Designed for an Asian studies program at the secondary level and using learning activities centering on India, the guide develops four basic skills: reading, applying critical thinking, interpreting the geography, and understanding history. Five learning activities are provided for each basic skill and each unit is introduced with a description and concludes with two exercises for student practice. The guide focuses on different topics as starting points for the development of the basic skills. These include: allusions, coins of India, primary and secondary sources, reference books, continuing services, great leaders, historical fiction, the zero, festivals, pilgrimages, early maps, location of India, satellite images, strategic resources, population data, historic sites, important dates, related events, disasters, and the last word of Mrs. Gandhi. A checklist of skills, a test serving as a pre and post evaluation device and a list of references for further reading conclude the document. (TRS)