Located in the Western Himalayas in India, the region of Ladakh poses a range of challenges to residents. Over the past couple decades, climate change has exacerbated these dynamics and contributed to a water crisis. This lesson engages students with an artistic and innovative adaptation strategy developed locally - the construction of artificial glaciers in the mold of "ice stupas" - that is reflective of Ladakh's predominant cultural and economic patterns. The lesson consequently bridges the environmental, agricultural, and cultural themes of geography and enables students to pinpoint connections therein.
Materials
Students engage with this worksheet as they complete the lesson.
Introduction - 5 minutes
As a warm-up, I like to show my students a few pictures of the ice stupas and let them guess where and what they might be.
The Ice Stupas of Ladakh - 35 minutes
Students are provided time to read The Guardian article and respond to the questions. The teacher can subsequently lead a guided discussion on some of the themes.
1. The topic provides an opportunity to explore religious diversity and minority groups in India. A map can, for example, be projected. If necessary, some of the key tenets of Buddhism can be explained, including the purpose of stupas.
2. This is also a prudent time to review core concepts concerning climate change: what are adaptation vs. mitigation strategies? What are other examples of each in the world?
3. The New Yorker article has fantastic visuals that can be projected for students and used to work through the mechanics of the ice stupa.
4. Students can be steered to think of similar local connections in terms of culture reflecting geography (e.g. is there a local food festival in their region?).
This is overall a short and snappy lesson but it packs a punch in incorporating several aspects of geography all the while fascinating students. It further enables students to understand this complexity and how it comes to matter in the everyday lives of people.
Further Extension
Vox has an excellent video on the yak herders and changing economic situation along the Nepal/China border. It might also be worthwhile exploring the world happiness concept developed in neighboring Bhutan via this CBS video.
For more on my teaching, connect with me on Twitter: @ShaneMarkowitz