The Himalayan Academy, which publishes Hinduism Today magazine, recently released this new 23 minute documentary about the origins and features of Hinduism. It is a great overview of Hinduism from its origins to the present.
Dr. Tim Hall cereated C3 Inquiries for all major religions. Here is his inquiry unit for Hindusim.
Introduce the Bhagavad Gita with this nine minute clip fromn Harvard University' s EDX course on Religion and Scripture.
Here is a pdf of graphic novel version of the Bhagavad Gita. It's 27 pages.
And here is a reading guide for students to complete as they read.
Show Annenberg Learner's Invitation to Literature's 25 minute review of the Gita.
Here is a pdf of graphic novel version of the Bhagavad Gita. It's 27 pages.
And here is a reading guide for students to complete as they read.
Show Annenberg Learner's Invitation to Literature's 25 minute review of the Gita.
Stephen prothero intrduces hindusim
Hinduism 101 from Hindu American Foundation
Great lessons and Power Points from the Hindu American Foundation. |
This simulation helps students remember Hindu terms. The button links takes you to a folder with the directions, the board and game cards.
Students create a foldable outlining the four stages and stations of Hindu life based on segment from Huston Smith's textbook chapter on Hinduism, or from these online sites.
- The Four Stages of Hindu Life, from the Hindu American Foundation
- The Hindu Caste System
- After completing the foldable, I show the eight minute clip below about untouchables in India.
The Caste System
Here are three great Prezis about Hinduism from a university professor. The first is an introduction, the second covers Hinduism in the 20th century (covering the introduction of TM to America, Vivekanada and the introduction of Hinduism to America, and a number of important gurus) and finally one about Hinduism and pluralism in America.
Varanasi: sacred city
WHat is hindutva
Here is an excellent site that includes a reader on Hindu nationalism and other interesting links.
What is Hindutva/ Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
My Life, My Religion: Hinduism
Here is a link to a folder with 8 or 9 news stories about Hinduism in America. I make stations out of the stories and have students complete a chart ( which is also in the folder). Some of the titles include:
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Religion and Ethic Newseeekly has an excellent two-part video series about Hinduism in America and an activity for students to record changes in their their practices.
Which Yoga Path best fits my Personal
Huston Smith describes four different Yoga Paths to achieve spiritual growth
Which of those would best fit who you are?
Clearly state your answer to the question and support that using materials from our text book and from presentations in class.
Huston Smith describes four different Yoga Paths to achieve spiritual growth
Which of those would best fit who you are?
Clearly state your answer to the question and support that using materials from our text book and from presentations in class.
- Brief and clear intro. paragraph (2 sentences)
- Paragraph explaining which Yoga path and why you chose that: include multiple citations to class materials
- Paragraph explaining how your specific life/ personality/ experiences fit that specific path
- Brief and clear conclusion paragraph 2 sentences
Yogas, Gurus and the 3HO
I introduce students to the different gods through a web-quest. Students can find information about the different gods using these two web sites.
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The Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic, perhaps the most famous in India. It's written in Saskrit and follows Prince Rama's quest to rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of Ravana with the help of an army of monkeys. I think any study of India should include a review of this great epic, familiar to just about every Hindu.
Lesson: Students read a 12 page summary of the epic and complete these questions from Edsitement. I had students work on this over a couple of classes. Here is the full lesson from Edsitment. I also showed them some of Nina Paley's, Sita Sings the Blues, an animated version of the epic. |
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Kumbh Mela-- Video from Faith Connections
Kumbha Mela is a major pilgrimage and festival in Hinduism. It is celebrated in a cycle of approximately 12 years, to celebrate every revolution Brihaspati completes, at four river-bank pilgrimage sites: the Allahabad, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. Here is a documentary about from Faith Connections.
More resources about Hinduvata
- The Man Who Thought Gandhi a Sissy (The Economist)
- Hindutva: Exploring the Idea of Hindu Nationalism by Jyotirmaya Sharma
- Hindu Nationalism: A Reader by Christophe Jaffrelot
- The Violent Toll of Hindu Nationalism in India (The New Yorker) by Eliza Griswold
VIDEO ACTIVITY: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
(COPIED FROM HARVARD LITERACY PROJECT)
Imagine that you are having a conversation with someone who is curious about Hinduism and wants to know more about Hindu texts and traditions.
You are in a rush to get to an appointment, so you only have three minutes to chat with this person. In three minutes, what would you share about Hinduism and its sacred texts based on what you have learned in this course?
Please post a video of no more than three minutes long that imagines what you would say to this person. You can speak in general about what information you would share, or you can pretend like you are addressing your friend directly through the camera. Just remember… you only have three minutes, so make them count!
Here is a sample from one my students. I converted her MP4 file to a SoundCloud file.
(COPIED FROM HARVARD LITERACY PROJECT)
Imagine that you are having a conversation with someone who is curious about Hinduism and wants to know more about Hindu texts and traditions.
You are in a rush to get to an appointment, so you only have three minutes to chat with this person. In three minutes, what would you share about Hinduism and its sacred texts based on what you have learned in this course?
Please post a video of no more than three minutes long that imagines what you would say to this person. You can speak in general about what information you would share, or you can pretend like you are addressing your friend directly through the camera. Just remember… you only have three minutes, so make them count!
Here is a sample from one my students. I converted her MP4 file to a SoundCloud file.
This prezi comes from a college professor. It has some terrific slides but you have to pick and choose.