1. Teacher Guide
This lesson is designed to teach kids to ask a critical thinking question that you can’t just put into a search box to solve. To do that, we encourage them with smaller questions that search can help them answer. Make sure that you read the notes for each slide: they not only give you teaching tips but also provide answers and hints so you can help the kids if they are having trouble.
Remember, you can always send feedback to the Bing in the Classroom team at You can learn more about the program at bing.com/classroom and follow the daily lessons on our Partners In Learning site.
Want to extend today’s lesson? Consider using Skype in the Classroom to arrange for your class to chat with another class in today’s location. And if you are using Windows 8, you can also use the Bing apps to learn more about this location and topic; the Travel and News apps in particular make great teaching tools.
Alice Keeler is a mother of 5 and a teacher in Fresno, California. She has her B.A in Mathematics, M.S. in Educational Media Design and Technology and is currently working on a doctorate in Educational Technology with an emphasis in games and simulations. EdTech speaker, blogger, and presenter. Founder of coffeeEDU, a 1 hour conference event for educators. New Media Consortium Horizon report advisory panel member. High school math teacher for 14 years. Currently teaching pre-service teachers curriculum, instruction and technology at California State University Fresno. Teaches online for Fresno Pacific University in the Masters in Educational Technology. Passionate that kids are not failures, researches gamification in education to increase student motivation.
This lesson is designed to teach the Common Core State Standard: English Language Arts
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L B Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.

2. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures.
© AirPano
Having this up as kids come in is a great settle down activity. You can start class by asking them for thoughts about the picture or about ideas on how they could solve the question of the day.

3. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures.
Construction of this impressive Hindu temple and garden complex was completed in 2005 and quickly became a major attraction. The Akshardham temple was built for the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, (aka BAPS), a Hindu sect headed by Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
Roughly 7,000 craftspeople were hired to construct the Akshardham, but perhaps more impressive were the 3,000 BAPS followers who volunteered to help create this monument to spirituality. Akshardham includes theme park-like attractions, including a boat ride, musical fountains, and a sunken garden. These are meant to function as educational tools as well as entertainments, explaining the history and philosophy of the BAPS faith.
Depending on time, you can either have students read this silently to themselves, have one of them read out loud, or read it out loud yourself.
Hindu Temples
How have the Indian arts influenced other cultures?
“Tourist temples”
With more than a billion people traveling each year, how can we see the world without destroying it?
Which country can you point to as a model for sustainable tourism?

4. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures. 1
Web Search
What tourism activities are offered at the Akshardham temple? 2
How much does it cost to tour the Akshardham temple? 3
List at least 3 other religious or historical structures. 4
Thinking
Why would holy institutions want to have non believers in their temples? 5
What potential negatives are there for religious or historical structures to be open to tourism?
There are a couple of ways to use this slide, depending on how much technology you have in your classroom. You can have students find answers on their own, divide them into teams to have them do all the questions competitively, or have each team find the answer to a different question and then come back together. If you’re doing teams, it is often wise to assign them roles (one person typing, one person who is in charge of sharing back the answer, etc.)

5. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures. 5
Minutes
You can adjust this based on how much time you want to give kids. If a group isn’t able to answer in 5 minutes, you can give them the opportunity to update at the end of class or extend time.

6. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures. 1
Web Search
What tourism activities are offered at the Akshardham temple? 2
How much does it cost to tour the Akshardham temple? 3
List at least 3 other religious or historical structures. 4
Thinking
Why would holy institutions want to have non believers in their temples? 5
What potential negatives are there for religious or historical structures to be open to tourism?
You can ask the students verbally or let one of them come up and insert the answer or show how they got it. This way, you also have a record that you can keep as a class and share with parents, others.

7. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures. 1
Web Search
What tourism activities are offered at the Akshardham temple?
(Possible Search Queries: Akshardham temple, Akshardham tourist, Akshardham tourist)
Sources
Dehli Tourism:
The Akshardham temple offers a variety of exhibits for tourists to experience. Exhibitions
Hall 1 - Hall of Values (50 mins)
Experience enduring human values through films and robotic shows that depict the ideals of nonviolence, honesty, family harmony, and spirituality.
Hall 2 - Giant Screen Film (40 mins)
Discover India through the incredible story of an eleven-year-old yogi named Nilkanth that brings to life the culture and spirituality of India's customs, the majesty of its art and architecture, and the unforgettable sights, sounds, and power of its awe-inspiring festivals.
Hall 3 - Cultural Boat Ride (15 mins)
Sail through 10,000 years of India's glorious heritage. Learn about the discoveries and inventions of the rishi-scientists of India, see the world’s first university of Takshashila, sail through the caves of Ajanta-Ellora and discover India's contributions to humanity through the ages.
Musical Fountain - Circle of Life (Evenings at Sunset - 15 min.)
A spectacular musical fountain show that depicts the cycle of birth, life, and death as described in Indian philosophy.
Garden of India
Sixty acres of lush lawns, gardens and exquisite bronze statues, honouring India's child heroes, valorous warriors, national patriots and great women personalities who inspire values and character.
Lotus Garden
A lotus-shaped garden echoing spirituality as expressed by philosophers, scientists, and leaders throughout history

8. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures. 2
Web Search
How much does it cost to tour the Akshardham temple?
(Possible Search Queries: Akshardham temple, Akshardham temple tourism, Akshardham temple costs)
Sources
Delhi Tourism:
Akshardham :
While entrance to the complex is free, certain areas or features of the temple require payment. 170 Indian Rupee’s is approximately $2.72. Food and souvenirs can also be purchased at the temple. Visitors are not permitted to bring their own food.
Exhibition Tickets: 10 AM to 5PM
Complex Entry: Free | No Ticket
Exhibition: Fee | Ticket
Adults : 170 INR
Senior Citizen : 125
Child (4-11 yrs) : 100
Child (Below 4 yrs) : Free
Musical Fountain: Fee | Ticket
Adults : 30
Senior Citizen : 30
Child (4-11 yrs) : 20

9. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures. 3
Web Search
List at least 3 other religious or historical structures.
(Possible Search Queries: tourist temple, tourist temple -school, tourism temple -school)
Sources
Discover Hong Kong:
Tamilnadu Tourism :
Japan the Official Guide:
The Man Mo Temple in Hong Kong.
The Murugan Temple in Tamil Nadu
The Kinkaku-ji Temple in Japan

10. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures. 4
Thinking
Why would holy institutions want to have non believers in their temples?
(Possible Search Queries: benefits tourism temple)
Sources
IEEE Explore:
HiiDunia:
Answers will vary. Tourists who are not believers in the temples can gain awareness of the faith. This could be a possible way to outreach to spread the message about their religion. Large temples are expensive to maintain. The worshiping population at the temple may very well not be large enough to be able to support elaborate structures.

11. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures. 5
Web Search
What potential negatives are there for religious or historical structures to be open to tourism?
(Possible Search Queries: tourism temple, tourism benefits temple, tourism negative benefits temple )
Sources
HiiDunia:
Tourism can distract from the purpose of a holy location. Worshippers may have to endure being observed by tourists. Areas of the temple may be restricted to tourists and thus making it more difficult for legitimate worshippers to access those parts of the temple. The temples tourists attract people trying to profit from the tourists. Outside of the locations vendors selling souvenirs can set up, detracting from the holiness, quiet and beauty of a location. These sellers can also potentially be aggressive in trying to sell their wares making for a less pleasant environment.

12. Describe the importance of tourism on the sustainability of large religious or historical structures.
This slide is a chance to summarize the information from the previous slides to build your final answer to the question.