Sikhism · 1469-1708

Guru Nanak and the Sikh Gurus

In the Punjab, Guru Nanak taught that there is one God and that all people are equal. Over ten Gurus, Sikhism grew a holy book, the Golden Temple and the Khalsa. Students explore a new faith in the land of five rivers.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
10–13
On the map
3 steps, AD 1500 to AD 1800
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In the Punjab, Guru Nanak taught that there is one God and that all people are equal. Over ten Gurus, Sikhism grew a holy book, the Golden Temple and the Khalsa. Students explore a new faith in the land of five rivers.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe the teachings of Guru Nanak and the founding of Sikhism.
  • Locate the Punjab and the main Sikh holy places on the map.
  • Explain how the Sikh community changed between 1469 and 1708.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1500

The land of five rivers

Open the map in 1500 and zoom in on the Punjab, the "land of five rivers". Count the rivers. Why would a fertile crossroads attract many peoples and faiths?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1604

Amritsar

Zoom in on Amritsar, where Guru Arjan finished the Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple, and placed the holy book in it in 1604. Turn on Trade Routes: which great road passes here?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1800

A Sikh state

Drag the slider to 1800. What does the map show in the Punjab now? Compare it with the Mughal Punjab of 1650.

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Guru Nanak taught that there is one God and that all people are equal. Why was that a bold message in his time?
  2. Why might a shared kitchen be a stronger sign of equality than a speech?
  3. Akbar was friendly to the Sikh Gurus, but later emperors had two Gurus executed. Why did Mughal policy change?
  4. Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699. Why might a peaceful faith decide it needed defenders?
  5. The Golden Temple has doors on all four sides. What message can a building send through its design?
4

Game round

9 min

Play Rule History as Akbar, who, tradition says, ate in the Sikh langar and granted land to the Gurus. Let students take turns ruling. Discuss: how should a ruler treat a new religious community in his empire?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.