India's path to independence

This interdisciplinary plan includes the study of the effects of imperialism and India's struggle for independence through history texts, literary works, and online resources. Activities include a seminar, research, and a news broadcast. Although this unit is designed for integrated English II and World Civilizations, lessons can be adapted to other class structures.

A lesson plan for grades 9–10 English Language Arts and Social Studies

By Marian Johnson

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• Learn more about English language arts, literature, social studies, and world cultures.

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Learning outcomes

Respond reflectively (through small group discussion, class discussion, journal entry, essay, letter, dialogue) to written and visual texts by:

• relating personal knowledge to textual information or class discussion.
• showing an awareness of one’s own culture as well as the cultures of others.
• exhibiting an awareness of culture in which text is set or in which text was written.
• explaining how culture affects personal responses.
• demonstrating an understanding of media’s impact on personal responses and cultural analyses.

Create responses that evaluate problems and offer solutions to a reader/listener by:

• clearly stating the problem and relevant issues surrounding it.
• determining the significance of the problem.
  focusing on a neutral but specific audience.
• logically organizing the solutions for a specific audience.
• offering and evaluating effective solutions.
• creating a sense of resolution or closure.

Create responses that examine a cause/effect relationship among events by:

• effectively summarizing situations.
• showing a clear, logical connection among events.
• logically organizing connections by transitioning between points.
• developing appropriate strategies such as graphics, essays, and multi-media presentations to illustrate points.

Pose questions prompted by texts (such as the impact of imperialism on Things Fall Apart) and research answers by:

• accessing cultural information or explanations from print and non-print media sources.
• prioritizing and organizing information to construct a complete and reasonable explanation.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

5 to 10 days

Materials/resources

Required: History Textbook

Suggested Seminar Readings:

• “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell
• “The White Man’s Burden” political cartoon by Rudyard Kipling
• “By Any Other Name” (from Gifts of Passage) by Santha Rama Rau (available in World Literature by Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston or World History by Glencoe)
• “We Have Arrived in Amritsar” from The Many Worlds of Literature, Stuart Hirschberg, ed., Macmillan Bhisham Sahni
• Poems of Sarojini Naidu. For more information about Naidu, see the biographical information from the South Asian Women’s Network.
• “Where The Mind is Without Fear” from Geetanjali by Rabindranath Tagore

Technology resources

• computer lab
• video camera
• VCR

Pre-activities

Please note that earlier units covered the ancient and traditional Indian history and culture.

1. Students should review earlier material and read related chapters from their history textbooks. Students create a timeline of events from the early 1700s through 1947.
2. Students may have studied related novels such as Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya, Cry the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, or Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

Activities

1. Students will prepare for seminar discussion of works reflecting tensions and effects of imperialism in India (select texts from suggested works above). For each work, students should identify the conflict, the perspectives of characters involved in the conflict, and the tone of the author. To record their responses and questions as they read, students should annotate texts by keeping a two-column journal, using sticky notes or writing margin notes. Students should also bring at least 3 thoughtful questions (Bloom’s HOTS) to the seminar.
2. In the seminar, encourage students to extend their comprehension of each work as well as find comparisons and contrasts between them. Some guiding questions might include:
   • What motivates the character to… ?
   • What underlying political and social conditions might have created these tensions?
   • How do these characters react to the cultural differences they find? to the “crisis of conscience” they face?
   • How do these characters react to difficult situations? to peer pressure? to social pressures?
   • What would you do if you were in ___’s place?
   • What, if any, stereotypes do you see confirmed in these works? What, if any, stereotypes do you see invalidated? Why?
   • What changes do you think the authors are advocating or hoping for in the future?
3. Assign students to groups for research, planning and production of a documentary of India’s movement for independence. See the pathmap, which be opened if you have Inspiration software. This can be downloaded free for thirty days from http://www.inspiration.com.) This offers one organizational structure for a large group of students. Reporter groups will work together in production, as will Leader/Interviewer groups. Groups may include the following:
   • Anchor. Responsible for introduction and general background to conflict, leadership and format of show.
   • Reporters. Responsible for developing stories on specific effects (such as economy, religion, and colonization) of the conflict and interviewing relevant sources. (In these groups, some students may play the role of reporters while other will play the roles of the people they may interview to provide support for their stories.)
   • Leaders. Responsible for representing significant leaders of the period in a more extended interview, roundtable or debate.
   • Interviewers. Responsible for developing questions and facilitating leader discussion. (Works together with leaders to determine format: separate interviews, roundtable, or debate.)
4. Students will research the general conflict and their specific assignment on-line and in the media center. See pathres for websites. The following guiding questions should help the student in their research and developing their presentation. These are only initial questions. The student should develop their own, also.
   • What part did the theory of nonviolence play in the struggle for independence?
   • Did it accelerate the movement or did it slow it down?
   • Did it affect how the rest of the world viewed the struggle?
   • How did the effects of imperialism direct the struggle?
   • Did it unify or divide the country?
   • What economic factors played a part?
5. Share clips from a video documentary or news show and discuss with students elements of successful interviews and reports. Be sure to include developing initial and follow up questions and elaborating on comments. Students should also pay attention to clear organization, transitions, and developing unbiased reports by finding sources from all viewpoints.
6. Students will draft, rehearse, and videotape their segment of the documentary. Teachers may want to review and approve scripts before taping. As students research and develop their segments, teachers can assist student groups with finding information and conveying it clearly.
7. Students will watch the whole production, completing a peer evaluation and taking notes on new information.

Assessment

Seminar: In addition to the pre-seminar assignment, teachers can assess seminar on thoughtful participation, use of text, and courtesy and encouragement of other speakers.

Documentary: see rubrics for individual and group assessment.

Supplemental information

Comments

“By Any Other Name” would also be a good example of an informal essay or reminiscence about a childhood event. Both this essay and “Shooting an Elephant” include specific details to recreate a significant event. Teachers could develop the study of this work as a model for a student writing assignment.