Religion and Its Influence: Hinduism

Students explore the basic concepts and practices of Hinduism. Then, they research Hindu beliefs and practices and explain their influence on Indian society and culture. Finally, they watch two short videos on modern Hinduism and prepare a news report on the annual holiday Diwali, the festival of lights.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for Religion and Its Influence: Hinduism:

Introduction to Hinduism
Background resource
History of Hinduism
Background resource
Hindu Concepts
Background resource
Hinduism Introduction: Core Ideas of Brahman, Atman, Samsara, and Moksha
Background video
Attributions

Engage

Overview

In this experience, students explore the basic concepts and practices of Hinduism. Then, they research Hindu beliefs and practices and explain their influence on Indian society and culture. Finally, they watch two short videos on modern Hinduism and prepare a news report on the annual holiday Diwali, the festival of lights.

Students will work together in small groups in scene 3.

For background information, see:

For a good video background overview, watch Hinduism Introduction: Core Ideas of Brahman, Atman, Samsara, and Moksha, also in the Teacher Pack.

Objectives

Describe the origins and beliefs of the Hindu religion.
Analyze the influence of Hinduism on ancient India.

Hinduism is one of the world’s great religions, and one of the oldest. It is practiced by the majority of people in India—about 1 billion people. You will learn what it is and what its impact has been.

Objectives

Describe the origins and beliefs of the Hindu religion.
Analyze the influence of Hinduism on ancient India.

painting of man with multiple heads and arms seated on a goose

Brahma, the Hindu God of Creation

Just about every religion has a story about how the world began. Hinduism has several! Here’s one of them, animated. Watch Hindu Creation Story.

What questions do you have about Hinduism after watching the video? Ask one or more here.

Tell students to keep track of the questions they raised and to look for answers as they work through this experience.

When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Ancient India Unit.