Curriculum Rationale and Summary:Students in all schools, but specifically those in International and International Studies Schools, are drawn to learning about other lands. They love the allure of new sights, smells, and traditions. The nation of India, although far away, becomes more closely linked with the United States every day. More and more Indians are choosing to call America home and more and more Americans are choosing to build relationships, business-wise and personally, in the subcontinent. Children who are in American schools now will need an accurate understanding of India as we continue to grow as world partners and allies. If children are able to understand the commonalities between themselves and Indian children as well as the challenges and struggles that Indian children face, they will be compassionate and understanding adults, prepared to cooperate with our neighbors to the East.

In this unit, students will “travel” (by using their imaginations) to cities in India, investigating, observing, and using critical thinking skills to learn about what life is like for children throughout India. They will make comparisons to their own lives as well as make comparisons between locations in India. Students will use inquiry to learn about India as a nation through the lives of its children. Students will discover similarities and differences across India regarding how children live, learn, eat, worship, and spend their days. Students will learn about India’s past and how it has led to the conditions of the present. Through interactive activities, active exploration, literature, art, media, and observation, students will develop their own ideas about India and its people.

Grade Levels: K-2 Time Frame: Over 4-6 weeks

Established Goal(s): International Baccalaureate Transdisciplinary Theme: Where we are in Space and Time

While focusing on this transdisciplinary theme, teachers should incorporate the five essential elements into the framework so that students have the opportunity to gain knowledge that is relevant and globally significant, develop an understanding of concepts and make connections to their learning, acquire transdisciplinary and disciplinary skills, develop attitudes

M. White, 2011

A Child’s Day in IndiaAn Inquiry-Based Curriculum Unit for K-2

StudentsCreated By Megan White,

Washington International School, Washington, DC

1

that lead to international-mindedness, and take action as a consequence of their learning.1

Students will use the inquiry process to investigate how individuals, families, and communities are similar and different in their own communities and throughout India. Students will leave the unit gaining new concrete information about the culture of India. Specifically, students will demonstrate knowledge of Indian holidays, celebrations, religion, tradition, family dynamics, food, history, and education and how it relates to daily life for children.

What do we want students to learn?Key Concepts for the Unit, and Key Questions students should ask: form (What is it like?), causation (Why is it like it is?), connections (How is it connected to other things?), and perspective (What are the points of view?).

Related Concepts Discussed in the Unit: conflict, diversity, justice, behavior, and beliefs.

Understanding(s): People are different across borders and across oceans, but many things about different groups of people are the same and these similarities can bring us closer together so that we may build positive relationships with people in other places.

Essential Question(s): Similarities and differences between different cultures

o What is life like for children in India? (form)o How are Indian children’s lives different from mine? (perspective,

connections)How our culture affects our daily life

o What parts of my culture impact to my life? How do they have an impact? What parts of culture impact Indian children on daily basis and why? (perspective, causation)

Meaning of artifacts, history, and traditiono What artifacts are important in the life of an Indian child? Why?

(form, causation) o How does history and tradition impact a child’s daily routine?

(causation)

Learning Activities: Students will receive whole-group instruction about the lives of Indian children through literature, photos, music, video and direct

1 "IB Primary Years Programme Curriculum Framework." International Education - The International Baccalaureate Offers High Quality Programmes of Education to a Worldwide Community of Schools. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ibo.org/pyp/curriculum/>.

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instruction as well as small-group work in interactive workstations. For detailed lesson plans and activity explanations, see section of Curriculum Unit: Lesson Plans and Activities, as well as the curriculum companion website: http://achildsdayinindia.wordpress.com

Performance Task(s) and Other Evidence (quizzes, tests, etc.): Summative Assessment Tasks: How will we know students understand the unit’s central idea? What evidence will we look for?

- Students will complete a series of learning station activities and track their progress with an Indian “passport”. Their work from the stations will be collated in their Unit Notebooks. These notebooks will serve as a closing portfolio that showcases their level of understanding.

- Students will complete a page for the class book, A Child’s Day in India, that shows their knowledge about a self-selected topic relating to daily life for Indian children.

- Students will host their parents and the school administration (if possible) for an India Share-Day to share their Unit Notebook Portfolio and other work from the learning stations. At India Share-Day we will share the class book, A Child’s Day in India.

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How to Use this Series of Lessons: These lessons are intended to be taught in the sequence listed in this unit curriculum, however, the order may be changed and cities may be skipped. The idea is that the kids will follow the itinerary in their passport maps, so if cities and activities are omitted, make sure that the map in the students’ passport is altered as well. There will be primary and secondary activities for each city and teachers can choose which activities to do with their students, according to the students’ needs and learning styles as well as time restrictions. Abbreviations explained: TTW = the teacher will, TLW = the learner will.

The companion website for this curriculum is VERY important. Many of the resources can only be found on the website, and many of the supplemental resources are there as well. The address is: http://achildsdayinindia.wordpress.com/ . There are also several live-links in the digital copy of this curriculum, so it’s wise to keep one copy saved to your computer. All book titles are linked to a place to purchase them online.

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Lesson Plans and Activities

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INTRODUCTION1. Students should all gather together and sit together on the carpet

(or wherever classroom gatherings are usually held). TTW explain to students, “I am so excited to have you all here because we have a very special opportunity today. We are going to use our imaginations to travel all over a wonderful place called India. Have any of you ever heard of a land called India?” TTW allow for students to raise their hands but will prevent them from sharing what they think they know about India. TTW continue, “Before we get started on our journey around India, let’s start by closing our eyes and imagining what India is like. I want you to use your imagination to pretend you are in India right now. What do you see? What do you smell? What sounds do you hear? What is the weather like? How does it feel against your skin? What kinds of things are around you? What do they feel like when you reach out and grab them?” TTW give students plenty of time to explore the land they’ve created in their imaginations, asking lots of guiding questions to continue their mental inquiry.

TTW then ask students to open their eyes back up. TTW give each student a large piece of paper and art materials. TTW say, “Children, what I’d like for you to do today is draw what you saw in your imagination when you transported yourself to India. I want you to include all of those details that you saw, felt, smelled and heard. There are no right or wrong answers for this activity; I am only concerned about seeing what you saw. If you’d like to move around the room to make sure that your work stays private, you may do so.”

TTW then move around the room and check-in with students as they work. The teacher should ask questions to help students remember what they saw in their imaginary trip. If students are very young, the teacher might want to label their pictures for them. Older students should write a few sentences telling about their picture on a separate sheet of paper that can be attached below the picture and included in their portfolio.

After students have finished their pictures, TTW gather everyone together so they can choose to share a few things from their pictures that they saw in their imaginary trip to India. Teachers should stress that everyone has their own ideas about what it is like, and that over the course of the unit everyone will learn about India and maybe realize they had a few misconceptions.

2. TTW begin the lesson by reminding students that they recently completed pictures that showed what they imagined India was like. TTW ask students what method of transportation they think they should use to travel to India and hear their suggestions for answers. TTW explain that India is a country in the continent of Asia, which is all the way on the other side of the

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Delhi

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world! TTW suggest that they all take an imaginary airplane to get to India, and will ask students to pretend to get on the airplane and get ready to go. (Encouraging pantomime and acting out all of the actions of getting on a plane will really help students to become involved in the lesson. Kids really love doing it and the more engaged they are in the lessons, the better!) When the students are all buckled in to their imaginary seats on the plane, TTW show students where Delhi, India, is on the Smartboard using Google Earth. (Starting in the students’ home city and then typing in Delhi, India, spins the Earth and really illustrates how far away India is.) TTW talk students through their imaginary flight, and during “flight” will pass out their new passports. At this point, TTW explain what the purpose of a passport is (showing a real passport is a good idea!), and explain how their passport will be used during the unit.

TTW say, “Now that we are on our way to India, we will need to use our passports. India is a different country than the United States of America, where we live, so we all have to have a passport. I’ve put your picture in your passport so you’ll know that it is yours. Please take a moment to write in your name, your hair color, your eye color, and your hometown.” Students will do this independently or with assistance, as is needed. When all students have completed the first page of their passport, TTW say, “Our passports are ready! Each city we go to, you will have different learning stations to complete. When you complete the learning stations in each city, you will get a different stamp in your passport. For now, you can pass back your passport and I will welcome you to India.” When each student hands the teacher his/her passport, TTW say, “Namaste,__(child’s name)__”.

Throughout the unit, it’s a good idea to read sections from the book T is for Taj Mahal: An Indian Alphabet by Varsha Bajaj to give students some continuity. [I also used a book I bought in India called India: My Land but could not find it anywhere in the US.] The book is an excellent look at India on a macro level, but is entirely too detailed to read aloud in one sitting. The book is comprehensive and covers many places and aspects of Indian life. The curriculum’s itinerary takes them all over the country. By reading aloud relevant sections (or flagging them and putting the book in a specific learning center) students will be able to unify their experience better and make more connections.

India is the second most populous nation in the world and has over 1,155,347,700 people! The population is a large contributor to many of the problems that India faces. Students’ understanding of this very large number is difficult to build, but will be very important throughout the unit. My suggestion is to use a benchmark manipulative and start with the population of Delhi. TTW welcome the students to Delhi and tell them that something very important to know about Delhi is that it has a LOT of people. Delhi has over 21 million people living there! The teacher should research their home city’s population to give students a good visual comparison. For example,

M. White, 2011 6

Delhi is about five times as large as Washington, DC, so the teacher could use figures, counting cubes, pictures of a person, or another easily accessed manipulative, to show the comparison between the two populations.

= the population of Washington, DC

= the population of Delhi, India

If the teacher feels that the students understand this concept, he/she can show them a visual of the entire population of India – you’ll need a LOT of manipulatives for this!!

TTW say, “While we are in Delhi for the next few days, you will explore several activities in Learning Stations, when you have completed all of the learning stations and checked them off on the Delhi page in your passport, you may get yourself stamp from the stamp station and put it on that page in the square at the bottom of the page.”

WHOLE GROUP ACTIVITIES1. Prior to splitting into groups for learning stations, TTW read aloud the sections on Delhi and show photos from any of the following books:

- I Come from India: This is My Story by Valerie J. Weber - India: The People (Lands, Peoples, and Cultures) by Bobbie

Kalman- I is for India (World Alphabets) by Prodeepta Das

2. Monsoon by Uma Krishnaswami is an excellent read aloud to introduce North India. It covers the sights and sounds of an urban environment from a child’s perspective. It also introduces the Monsoon Season and the significance that it has on the people in India. This would be an excellent opportunity to integrate with science/weather studies. There are several links on the companion website with images of Monsoon waters in India. I also used a few sections from big books on weather like Weather by Brian Cosgrove (p. 38-39), 100 Things You Should Know About Weather by Andrew Langley (p. 10) and Hurricanes Have Eyes but Can’t See by Melvin and Gilda Berger (p. 15). 3. Using a children’s book about Hinduism, like The Little Book of Hindu Deities by Sanjay Patel, My Hindu Community by Kate Taylor, or a section on Hinduism from a book like A Faith Like Mine by Laura Buller, TTW explain briefly the basics of Hinduism. Important details to include are:- Hindus worship in temples.- Hindus worship many gods and goddesses; in fact there are over 330

million!

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- Stories about the Gods are told through stories from two books, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata . (If possible, showing one of the very popular comic books that kids read to learn the stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata would be ideal! See picture below. Click to order!)

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES/STATIONS1. Welcome to India! Station Students will glue the large Suitcase

photograph into their Unite Notebooks. In this station, students will pack their imaginary suitcases for what they think they’ll need in India. Give students copies of catalogues, magazines or pre-printed clipart so they can cut out the items they want to pack. I’ve included some clipart images; towards the end, there are images of items they definitely should NOT bring to India. If a student adds these to their suitcase, this is a good opportunity to discuss why these would not be practical packing choices.

2. Photo Card Station : Students explore photo cards independently, with a partner, or a small group. Students will need at least one copy of the photo card (with the instructions on the back), their unit notebooks, and the explanation envelope that goes with each card.

3. School Days Station : Students will read Going to School in India independently, with a partner, or a small group. If students are unable to read the book, they will listen to an audio recording (pre-made by the teacher) and follow along with the book. [There is also a DVD of real children going to school in different parts of India. It’s a great look at the differences in children’s lives. It can be purchased at: http://goingtoschool.com/projects_gsi.html] After listening to the book/reading it, they will look through the photo cards that show pictures about schools. Students will work together to complete a Venn Diagram or Double Bubble Map (see companion website) comparing and contrasting schools in Delhi and schools where they live. Keep a toy auto-rickshaw in the station as a visual to complement the book.

4. Flower Necklace Station : Many times in India when you go to a person’s home, they might put a necklace of flowers around your neck. At this station, students will thread 1.5” pieces of straws intermixed

M. White, 2011 8

with pre-cut paper flower shapes. See Station Card #4 for instructions and photo examples.

5. Senses Station : Many crops that grow in India are available in the United States. Creating a Senses Table for students to investigate during this unit would be a great way for kids to interact with native natural resources of each region. The items should change in every city/region, although some will stay the same. For Delhi, items to include (if available): wheat, corn, Indian handicrafts and textiles (like kathi cloth). In this station, students can use their senses (including taste as the teacher feels appropriate) to learn about the items in the senses station. All items should be labeled.

**Students should get a stamp in their passports for completing the assigned stations.Example of Indian-Themed Stamps:

M. White, 2011 9

WHOLE GROUP ACTIVITIES1. TTW use Google Earth to show students where they are going, and

students will trace their route on their maps in their passport. TTW explain that Shimla is a city in the Himalayan Mountains. TTW use Google Earth to show students the terrain of the Himalayan Mountains, as well as photos that are linked to points along the Mountain range.

2. TTW ask students to brainstorm ideas of how they could get to Shimla from Delhi. TTW will take all student ideas, but then share that actually, someone could take a train AND a bus AND a car! (The roads to Shimla can be very steep, windy and narrow, so buses can only go so far.) Use the photos on the Resources website to give students an idea of what the road to Shimla would be like.

3. “Himalayas” means “abode of snow”. This is a good opportunity to talk about the incorrect assumption that all of India is hot. Up in the mountains it can get very cold and snowy.

4. The Chipko Movement started in the Himalayan Mountains by indigenous women. They were female environmental activists in the 1970’s who were the original “tree-huggers”. Chipko, in Hindi, literally means “to cling”. There are several resources on the companion website with information and photos of these women. TTW lead the whole group in a thinking routine (from Making Thinking Visible by Ron Richart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison) to discuss what they see in the images of the Chipko Movement (found linked on the companion website. TTW ask students to make observations about what they see in a photo (or photos)--and then ask what they think might be going on or what they think might be happening in the photo. TTW encourage students to back up their interpretation with reasons. TTW ask students to think about what this makes them wonder about the photograph and what is happening in it.2

5. The Hanuman Temple in Shimla is protected by LOTS of monkeys. Share the story of the God Hanuman with students. A good version for kids can be found linked from the Resources website.

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES/STATIONS1. Cargo Truck Art Station: The trucks that carry cargo throughout the

mountains are very wildly decorated. (See Resources website for examples). Using the template found on the website, have students decorate their own cargo truck. Then have them write 2-3 sentences about why they chose to decorate it that way. Provide a variety of

2 Richart, Ron, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison. "Visible Thinking." Project Zero. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://pzweb.harvard.edu/vt/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03c_Core_routines/SeeThinkWonder/SeeThinkWonder_Routine.html>.

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Shimla/Himalayan Mountains

10

materials (markers, glitter, small decorative objects to glue, a variety of colored papers, etc.) for kids to use when decorating their trucks.

2. School Days Station: Students will look back at their double-bubble map or Venn diagram comparing schools in Delhi to schools where they live. They will then look through the photo cards that show pictures about schools in Shimla. Students will talk with their small groups about what they see and write down their predictions about the photos in their Unit Notebooks. **These photos will come back to be compared with schools in Ahmedabad.**

3. Senses Station: Items suggested for the senses station in Shimla: pashmina shawls, wooden utensils, wheat, corn, rice, barley, ginger, olives, figs, saffron and apples.

Students should get a stamp in their passports for completing the assigned stations.

M. White, 2011 11

WHOLE GROUP ACTIVITIES1. TTW ask students to get back on the imaginary plane to travel

southwest to a town called Ahmedabad. TTW use Google Earth to show students where they are going, and students will trace their route on their maps in their passport. TTW explain that Ahmedabad is in a state called Gujarat. TTW discuss modes of transportation that students could use to travel from Shimla to Ahmedabad (car, train, bus, and plane are all possible). When the class chooses one, they will use their imaginations to travel by this mode of transportation to Ahmedabad.

2. Ahmedabad is the home of Mahatma Gandhi. There are many excellent children’s books about Gandhi, but I mostly recommend: Gandhi by Demi and Picture Gandhi by Sandhya Rao. The books are a little dense. When I read them, I paraphrase and use the books more as visuals and really tell the story of Gandhi’s life. This part of the unit is a good opportunity to talk about tolerance, patience, risk-taking, self-control, and doing the right thing even when it’s difficult. Make a list with students of the ways that Gandhi dealt with challenges using non-violence. As an independent project, students could complete the “I want to be like Gandhi…” found on the companion website.

3. There are slums all over India. This is a very hard concept for children to understand; that kids just like them could live in absolutely horrific conditions. Start introducing the concept by showing students photos (preferably on a SMARTboard so they can see them on a big screen) of the Ahmedabad slum schools and asking what they notice. With the whole class, make a list of what they see, and what they think it means about these children’s daily lives. Things to make sure that they notice: lack of resources, no electricity/lights, small space, crowded conditions, children outside of the classroom looking in.

Picture Identifications:Photo One: This is a slum on the riverbank in Ahmedabad. Many

children live here. Some go to schools (like you see in the rest of the pictures, but many do not. This particular slum sits beside many high-rise upscale hotels.

Photo Two: Two children looking into the school session going on. These children most likely do not go to school because they have to work during the day.

Photo Three: A 4th/5th grade class. There is no electricity in this room and it was very very hot. Things to notice: the girls are on one side of the room (for the most part) and the boys are on the other; there are more boys in the classroom than girls; no materials on the walls of the classroom.

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Ahmedabad

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Photo Four: A chalkboard with Gujarati writing on it. This is a good place to point out the amenities of your own classroom: an interactive whiteboard, posters, whiteboards, learning stations, etc.

Photo Five: A math worksheet in Gujarati. Ask the students what they notice that’s similar to mathematics they do in school.

Photo Six: This little girl is dressed up to participate in a holiday called Gauri Puja, where girls dress up in fancy clothes and jewelry and fast and pray for “suitable husbands” in their future. Many girls don’t go to school during this time, but this girl did!

Photo Seven: First grade class in a slum classroom. This classroom was in the attic of a person’s house. These classrooms are spread around the slum; there isn’t one “school house”.

Photo Eight: Indian Base Ten Pieces. This is a great opportunity to ask students if they recognize what the pieces are. Try to help them make the connection to Base Ten Pieces like we use in America. It’s also interesting to point out that in the background you can see that no one is wearing shoes. Even if kids have shoes (which many do not) they take them off in the school classroom. Even teachers do it!

Photo Nine: A guided reading book in Gujarati. Ask the students to make comparisons to the books that they use in guided reading group.

Photo Ten: A poster of the Tortoise and the Hare! Kids will love that they can make a connection to the story.

Photo Eleven: A third grade classroom. This photo goes with the video on linked to the resources website.

After students have looked at the photos and discussed them, remind them to think back to the photos they saw in the “School Days Station” when they were in Shimla. (If students have difficulty remembering, pull them back up so students can remember.) Ask students to make comparisons between the conditions and the two types of schools. TTW listen to all student responses and create a compare/contrast chart (in the style of his/her choosing) to record the similarities and differences that the students identified. Afterward, the teacher should be sure to close the lesson by saying, “So what we’ve seen is that within one country, India, there can be very different kinds of schools. We have seen pictures of schools that have a lot of resources and materials, are in a nice building with electricity and uniforms, schools that have books and libraries. And today we’ve seen photos of schools with no electricity, no uniforms, and very few materials that are spread across a slum. Just like in America, there are people with different amounts of money and resources. All of India is not poor and all of India is not wealthy. Just like America, there are different kinds of schools.”

If you choose to have a Senses Station for Ahmedabad, include: cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), rice, wheat, corn, milk (if possible), wool, and limestone.

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There are four states in Southern India with many large cities. For simplicity purposes, I’ve chosen to consolidate this part of the itinerary to include “Southern India”. For “traveling” purposes, teachers should pick a city to focus on, for example: Madurai or Chennai.

WHOLE GROUP ACTIVITIES1. TTW say to students, “It’s now time for us to leave Ahmedabad. Who

can tell me one thing that they learned during our time in Ahmedabad?” TTW listen to a few student responses and then tell the students that they are heading south to Southern India. TTW ask if anyone can point out where they think Southern India is on the India map on Google Earth. TTW then use Google Earth to show students where they are going, and students will trace their route on their maps in their passport (to a specific city chosen by the teacher). TTW explain that there are four states in southern India and share which state they’re going to. TTW discuss modes of transportation that students could use to travel from Ahmedabad to a southern city (car, train, bus, and plane are all possible). When the class agrees on the method they want to use, they will use their imaginations to travel to their Southern Indian city. For the purposes of this lesson plan, I’ll focus on Madurai and Chennai.

2. The Meenakshi Amman Temple is a very large and very famous temple located in Madurai. It is dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi and the current temple structure dates back to the 12th Century. The temple is an impressive site and many Hindus come visit the temple each day. There are parts of the temple where non-Hindus may not enter. TTW introduce the concept of the temple by asking the students to make a connection to their own faiths. TTW ask, “Do any of you go to a church or synagogue? Would anyone like to tell us about it? What do you do there?” After letting kids discuss their personal faith experiences, the teacher should ask if anyone has ever been to a temple before. (**Make sure to distinguish the difference between synagogues and temples –in the Hindu sense—as these terms can be interchanged in the Jewish community.**) To introduce the concept of the Hindu temple, read aloud a good children’s book about going to a Hindu temple, such as What You Will See Inside a Hindu Temple by Mahindra Jani and Vandana Jani or What Makes Me a Hindu by Charles George. This will broaden students’ ideas about what the experience is like. There are many photos from inside the temple on the Resources website as well.

3. In India, many children take dance or music lessons. TTW start this part of the lesson by asking students, “Do any of you take lessons of

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Southern India

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any kind? What kind of lessons do you take?” TTW listen to student responses, and then explain, “In India, many kids take dance or music lessons and the kind of dance or musical instrument that they learn largely depends on where they live in India. In South India, many children learn how to play Mridangam or do Bharatanatyam dance. Let’s watch a few videos of kids demonstrating what they’ve learned and see what we observe.” The teachers should watch the short video clips with the kids (links are found on the companion website) and discuss with the kids what they notice. Afterwards, TTW allow students to draw a picture and write a few sentences in their Unit Notebooks about what they saw in the videos.

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES1. Peafowl Station! : Kids love learning about animals, and few

animals are as visually striking as the peacock! Peacocks (and their female counterparts, peahens) are native to India and can be found across the country. There are many living in Southern India. For this station, students should do a mini-webquest to answer the questions in the “Peafowl Webquest” handout found on the companion website. For basic information on peafowl, the teacher will make links to the following websites easily accessible: National Geographic: Peacock and San Diego Zoo: Peacocks (called Peafowl). (The San Diego Zoo site is very good and includes an audio file of a peacock!) These links are also found on the companion website.

2. School Days Station : By now, kids have had a broad view of the different kinds of schools found throughout India. The photoset for the Southern India schools is from two very different schools. One was a rural school about 2 hours outside of Madurai and the other was from a private school run by a major corporation in the city. The photo file is found on the companion website. Print and laminate all of the photos without their identifiers on them. In this station, kids should sort the photos in two ways, with labels of their choosing. For example, students could sort by what the perceive to be the two schools, photos that show students working and students playing, photos that show students who are wearing uniforms and those without, etc. Don’t give the students the categories, let them come up with them and explain them to you. When they’re done sorting the photo set, students should call a teacher over to look at the center and explain to them why they sorted them that way. Afterwards, if he/she chooses, the teacher will reveal to them which photos were from the rural school and which were from the city school. It might help to give children sorting rings for this activity. They can be purchased here: http://www.learningresources.com/product/sorting+circles.do

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There are also many videos on the resources website of children in schools. After kids initially sort the photos, the teacher could show the students the videos and then see if this changes the way that they sorted the photos.

3. Game Station: While in India, I received a copy of the game “Thayam”, which is an ancient Tamil Game. I received the game from the Centre for Educational Research and Services. They can be contacted at cmcentremadurai@gmail.com. There is an informational link on how to play and a printable game board on the companion website.

4. Time for Lunch! Station: Children like to talk about food and enjoy learning what people eat around the world. Just like most things about India, the food is very different depending on where you are. In Southern India, food is largely vegetarian and is sourced from the plants and spices grown in the region. Seafood is common in Southern India, as well. For this station, give students large paper plates. Have the students draw and cut out, or cut out from magazines what they think people might eat in India and place them (not glue them) on the plate. After students have made their own plates of food, allow students to pull out the photo of a traditional South Indian meal (photo is found on the website. In the photo: spinach, potatoes, a small banana, rice, coconut chutney, sambar – a thin vegetable soup-like curry. They can then change their plate by drawing new items to glue on the plate.

5. Clothing Station: Saris are very much a part of Indian culture. Although many women have adopted more modern attire, many Indian women still wear traditional saris when shopping, working, and riding motorcycles (see photo on the website). For this station, you will need several photos of women wearing saris (found on the companion website), a copy of My Mother's Sari by Sandhya Rao and/or Mama's Saris by Pooja Makhijani. These are great picture books that show children the relationship between a woman and her saris, how they are worn, and how special they are. In this station, students will design their own saris. Using the template of the Indian woman with a plain white sari (linked on the resources website), students will use colored pencils, crayons, markers, oil pastels, etc. as well as gluing fabric, notions and other items to decorate their sari. **If gender concerns arise and boys are uncomfortable designing a sari, I’ve also included a template of a man wearing a Sherwani on the website. These are usually not nearly as aesthetically exciting as a sari, but this might make them more comfortable.**

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6. Senses Station: For Southern India, there are many options for what could be included in the senses station. Suggestions include: rice, cotton, sugar, coffee, tea, rubber, coconut, chilies (careful!) Put these in an air-tight container and only allow using senses of hearing and seeing.), bananas, tapioca, mangoes, groundnut, tomato, onion, poultry, fish, cashews, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

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Just like many other cities in India, Calcutta changed its name to Kolkata in 2001 in order to be closer to the pre-Raj spelling. The city is one of the largest cities in India and was the capital during British rule (until 1911). Because it was the British capital for so long, there are many parts of Kolkata that are very British. The juxtaposition of India and Britain are part of what make Kolkata special.

WHOLE GROUP ACTIVITIES1. TTW say to students, “Have you enjoyed your time in Southern India?

Could you feel the heat and the humidity? Me too! What was your favorite thing that you learned about Southern India?” TTW listen to a few student responses and then tell the students that they are heading northeast to a city called Kolkata. TTW take a moment to explain that when the British controlled India, they changed the spelling of many of the cities’ names. Now that the British are no longer in control, many Indian cities have changed their names back to their original spellings. TTW explain that the new spelling and pronunciation is “Kolkata” but many people still recognize the old spelling and pronunciation, “Calcutta”. TTW ask if anyone can find Kolkata on the India map on Google Earth. TTW then use Google Earth to show students where they are going, and students will trace their route on their maps in their passport. TTW discuss modes of transportation that students could use to travel from Southern India to Kolkata (car, train, bus, and plane are all possible). When the class agrees on the method they want to use, they will use their imaginations to travel to Kolkata.

2. Mother Teresa is one of the most famous people to call Kolkata home. Her life and legacy are inspiring. Just like with Gandhi, this is a great opportunity to teach students about the important qualities that Mother Theresa possessed and that we should all strive to have: selflessness, humility, generosity and kindness. There are a few good children’s biographies of Mother Theresa that would be excellent read-alouds. I suggest Mother Teresa by Demi (the same author as one of the Gandhi biographies) or Mother Teresa by Maya Gold. There are a few photos on the companion website of her home and tomb.

3. On the companion website, there is a large collection of photographs of the Loreto School in Kolkata. This is a truly incredible school that has 1500 students. Over 700 of them are so poor that all of their needs need to be taken care of. It is an all-girls school run by a Catholic nun who was inspired by Mother Theresa. There are still people who do the work Mother Teresa did today…it’s very inspiring. Kids love seeing people helping others; this is a great example. After looking through the photographs and watching the videos on the website and sharing

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KOLKATA (Calcutta)

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with the children about the school and what it does, have a discussion about the character traits that Sister Cyril (the director of the school) demonstrated. Make sure students can give an explanation for why they felt she embodied those traits. [I received a promotional video from the school that is excellent to show to older students and/or staff.]

4. In India, many families live in multi-generational households. Usually when a couple gets married, the wife moves in with her husband’s family. This can lead to some very large families living in one space! On the companion website in the photo gallery for Kolkata Resources, there are many photos of a family with over 20 people living in one space. Use these photos to have a discussion about family structures. Children should compare their own family dynamics and living situations to the ones found in the photograph. Ask students, “Why do you think that Indians choose to continue living with their parents after they get married? What benefits are there to living in a large family unit? What challenges would you face?”

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES1. What Would You Do? Station: Kolkata has never been prepared for

the influx of people that have cyclically migrated there over the course of history. This overpopulation has created many health, environmental, and social problems. In this station, students will look at photos of problems that occur in Kolkata and brainstorm creative ways that they think they could be solved. This station works best with an adult guide (a parent volunteer, teacher, or teacher assistant) to help navigate the conversation. Ideas that are brainstormed could be written on a chart or easel. Then at the end, students should pick one problem and one solution to write about and draw about using the graphic organizer.

2. Scroll Painting Station: In West Bengal there are families of painters called patuas who make beautiful narrative scroll paintings. There are a few photos and links on the companion website. For this part of the lesson, students should paint their own narrative scroll about a story that is important to them. The story should be told vertically, from left to right, top to bottom through painted images onto a long piece of rolled paper. The images should go in order, like with a story, but they should be simple and not use any words. If students need structure, TTW divide the paper into long horizontal sections and the students can paint one event in each section. After the paintings are dry, students can tell their story by unrolling the scroll little by little. They should share their scroll paintings at India Share Day.

3. Senses Station: Kolkata is in the state of West Bengal. Suggestions for items to include in the senses station include: tea leaves, rice, wheat, sugar, jute fiber (this might be difficult to find) and potatoes.

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Varanasi and Agra are both in the largest state in India: Uttar Pradesh. If Uttar Pradesh were it’s own country, it’d be the fifth largest country (by population) in the world! Because these cities are in the same state, it’s appropriate to do these cities in similar whole and small group activities.

WHOLE GROUP ACTIVITIES1. There is a children’s book on the Ganges River, the holiest of rivers to

the Indian people. TTW show the illustrations from the book Sacred River: The Ganges of India by Ted Lewin and share with the children about the history and tradition behind the river. (The text is a little sparse and the teacher should fill in details anecdotally.) In addition, using a nonfiction book and not a picture book to supplement helps students to understand the importance of the Ganges better.

2. Agra is home to the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the modern world and one of the most famous buildings in the world. It’s a building that most children at least recognize but might not know anything about. I recommend using a non-fiction children’s book about the Taj Mahal to give the children background in addition to showing them images of the building and it’s surrounding complex (found on the companion website). Examples of non-fiction children’s books on the Taj Mahal include: Taj Mahal: India’s Majestic Tomb by Linda Tagliaferro or Taj Mahal (Structural Wonders) by Christine Webster. (The latter is a bit advanced, especially for young children. I recommend paraphrasing and narrating the book yourself.)

3. The Buddha is an extremely influential person to the people of India. Buddha by Demi is a good biography of the life of Buddha. Three of the four holiest places for Buddhists are in India, one being Sarnath, where he gave his first sermon. Sarnath is near Varanasi so many Buddhist pilgrims come to Varanasi each year. There are photos of places at Sarnath on the companion website. After using the book as a read aloud, TTW ask students, “Why do you think that the Buddha gained such a following? What qualities did he have that are admirable? Did you learn anything from the Buddha’s life or his teachings? What did he teach you?” One important take away for children is that the Buddha taught that there will be times where people are disappointed, unhappy, bored or uncomfortable, but these things are temporary.

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES1. Durga Puja Station: In West Bengal, there are more than 150

families of clay idol makers that live in one part of town called Kumartuli. They live in homes that wind through narrow alleys and create massive clay sculptures of gods and goddesses. The sculptures are used for the festival of Durga Puja. The artists collect clay from the Ganges River and after required rites are performed

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Varanasi (Benares) and Agra

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over the clay, it is shaped into the idols. The idols start with a straw frame and the clay is placed over it. The entire sculpture is eco-friendly and biodegradable. They are not fired in a kiln. At the end of the five-day festival, the idols are immersed in the Ganges River (or other body of water). The clay dissolves back into the riverbed and the straw floats to the top. Eventually the straw is skimmed off the top and collected so it can be reused. In this station, students should use the images of the Durga Puja clay idols and create their own sculpture out of modeling clay. At the teacher’s discretion, students will create sculptures of someone they’ve learned about in the unit (Gandhi, Buddha, Mother Teresa, etc.), one of the Gods or Goddesses, or someone important to them.

2. Mendhi Station : For their weddings and other special occasions, Indian women get “mendhi” which are elaborate temporary tattoos using henna, a natural dye. The designs last for a few weeks if cared for properly. Using the picture of the hand, students should decorate it with their own designs in brown marker, crayon or colored pencil. They can view the gallery of mendhi designs on the website or simply create their own designs.

3. Patterns Station : Print the photos of patterns found in the architecture of the Taj Mahal, the “Baby Taj” (the Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah) and the Agra mosque and palace. Place these in a learning station. In this station, students should use pattern blocks to make their own patterned designs. Once they’ve created a patterned design they like, they can trace it in their unit notebooks and color it.

4. Story of Buddha Computer Center : Using the link on the companion website, students can read an eBook about the Buddha’s life. Students can do this with partners in a station or it could be done in a guided reading group.

5. Senses Station: Suggestions for items to include in this station include: silk – Varanasi is very famous for it’s silk. It’d be ideal if some authentic Varanasi silk could be included in the center! (I bought a sari there to use.), chapatis, rotis or puris – types of Indian bread, rice, sugarcane, corn, chilies (Again, be careful!), cotton, mango, potato, groundnuts (peanuts).

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1. Each child should pick a topic relating to their study of children’s lives in India and make a page for a class book. If possible, each child should pick a unique topic. However, if your students work better in groups, two children could work together to produce two pages. Each page should have a title, a picture, and one or two sentences explaining what their picture is about and how it relates to everyday life for Indian children. Possible topics include:

auto rickshaws

elephants saris rice family structure mendhi Gandhi

mangoes spices Mother Teresa slum schools the Ganges River peacocks the Himalayan

Mountains

TTW bind the student pages into an educational book about India called, A Child’s Day in India. The book should be read at India Share Day and should also remain in the classroom so children can read it during independent reading time.

2. The students have learned a lot over the past several weeks. The amount of information included in this unit is tremendous. As a way to showcase what they’ve learned, it’s recommended that you hold an India Share Day. Parents, other students, and administration can/should be invited to celebrate the students’ learning and achievement. At the India Share Day, students will share their portfolios, including all of the work they did in the learning stations. The teacher can do a whole group read aloud of the A Child’s Day in India class book that the students created. At the end, students will share their initial drawings about India with an adult or other student and tell them what they could change about their picture now to make it more correct.

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Final Activities

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Resources and Works Cited:

1. "India Map Political, Map Of India, Political Map of India, Online Map of India, Detailed Map of India, Map India, Maps of India, Political Map of India with Cities, India Map." India News, India, History Of India, Culture, India Map, India Pictures, Indian News, India News Headlines, India News Updates. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://www.thisismyindia.com/map-of-india.html>.

2. India - My Land. New Delhi: Sterling Private Limited, 2010. Print.

3. Weber, Valerie. I Come from India. Milwaukee, WI: Weekly Reader Early Learning Library, 2007. Print.

4. Kalman, Bobbie. India: the People. New York: Crabtree, 2010. Print.

5. Das, Prodeepta. I Is for India. [New York]: Frances Lincoln Children's, 1999. Print.

6. Patel, Sanjay. The Little Book of Hindu Deities: from the Goddess of Wealth to the Sacred Cow. New York: Plume, 2006. Print.

7. Taylor, Kate. My Hindu Community. London: Orchard/Watts Group, 2005. Print.

8. Buller, Laura. A Faith like Mine: a Celebration of the World's Religions-- Seen through the Eyes of Children. London: DK Pub., 2005. Print.

9. Pai, Anant. 3-in-1 Tales of Krishna. Mumbai: Amar Chitra Katha, 2008. Print.

10. Heydlauff, Lisa, and Nitin Upadyhe. Going to School in India. Watertown. MA: Charlesbridge, 2005. Print.

11. Ritchhart, Ron, Mark Church and Karin Morrison. Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011. Print.

12. Demi. Gandhi. New York: Margaret McElderry, 2001. Print.

13. Rao, Sandhya. Picture Gandhi. [S.l.]: Tulika, 2008. Print.

14. Madurai Meenakshi Temple. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://www.maduraimeenakshitemple.com/>.

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15. Jani, Mahendra, Vandana Jani, Neirah Bhargava, and Vijay Dave. What You Will See inside a Hindu Temple. Woodstock, VT: SkyLight Paths Pub., 2005. Print.

16. George, Charles. What Makes Me a Hindu? San Diego, CA: KidHaven, 2004. Print.

17. Rao, Sandhya, and Nina Sabnani. My Mother's Sari. New York: North South, 2006. Print.

18. Makhijani, Pooja, and Elena Gomez. Mama's Saris. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Print.

19. Demi. Mother Teresa. New York: Margaret K. McElderry, 2005. Print.

20. Gold, Maya. Mother Theresa. London: DK, 2008. Print.

21. Krishnaswami, Uma, and Jamel Akib. Monsoon. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2003. Print.

22. Lewin, Ted. Sacred River: [the Ganges of India]. New York: Clarion, 1995. Print.

23. Bajaj, Varsha, and Robert Crawford. T Is for Taj Mahal: an India Alphabet. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear, 2011. Print.

24. Cosgrove, Brian, Karl Shone, and Keith Percival. Weather. New York: Knopf, 1991. Print. 38-39.

25. Berger, Melvin, and Gilda Berger. Hurricanes Have Eyes but Can't See: and Other Amazing Facts about Wild Weather. New York: Scholastic, 2004. Print. 15.

26. Oliver, Clare, and Clive Carpenter. 100 Things You Should Know about Weather. Great Bardfield: Miles Kelly, 2009. Print. 10.

27. Demi. Buddha. New York: Henry Holt and, 1996. Print.

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