1 “Gandhi,” by Jennifer Dobner.
2 3 With his bald head, thin body, wire glasses, and shy nature, Mohandas Gandhi seemed like a kind
4 grandfather. Within this quiet man, however, was a powerful will. His strong beliefs in fairness, freedom,
5 kindness, and peace changed nations. Even many years after his death, “The Father of India” continues to
6 inspire people around the world.
7 Gandhi was born into a large Hindu family on October 2, 1869. Many Hindus believe in
8 nonviolence and caring for others. His mother was a great example. She prayed daily and took care of
9 people who were sick or poor. His father worked as a local government leader. He often settled
10 disagreements between the local people and the British, who ruled India. From his father, Gandhi would
11 learn to respect others and their beliefs. At eighteen, Gandhi sailed to England to study law. While
12 attending school in London, he began to study different religions and their texts.
13 After a few years, Gandhi became a lawyer and returned to India. Still very shy, he struggled to
14 find work. He agreed to take a job in South Africa in 1888. South Africa was also ruled by the British.
15 People who were not white were treated poorly. One day while Gandhi traveled by train, a conductor told
16 him he couldn’t sit in the first-class car. Gandhi said that he was traveling on business and had bought a
17 first-class ticket. None of that mattered because of the color of Gandhi’s skin. When Gandhi would not
18 leave, he was thrown off the train. On another trip, a driver beat Gandhi for refusing to make room for a
19 white passenger. Gandhi thought this was unfair and felt he had to do something. He stayed in South
20 Africa and worked hard to help the Indians in that country. His work brought attention to him as well as to
21 the struggles of Indians in South Africa. He also became a leader among the Indian people.
22 During this time, every Indian in South Africa was forced to register with the government. Gandhi
23 held a protest, during which he explained his idea of satyagraha (SAWT-yuh-GRAW-haw). The word
24 means “holding firmly to the truth.” Gandhi used it to represent his form of nonviolent protest. He called
25 for Indians to disobey the law and accept the punishments. Many Indians were beaten or jailed, including
26 Gandhi. News of the protests and punishments reached around the world. People were shocked. They
27 spoke out against the government. The government had to talk with the protesters. Gandhi remained in
28 South Africa for twenty years. He continued to work for better treatment of Indians. During this time, he
29 stopped wearing western clothes. Instead, he wore the homemade robes and sandals for which he would
30 become known.
31 When Gandhi returned to India, he worked to free India from British rule. In 1919, the
32 government passed acts that let authorities arrest people who caused political trouble. Gandhi called for
33 people to stay home from work and school in protest. When violence broke out against the British,
34 Gandhi canceled the protest. A few days later, thousands of people gathered in the city of Amritsar in a
35 peaceful, yet illegal, protest. Suddenly, the British troops surrounding the protest started shooting.
36 Hundreds of people died, and many others were hurt. The events in Amritsar changed everything. Soon
37 after, Gandhi started another nonviolent protest. He called for Indians to no longer buy British goods or
38 work for the British in any way. While his efforts were somewhat successful, some Indians still caused
39 violence. Gandhi was seen as the leader of the protest. Because of the violence, he was arrested and sent
40 to prison. He was released after two years and immediately continued his work.
41 One of Gandhi’s most successful protests took place in 1930. In India, only British companies
42 were allowed to produce and sell salt. The government also placed a large tax on any salt sold. Gandhi
43 thought it was unfair for Indians to pay the British for salt from Indian lands. On March 12, Gandhi and
44 some followers began a 21-day, 240-mile (386 km) walk across India to the sea. Along the way, Gandhi
45 spoke to people and made speeches to large crowds. When he reached the coast, tens of thousands of
46 Indians were following him. Early on the morning of April 6, Gandhi went down to the shore. He picked
47 up a grain of salt from the ground. His followers did the same. Gandhi was arrested, along with more than
48 60,000 others. The arrests and treatment of Indians caused anger throughout the world.
49 In 1945, British and Indian leaders began to discuss the British leaving India. Throughout India’s
50 history, Hindus and Muslims had often been in conflict. Gandhi believed that the people of these two
51 religions could live in peace in India. The Muslim leaders wanted their own country. The agreement that
52 ended British rule was signed in 1947. The country was split, against Gandhi’s advice. The Muslim
53 people formed the new country of Pakistan. More than ten million people moved from one country to the
54 other. There was much fighting. Gandhi worked tirelessly and achieved a number of temporary peace
55 agreements. No one else was able to do this at the time.
56 On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was on his way to a prayer meeting. About five hundred people had
57 gathered to hear his prayers. A young Hindu man in the crowd didn’t approve of Gandhi’s work to make
58 peace with Muslims. He shot Gandhi three times. Gandhi’s death saddened people everywhere. However,
59 this small man, whom Indians called Mahatma, or “Great Soul,” continued to change the world. He
60 inspired such great leaders as Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. He will continue to inspire
61 people for many years to come.
UNIT LESSON PLAN
INSTRUCTOR_______________
DATE___________ CLASS LEVEL _ABE Level C______
Topic: October Lesson Plan: The Diwali Festival- “Gandhi.”
Lesson Objectives.
1. Gain a deeper understanding of non-fiction literature through collaboration with peers
2. Analyze the text through in-depth reading, text-dependent questions, study of vocabulary, and
discussion of the elements of a biography.
3. Recognize types of sentence
4. Identify synonyms and antonyms
5. Compare and contrast the movie Gandhi with the reading passage.
6. Use information from the text to write a response to a writing prompt
CCR Standards Aligned to this Lesson:
RI/RL.4.1 , RI/RL.5.1, RI.4.3, RL.5.4, RI.4.5 , SL.5.1 , SL.5.2 , L.5.5, L.4.4 & 5.4, W.5.1 , W.4.2 ,
W.5.4, W.5.5
Reading: text dependent questions, strategies of summarizing, elements of a biography, vocabulary
Vocabulary: conflict, fairness, Hindu, inspire, Muslims, nonviolence, political, protest, respect,
struggled, tax, will
Elements of a Biography: A biography is the story of a real person’s life written by someone else. A
biography includes information about the person’s personality, accomplishments, and influence on the
world.
Grammar: Sentence types- There are different types of sentences that students will encounter when
they read and as they write. One type of sentence is called a compound sentence. A compound sentence is
a sentence consisting of two or more simple sentences separated by a comma and a conjunction.
Word Types: A word that means the same or almost the same as another word is called a synonym. A
word that means the opposite of another word is called an antonym.
Text Dependent Questions
Possible Student Answers
How did
Gandhi was born into a large Hindu family on October 2,
Gandhi’s upbringing influence
1869. Many Hindus believe in nonviolence and caring for
who he was as a leader?
others. His mother was a great example. She prayed daily
and took care of people who were sick or poor. His father
worked as a local government leader. He often settled
disagreements between the local people and the British, who
ruled India (lines 7-10). Because of his upbringing, he was
taught the importance of peace, even during protests, and
taking care of others who were living in unjust and unfair
situations.
Why did Gandhi insist on sitting in the
One day while Gandhi traveled by train, a conductor told
first class section of the train in South
him he couldn’t sit in the first-class car. Gandhi said that he
Africa, even after her was told he could was traveling on business and had bought a first-class ticket.
not sit there?
None of that mattered because of the color of Gandhi’s skin.
When Gandhi would not leave, he was thrown off the train
(lines 15-18).
What did Gandhi do after he left South When Gandhi left South Africa and returned to India, he
Africa?
worked to free India from British rule (line 31).
During the Salt March, Gandhi knew
Gandhi thought it was unfair for Indians to pay the British
that his actions would cause him to be
for salt from Indian lands. In India, only British companies
arrested. Why did Gandhi continue the
march anyway?
were allowed to produce and sell salt. The
government also placed a large tax on any salt sold (lines 4142). Along the way, Gandhi spoke to people and made
speeches to large crowds. The arrests and treatment of
Indians caused anger throughout the world, and he knew that
the march would draw attention to the unfairness of their
situation (lines 43-45).
What details from the text support the
His work brought attention to him as well as to the struggles
idea that Gandhi influenced many
of Indians in South Africa. He also became a leader among
people?
the Indian people (lines 20-21). Many Indians were beaten or
jailed, including Gandhi. News of the protests and
punishments reached around the world. People were
shocked. They spoke out against the government. The
government had to talk with the protesters (lines 25-27).
Gandhi was arrested, along with more than 60,000 others
after the Salt March. The arrests and treatment of Indians
caused anger throughout the world (lines 47-48). Gandhi
worked tirelessly and achieved a number of temporary peace
agreements during the conflicts between Muslims and
Hindus. No one else was able to do this at the time (lines 5455). When Gandhi was shot, hiw death saddened people
everywhere. However, this small man, whom Indians called
Mahatma, or “Great Soul,” continued to change the world.
He inspired such great leaders as Martin Luther King Jr. and
Nelson Mandela. He will continue to inspire people for
many years to come (lines 58-61).
What was Gandhi’s solution to the
On March 12, Gandhi and some followers began a 21-day,
problem of Indians not being able
240-mile (386 km) walk across India to the sea. Along the
to sell the salt from their own land?
way, Gandhi spoke to people and made speeches to large
crowds. When he reached the coast, tens of thousands of
Indians were following him. Early on the morning of April
6, Gandhi went down to the shore. He picked up a grain of
salt from the ground. His followers did the same (lines 4347).
What does the word nonviolence mean, Nonviolence means the refusal to use physical force or
and where does it appear in the text?
violence as a response. Gandhi’s family was Hindu, and
What is a synonym for peaceful?
many Hindus believe in nonviolence and caring for others
(line 8). Gandhi’s parents were a good example of
nonviolence (lines 8-10). One synonym for nonviolence is
peaceful.
What was the effect of the peaceful
The British troops surrounding the protest started shooting.
protest in Amritsar?
Hundreds of people died, and many others were hurt. The
events in Amritsar changed everything. Soon after, Gandhi
started another nonviolent protest. He called for Indians to
no longer buy British goods or work for the British in any
way (lines 35-38).
What does the word conflict mean?
The word conflict means a disagreement of ideas, principles,
Give examples of conflicts from the text. or opinions between people or groups. One example of a
conflict is in lines 16-18, where the train conductor told
Why does the author say Gandhi will
continue to inspire people?
What is the author’s purpose for
writing Gandhi?
Gandhi that he could not sit in business class, even though
he had bought the ticket. He was constantly protesting in
South Africa, which caused a lot of conflicts between
himself and the government (lines 24-27). Lines 34-36 state
that thousands of people gathered in the city of Amritsar in a
peaceful, yet illegal, protest. Suddenly, the British troops
surrounding the protest started shooting. Hundreds of people
died, and many others were hurt. Throughout India’s history,
Hindus and Muslims had often been in conflict. Gandhi
believed that the people of these two religions could live in
peace in India, but Muslim leaders wanted their own
country. The agreement that ended British rule was signed in
1947, and the country was split, against Gandhi’s advice
(lines 50-52).
Within this quiet man, however, was a powerful will. His
strong beliefs in fairness, freedom, kindness, and peace
changed nations. Even many years after his death, “The
Father of India” continues to inspire people around the world
(lines 54-56). Gandhi worked tirelessly and achieved a
number of temporary peace agreements. No one else was
able to do this at the time (lines 4-6).
To inform the reader about the life, influence, and inspiration
of Gandhi during his lifetime and even after his death. (lines
60-61).
Elements of a Biography:
- Explain the difference between a biography and a story (biography: the story of a real person’s life
written by someone else; story: made up by the author, with characters who may or may not be real).
Explain that this passage is a biography. A biography includes information about the person’s personality,
accomplishments, and influence on the world.
- Write the words Personality, Accomplishments, and Influence in a three-row chart on the board. Discuss
with students the meaning of each of these words (personality : the qualities that make each person
unique; accomplishments : success achieved through practice or training; influence : an effect on
someone or something).
- Think-aloud: Model- As I read through this passage, I am going to stop and think about what I have
learned about Gandhi. As I read, I can organize the information about Gandhi into the categories:
Personality, Accomplishments, and Influence. By categorizing the information in this way, I know I will
understand more about him and the events of his life..
- Return to the Elements of a Biography chart and model how to record biographical details. Thinkaloud: Model- After reading paragraphs 1-3 I have learned some details about Gandhi’s personality. The
first section tells how Gandhi was shy, quiet, strong willed, and kind. Gandhi worked very hard to help
other Indians. He did not give up even when he was hurt and put in jail. On the basis of this information, I
can say that Gandhi was caring, determined, and courageous. I will write all of this information on my
chart under the heading Personality.
- Ask students to identify Gandhi’s personality, accomplishments, and influence from the discussion and
from the text. (Personality: smart, brave, determined, loving. Accomplishments: led protests and
demonstrations against the British government, led a march across India to the sea to protest the British
salt tax. Influence : involved people all over India in standing up against the British government.)
Grammar:
- Explain to students that there are different types of sentences that they will encounter when they read
and as they write. One type of sentence is called a compound sentence. A compound sentence is a
sentence consisting of two or more simple sentences separated by a comma and a conjunction.
- Write the following sentences on the board: Hundred of people died, and many others were hurt. Ask
students to identify two separate sentences within this longer sentence. (Hundreds of people died. Many
others were hurt.)
- Review examples of conjunctions with students (and, but, or, nor, so, yet). Write these examples on the
board. Ask students to identify the conjunction that joined the two parts of the original example (and).
- Discuss why the author chose to join two sentence of similar content together (compound sentences with
conjunctions help writers make their writing more fluid and interesting).
- Write the following sentence on the board: Gandhi returned to India after school, but he could not find a
job. Ask a volunteer to come to the board to identify and circle the conjunction (but).
- Have students identify the two sentences that the conjunction connects. (Gandhi returned to India after
school. He could not find a job.) Discuss how the conjunction and comma connect the two sentences,
replacing the period and the capital letter H in the second sentence.
Word Types:
- Write the word large on the board. Ask students to suggest a word that means almost the same thing
(huge). Review or explain that a word that means the same or almost the same as another word is called a
synonym. Ask students to suggest a word that means the opposite of large (tiny). Review or explain that a
word that means the opposite of another word is called an antonym.
- Have students turn to page 5 and locate the second sentence on the page. Read the sentence aloud and
record it on the board: Many Hindus believe in nonviolence and caring for others. Circle the word caring.
Ask students to suggest a word that means the same or almost the same as caring (kind, thoughtful). Ask
students to suggest a word that means the opposite of caring (unkind, mean).
- Check for understanding: Give pairs of students a thesaurus. Ask them to find the word small and have
them name the synonyms listed. If the thesaurus lists antonyms, have them find the antonyms for small.
If needed, provide additional practice using the thesaurus.
Listening/Speaking:
Show students the biography of Mahatama Gandhi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0uYJIMpYmo
Discuss the ways in which seeing the pictures and videos from India during Gandhi’s lifetime made the
reading passage seem more realistic.
In what ways were the different people in the film influenced by Gandhi’s life and work?
What new information did the students learn about Gandhi that wasn’t presented in the reading passage?
Writing:
Writing prompt: Why did Gandhi choose a path of nonviolent resistance through satyagraha? Define
satyagraha, and use examples from the text to explain your answer.
Write your answer in a two-paragraph response.
How I will scaffold my lessons to reach all of my students' levels:
1. 1. Guide the students in shared reading activities (close reading, chorale reading, reader and response,
scooping for fluency).
2.
3.
4.
5.
2. The class will participate in whole class and small group discussion as we analyze the text.
3. Discuss the meaning and use of vocabulary words in small groups using the vocabulary word handout.
4. Use pictures and simplified definitions for lower-level students who need them.
5. Have students work on graphic organizers of elements of a biography to analyze the story. Model
filling out the sheet for the students.
6. 6. Watch the movie as a class, and have students answer the movie discussion questions as you watch the
movie. Use the notes to fully discuss the elements of the movie, as well as additional vocabulary that is
introduced in the movie. Have the students work in pairs to answer the discussion question worksheets.
7. 7. Provide help and support for students as needed while they are writing their response to the writing
prompt.
Differentiated instructional techniques:
Use guided instruction as we read the story as a class to model the correct way to fill out the graphic
organizers. Allow students to work in pairs to answer the discussion questions from the movie, as well as
to learn about new vocabulary from the story. Assign lower-level students to work in pairs to complete
the grammar worksheets (sentence types and synonyms/antonyms).
How I will assess my students' mastery of the lessons:
I will monitor that students can:
-Correctly identify elements of a biography in the text and on a worksheet
-Correctly identify compound sentences in the during discussion and on a worksheet
-Consistently identify and correctly use synonyms and antonyms in the text, during discussion, and on a
worksheet
-Respond to the writing prompt in a way that shows their understanding of the question and the text.
Suggested Five Day Plan:
Day 1: Explain that in India, a festival called the Diwali festival (Festival of Lights) is celebrated in
October by people who believe in the Hindu religion. Mahatma Gandhi is an important figure in Indian
history, so the passage will explain his life and work in India and beyond. Read the first page of the
reading passage. Answer the text-related questions, and discuss the questions and answers as a class.
Practice reading for fluency and scooping, as well as underlining and making notes as we read. Learn the
vocabulary from the story from the first page, and practice pronunciation.
Day 2: Continue reading the text (the second page), using reading strategies and scooping for fluency.
Answer the text-related questions for the second page. Discuss the questions and answers as a class, as
well as learn the vocabulary from that page.
Day 3: Teach about the Elements of a Biography. Have students read the text, and remind them to
underline important details and to use the information learned to identify the elements of a biography
(personality, accomplishments, influence on others). Have students work on the elements-of-a-biography
worksheet. Invite them to include additional information about the personality, accomplishments, and
influence of Gandhi from the text. Discuss their responses aloud as a class.
Day 4: Teach students about sentence types and word types in a grammar lesson. Explain to students
that there are different types of sentences that they will encounter when they read and as they write. One
type of sentence is called a compound sentence. A compound sentence is a sentence consisting of two or
more simple sentences separated by a comma and a conjunction. Introduce, explain, and have students
complete the sentence types worksheet . If time allows, discuss their answers aloud. For teaching about
word types, explain that a word that means the same or almost the same as another word is called a
synonym. Explain that a word that means the opposite of another word is called an antonym. Introduce,
explain, and have students complete the synonyms-and-antonyms worksheet . If time allows, discuss
answers aloud after they are finished. For the conclusion of the lesson, have students watch the biography
of Mahatma Gandhi from the You Tube clip. Answer discussion questions provided about the biography
at the conclusion, and answer any additional questions students might have about the biography.
Day 5: Students will need to write a two-paragraph response to the following writing prompt: Why did
Gandhi choose a path of nonviolent resistance through satyagraha? Define satyagraha, and use
examples from the text to explain your answer. Begin writing your first draft. Finish your first draft if
possible. Finish your rough draft of your paper, and if you have already finished, find a partner to a peerreview and check your writing. Re-write or type your final draft and give it to the teacher.
Vocabulary
1. conflict (n.) a disagreement of ideas, principles, or opinions between people or groups
2. fairness (n.) justice and equality
3. Hindu (adj.) of or relating to the major religion in India, which includes many gods and a belief
in reincarnation
4. inspire (v.) to encourage a person to act
5. Muslims (n.) people who follow the religion of Islam
6. nonviolence (n.) the refusal to use physical force or violence as a response
7. political (adj.) having to do with government, politics, or politicians
8. protest (n.) an action to express strong disagreement or disapproval
9. respect (v.) to feel admiration for someone or something; to understand that someone or
something should be treated with honor or in a careful manner
10. struggled (v.) had a difficult time achieving a goal; used force to try to stop something or get free
of something
11. tax (n.) a fee collected by a government to pay for its services, functions, and operations
12. will (n.) a strong determination or resolve to accomplish something