done. And Rama, hero of Ramayana, does it. How?
In groups, read Ramayana. As you do the Reading Guide, look for specific ways in which:

Rama fulfills the dharma by creating good karma.

Ravana violates the dharma by creating bad karma.
Make a list as you read, and be ready to teach about it.
On Monday, each group will use Ramayana to teach the class about dharma and karma.

Each group will teach about ONE specific way Rama creates good karma, and ONE
specific way in which Ravana creates bad karma. These examples must be different
from the examples used by any other group, so find a bunch. MUST QUOTE.

Each group will also discuss a “real-life” example similar to that in Ramayana.

The group may lecture, but must also create a visual aid to the presentation – a poster,
PowerPoint, puppet show, something like that.
This is a ten-point major grade. Each member of the group must be clearly involved to earn
credit. Grade will be determined and recorded using the rubric on the back of this sheet.
Project Rubric: Dharma, Karma, Ramayana
\ Score
Criteria \
Standard
Not Met;
No Credit
Group Work: Some group
members not
_____/20 points involved in
Project Work
20-60% credit
Most work done
by one member
Standard met
Standard met
PASSING WORK GOOD WORK
70 – 80% credit 80 – 90% credit
All do some work Work shared more
but not equally
or less equally
Group or member
frequently needs
redirecting or is
disruptive
Group or member Group members
sometimes needs need no redirecting,
are not disruptive
redirecting or is
disruptive
Standard
Not Yet Met
Presentation:
Content
Lacks example Uses same example
or quotation: or quotation as
- Rama
another group for:
_____/30 points - Ravana
- Rama
- “real life”
- Ravana
- “real life”
Presentation:
Speaking
Presentation
runs 0-3 min.
_____/30 points Some group
Presentation:
Visual Aid
_____/20 points
Presentation runs
3:01 – 3:59 min.
Vague on 2-3:
- discussion
of Rama
- discussion
of Ravana
- discussion
of “real life”
Presentation
runs 4-5 min.
Vague on one:
- discussion
of Rama
- discussion
of Ravana
- discussion
of “real life”
Presentation
runs 5 min.
Standard Exceeded
EXCELLENT!
90 – 100% credit
All members fully
involved at all stages
of discussion, writing
and presentation
Specific on all
Presentation
runs 5+ min.
members not
involved in
Presentation
Group members
not focused in
presentation or
disrupt other
presentations
Speaker(s)
frequently
stumble over
names / words
Speaker(s) have a
few stumbles over
names / words
Good group focus,
no stumbles
No visual or
dramatic aid
submitted
Sloppy, sketchy,
lazy, irrelevant
to teaching
A good basic aid;
relevant and neat
but could use
more detail
A very good aid;
relevant, neat,
detailed
Outstanding and
creative aid
Group Project Score = _______ / 100
Ramayana PRESENATIONS TOMORROW!!
Each “group” (1-3 ppl):
 Remember what you must teach:
o The ideas of karma and dharma
o Good karma Rama creates – and quote
o Bad karma Ravana creates – and quote
o “Real-Life” example/illustration of
something like one or both of these
o Visual Aid/Presentation Activity
Turn In Today:
 CLOZE: Hinduism
 Freewrite: The Karmic Warrior