Resources for K-5
Lesson Plans
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.
Hawaiian Archipelago and Star Compass
Students use the online exhibition A Voyage to Health and other online materials in learning about the Hawaiian Islands’ geography, geology, and traditional navigation, including the “Hawaiian Star Compass,”developed by C. Nainoa Thompson, the master navigator who is a part of reviving the traditional Polynesian long-distance voyaging.
Activities
Asian Art Museum: Education
Search regions for K-12 lessons & activities, artwork, video or background information.
Bullroarer
In this short video, students in grades 3-5 learn how to make a simple bullroarer with a tongue depressor, marker, and string.
Koinobori: Japanese Carp Windsocks or Kites
Use this lesson plan to help students create their own Japanese kites and discuss the cultural importance of Children's Day in Japan.
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.
Toi Maori: The Eternal Thread
This teachers guide provides background on Maori weaving, traditions, materials and techniques.
Five Sites for Lesson Plans and Teaching Materials on China
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.
Secrets of Easter Island
This companion site to the PBS television series NOVA tells the story of how hundreds of giant stone statues that dominate the island's coast were moved and erected.
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.
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.
Asian Pacific Americans by the Numbers (Infoplease)
Art
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.
EXHIBITS & COLLECTIONS
Quizzes
GEOGRAPHY
HISTORY, POLITICS & CULTURE
Printables
Pacific Coral Reef Coloring Book K-3
