Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2009
(Artist Catia Chien is a illustrator and painter that works out of her studio in Southern California. She studied art and illustration at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.)
This year's theme, "Leadership to Meet the Challenges of a Changing World" is a fitting one in view of the dynamic changes in global business, domestic politics and the economy. Asian Pacific Americans, with a heritage that spans the Asian continent and the Pacific, are striving for unity and harmony.
May is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month—a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. In June 1977, Representatives Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian/Pacific Heritage Week. The following month, senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed. On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating the annual celebration.
Subsequently, in May 1990, the holiday was expanded further when President George H. W. Bush designated May to be Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated with community festivals, government-sponsored activities, and educational activities for students. This year's theme is "Lighting the Past, Present, and Future."
**This list is for informational purposes only > Additional websites follow the Grade Level listings.
Grades Pre-K and K
Title:Online Learning Haven
Title:Act it Out (Dramatizing Stories from Asian American Cultures)
Title:Academy Curricular Exchange Social Studies Elementary School (K – 5): 50 Lesson Plans
Grades 1 and 2
Title:Fact Monster (from Information Please): Quizzes and Blogs
Title:A Taste of Asia (recipes – includes instructionan helpful tips for classroom cooking
Title:Historical Women in Science
Grades 3 – 5
Title:Fun with Origami (Language Arts and Art)
Title:Core Knowledge Lesson Plans
Title:Academy Curricular Exchange Social Studies Elementary School (K – 5):50 Lesson Plans
Grades 6 – 8
Title:Asian American Profiles (Language Arts, Art, and Technology)
Title:Fact Monster (from Information Please): Quizzes and Blogs
Title:Act it Out (Dramatizing Stories from Asian American Cultures)
Title:Academy Curricular Exchange Social Studies Intermediate School (6 – 8):80 Lesson Plans
Grades 9 – 12
Title:Asian Americans Celebrate: What’s Your Story (videos)
Title:Asian American Profiles (Language Arts, Art, and Technology)
Title:Celebrating Women (includes activities for secondary Art, Chorus, Computer technology, Drama, Math, Science, and Social Studies students)
Title:Academy Curricular Exchange Social Studies High School (9 – 12):95 Lesson Plans
Links to Other Helpful Resources
- InfoPlease: Asian Pacific American People and History
This site includes Website Reviews, Quizzes, and Timelines as well as lists of famous Asian Pacific American women, writers, poets, scientist, film & television personalities, musicians, artists, etc.
- Celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month
- AskAsia This site provides a wealth of information about Asia and Asian American culture and history. Check the For Educators section for a host of instructional materials about Asia.
- Asian & Pacific Island American History & Literature for K-12 Teachers This site provides lots of education-related links about Asian Americans.
- iJapan This site describes a teaching unit from the Geography Education & Technology Program that provides many learning activities and references about Japan.
- The Japanese American Internment This site provides a long list of links about the internment of Japanese Americans in camps during World War II, including excerpts from primary source documents and memoirs.
- Angel Island This site gives detailed information about Angel Island, the immigration station off the coast of California that processed thousands of Asians who came to the United States in the early 1900s.
- Women Pulitzer Prize Winners for Letters, Drama, and Music
This site lists and discusses Women Pulitzer Prize Winners for Poetry.
- Wonder Woman
This site lists and gives profiles of leading female CEO’s and business executives.
- Timeline: Women In Sports (From Mt. Olympus to Cooperstown, New York)
This site gives a detailed timeline from women in history beginning in 776 b.c.
- A Celebration of Women Writer’s
This site has an impressive list and information about female writers globally and throughout the ages.
- Social Studies Curriculum Links
This site includes a wide span of women’s history resources.
- Kid’s Zone – Women’s History Month, Sports New for Kids
This site features Kids Zone which is designed especially for kids who love sports. Kids Zone features educational tools and games for children of all
ages. Kids Zone features include, games for kids, biographies, etc.
- Women Inventors
Famous women inventors - learn about women inventing in traditionally male fields and why women are a minority of patent holders and how that is rapidly changing.