Resources for Grades 9-12 and Undergraduate
Lesson Plans and Curriculum Resources
The Asian American Foundation: AAPI History Hub
The AAPI History Hub provides a collection of K-12 resources, including Lesson Plans, Books, Films, and more, that are ready to integrate into classrooms.
Association of Asian American Studies (AAAS): Asian American K-12 Resources
AAAS maintains a collection of articles, syllabi, group information, and other resources to help advance the highest professional standards of research, teaching, and service in the field of Asian American Studies.
The Asian American Education Project
Find lesson plans to support your history curriculum that showcase the struggles, triumphs, and contributions of Asian Americans over the course of two centuries.
Cambodian American Studies Model Curriculum (CASMC)
CASMC is a set of open-source lesson plans, primary source documents, planning resources, teaching strategies, and professional development activities designed to enhance existing courses or support educators in course development.
Hmong History & Cultural Studies Model Curriculum
This site serves as an introduction for teachers interested in teaching Hmong history and cultural studies.
Vietnamese American Experiences Model Curriculum Website
The Vietnamese American Experiences Model Curriculum (VAEMC) is a set of open-source teaching resources designed to enhance existing courses or support educators in course development.
The Japanese American Internment
How Young People Saw It
Students in grades K-12 use primary and secondary sources to learn of the experiences of children and teens in World War II internment camps.
Creating Hawaii
Students in grades K-12 learn about Hawaii’s history and culture by exploring the Smithsonian exhibition, Creating Hawai’i.
Lessons of the Indian Epics: Following the Dharma
Students in grades 9-12 explore Hindu culture by examining the characters of the Ramayana, and the choices they make.
Haven't I Seen You Somewhere Before? Samsara and karma in the Jataka Tales
Students in grades 9-12 examine the meaning of karma and the related concept of samsara through a reading of the Jataka Tales.
Mini-Lessons from iCivics
Find materials to teach 3 mini-lessons on Asian Americans whose quest for justice reached the Supreme Court and changed America's laws. United States v. Wong Kim Ark, Korematsu v. United States, and Lau v. Nichols are covered. (requires free iCivics account).
Densho.org
Densho is a Japanese term meaning “to pass on to the next generation.” This website documents the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II, coupled with historical images and teacher resources.
Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA): K-12 AANHPI Curriculum Project
The K-12 AANHPI Curriculum Task Force advocates for the inclusion of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander curriculum in our nation’s classrooms.
Fred T. Korematsu Institute
The Fred T. Korematsu Institute has developed educational resources for students and teachers, leads educator workshops and curriculum development, and advocates for Ethnic Studies and Civic Education in K-12 classrooms nationwide. Find lesson plans, photos, and more in their educator toolkit.
South Asian American Digital Archive
SAADA is the leading source for South Asian American history, and includes digital exhibits, artwork, lesson plans, and more.
OCDE's Model Curriculum Projects (Cambodian, Hmong, & Vietnamese American)
The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) has developed three model curriculum projects to assist educators in teaching about the histories and cultures of Cambodian, Hmong, and Vietnamese Americans.
Educate to Empower
Educate to Empower offers services for educators ranging from personalized lesson plans to professional development workshops to advocacy resources that aim to center historically excluded voices, challenge injustice, and cultivate spaces of belonging, joy, and transformation.
UCLA Asian American Studies Center Foundations and Futures: AAPI Multimedia Textbook
The Multimedia Textbook on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will provide the most comprehensive history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with embedded curricula for high school, college and lifelong learners available free online. Sign up to receive updates on chapter rollouts, teacher trainings, and outreach.
Teaching Oceania Series
This series of publications aims to address the need for appropriate literature for undergraduate Pacific Islands Studies students throughout Oceania, taking advantage of digital technology to enhance texts with embedded multimedia content, thought-provoking images, and interactive graphs.
Activities
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Explore AANHPI history, art, and culture through the Smithsonian's museum experiences and digital initiatives. Of particular interest for educators is the Learning Together section, which features interviews with Asian American and Pacific Islander community members, links to community-created educational resources, book recommendations, discussion ideas, lesson activities, and more.
Asian Art Museum: Education
Search region for K-12 lessons & activities, artwork, video or background information.
How to Make a Simple Didgeridoo from PVC
Step by step instructions and related videos. Grades 9-12.
Carving a Bullroarer
Illustrated steps for carving a bullroarer. Grades 9-12.
Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library
This database compiles resources on Hawaiian language and culture and includes Hawaiian books, dictionaries, and historical documents both in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and English.
Teaching Guides
Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month: For Teachers
Primary sources, lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids for grades K-12 – culled from materials at The Library of Congress, National Archives, National Gallery of Art, and other institutions.
After Atlanta: Teaching About Asian American Identity and History
A Learning for Justice author shares the conversation she started with students the day after the attacks in Atlanta and recommends resources anyone can use to teach about Asian American history and identity.
Reading and Exploration
NEA's Read Across America Recommended Book List of Asian American and Pacific Islander Titles
Share these stories that celebrate major figures and read telling titles about the lives of everyday men, women, and children.
The Fate of Easter Island
Examines the impact a growing human population had the environment of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The Secrets of the Wave Pilots
Examines how the Marshall Islanders were able to navigate great distances over open water without instruments.
Events and Policies Impacting the Economic Progress of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders
Use the examples on this timeline to provide context to help students understand economic issues that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders face today.
Goodreads Booklist
Goodreads also has a list of books by Pacific Islander authors.
Data and Statistics
Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month from the U.S. Census.
You can also access a downloadable pdf and a teaching guide.
Committee of 100's "K-12 AAPI and Ethnic Studies in the U.S."
This public policy research project identifies and classifies state-level statutes, bills, and content standards pertaining to K-12 social studies and history education of the experiences, contributions, and histories of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, as well as other non-White racial and ethnic groups.
Art & Dance
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Provides separate timelines for Oceania, regions of Asia.
The Art of South and Southeast Asia
This book, available in PDF format, introduces works of art from South and Southeast Asian collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Arts of Korea: A Resource for Educators
This book, available in PDF format, introduces Korea's artistic achievement and places it in the context of its history and religions.
Hula Preservation Society
Find video memoirs and performances in this archive that showcase elders sharing the human story of hula and the 20th century Hawaiʻi that they lived through.
Exhibits & Collections
Quizzes
