Unit Map/Narrative Overview
Field Trip—2/23
Day 1 (2/24): Introduction
India is a country with a vast history, culture, and geography. When teaching about India, I will
be teaching about the history of ancient India from 2300 BC-AD 500. This portion of the unit
will introduce the early Indian civilizations, origins of Hinduism and Buddhism, Indian empires,
and Indian achievements. Students will also be introduced to the Indian Subcontinent and its
physical geography, history and culture, and some of India’s neighbors. Some students may not
know anything about India and may not even be able to locate India on a map. I will use the first
lesson as a way to hook students into our unit on India, but more importantly to show students
the context of India in comparison to the United States and more specifically, North Carolina. I
will be introduce the theme of the unit, people in crisis, with the idea of overpopulation. We will
complete an overpopulation simulation where students will do mathematical problems to figure
out the population ratio between the United States and India; we will move it even further and
compare the ratio between North Carolina and India. Students will learn what overpopulation
means and we will hypothesize what it can do for the country of India. For more detail, see
document entitled “Gore_Unit Opening.”
Day 2 (2/25): Physical Geography (Chapter 21, Section 1)
We will begin class by reviewing our conclusions from yesterday. We will revisit the statistics
comparing the land size of India, the United States, and North Carolina in anticipation of today’s
activity. Students will receive pictures from India; some will be cultural pictures, but most will
be the array of physical features India has to offer. Students will be asked to make inferences
about the physical geography of India and they will share out. Each table will be assigned a
physical feature, climate, or a natural resource to read about in the textbook. Different groups
will be looking at the mountains, rivers, plains, climate regions, and natural resources of India.
A member from each team will come up to the board and illustrate their piece of physical
geography on a blown up map of India where it is most likely to be located. I will then follow
this with a lecture about India’s physical geography. We will revisit the map and students will
take notes in the form of foldables (sections titled physical features, climates, and natural
resources). Students will also be given a copy of a map of India and the Indian subcontinent to
illustrate. The lecture will discuss the various physical features (Himalayas, Mt. Everest, Ganges
River, Indus River, Deccan, and Great Indian Desert) and the climates and resources (tropical
climates, monsoons, fertile soil and goods, and mineral resources). I will make sure to discuss
the effects on life of the physical features, climates, and natural resources. Class will end with
students discussing what physical feature in the Indian Subcontinent they would most like to visit
and why. For homework, students will begin reading their assigned books for the unit. We will
be reading Peak by Roland Smith. I am looking for another book as well, maybe Shabanu:
Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples (she also has one called Under the Persimmon
Tree).
 Make a Map of India worksheet in Ancient India
Day 3 (2/28): India’s Neighbors (Chapter 21, Section 4)
Students will take out their maps from yesterday and we will look at the political map of the
Indian Subcontinent, which includes Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.
Students will be split into teams from each country and will research the country of the CIA
World Factbook. Students will get the essential details, but will also want to research current
issues that are occurring in the area at the time. They will work in their team and create a wiki
page for their country. Our class wiki will be set up and students will answer questions about the
people, government, economy, and transnational or national issues that are occurring. I will
create one on India which students may reference for ideas. In order to ensure that all students
are contributing, each will be assigned a certain portion of the wiki (the topics introduced above).
After 40-45 minutes, students will read a passage from Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, which is
based out of Pakistan. We will compare it to what the students read in their novel over the
weekend.
Day 4 (3/1): History and Culture of India (Chapter 21, Section 2); Early Indian Civilizations
(Chapter 19, Section 1)
I will spend the first part of class highlighting the important takeaway points from yesterday’s
lesson. Because each group made their own wiki page, other students will have to review that
information along with what I reinforce today. We will begin discussing the history and culture
of India by creating a timeline. I will have a piece of butcher paper with the timeline transcribed
on it already. As we go through the lecture notes (via PowerPoint), students will fill in the
timeline and make notes on their own timelines. I will have strips of paper for them to use or
they will use computer paper. We will discuss the Harappan, Indo-Aryan, Deccan Sultanate,
Mughal Empire, British Colony, and the formation of an independent nation. We will go into
deeper detail about Gandhi and other important figures such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Muhammad
Ali Jinnah, Siddhartha Gautama, Asoka, and Candra Gupta II. After the students receive more
information about these figures, they will create a skit at their tables or individually. Students
will choose an important person from the unit and write a monologue from that person’s
perspective. Students may create skits between certain characters if they would like. These
monologues will be filmed during tomorrow’s class! I will bring in multiple flip cameras and
students will perform their either film their monologues of each other or we will do it as a whole
class. Homework will be for students to finish creating their monologues or their skits. They
only have to be one minute.
Day 5 (3/2): History and Culture of India (Chapter 21, Section 2)
Monologue filming will begin today. Students should have created their skit by now and today
will be the performances. Students will be asked if they would like to perform in front of the
entire class. If not, they will have the opportunity to perform for a friend while he or she films.
These will occur in the hall or in parts of the classroom. Between performances, all students will
cheer on their classmates and offer positive comments about the accuracy of events and their
depiction of the character. Dressing up is not required but would be highly encouraged.
Day 6 (3/3): The Indian Caste System Simulation
Class will begin with an introduction to the Indian Caste System. Even though it will be
introduced while we talk about the Aryan people that began the caste system, we will go much
more into depth and look at the roles of each class and the effect each group has on society.
After the students understand the caste system idea, we will create our own caste system in class.
As our class creates the necessary rules for each caste grouping, (we will have only three
groupings) we will record everything. We will create rules such as, the highest caste gets the
best seats in class, they get to go to the next class first, etc. Students will be assigned a caste and
they will get to follow the rules of the caste for one class period. The castes will switch during
the next two days so all students experience each level and no one is upset about his or her
placement. Once students are placed in their caste systems for the day, we will discuss their
reactions and compare the caste system to our society. I will ask why a caste system and can
hinder a society to close out the class.
 The Indian Caste System in Ancient India
 Caste System Questions and Activities in Ancient India
Day 7 (3/4): Gandhi video
We will watch the A & E Biography video of Gandhi. Students will be told that this information
will be on the test and that they may fill out a movie sheet if they wish. It will not be graded or
required as students have different learning styles and some may not want the worksheet. We
will go over the worksheet at the end of the class period.
Day 8 (3/7): Indian Empires (Chapter 19, Section 4) and Indian Achievements (Chapter 19,
Section 5)
Today’s lecture will focus on the Indian Empires. We will look at some maps viewing the
territory that each empire held. During the lecture, we will discuss the key terms, leaders, and
followers of the empires. Finally, we will look at pictures of Indian achievements. Students will
make inferences about the importance of each picture and then we will discuss why the
achievement is important in Indian history.
Day 9 (3/8): Religion Comparisons (Chapter 19, Sections 2-3); Buddhism and Hinduism
We will be studying Buddhism and Hinduism together as they share many beliefs. For today’s
activity, we will do a jigsaw. Students will split into five groups representing karma,
reincarnation, moksha, nirvana, and dharma. Each group will have a worksheet to complete with
questions about their particular idea or belief. There will be readings or stories to accompany
each idea so students may answer the questions. Students will have to pay particular attention to
which religion an idea or belief falls under (and some are seen in both religions). After
becoming experts on their topic, students will break out into new groups, with one member (two
if necessary) from each expert group. Students will then teach their classmates about their topic.
Because some students may not particular or know all of their information, we will go over the
questions in class, as each student will have a copy of each worksheet.
Day 10 (3/9): Religion Comparisons (Chapter 19, Sections 2-3); Buddhism and Hinduism
Today we will get into a lecture about the origins of Hinduism and Buddhism. Students will
create foldables in order to compare and contrast Buddhism and Hinduism. They will take their
notes on the foldables as we go through the lecture. We will reference yesterday’s activity, but
obtain deeper detail and background information about each religion. Students will read the
story The Legend of Buddha in order to learn about Buddha and determine his importance to
Buddhism. There will be some questions for students to answer and we will discuss the story in
class. At the end of the lesson, we will create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting
Hinduism and Buddhism.
Day 11 (3/10): Map Quiz and Peak Discussion
We will begin class by having our map quiz on the Indian Subcontinent. Students will have to
label the countries in the Indian Subcontinent as well as important landforms and bodies of water
on and around India. We will spend whatever time is left to discuss Peak, which students will
have finished by this date. We will have a literature activity to accompany this discussion. If the
literature circle in the fall goes well, we may revisit the strategy.
Day 12 (3/11): Early Release; prepare for Paideia Discussion Seminar/Literature Circles Activity
Because there will be shortened schedule today, students will have an opportunity to work on
their Paideia discussion preparation. Students will read the “Quit India Resolution” text and
research the background of the document as well as the impact of colonial British rule on India.
We will have computers available in class for students to use when researching the document.
Students will prepare for a discussion about the text and the causes and effects of colonialism in
India. Anything the students do not prepare will be finished over the weekend.
Day 13 (3/14): Paideia Discussion Seminar
After reading “Quit India Resolution,” students will participate in a Paideia Discussion Seminar.
As facilitator, I will ask questions that elicit mixed responses from the students. The discussion
can go either way, so I need to make sure to continue to urge students to participate. Everyone
will sit in a square so we can all face each other. All students will be required to participate, and
we must discuss the document. Students may insert their own personal opinions, but they should
try to relate it back to the document as much as possible. Depending on the time we have left,
we will begin discussing the guidelines for the People in Crisis? Project.
Day 14 (3/15): Blue Diamond Assessment?
Students must take a Blue Diamond at this point of the year. We will take the Blue Diamond
during class today. Once we are finished, students will begin working on their People in Crisis?
Project.
Day 15 (3/16): Computer Lab (People in Crisis? Project)
Students will take a current issue from India, referencing the CIA World Factbook and other
scholarly sources and research on the severance of the issue to the country. Students will write
this like a lab report, as they form a hypothesis and research in order to come up with a
conclusion. The hypothesis will be a stance on if the issue is causing India to be a “people in
crisis.” The students will also write about what can be done to curtail the problem. These
reports will be turned in after three days in the library and computer lab.
Day 16 (3/17): Computer Lab (People in Crisis? Project)
See Day 15
Day 17 (3/18): Computer Lab (People in Crisis? Project)
See Day 15
Day 18 (3/21): (Blue Diamond Remediation?) Indian feast on Cultural Awareness
I would like to have a day where we discuss more detail about India today. I will hopefully have
some parents that will volunteer to bring in some food. If not, I will bring some in and we will
have a little treat with our class period. We will discuss the importance of cultural awareness
and understanding the differences about our culture with Indian culture. I will play some
traditional Indian music and we can discuss its meaning and value to the Indian culture. We will
also have time to bring back the idea of overpopulation and discuss the standard of living in
India.
Day 19 (3/22): Test Review
We will play review jeopardy to study for the test tomorrow.
Day 20 (3/23): Test
The unit will end with a comprehensive test.