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May 2009
From the Library of Congrees
This year's theme is "Lighting the Past, Present, and Future," "recognizing the contributions and accomplishmenst of our nation's Asian and Pacific Islander citizens, past, present, and future." "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." |
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Dare. Dream. Do.
From Scholastic, Target, and The Smithsonian
Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! "Target and The Smithsonian Institution have partnered to help teachers and students commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with three unique curricula:
• Japanese American Baseball in the Camps
• Letters from the Japanese American Internment
• Word Play
These “sections include grade-appropriate lesson plans and related resources designed to inspire students of all abilities and backgrounds.” |
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Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
From Lesson Plans Page
Here is an extensive collection of lesson plans, videos, and high quality resource links. Topics include Japan, China, Pakistan, New Zealand, India, Tibet, Viet Nam, and Cambodia. |
Asian Heritage Month
From Canada
Who is of Asian descent? The definition of "Asian" may be inclusive and broad, and applies to people who come from or whose ancestors come from:
• East Asia - China, Hong Kong S.A.R., Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan.
• South Asia - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
Central Asia - Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
• Southeast Asia - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.
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Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
From Infoplease
Discover what Confucious thought about chopsticks! Was there iced tea at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904? What is feng shui? All this and more...
• History and Timelines
• Special Features
• Asian-American Enclaves
• Fun Stuff
• Notable Asian Americans from A to Z
• Asian Foods Primer
• Almanac and Reference Links |
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Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
From Defense Link
In "Army Secretary Lionizes 22 World War II Heroes" you can read about 22 World War II Asian American Medal of Honor recipients, including Senator Daniel K. Inouye's heroic actions. You can also read biographies of distinguished Asian Pacific Americans such as General Shinseki, and people affiliated with the NASA program "Profiles of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders). Find out about Hiroshi H. Miyamura, a Japanese American, who survived the bullets and bloodshed of the battlefield only to brave 28 months as a prisoner of war ("Secret Hero Recounts his Unforgettable Korean War"). He received special reconition from President Eisenhower, another military veteran. (Not all links are live on this site.) |
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Chinese Soldiers Fought in U.S. Civil War
From the U.S. Department of Defense
“In the 1860s, if you wanted to send someone ‘to the ends of the Earth’ you sent them to China. Those were the days of sailing ships augmented by steam power and China was as remote from the Eastern United States as it was possible to be. Still, Chinese Americans found their way to the East Coast, and researchers claim that as many as 50 Chinese fought as soldiers during the American Civil War." Private Joseph L. Pierce, born in Canton in Kwangtung Province, China, and pictured to the left, fought at the Battle of Antietam. |
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Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month Teaching Resources
From Smithsonian Education
Here you can find lesson plans on Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, the Filipino American Story, Letters from the Japanese American Internment, Lu'au: A Hawaiian Feast, On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience, Asian Pacific American History & Culture, The Art of Buddhism: A Teacher's Guide, Puja: Educator's Guide, The Arts of the Islamic World: A Teacher's Guide, and Japan: Images of a People. A great wealth of resources! |
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Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
"Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was enacted by Public Law 102-450 on October 28, 1992. The purpose of the law was to honor the achievements of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and to recognize their contributions to the United States. This recognition was the culmination of the efforts of Jeanie Jew, a congressional aide on Capitol Hill in the 1970s and a member of the Organization of Chinese American Women, to establish Asian Pacific American Heritage Week. On October 2, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the Joint Resolution and the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Week was celebrated in May 1979. In 1992, the week was expanded to a month-long recognition when President George H. W. Bush signed the law and it was unanimously supported by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. May was selected for the recognition because two significant events in history took place in that month: Japanese immigrants first arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843, and the transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869 (Golden Spike Day)." Here you can find a timeline, biographies, facts, a quiz, and resources related to this special month. |
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Angel Island Immigration Station
From Angel Island Association
“In 1905, construction of an Immigration Station began in the area known as China Cove [by San Francisco, California]. Surrounded by public controversy from its inception, the station was finally put into operation in 1910. Although it was billed as the ‘Ellis Island of the West’, within the Immigration Service it was known as ‘The Guardian of the Western Gate’ and was designed control the flow of Chinese into the country, who were officially not welcome with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.” |
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The Children of the Camps
The Documentary
"More than 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned behind barbed wire during World War II... over half were children." "The Children of the Camps documentary captures the experiences of six Americans of Japanese ancestry who were confined as innocent children to internment camps by the U.S. government during World War II. The film vividly portrays their personal journey to heal the deep wounds they suffered from this experience." On this site you can view historic timelines, photos, and program information from the PBS documentary on Japanese-American children interned during WWII. |
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Ask Asia
From the Asia Society
"An educational website for students and teachers covering some thirty countries that comprise Asia today and featuring materials that stem from early civilizations to current events." Ask Asia is a resource for students from the Asia Society, founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller, III, to strengthen mutual understanding between the United States and Asia. "This clearinghouse for K-12 Asian and Asian-American studies offers lesson plans, essays, maps, images, and more. This Web site serves as a resource from which teachers can pick and choose parts of essays, particular lessons, teaching ideas that suit their individual teaching purpose." |
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Asia for Educators
From Columbia University
"This site offers rich content -- including interactive time lines, historical maps, an image gallery -- that can be explored by subject, file type, time period, or unit. Educators will find outlines and background readings and links to standards and other information to help develop lesson plans. (Additional materials are available for purchase.) Students will find content for research reports or other projects. Despite two big problems -- links "under construction" and videos with long loading times and frequent interruptions -- the site has much to offer." A fabulous resource! |
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The Education Department of the Freer and Sackler Galleries
From the Smithsonian Institution
"The Education Department of the Freer and Sackler galleries offers a wide variety of programs designed to foster better understanding of Asian art and culture. Materials for teachers were developed by classroom educators working with museum curators. These curriculum packets provide multidisciplinary activities to capture the interest of students and inspire their creativity." |
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Asian Pacific Islanders
From the NEA
Education Issues, Community Issues,and Demographics of Asian Pacific Islanders are included on this site. |
The Art of Asia
From The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
"A resource for museum visitors, teachers, students, and everyone interested in Asian art, culture, and history. The Art of Asia features objects from The Minneapolis Institute of Arts' permanent collection, and explores several cross-cultural Asian themes." |
Asian Pacific Americans in the U.S. Army
From the U.S. Army
This site documents Asians Pacific Americans who have served in the United States Army from the Civil War to the present, many with distinction. |
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