Through the Eyes of Travellers – Perceptions of Society/ Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan: Through the Eyes of Travellers – Perceptions of Society

Class: XII

Subject: History
Chapter: Through the Eyes of Travellers
Time Duration: 2 periods (80 minutes total)
Board: CBSE
Textbook: NCERT - Themes in Indian History Part 2

1. General Objectives

To develop students’ understanding of historical sources and perspectives.
To encourage comparative and critical thinking.
To foster curiosity about Indian society through foreign perspectives.

2. Specific Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Identify key foreign travellers who visited India and their contributions.
Understand how social, cultural, and political life in India was perceived by these travellers.
Analyze differences in observations and biases in historical writings.
Compare Indian society across time through external lenses.

3. Teaching Aids

Smart board/Projector
Timeline chart
Venn Diagram Handouts
Flashcards with traveller names and quotes
Short video clips or animations of travels
Group activity worksheets

4. Teaching Methodologies

Storytelling & Dramatic Monologue: Students present short monologues pretending to be Ibn Battuta or Al-Biruni.
Group Discussion & Role Play: Divide class into groups, each acts as a traveller and Indian local debating society practices.
Venn Diagram Analysis: Comparing perceptions of Al-Biruni and Francois Bernier.
Hot Seat Activity: One student plays a traveller, others ask questions about what they observed.
Visual Learning: Use of animated maps to show travel routes.
Think-Pair-Share: Students reflect on societal changes they would notice if they were a traveller in modern India.

5. Introduction (10 minutes)

Begin with an engaging question: "How would a foreigner describe India today?"
Show a map of medieval India with marked routes of Ibn Battuta, Al-Biruni, and Francois Bernier.
Brief overview of what drew travellers to India: trade, spirituality, scholarship, curiosity.

6. Presentation (30 minutes)

Introduce key travellers:

Al-Biruni – 11th century, scholarly view, India’s caste and religion
Ibn Battuta – 14th century, everyday life and adventures
Francois Bernier – 17th century, Mughal society and politics

Venn Diagram Activity: Compare Al-Biruni and Francois Bernier

📊 Venn Diagram: Al-Biruni vs Francois Bernier

	Al-Biruni	Both	Francois Bernier
Persian scholar	Wrote about Indian religious texts	Observed caste and social system	French physician
Used Sanskrit & Arabic texts	Detailed descriptions of Indian life	Critiqued social hierarchy	Compared Mughal rule to European monarchies
Admired Indian knowledge systems	Travelled widely across India	Thought society was unjust	Saw India as backward due to despotic rule

7. Practice & Activities (25 minutes)

Activity 1: Traveller’s Diary

Each student writes 5 diary entries from the POV of a traveller arriving in medieval India.

Activity 2: Source Analysis

Provide excerpts from each traveller’s account. Students annotate and discuss tone, perspective, and bias.

Activity 3: Timeline Race

Teams arrange traveller events in correct chronological order on the board.

8. Recapitulation (5 minutes)

Quick quiz: Match the quote to the traveller
Summarize key differences in perspectives
Reflect on how perceptions can be shaped by context

9. Assignment

Write a travel blog entry titled “If I were Ibn Battuta visiting India today…”
Include at least three aspects of current society you’d compare with the 14th century.

10. Assessment Criteria

Skill	Weightage
Content accuracy	5 marks
Critical thinking	5 marks
Creativity	5 marks
Participation	5 marks

11. Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

Appreciate diversity in historical documentation
Understand the social and political structures of medieval India
Recognize bias and subjectivity in historical texts
Draw parallels between historical and modern Indian society

12. Similar Reads / Extensions

India: A History by John Keay
The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru
UNESCO’s archived writings of travellers
Animated series/documentaries on Ibn Battuta’s travels (e.g., Ibn Battuta: The Explorer)