*(Easy)

Demi; Buddha Stories
Mukerji, Dhan; Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon
Souhami, Jessica; Rama and the Demon King: An Ancient Tale from India

*(Average)
Bahree, Patricia; The Hindu World
Bancroft, Anne; The Buddhist World
Buck, Pearl; Fairy Tales of the Orient
Daly, Bridget; Gopal and The Temple's Secret: My Village in India
DeRoin, Nancy; Jataka Tales  oop
Dutton, Maude; The Tortoise and the Geese and other Fables of the Bidpai
Ganeri, Anita; What Do We Know About Hinduism
Gray, J.A.B.; East Indian Tales and Legends
Hinds, Kathryn; India's Gupta Dynasty
Jaffrey, Madhur; Seasons of Splendor: Tales, Myths, and Legends from India
Kadodwala, Dilip; Holi
Kamen, Gloria; The Ringdoves: From the Fables of Bidpai
Kids Discover Magazine; India
Krashnaswami, Uma; The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha
Miller, Luree; The Black Hat Dances: Two Buddhist Boys in the Himalayas
Thompson, Brian; The Story of Prince Rama

*(Challenging)
Alexander, Lloyd; The Iron Ring  H/F

*(Read-Alouds)

Adam, Daisy; Poems from India
Husain, Shakrukh; Demons, Gods, and Holy Men from Indian Myths and Legends
Ram, Govinder; Rama and Sita: A Folk Tale from India

*(Resource)

Ancient India: Land of Mystery  Time-Life
Galbraith, Catherine; India, Now and Through Time
Singh, Daljit; The Sikh World
Thapar, Romila; Interpreting Early India
Trautmann, Thomas; Aryans and British India

Video:

Age of Iron    EMC#882285  26 mins
Buddhism: The Middle Way of Compassion  EMC#885419  25 mins
Deppa and Ruppa: A Fairy Tale from India  EMC#885114  30 mins
India: History and Heritage  EMC#881874  31 mins
India: One Country, A Million Worlds    EMC#885989  24 mins
India: The Empire of the Spirit    EMC#884215  60 mins
On the Town    EMC#884042  30 mins  religious background

Internet:

http://www.aaronshep.com/
rt/RTE03.html  
Readers Theater- Savitri

http://www.harappa.com/

http://eawc.evansville.edu/
index.htm

http://www.julen.net/aw/

http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/
southasia/

http://www.historyofindia.com

http://coombs.anu.edu.au/
WWWVL-AsianStudies.html

http://www.indiagov.org/
culture/overview.htm

http://www.indiagov.org/
culture/history/intro.htm

Daily Life in India
http://members.aol.com/
Donnclass/Indialife.html
Description: What did the ancient Indians wear? What did they eat? Did kids play with toys? Did they go to school? This site shares daily life in three major time periods of ancient India history. Come explore with us.
Comments: This is an awesome student created page from Mrs. Donn's 6th grade class.
Resource Type: Primary Source Text
Graphics Content: High
 

Stories from India
http://www.indolink.com/
Kidz/stories.html
Description: In this "Kids Corner" section of the INDOlink site, there are stories from Indian mythology, Jataka tales, and other literature about festivals and famous people.
Resource Type: Literature/Story
 

The Ramayana
http://www.askasia.org/
frame.cgi?page=/image/
photos/tabi234.htm
Description: This site starts with a storyboard of the Ramayana and links to sites that explore the philosophy, religious ideas and art related to the epic Ramayana tale. 
Resource Type: Mix of Text and Graphics
Graphics Content: High
 

Gifts of Wali Dad
http://www.aaronshep.com/
rt/RTE07.html
Description: This readers theatre version of the Wali Dad story is about traditional society in India and involves images that can be traced back to ancient Persia.

Resource Type: Literature/Story
Graphics Content: Low
 

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
http://www.harappa.com/har/
har1.html
Description: Excellent photos will make you feel like you are visiting Ancient India
Comments: Student friendly text and excellent pictures
Resource Type: Photos or Pictures
Graphics Content: High
 

Harappa Map Game
http://www.harappa.com/
indus2/mapgame.html
Description: Sixteen important finds are hidden in a map of the archaeological dig at Harappa. Use your mouse to find each one and then view an enlarged picture with information on each important archaeological discovery.
Comments: Excellent visuals to support a lesson on the Indus Valley civilization; interactive.
Resource Type: Photos or Pictures
Graphics Content: High
 

Hinduism Explained
http://www.geocities.com/
RodeoDrive/1415/indexd.html
Description: This is an introduction and overview of the faith and practices of the Hindu religion, the major religion of India. It explains the various representations of god in Hinduism with links to related topics.
Resource Type: Secondary Text
Graphics Content: High
 

How Violence Is Ended: A Buddhist Legend
http://www.aaronshep.com/
rt/RTE16.html
Description: This is a readers theatre version of an ancient Indian story. Since this story was told by Buddha about a time before Buddhism, the characters and settings are Hindu. 
Resource Type: Literature/Story
Graphics Content: Low
 

India and China in a Comparative Global Perspective
http://www.intranet.
csupomona.edu/
~inch/welcome.html
Description: This site is the culmination of a two-year National Endowment for the Humanities Institute at Cal Poly, Pomona. It has web resources and teacher developed lessons. 
Comments: Users need Acrobat Reader to access the lessons.
Resource Type: Mix of Text and Graphics
Graphics Content: High
 

Madhubani Painting
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/
users/gthursby/rc/catalog.htm
Description: The women from this northern region of India have successfully transformed their centuries old tradition of wall-painting to the medium of paper.
Comments: Beautiful samples covering a variety of topics, complete with an extensive introduction.
Resource Type: Mix of Text and Graphics
Graphics Content: High

http://www.members.aol.com//
DonandLee/index.html

http://www.ofcn.org/cyber.serv/
academy/ace/soc/elem.html

gopher://bvsd.k12.co.us:70/11/
Educational_Resources/Lesson_
Plans/Big%20Sky/social_studies

http://www.col-ed.org/cur/

http://www.mcrel.org/connect/plus

http://www.trinity.edu/departments/
education/core/newplans.htm

http://ericir.syr.edu/Virtual/
Lessons/crossroads

http://talk.startribune.com/cgi-bin/
WebX.cgi?homework-14@@.ee6b2b9  
homework help

http://www.hmco.com/hmco
/school/search/activity.html  
*Houghton Mifflin

http://www.mcrel.org/connect
/lesson.html#social

http://www.nwrel.org/sky/Classroom/
Social_Studies/Social_Studies.html

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
resources/ngo/education/ideas.html

http://www.rims.k12.ca.us/SCORE/

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/  
*Houghton Mifflin supplemental games, quizes maps

http://www.socialstudies.com/
index.html

http://www.mmhschool.com/teach/
socialstud/socstu1.html

Arts of India
http://www.artsednet.
getty.edu/ArtsEdNet/
Resources/Maps/
india.html
This site, by the Getty Arts Education project, has activities for elementary, middle school and high school students on five works of Indian art: Buddhist Altarpiece; Royal Tiger Hunt; Dancing Ganesha; Elephant With Riders; and Buddha as Conqueror of Mara. 
 

Exploring the Mandala
http://www.askasia.org/
for_educators/
instructional_resources/
lesson_plans/mandala/
mandala.htm
A mandala is a diagram intended to symbolize the universe or cosmos in Buddhism. It defines a sacred space -- a space created for the performance of ritual or for the use of a great teacher or mystic. These activities introduce students to the concept of special spaces -- spaces set aside for specific actions or activities.
 

Life in the Indus Valley
http://members.aol.com/
WERedu/PlanIndia.html
Today, the Indus Valley is a barren desert, broken only by the winding Indus River. A long time ago, when the land was first settled, the Indus Valley was a lush and fertile jungle. It was the home of all manner of wild beasts. These activities are about that time, many years ago, when the Indus Valley was fertile and prosperous. 
Author: Joyce and David Mollet
 

Nataraj: Shiva as Lord of the Dance
http://askasia.org/
frclasrm/lessplan/
l000052.htm
This lesson has students work in small groups to analyze and discuss the dancing figure of Shiva and to develop ideas about the meaning of various aspects of the image and how they relate to Hindu belief. Notes for the teacher are included. 
Author: Jean Johnson
 

Rama and the Ramayana: Lessons in Dharma
http://www.askasia.org/
frclasrm/lessplan/
1000054.htm
The Ramayana is the great Indian epic story set in 1000BCE which explores good and evil and how people should live life. Students pick out scenes and characters from the Ramayana to explore these concepts.
Author: Jean Johnson
 

Understanding Karma, Dharma and Samsara
http://www.askasia.org/
frclasrm/lessplan/
1000046.htm
Karma, dharma and samsara are three fundamental aspects of the Hindu world view. People in South Asia believe these fundamental ideas are the laws of reality. Dharma means one's appropriate role that gives life its order and predictability. Karma means how well one performs one's Dharma. Samsara is the continuous round of death and rebirth. Students act out scenes from the Ramayana to explore these concepts.
Author: Jean Johnson

Evaluation of visual and written components shall be based upon the following rubric:

Sample Rubric:
4 Points:  *Gathers relevant, accurate information
         *Shows thorough understanding of content
         *Exhibits outstanding insight and creativity
         *Communicates ideas clearly and effectively
         *Presentation is clear and highly informative
3 Points:  *Gathers sufficient, accurate information
         *Shows adequate understanding of content
         *Exhibits moderate insight and creativity
         *Communicates most ideas clearly and effectively
         *Presentation is understandable and provides sufficient information
2 Points:  *Gathers limited, accurate information
         *Shows partial understanding of content
         *Exhibits limited insight and creativity
         *Communicates a few ideas clearly
         *Provides very limited information
1 Point:   *Fails to gather accurate information
         *Shows little or no understanding of content
         *Does not exhibit insight or creativity
         *Is not at all informative 
 
 

Possible alternative topics might include:

*Legends, Fables, and Myths in Ancient India
*The History of Hinduism
*Western Influences in Indian History
*Ethnic Origins in India
*Alexander the Great and India: West Meets East

Having viewed art prints and literature reflecting Siddhartha Gautama's life, students choose a phase of his life (e.g., childhood, search for Enlightenment) and explain the significance of the event to the overall teachings of Buddhism.