Asian Pacific American Heritage Resources
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month which allows us to reflect on how we integrate Asian PacificAmerican perspectives throughout our year-long curriculum, since focusing on a culture for one month can not do it justice. However, as Teaching Tolerance reminds us, we must also recognize and acknowledge that "the umbrella term Asian-American often hides the great diversity of historical contexts, cultures, and current-day issues faced by different peoples within its scope." (http://www.tolerance.org/toolkit/toolkit-i-am-asian-american)
The resources below begin to expose our students to the culture and experiences of Asian Pacific Americans.
Which cultures represent members in your community?
Elementary & Secondary Resources
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
"Resources for educators teaching Asian Pacific American History and culture" including digital exhibits and curriculum guide:
A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America (Digital Exhibit)
I Want the Wide American Earth (Curriculum Guide)
Smithsonian Education
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/resource_library/asian_american_resources.html
Lesson plans and materials on Asian Pacific American culture organized by topics and grade spans (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12).
Asian Pacific Heritage American Month
http://asianpacificheritage.gov/
"The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success."
Digital Public Library of America
http://dp.la/primary-source-sets
Primary source sets on topics related to Asian Pacific American Heritage, including:
The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/asian-pacific/
"Trace the Asian American experience through documents about Japanese and Chinese immigration in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, art exhibitions including Japanese prints, and presentation on various Asian American traditions." Highlights include:
LOC Immigration Presentation - including Japanese and Chinese
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Resource Collection
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/asian-american/index.htm
Collection of multimedia resources, lesson plans, and texts focused on key Asian Pacific Americans "who have made a difference" throughout history including several authors, athletes, and musicians.
National Gallery of Art
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/education/teachers/lessons-activities/new-angles/pei.html
Lesson plan exploring the architectural designs of I.M. Pei, a Chinese-American known for his dramatic buildings.
The Choices Program - Scholars Online
http://choices.edu/resources/scholars_china.php
Collection of short video clips of scholars responding to specific questions. Sample questions include:
Why did people from China come to the United States?
What was the Chinese exclusion act?
What are some examples of how immigrants have shaped or changed the United States Constitution?
Field Trip Recommendations
Boston Children's Museum - Japanese House
http://japanesehouse.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/
Explore the authentic 100 year-old house from Kyoto, Japan through images, videos, timelines, and digital collections.
Japanese Consulate
http://www.boston.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/svp.html
The Consulate-General of Japan in Boston will provide free school visits to introduce students to Japan and Japanese culture.
Peabody Essex Museum
http://www.pem.org/sites/yinyutang/
Explore house of Yin Yu Tang, a late Qing Dynasty merchant, that was originally located in southeastern China.
Virtual Tour of the Chinese House
Book Recommendations
There are of course MANY terrific books to use as read-alouds and for student reading during Asian Pacific American Month.
Here are some excellent choices:
Children's Books for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/bookfinder/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month/
Excellent collection curated for PBS by author Grace Lin to use with Pre-K through Grade 4 students.