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Activity 22
Water: Blessing and Curse in India

Adapted from "Water: A Key to Understanding India," in A South Asia Curriculum, Teaching about India.  New York: The American Forum for Global Education, 1994. pp 44-54.

Grade Level

Secondary

Introduction

To fully understand India one must understand its dependence on water.  The monsoon rains are always associated with South Asia, although they are a worldwide phenomenon.  However, it is important to remember that New Delhi, the capital of India, gets the same annual rainfall as New York City.  The issue is not the amount of rain, but the distribution of rainfall annually.  Whereas New York gets fairly equal rainfall each month, allowing for normal activities throughout the year, India's rainfall is largely concentrated during three months of the year, skewing all events and activities to adjust to the rains.  If the monsoons do not arrive in India, the nation mourns for the entire year.  Just as the success or failure of agriculture is dependent upon the monsoons, the culture of South Asia is dependent upon the rains.

Teacher/Student Objective

The goal of this activity is to teach students the overriding significance of the monsoon and the impact on the rains upon all facets of life in South Asia.

Gauging Student Understanding

The progress indicators cited reflect desirable end goals. Teachers should be prepared to use a wide variety of observational, testing and authentic achievement evaluation measures in judging the progress of students.

Students will manifest their knowledge of, and ability to read and analyze specific geographical representations by analyzing a map showing the patterns which the monsoons follow in and near the Indian sub-continent.

By analyzing a case study and reading pertinent Internet data, students will be able to display an understanding of how a major weather system can help, but also pose problems for the peoples of the Indian sub-continent.

Suggested Materials

• Copies of Handout 22A, The Path of the Monsoon.
• Periodical articles on the effects of monsoon activity on the peoples of India.
• Listing of Internet sites having to do with the monsoons of South Asia.

Initial Data for Consideration and/or Process

Distribute Handout 22A, The Path of the Monsoon.  By posing questions in an inquiry, elicit from students:

• What can be learned from this type of map?
• Which areas of India are most / least affected by the monsoon?
• If they were looking for a place to live in India, how would information on this map assist them in their decision?

Divide class up into work groups, and either assign each of the groups a different aspect of monsoon/human interaction to research on the Internet or distribute sufficient articles to each of the groups.  Conduct a "jigsaw"* cooperative learning procedure built around the idea:

• How does/has the monsoon affected life for people in South Asia?

Other Possible Activities

• Ask students to write a brief essay on how they might feel if it rained for an extended time in their area of the world.  Have them examine the notion of whether drought has the same effect on people.

Divide students into groups and provide data for one of the sections on the chart.  After examining the materials and preparing a summary for their assigned section, regroup students.  Each new group has a representative specializing in each section on the chart.  The representative is responsible for teaching that section to the rest of the group.

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