Section 1: Introduction
(A PDF of these teachers notes can be downloaded from here, and printed.)
The unit can be used in one of two ways:
1. Whole-class presentation
The slide show is specifically designed for teachers to use as a whole class presentation, offering a visual, panoramic overview of the topic.
A commentary is provided to help teachers cover the key points for each slide.
Below are a series of questions (which can also be found at the end of the commentary), which can be answered by a single word or short phrase. The questions aim to reinforce the learning outcomes from the presentation, and can be used as a test or reinforcement exercise at the end of the presentation.
2. Student-based enquiry work
Students use the resources in the unit to find out for themselves about the topic.
In the process, they gain knowledge and understanding of the topic, whilst at the same time developing analytical and other thinking skills.
Students can use either map pages or slide show. In the map pages, the linked information is right next to the maps; in the slide show, it is in the student commentary.
In either case the institution will need a multiuser licence.
Both slide show and map pages are built around the same series of maps, following the history of Medieval India.
Simple forward/back navigation buttons (and in the map pages, a timeline below the maps) make it easy to move through the map sequence.
To start the sequence of map pages, click on the map of Medieval India 565 CE.
To start the slide show, click HERE.
Teachers may wish to combine the whole-class presentation approach with the student-based approach – for examples, see Section 4.
Section 2: Activities
In this section are some suggestions to using this Premium Unit actively in the classroom. The following section (Section 4) offers some ways in which the suggested tasks can be used within a lesson.
Students can do the activities as individuals or in small groups. They will obviously need to have direct access to this Premium TimeMap unit, for which a multi-user licence is required.
Task 2. Questions
These questions can be used with the slide show or the map sequence.
You might like to print the questions out and give them to the students, and ask the students to note down the answers as the slide show progresses. They can either submit their answers for marking, or collaborate in small groups to come up with an agreed set of answers.
The answers are given (in Italics).
- Which empire was in decline in the 6th century CE? (The Gupta empire)
- What was the name of the great conqueror of northern India in the early 7th century CE? (Harsha Vardhana – just Harsha will do nicely)
- What is the great plain which covers much of central and southern India called? (The Deccan)
- Which powerful kingdom arose in the Deccan in the 7th century CE? (The Chalukya kingdom)
- What great city in northern India was fought over by three kingdoms? (Kanauj)
- Which great religion was losing ground by the mid-9th century? (Buddhism) …
- … and which great religion was gaining ground at its expense? (Hinduism)
- What was the name of the great Muslim raider in the late 10th and early 11th centuries? (Mahmud of Ghazni)
- What was the southern Indian kingdom which rose to become a maritime power in the 11th century? (The Chola)
- What was the designation given to a group of Hindu warrior-rulers who ruled some states in northwest India from at least the 11th century onwards (The Rajputs)
- What was the great Muslim sultanate whose rise and fall dominated the history of India from the 13th through the 15th centuries? (The Delhi Sultanate)
- Under whose reign did this state reach the height of its power? (Muhammad Tughluq)
- What was the name of the Muslim traveller who wrote a description of life at this sultan’s court in the early-mid 14th century? (Ibn Battuta)
- Name one of the powerful states that were founded in central and southern India in the 14th century? (The Bahami sultanate or the Vigayanagara kingdom)
- What was the name of the conqueror from central Asia who sacked Delhi at the end of the 14th century? (Timur, or Timur the Lame)
Task 2. Critical thinking questions
The aim of these activities is to develop analytical thinking skills, and in particular getting students to grapple with history-specific issues such as cause and consequence, and change and continuity.
General Instructions:
1. Students read the questions below, which either they or their teacher has chosen.
2. They then go through the map sequence or slideshow (in the latter case they will have to have access to a copy of the student commentary).
3. As they do this, they carefully take notes, focusing on the questions they are answering. They should bear in mind when and where events or developments happen; why they happen; and what changes as a result of them happening.
4. Students use their notes to prepare their answers. These can be in either essay form or as presentations.
(Note to teacher: suggested answers are given in italics)
Question 1:
Medieval India saw the rise and fall of numerous kingdoms and empires, but through it all what long-lasting trends can be discerned in this period?
(My answers would be the rise of Hinduism at the expense of Buddhism, and the rise of Muslim rule over much of the subcontinent.)
Question 2:
The medieval period of India saw many kingdoms and empires rise and fall; which was the most important of these, do you think? – Why?
(I would say the Delhi sultanate, because it was a watershed in Indian history: before it, only a small part of the subcontinent was under Muslim rulers, after it only a small part was under Hindu rulers.)
Question 3:
Why was the Delhi sultanate successful in conquering much of India – and why then did it decline?
(Reasons for its rise: vigorous rulers, no powerful Hindu enemies to stop its advance, tolerance shown towards Hindus; reasons for decline: endemic political instability resulting in regular rebellions and secessions of territories under former generals and governors asserting their independence).
Section 4: Plans of Action
Here in this section are possible strategies, plans of action you might like to follow (or adapt as you see fit) for using some of these activities.
Plan A:
This plan combines the presentation approach with the student-centered enquiry approach. Do this if you are doing this topic as a major topic with the class.
1. Introduce the topic by presenting the slide show to the class. Use the teacher’s commentary as a guide.
2. The students complete Task 2 by answering one or more of the questions given there.
They use either the map pages or the slide show (plus student commentary) to answer the question(s).
They can do this task as individuals, for their own project work. Alternatively, they can do it in small groups.
All the students or groups can be asked to do the same questions, or all to do different ones.
3. The students then write up and submit their work in essay form for marking, or prepare a presentation for showing to the class.
Plan B:
This plan will take less time than Plan A to complete.
1. Show the slide show to the class, using the teachers’ commentary as a guide. Tell the students that there will be a test at the end.
2. Ask the questions in Task 1 to the class as a whole, with the students calling out the answers (if they remember any!).
Give out the questions on printed sheets (for this, use the questions as given at the end of the students’ commentary). Show the class the slide show again. This time they take notes in preparation for the same test again.
The students write their answers on their sheets and submit for marking.
Plan C:
This should take longer than Plan B to complete, but not as long as Plan A.
1. The students are handed copies of the questions in task 1 (use the questions as given at the end of the students’ commentary).
2. The students then work their way through the map pages or the slide show (if the latter, using the students’ commentary), and as they do so they note down the answers to the questions.
3. The teacher then shows the slide show to the class as a whole, using the teachers commentary as a guide. In the course of this presentation they will give the students the answers to the questions.
Section 5: Further reading
A list of all TimeMaps articles can be found on the Encyclopedia home page. Here is a selected list of key articles which students should find helpful for Medieval India.
and for background, Ancient India