Proficiency Level: Intermediate Mid/High Lesson Plan by Rajni Bhargava
Time: 2X75 minutes
Objectives: Students will be able to:
- Describe the tax system during the British time
- Explain the problems faced by farmers
- Make comparisons between the taxes levied on farmers in two places in India
Language Targets: Students will be able to use:
- Perfect tense with focus on the ergative construction with transitive
- The frequentative aspect: राजा हर बार ऐसे ही लगाम दिया करते थे। किसान पूरी मेहनत कर्ज़ चुकाने में ही बिता दिया करते थे
- Compound verbs to imply completion and the direction of the result
Performance Assessment:
- Interpretive: Students read an article for main facts (time, place, system, problems).
- Interpersonal: Students discuss and fill in Venn diagram to compare and contrast practices in both Champaner and Champaran.
- Presentational: Higher level: students act as journalists; they write for a news magazine on the condition of the farmers in India and suggest simple solutions. Lower level: students act as NGO workers; they write up a blog and record an audio file for a radio show on the conditions of the farmers for an agricultural project in India.
Learning Scenarios (Students were assigned to see the whole movie at home):
Sponge activity: Students put in order the screen shots of the summary of the movie, “लगान” story or the strips of the text describing the story.
- भुवन जीत जाता है और कैप्टन रसल साउथ अफ़्रीका चले जाते हैं।
- गाँव वाले कचरा के साथ खेलने से मना कर देते हैं ।
- भुवन की माँ आकाश की ओर देखती है और बारिश का इंतज़ार करती है पर दूर-दूर तक बादल नहीं दिखते हैं।
- राजा जी कैप्टन रसल से किसानों की समस्या के बारे में बात करते हैं और लगान माफ़ करने को कहते हैं।
- कैप्टन रसल किसानों के सामने यह शर्त रखते हैं कि किसान उनके साथ क्रिकेट का खेल खेलेंगे और जीत जाएँगे तो उनका लगान माफ़ कर दिया जाएगा।
- भुवन क्रिकेट खेलने के लिये शर्त मान लेता है।
- धीरे धीरे सब मान जाते हैं और क्रिकेट खेलने के लिये तैयार हो जाते हैं।
- इलेज़बैथ भुवन औए गाँव वालों की मदद के लिये तैयार हो जाती है और उनकॊ क्रिकेट सिखाती है।
- कैप्टन रसल राम सिंह पर बहुत नाराज़ होते हैं।
- गाँव वाले भुवन से बहुत नाराज़ हैं।
- भुवन हिरन को अंग्रेज़ों के शिकार से बचाता है।
Episode 1: Students watch the beginning of the movie लगान – up to 1.37-4.45. In pair students form at least three questions and switch partners to ask and answer questions based on the movie clip with focus on understanding the taxation system. They focus on the use of past tense and compound verbs.
Episode 2: Jigsaw
1. Interpretive task: Students read in groups an assigned section from an article on Champaran Satyagrah in Bihar (link or pdf)
2. Interpersonal task: After reading the excerpt students form different groups with one from each original group to share information from their part of the article. Students are given vocabulary to support their understanding if needed. Students circle the key words in the article and when they find the meaning on shabdkosh.com, they write them on the board in three or four columns for the three or four sections of the article to refer to the board.
3. Students use frequentative aspect while focusing on the following:
- The time period
- The tax system
- Problems which farmers faced
Episode 3: Interpersonal: Students fill the information in the Venn diagram comparing the two, film and the article, discussing the similarities and the differences (time and place, tax system and problems).
Episode 4:
Higher level: Students in groups of three are asked to report as journalists for a news magazine on the increased rate of suicide among farmers in India and will write a small paragraph using the idioms like ‘peT kaaTnaa’ (remain hungry or not eat), guzar basar (Somehow meet the needs) on the condition of the farmers in the present time and what can be done. (One or two suggestions)
Lower level: Students work for NGO as volunteers and will address the concerns in simple sentences. They will use audio to record the conditions of the farmers as an agricultural project in India and will find solutions to help them.
Follow-up suggestions: They view the link to gather more information on the present conditions of farmers in India.