One of the main events included in the Imperialism unit was the Sepoy Rebellion. When thousands of Indians were imprisoned by European oppressors, they planned for a rebellion. To help students learn and review what events led up to this rebellion and why it occurred, I had students put themselves in the shoes of an Indian in jail. The students were to write a two-page letter to one of their families from their cell. In the letter, they were to include their feelings at the time, what forced them to go to jail, and what they planned on doing when they were released from prison.
This lesson went very well with my students. Many students were very creative with what they wrote by expressing such strong personal feelings. It was interesting to read how they could put themselves in such a difficult position. One thing that I would have changed was being more specific on what the students needed to include in their letter. Many of my students elaborated too much on their reaction and emotions at the time rather than the events that took place to put them in the position that they were in. Ifyou are thinking about doing this lesson plan idea, I would create a criterion that gives your students specific requirements they must fall. An example would be at least three events that caused them to go to jail, how it affected their families, what they are going to do when they get out of jail, and who will be part of the rebellion.
