Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month: A Resource Guide for Educators
May is Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month. In celebration of APIDA history and culture, below are resources for educators to use in their classroom instruction. We've also put together suggestions for classroom additions to celebrate the month, some of which are available through the MyLibraryNYC program.
Descriptions are from The New York Public Library catalog, or quoted from the linked website.
Resources for Elementary Educators
From the New York Public Library
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Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Reading List for Kids
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BookFlix: Under "People and Places", Scholastic’s Bookflix features the story Same, Same But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw.
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NYPL Storytimes: In May, there are special storytimes celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.
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Scholastic Teachables: Find lesson plans and activities that celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Desi American history and culture.
From External Sites
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Lesson Plan from the Smithsonian: Island Soundscape: Musics of Hawai'i, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea by Sarah H. Watts: "Discover the island cultures of the South Pacific and their musical expressions with songs, crafts, and games."
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Teaching Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage from the National Education Association: A variety of lesson plans for K-12.
Resources for Middle Grade Educators
From the New York Public Library
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Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Reading List for Middle Grades
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Biography in Context: Click “Browse People” from the navigation bar and select “Asian and Pacific Americans” to explore notable Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
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Ethnic NewsWatch (1959 - Present): Collection of ethnic, minority, and native newspapers, magazines, and journals published in America.
From External Sites
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Asian American and Pacific Islander History (Teaching with Historic Places) from the National Park Service: "Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) uses historic places in National Parks and in the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places to enliven history, social studies, geography, civics, and other subjects. TwHP has created a variety of products and activities that help teachers bring historic places into the classroom."
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National Museum of Asian Art Educator Resources: Provides full-color art with engaging lesson plans.
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Teaching Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage from the National Education Association: A variety of lesson plans for K-12.
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The Wong Family Story from the Tenement Museum Lesson Plans: "Students learn about Mrs. Wong’s work in garment factories and her membership in the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union, and explore the kids’ lives as Chinese Americans growing up near a blossoming Chinatown".
Resources for High School Educators
From the New York Public Library
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Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Reading List for Teens
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Chinese Newspaper Collection (1832-1953): Searchable full text and full image articles from twelve English-language Chinese newspapers.
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Digital South Asia Library: Online information about contemporary and historical South Asia.
From External Sites
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APIA Scholars: Information on scholarships for the APIA community.
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Japanese American National Museum Research & Collections: Explore the museum’s digital collections, which is dedicated to sharing and archiving the experiences of Japanese Americans.
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Outside the Frame: How Asia Changed the Course of American Art by James Panero, from the National Endowment for the Humanities
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South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA): This resource "digitally documents, preserves, and shares stories of South Asian Americans." SAADA also produces an online magazine called Tides.
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Teaching Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage from the National Education Association: A variety of lesson plans for K-12.