Suggested Curriculum
Areas: Social Studies, Civics
Lesson Goals:
Students will be able to:
compare
the struggle for independence of the United States with that of India
understand
the idea of “British Rule” as it affected both countries
explore
the idea of taxation as a way to control the resources of a country
compare
the preamble and ideas of the American Constitution with that of the
Indian Constitution.
Lesson
Objectives:
As a
result of this lesson, the students will have a greater understanding
of the similarities between the American struggle for independence
against the British as compared to the Indian struggle for Independence.
They will also be able to see how these similarities also help shape
the formation of a democratic
government in each country.
Background
Information for Teachers: India’s struggle for independence
against British Colonial Rule is very similar to the struggle faced
by the colonists during Colonial America. Students will be able to
make comparisons between the Boston Tea Party during the American
Revolution and the Salt Marches during India’s movement for
independence. After studying the Boston Tea Party, the American struggle
for Independence and the establishment of our democracy, this lesson
will help reinforce those ideas.
I have
include some websites to consult for background information. These
are just a few of the websites I found with information on the Gandhi
Salt March of 1930. I’m sure that there are more out there.
I would direct the students
to the websites above. The two websites listed below provide good
background reading material for students at the middle level.
Venn Diagram- Boston Tea
Party vs. Salt March The students will be put into groups of two and
given a handout on The Salt March to Dandi. The students will need
to read the article making note of similarities between the Boston
Tea Party and Salt Marches. After the group has finished reading,
they will work together to construct a Venn Diagram noting these comparisons.
(see
handout 1) After completing the Venn Diagram, students
will draw a political cartoon about The Salt Marches of 1930.
Day 2:
Unscramble
the Preambles and Rights- students will be given a handout
containing the goals and rights outlined in the American Constitution
and the Indian Constitution. They must decide which constitution they
would be found in. Once they have finished unscrambling the preambles,
discuss the answers as a whole group. (Can be done on magnetic paper) Day 3:
Constitution Connections-
The students will research the political structures of both the United
States and India. This information will be used in a culminating powerpoint
activity.