Sacred River
Publication Information
Author:  Levin, Ted	Illustrator:  Levin, Ted
Title:  Sacred River	Date:  1995
Publisher:  Clarion	City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:	ISBN, hardback:  0-39569846-4
Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes	ESOL:
Family:	Young Adult:
Picture:   Yes
General Information:
Book Type(s):    nonfiction
HSE Descriptor(s):    social studies
Summary:
Beautiful illustrations and minimal text introduce the reader to the colorful riverfront scene in the Hindu pilgrimage center known as Benares or Varanasi, India.
Teaching Ideas:
Teachers might want to use a KWL strategy to acertain what students already know about Benares/Varanasi or India before reading, and then see what impressions/information change. After reading teachers could ask students to make a list of questions for further research. For example, "Why do the holy men paint their faces?" or "Why are bodies burned on pyres?" Despite the limited use of text, many unfamiliar words should be introduced before reading: "sari," "ghats," "jai," "monsoon," and "pyre." Readers might want to discuss the relaitonship of the watercolor illustrations to the text. More information is available on the official web site at http://varanasi.nio.in/.
Teaching Strategies:
K-W-L Instruction Strategy    http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/k_w_l.pdf
Sketch to Stretch    http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/sketch_stretch.pdf
Brainstorming Activities (Guidelines)    http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/brainstorming.pdf
Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
Social Studies > anthropology > cultures Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > death Religion/Philosophy > Hinduism Social Studies > anthropology > cultures > cultural customs Geography > locations > countries > India

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