Lesson 3: India Case Study
Purposes:
1. Provide a historical and cultural context for understanding and assessing various positions
toward British presence in India
2. Develop historical thinking: constructing & using new knowledge, employing problemsolving strategies, weighing evidence.
3. Encourage historical perspective taking
4. Encourage consideration of alternative viewpoints
5. Encourage use of historical evidence and persuasive reasoning to defend an argument about a
historical issue
Lesson Summary:
Lesson Introduction
1. Teacher introduces the lesson focus question and links it to the Unit Central Question.
2. Teacher introduces the lesson goals and tasks (including the homework follow-up) and links
those to the Unit and Lesson Focus questions.
Establishing Foundational Knowledge
Teacher presents a multimedia lecture that:
1. Reviews key characteristics of Indian culture and establishes the roots of British presence in
India.
2. Clarifies the progression of events in India from the Sepoy Mutiny of 1858 to 1904.
3. Compares the relative power, standard of living, etc. of the two societies
4. Compares daily life in India as experienced by British and Indian inhabitants.
Document Analysis: Encouraging Historical Thinking & Perspective Taking
The class works with a document set representing 4 views of British actions in India: a British
defense, a British critique, an Indian defense, and an Indian critique.
1. Students are informed that they will be hired to develop a PR campaign to sway Indian public
opinion about British presence.
2. Students work in pairs to analyze 1 British and 1 Indian document with opposing views.
3. Following document analysis each member of the pair will be assigned 1 of the two
perspectives to defend and will be responsible for challenging the opposing view.
Encouraging Perspective Taking & Persuasive Reasoning
Students work in teams of 4 to design and create persuasive posters representing the view they
have been assigned.
1. Each student is assigned an individual role: Presenter/Questioner, Graphic Artist, Editor,
Strategist
2. Completed products feature a slogan, supporting arguments, a supporting illustration, and an
explanation of the finished product (reverse side of poster)
Encouraging Perspective Taking & Dialectical Reasoning
Groups present their posters. The class challenges their arguments with those students assigned
the Questioner roles taking the lead.
Closure: Persuasive & Dialectical Reasoning
Following a brief summary of lesson content, the teacher reviews the homework assignment:
Each student will compose a letter to the British Colonial Secretary arguing their own view on
the lesson focus question. Their letter must acknowledge and respond to the arguments
represented in both documents from the opposing side.