Gather a variety of sources for students that represent all reading skill levels. Encourage students to investigate stories as well as more formal sources such as enclyclopedias. I use it here because I also use it when refering to Christian stories such as Noah and the flood and Jonah and the whale. Our purpose it to learn, not convert. All religions are afforded equal respect in my classroom.
Religious practices vary widely within each religion.
Distinctions should be made between traditional practices and texts and modern manifestations of them. In discussing Vaishnavites and Shaivites, I point out that there is not the antagonism that historically has characterized the relationship between many Christian denomination, for example, Catholics and Protestants, Baptists, Quakers, and Mormons. This is a good opportunity to explain the concept of diversity and tolerance within the Hindu tradition.