KF CLASSROOM

In a global society, it is essential for students to have awareness, understanding, and appreciation for other cultures. Kaur Foundation supports educators who wish to integrate learning about Sikhism into their classes. Explore our materials:
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Cultural Safari: The NCSS Endorsed 17-minute Cultural Safari video covers Sikh culture and heritage and helps close the cultural awareness gap that exists between the educators, administrators, and peers of Sikh American students.

Kaur Foundation Library: Discover books for students of all ages to learn more about Sikhism.

• Download a PDF of the Book Guide: 2020_sikh_books_guide.pdf

More Lesson and Unit Plans (below): 

• Courageous Conversations - Examine representations of Sikhs in the media to begin the conversation about bias, stereotypes, and inclusion.
• Identity Explorer - This activity examines the visible and invisible aspects of identity. 
• Primary Source Sets

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Why should I include Sikhism in my curriculum?

Sikhs are the fifth largest religious group in the world. There are more than 25 million Sikhs around the world and approximately 700,000 in the United States. However, Sikhism is widely misunderstood, and Sikh American have faced discrimination, bullying, and even hate crimes as a result of this lack of understanding. The United States is one of the most culturally and religiously diverse nations in the world. As our communities grow ever more diverse, it is critical to our democracy that we appreciate and understand the different backgrounds of our neighbors, colleagues, students, and friends. Learning and teaching about diversity within our communities promotes global citizenship and provides opportunities for students to develop the knowledge and skills crucial to live and work in a religiously diverse, democratic society. Including Sikhism in the curriculum recognizes the unique experiences of Sikh-Americans and fosters a greater appreciation for cultural and religious diversity. ​

• Lessons & Activities
• Primary and Secondary Sources
• Teacher Guides
  

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Identity Explorer
This activity gets students and teachers thinking about issues related to identity and diverse communities.

1. Think of yourself as the cover of a book! What would others notice based on appearances alone?
2. Now, think of the contents of the book – what is inside that isn’t visible on the outside? What important parts of your identity wouldn’t be visible on the cover? What assumptions people might make based on what they see on the cover? Are those assumptions accurate?

Download Student Worksheet

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Courageous Conversations

This classroom activity uses stories from the media highlighting the experiences of Sikhs in the United States. Students individually respond to a series of media accounts about Sikhs in America during a gallery walk activity. Students then engage in small group and whole class discussions about reactions, questions, and connections to other knowledge about Sikh Americans, religion in America, discrimination, and other related topics.

Download Lesson Plan

Download Media Resources

Primary Sources on Bhagat Singh Thind vs. United States (1923)

The case of Bhagat Singh Thind provides rich opportunities to explore immigration and citizenship laws of the early 20th century, racial and religious discrimination, and the challenges faced by Sikh-Americans as they built communities and lives in the United States.

Download Primary Source Set

Reader's Guide: Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh

This guide provides primary and secondary sources and additional historical context to accompany the book, Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh by Uma Krishmaswami (2017)

Download Reader's Guide

Cultural Safari Teacher Guide

• Social Studies and English Classroom curricula complimenting video.
• Has activities and exercises for teachers to use in their classroom to engage students and make learning enjoyable.
• Creates cultural sensitivity and an understanding of Sikh Americans.
  
• Increases reading, writing, listening, and critical thinking skills.
• Provides opportunities to develop cultural links

Download Teacher Guide

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An Introduction to Teaching about Sikhism
In a global society, it is essential for students to have awareness, understanding, and appreciation for other cultures. Kaur Foundation supports educators who wish to integrate learning about Sikhism (sik-izm ) into their classes. This guide explains the importance of teaching about Sikhism, summarizes teaching approaches, and introduces further resources to use in the classroom.

Download Introduction

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An Educator's Quick Guide to Sikhism
This handout provides a quick introduction to what you need to know about Sikhism and supporting your Sikh students.

Download Quick Guide

Teaching about religion can be an intimidating task. To learn more about how to teach religion as an academic subject and within First Amendment frameworks, we recommend checking out some of the following resources.

Guidance on Teaching about Religion

Guidelines for Teaching about Religion in K-12 Public Schools (American Academy of Religion, 2010)

Religious Studies Companion Document (pages 92-97) in the C3 Framework (National Council for the Social Studies, 2017)

Finding Common Ground: A First Amendment Guide to Religion and Public Schools (First Amendment Center, 2011)

A Teacher's Guide to Religion in the Public Schools (Religious Freedom Center, 2017)

WHAT'S NEXT?

Kaur Foundation is producing a documentary about the history of Sikhs in America, that targets high school and college students. This project is a work in progress. Sign-up to be the first to know when this new resource is launched!

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