Modified Lesson Plan A: Final/Unit Plan
Title: “A Real Durwan,” the Caste System, and Social Context
Essential Question: How might the caste system have influenced the events in “A Real
Durwan” and the community’s perspective of Boori Ma, and how might it have contributed to
Udayan’s ideologies and the Naxalite movement shown within The Lowland?
Prior Academic Learning: Before this lesson, students have read a significant portion of The
Lowland. They are familiar with the historical context of the Naxalite movement and Naxalite
ideologies after several lessons which provided historical context. Students may have been given
basic information on the caste system, but it has not yet been discussed with them in-depth.
Students are aware from previous lessons of different narration styles including “Third Person
Limited Narration,” “Third Person Omniscient Narration,” and “First Person Narration,” but they
have not yet had experience with “First Person Plural Narration.”
Misconceptions:
Students may have a misunderstanding of the term “Durwan,” and students may also be
unfamiliar with the social structure of Indian, including the Caste system. Therefore, students
may misunderstand or misread elements of this short story. Students have previously discussed
different forms of narration including First Person Narration and Third Person Limited
Narration, which provides them with preparation for the discussion of First Person Plural
Narration, which is the style of narration employed in “A Real Durwan”—the short story that
they read in preparation for this lesson.
Linkages among prior knowledge, current lesson, and future lessons:
In previous lessons, students have been provided with historical context as well as basic social
context for the novel and short stories, however, they have not yet been informed of caste
systems in detail nor its social implications. Therefore, this lesson seeks to broaden the students’
historical and cultural understanding, and tie it in with previous knowledge from the historical
context, supplemental materials, and the texts. Therefore, the questions that students are required
to answer alongside reading the article make connections to The Lowland, “A Third and Final
Continent,” and this lessons primary reading, “A Real Durwan.” Similarly, the questions also tie
the new information in with the historical context of which students have extensive prior
knowledge, including the Naxalite movement. In the lesson following this one, students will be
taught about The Great Bengali Famine of 1943 which is described in their required reading for
the lesson. The context around this Famine will be related to the knowledge students will have
about the caste system, the reading, as well as the political implications and themes of
colonialism’s impact on India. Therefore, this lesson ties in closely both with the historical
context they have been given, but also with the upcoming reading and lessons.
Objectives:
 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the text and effectively infer character
motivations and cultural influences using support from the text.
 Students will integrate prior knowledge from previous lessons as well as The Lowland
and Interpreter of Maladies to understand and frame new information on cultural and
historical context.
Key Vocabulary: Vocabulary featured in this lesson includes: Durwan, caste, hereditary,
endogamous/endogamy, occupation, mutual exclusion, untouchable, Dalit, segregated, hamlets,
untouchable/untouchability, and vocational.
Academic Language: Language that may facilitate discussion and student answers include: First
Person Plural Narration, historical context, social context, comparisons, motivations, symbolic,
and perspective. These words will be used in modeling discussion about the text, and students
will be encouraged to use these terms in their own contributions to discussions as well as in the
journal and comprehension question responses.
Materials:
There should be at least 30 copies of both the excerpt hand out (with the entries from
Encyclopedia Britannica on “caste” and “untouchables”) and at least fourteen reference
materials available in the room. The reference materials may include dictionaries or classroom
computers in which digitally hosted dictionaries can be accessed.
Preparation:
Materials should be prepare ahead of time and sufficient copies should be procured. The
reference materials should be available at the front of the room and accessible for students. The
journal question (Boori Ma’s claims to prior wealth alongside the more likely account of how
she had crossed the East Bengal border, with the thousands of others, on the back of a truck,
between sacks of hemp” (72). Do you think Boori Ma’s stories true, and the community is
unfairly skeptical, or do you think Boori Ma’s stories are simply fantasies? Whether you believe
her stories are true or false, why do you think Boori Ma tells these stories even if no one believes
her?”) should be prewritten on the board, SMART Board, or Power Point slide, but it should not
be visible for students until needed in the lesson.
Procedures:
 Before the class, students were required to read the short story “A Real Durwan” from the
text Interpreter of Maladies. Students should bring this text with them to class.
 [3 Minutes] Begin discussion by clarifying the meaning of Durwan as a “Porter” or
“Doorkeeper” (OED). Following this, ask for three students to share a summary of what
happened in the text, building on one another’s answers.
 [3-5 Minutes] To address misconceptions and confusion, open up the discussion to
student questions. Write student questions on the board, and immediately address
questions that will not be directly addressed later in the lesson. For questions that will be
addressed (potentially surrounding Boori Ma’s social status, treatment, or outlook by the
community), leave the questions on the board but do not yet answer them. Use these
questions to shape the discussion later, and encourage students to continue thinking about
them as the lesson continues.
 [10 Minutes] Segue into a journal activity. Use the board, SMART Board, or PowerPoint
to reveal the journal question which states: “Boori Ma’s claims to prior wealth alongside
the more likely account of how she had crossed the East Bengal border, with the
thousands of others, on the back of a truck, between sacks of hemp” (72). Do you think
Boori Ma’s stories true, and the community is unfairly skeptical, or do you think Boori
Ma’s stories are simply fantasies? Whether you believe her stories are true or false, why
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do you think Boori Ma tells these stories even if no one believes her?” Set a timer for ten
minutes, and allow students to work. Encourage students to use their book as they write
and to draw from it for support. As students work, periodically update them on the time.
[3 Minutes] As you collect the journals, encourage students to think-pair-share (the
“think” element having been the individual writing) with their strategically assigned
partners.
[3-5 Minutes] Open up to a wider discussion on student journal answers. Encourage
students to share what they wrote or discussed with their partners. Encourage them to
also discuss what support they used from their book to complete the journal.
[5 Minutes] Review previous styles of narration the students have been introduced to,
including: Third Person Omnipresent, Third Person Limited, and First Person. Introduce
a new method of narration: First Person Plural, which was used in the text “A Real
Durwan.” Open up to a discussion on the author’s choices with the following questions:
Why did Lahiri choose to tell this through First Person Plural? What did it add to the text
that would not be there if it was told through a single community member’s eyes?
[15 Minutes] Have student volunteers pass out the excerpts from Encyclopedia
Britannica on “caste” and “untouchable,” and request that students once again sit with
their strategically assigned (with different reading and linguistic abilities that allows for
scaffolding and peer tutoring) partner for this activity. Ask for students to follow the
directions, read the excerpts together, and answer the questions. When students come to
unfamiliar words, request that they use context and reference materials to understand the
term. Place numerous dictionaries in the front of the classroom for students to consult,
and allow for groups to use the classroom computer (if available) to also look up terms.
Provide the remainder of the fifteen minutes to the students to work, and update them
periodically on the remaining time. Walk away and ensure students are on task and
actively discussing and working together.
[5 minutes] Have two to three partner pairs share their answers for each question. Clarify
when needed, and connect the information together to provide overall knowledge about
the caste system, Dalits, and the social and cultural significance in both The Interpreter of
Maladies and The Lowland.
[Remaining Few Minutes] Revisit the questions created at the beginning of class, and
work with students to answer the questions using the knowledge gained from the excerpts
and discussion.
[before students leave] Assign for students to read 179-191 in The Lowland for the
following day.
Discussion Ideas:
 In the text The Lowland, Gauri describes how she never saw Udayan doing his own
dishes, because that had always been the work of the servants. What does this indicate
about Udayan’s caste? How might it contradict his political and social ideologies?
 Why is Boori Ma blamed for the theft? Is it her fault, or is the community making overly
negative assumptions? What will happen to her now that she was forced to leave?
 How did Boori Ma’s stories—or lies, as they were seen by the community—help lead to
her rejection at the end of the novel, or would she have been rejected regardless?
 What vocabulary terms are simple, and what are harder to navigate? Why may some of
the terms have difficult or varied interpretations and/or connotations?
Planned Instructional Supports:
Personal/cultural/community assets: Some of the students may be previously familiar
with the concept of “castes” or hierarchal social divisions based on information presented in their
history classes. Students may also be familiar with social classes and potential social and
occupational limitations that can result from societal prejudices from studies of Western history
and social movements, and they therefore may be able to draw connections between this prior
knowledge and the cultural context provided in this lesson. With the opportunity to use both the
internet and traditional reference materials in order to understand the vocabulary terms presented
in this lesson, student will also be able to approach vocabulary acquisition in whatever way they
feel most comfortable. Some students who have access to technology may prefer to use the
internet over traditional reference materials, and this lesson seeks to accommodate both
preferences and allow students to practice using the reference materials with whichever method
would be more accessible to them outside of class.
Grouping strategies: Similar to the rest of the unit, this lesson employs strategic grouping
strategies in order to provide support for students and ensure effective groups. In this lesson,
students are assigned partner pairs in which they read the entry and answer the comprehension
questions. The groups are small (two students) in order to ensure that the students will be able to
have active discussions, read, and work together. With more students, it could become difficult
for each student to be an active participant in the conversation, particularly in answering the
comprehension questions. By strategically selecting the pairs, it is possible to match up students
with different reading abilities and linguistic needs, and therefore ensure both partners will be
able to access the material and this better understand the content. Selecting the pairs based on
student ability also avoids reinforcing social divisions within the classrooms that may occur
when students are allowed to self-select partners or groups (Blatchford et al. 166). Research has
also suggested that these strategic groupings that consider student needs and abilities are more
effective than random or self-selected groups (Warren, Esteves, and Woodrow 136). Therefore,
students are paired strategically to encourage a class of cooperative learning and support students
in accessing the material, and to also promote oral communication and the negotiation of
different interpretations and ideas as students answer.
Overview of instructional support language & special education accommodations:
Students are placed within pairings that allow for peer tutoring, scaffolding, and various abilities,
perspectives, and ideas to be represented. Students with ELL designation will also not be
required to follow the rules of Standard Academic English, nor will they be graded on length, but
instead on the content and quality of their answers. Therefore, they will not be at an unfair
disadvantage in their assessment. This lesson also reinforces vocabulary acquisition skills and
the use of reference material, which research suggests can support these students in developing
English fluency and vocabulary (Gonzalez 269). Students with ELL designation and special
needs that make texts more difficult to access will also be provided with audiobook copies of the
texts. Finally, peer groups will be closely facilitated to ensure on-task behavior and student
understanding. Both the ELL and Special Education instructor will be consulted—alongside
student IEPs and 504 plans—to ensure that all needed accommodations are made.
Language Accommodations:
In order to support the students within this lesson, they are given partners with strengths
that support their needs, and may therefore help provide these students with support with which
they can access the articles. Including group work that offers students with the opportunity to
participate in conversation and practice oral communication has also been shown to be beneficial
for students with ELL designation, and can provide additional support for learning those skills
and accessing the material compared to the “teacher-led “lockstep” mode” of instruction (Long
and Porter 207). Another instructional support included within this lesson is the emphasis on
vocabulary acquisition through student use of dictionaries. Research has suggested that “ESL
students need to be taught prudent use of the dictionary… Dictionary use aids second language
learners’ vocabulary development… It provides fast and reliable support for learners who have
vocabulary and language limitations” (Gonzalez 269). This lesson is intended to provide students
with historical and cultural contexts to the texts, and many of the terms within the supplementary
materials may be unfamiliar. By encouraging students to utilize reference tools which can
provide them with information on terms that are placed within a meaningful context—a larger
cultural study and understanding of the text—it not only provides students with the new
vocabulary, but it also helps them develop skills for vocabulary acquisition. While these students
are proficient enough in English that they do not require direct translations of the text, rubric, or
supplemental materials (including the Encyclopedia Britannica entries used in this lesson), these
students are provided with audiobook versions of both The Lowland and Interpreter of Maladies
to supplement their reading if needed. There are also classroom copies of the texts that have been
translated into French, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese Characters (preferred by the students
with an L1 that is Mandarin) which are intended as an additional resource for these students. The
formal assessments will also not take the use of Standard Academic English into account, and
therefore students with ELL designation and/or who feel more comfortable with AAVE (African
American Vernacular English) will therefore not be at a disadvantage.
Special Education Accommodations:
The first support provided for these students is strategic grouping that carefully considers
the students’ academic and behavioral needs. One student has been identified with ADHD and
learning disabilities, and she is several grades below grade-level in reading. While she receives
“Homework Help” outside of class with the special education instructor, she has also been
provided with an audiobook copy of both The Lowland and Interpreter of Maladies to
supplement her reading. In this lesson, she will be partnered with a student who is reading at
grade-level and who she has been able to previously work well with, and through this strategic
pairing and her partner’s assistance, she should better be able to access the excerpt. The pairings
should provide opportunity for scaffolding and cooperative learning among different levels of
ability and the negotiation of different perspectives and ideas. Two other students often have
difficulty staying on-task and potentially working with peers, and so these students will be
strategically grouped with peers with which they can cooperate well. These discussions will be
closely facilitated, and on-task behavior will be encouraged through redirection and proximity.
Alongside these accommodations, additional measures will be taken in accordance with the
individual students’ IEPs and 504 Plans. The Special Education teacher will be consulted about
this lesson before it is given to the students, and any additional accommodations that are needed
will be made.
Assessments:
The students will be formally assessed through the journal activity, as well as through the
individual student answers on the comprehension questions provided alongside the excerpts. The
journal activity will be assessed using the checklist rubric (attached), and the comprehension
questions will be assessed on completion with logical, supported answers using the answer key
(attached). Each question will be worth one point, for a total of four points. If students only
partially answer the question or answer it but lack support, they will be given with half credit
(1/2 point) for their answer.
Alignment with each objective:
 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the text and effectively infer character
motivations and cultural influences using support from the text. This is addressed
primarily in the journal activity, in which students analyze the character of Boori Ma in
order to develop a deeper understanding of the short story’s plot and the reactions of the
plural narrators in the frame the students’ understanding of the cultural context. The
journal rubric (attached) assesses whether students are able to fully answer the question,
but also if they are able to incorporate support from the text. Therefore, student
performance on this journal will reflect if students were able to demonstrate textual
understanding and their ability to infer information and analyzing characters using the
text.
 Students will integrate prior knowledge from previous lessons as well as The Lowland
and Interpreter of Maladies to understand and frame new information on cultural and
historical context. This is primarily assessed through the comprehension questions
attached to the article. While graded on completion, the students’ ability to fully answer
these questions and participate in the subsequent conversation reflects their understanding
of the new information and their ability to connect it to prior knowledge and the texts.
Alongside their completion grade, students will be provided with written feedback about
their answers, which will offer opportunities for them to further develop their
understanding of the material.
Evidence of student understanding:
Neither assessment grades students on the length of their answer or their use of Standard
Academic English or conventions. Therefore it provides students with an opportunity to
demonstrate their understanding without being unfairly penalized for unfamiliarity with SAE or
other linguistic preferences. Instead, students are graded on their content and ability to support
their ideas using the text or supplemental materials they are given, which allows their
understanding of these materials and themes explored throughout the unit to be given priority in
the assessment.
Student feedback: Alongside being returned the completed rubric for their journals, students will
also be given written feedback alongside their work which provides commentary, encourages
students to develop their skills, and offers insight and additional questions to help students
further develop their ideas. For the comprehension questions, students will be given their grade,
which is primarily based on completion; if they fully answered the question with a logical
answer, they receive full credit. No question has a single correct answer, and therefore there are
multiple possible answers students can create while still supporting their ideas, and therefore a
grade based on completion allows for the most freedom in student answers, however, students
will also be provided with written feedback for their answers. This feedback may correct faulty
logic or assumptions, and it will encourage students to further develop their ideas with additional
questions. If students perform poorly on this assessment by failing to create logical answers
and/or not supporting themselves using the text, they may be provided feedback along with an
opportunity to revise their answers for the following day.
Extension Ideas:
If time permits, it would be beneficial to have more time to answer initial student questions, and
to potential have students work on answering these questions themselves. It would also be useful
if each vocabulary term was addressed within class, and students clarified the meaning they
discovered through the use of context or reference materials. Students could offer their own
definitions, and alternate interpretations of the words can be compared and discussed. The final
discussion question (“What vocabulary terms are simple, and what are harder to navigate? Why
may some of the terms have difficult or varied interpretations and/or connotations?”) may be
used to help facilitate an active conversation on the vocabulary terms and various definitions the
students provide.
References:
Anderson, Michael C., et al. "Caste." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Jan.
2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/98395/caste>.
- - -. "Untouchable." Encylopedia Britannica. Encylopedia Britannica, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 Dec.
2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/618508/untouchable>.
Blatchford, Peter, et al. "Toward a Social Pedagogy of Classroom Groupwork." International
Journal of Educational Research 39 (2003): 153-72. Print.
Gonzalez, Orsini. "Building Vocabulary: Dictionary Consultation and the ESL Student." Journal
of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 43.3 (1999): 164-70. Print.
Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. New York: Houghton, 1999. Print.
- - -. The Lowland. First Vintage Contemporaries ed. New York: Penguin, 2014. Print.
Long, Michael, and Patricia Porter. "Group Work, Interlanguage Talk, and Second Language
Acquisition." TESOL Quarterly 19.2 (1985): 207-28. Abstract. Print.
Warren, Elizabeth, Kelli Esteves, and Alice Woodrow. RTI Success. Minneapolis: Free Spirit,
2009. Print.
Illinois Professional Teaching Standards:
The Standard addressed that was most applicable to this lesson was Standard Six, “Reading,
Writing, and Oral Communication.” The indicators chosen include:
Knowledge Indicator: 6B) understands that the reading process involves the
construction of meaning through the interactions of the reader's background knowledge and
experiences, the information in the text, and the purpose of the reading situation. This lesson
specifically addresses prior knowledge and readings in order to engage the students and assist
them in developing a better understanding of the new content. For this lesson, prior readings and
understandings provide a framework to understand the additional historical context being
provided by the supplemental materials. The comprehension questions used to guide student
thinking encourage students to make direct connections to earlier knowledge, and therefore
works to integrate new ideas with previous lessons and understanding. Therefore, even as
students learn new content, the framework of understanding provided by the text and historical
knowledge work to make the new information meaningful. Future lessons will also incorporate
this information, encouraging students to reflect on prior knowledge and engage with the
material.
Performance Indicator: 6L) facilitates the use of appropriate word identification and
vocabulary strategies to develop each student’s understanding of content. Because students are
being presented with new historical and cultural contextual information, there are numerous
terms that may be unfamiliar. In order to support students in the development of vocabulary
acquisition skills, this lesson encourages self-directed student learning by providing students
with reference materials and encouraging the students themselves to research and understand
unfamiliar vocabulary terms. Because of the connection the terms have with the text, the
vocabulary terms gain meaning and importance. Students are also encouraged to use context to
identify the term. If time permits, this lesson will also include a discussion of student created
definitions and understandings of the terms. Therefore, this lesson directly reinforces strategies
for identifying and understanding vocabulary terms in order to enhance the students’ cultural and
historical understanding of the material.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards:
 RL.9-10.6: Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work
of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world
literature. Using the multicultural perspective provided in Interpreter of Maladies¸ this
lesson works to provide students with a better cultural and historical understanding of the
material. Students are encouraged to analyze the character’s motivations, and they
ultimately connect their understanding of “A Real Durwan” with a deeper understanding
of the caste system and social traditions that may have previously been unfamiliar to
them. This lesson works to provide students with the context to better understand and
analyze the cultural perspectives present in the text, and it also intends to broaden the
students’ understanding of global social understandings and movements, providing the
students with tools for a deeper and more informed analysis of the text.
 RI.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact
of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion
differs from that of a newspaper).Within this lesson, students are encouraged to use
context and reference materials to understand key terms within their supplemental
materials. The understanding of these terms will influence and improve their
understanding of the historical and cultural context as a whole, and are therefore essential
to the lesson. By making the vocabulary student-directed and encouraging students to use
context and supplemental materials on their own, it also reinforces necessary vocabulary
acquisition skills that can benefit students throughout the unit. Given time, students may
also be able to compare definitions and interpretations of terms, and this can help them
understand the impact and importance of various words. By providing students with
vocabulary terms and relating them immediately to the text (such as through connecting
“endogamy” with “The Third and Final Continent”) it also helps students develop a
meaningful concept of the terms, and how they can be applicable to the situations
presented in the text.
Read the following excerpts from Encyclopedia Britannica with your partner, and use contextual
clues and classroom resources in order to identify bolded vocabulary terms. After reading,
answer the questions on the following page, referring to your book if needed.
“Caste, any of the ranked, hereditary, endogamous social groups, often linked with
occupation, that together constitute traditional societies in South Asia, particularly among
Hindus in India… In an effort to maintain vertical social distance, these groups practiced mutual
exclusion in matters relating to eating and, presumably, marrying.”
“Untouchable, also called Dalit, officially Scheduled Caste…. the former name for any member
of a wide range of low-caste Hindu groups and any person outside the caste system. The use of
the term and the social disabilities associated with it were declared illegal in the constitutions
adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India in 1949 and of Pakistan in 1953. Mahatma Gandhi
called untouchables Harijans (“Children of the God Hari Vishnu,” or simply “Children of God”)
and long worked for their emancipation. However, this name is now considered condescending
and offensive. The term Dalit later came to be used, though that too occasionally has negative
connotations. The official designation Scheduled Caste is the most common term now used in
India. Kocheril Raman Narayanan, who served as president of India from 1997 to 2002, was the
first member of a Scheduled Caste to occupy a high office in the country.
Many different hereditary castes have been traditionally subsumed under the title
untouchable, each of which subscribes to the social rule of endogamy (marriage exclusively
within the caste community) that governs the caste system in general.
Traditionally, the groups characterized as untouchable were those whose occupations and
habits of life involved ritually polluting activities, of which the most important were (1) taking
life for a living, a category that included, for example, fishermen, (2) killing or disposing of dead
cattle or working with their hides for a living, (3) pursuing activities that brought the participant
into contact with emissions of the human body, such as feces, urine, sweat, and spittle, a
category that included such occupational groups as sweepers and washermen, and (4) eating the
flesh of cattle or of domestic pigs and chickens, a category into which most of the indigenous
tribes of India fell….
…Until the adoption of the new constitutions in independent India and Pakistan, the
untouchables were subjected to many social restrictions, which increased in severity from north
to south in India. In many cases, they were segregated in hamlets outside the town or village
boundary. They were forbidden entry to many temples, to most schools, and to wells from which
higher castes drew water. Their touch was seen as seriously polluting to people of higher caste…
The modern constitution of India formally recognized the plight of the untouchables by
legally establishing their ethnic subgroups as Scheduled Castes (a population of some 170
million in the early 21st century). In addition, the designation Scheduled Tribes (about 85
million) was given to the indigenous peoples of the country who fall outside of the Indian social
hierarchy. Besides banning untouchability, the constitution provides these groups with specific
educational and vocational privileges and grants them special representation in the Indian
parliament. In support of these efforts, the Untouchability (Offenses) Act (1955) provides
penalties for preventing anyone from enjoying a wide variety of religious, occupational, and
social rights on the grounds that he or she is from a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. Despite
such measures, the traditional divisions between pure and polluted caste groups persist in some
levels of Indian society, making full emancipation of these groups slow to come about.
Name ____________________
ANSWER KEY: answers are written in red
Directions: using the excerpts on the previous page and support from your text, develop logical,
supportive, and thoughtful answers to the following questions. You may work with your
assigned partner, but each student must turn in their own set of answers.
1) According to the excerpts, what social and legal progress has been made for the Dalits? Where
is there room for further improvement? How is does the “negative connotations” attached to the
term “Dalit” signify the need for further social progress?
Answers for this question may vary, but students should answer each question, and their answers
should reflect and be supported by the articles. Exemplary answers may include direct quotes
and references, and they may be read aloud to model to other students.
2) The narrator from “The Third and Final Continent” describes his prospective nice as “a pretty
one, from a suitably high caste, who would soon have a master’s degree . What was there not to
love?” (Lahiri 148) How does this statement connect to the practice of endogamy?
Answers will vary, but students should fully answer the question, and their answers should both
connect “The Third and Final Continent” to the articles as well as show an understanding of the
concept of endogamy.
3) The caste system in India is described as being “ranked, hereditary, endogamous.” By being
hereditary, endogamous, and practicing “mutual exclusion,” the caste individuals were born in
were largely unchangeable. How might the caste system contribute to the community’s doubts
about Boori Ma’s claims of prior wealth?
Answers may vary, but student answers should use support for the previous night’s reading in
order to create plausible, reflective ideas.
4) In the previous article you read, it stated: “Naxalite groups generally have claimed to represent
the poorest and most socially marginalized members of Indian society (notably tribal peoples and
Dalits [formerly untouchables]) and to adhere to the Maoist doctrine of sustained peasant-led
revolution.” How might the lack of political and social rights of Dalits in the 1940s influenced
Udayan’s ideologies and furthered the Naxalite movement?
This question is particularly tricky, but students should apply both prior knowledge on the
Naxalite movement from previous lessons as well as a thorough understanding of the text in
order to answer the question. Answers may vary, but students must use support themselves with
and show an understanding of The Lowland and the supplemental historical materials.
Checklist Rubric for Journal Entries
____ Answers the prompt provided
____ Uses at least one specific example/idea from their own perspective
____ Uses at least one specific example/idea from the text (not necessarily a quote)
____ Adheres to the specified format of the journal prompt (i.e. paragraph, poem, letter, etc.)
____ Organized in a way that makes the content easy to be understood
Each aspect is worth two (2) points for a total of ten (10) points.
Grading Scale
10 points = A (100%); 8 points = B (80%); 6 points = D (60%); 4 points and lower = F (0-40%)