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Asian American and Pacific Islander studies resources for the classroom

All chapters of Foundations and Futures include lesson plans and curricular tools that are designed for high school students and grounded in ethnic studies pedagogy. Feel free to search our repository of primary sources and material that helps bring Asian American and Pacific Islander histories and experiences into the classroom.  

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  • Bar graph details Pacific Islander groups plotted on x axis. On y axis is population plotted in 100,000 increments.

    Image

    Largest Pacific Islander Groups in the US

    The largest Pacific Islander groups in the US are Native Hawaiians (620,000), followed by Samoans (212,000), CHamorus (156,000), Tongans (65,000), and Fijians (50,000). Data based on five years (2016-2020) of Census American Community Surveys.

    Featured in:

    Pacific Islanders, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • A white, circular badge features a red triangle with a conch shell in the center. Surrounding it is text that reads, "Kanak Maori Independence."

    Image

    Kanak Independence Badge

    This badge from the 1980s calls for Kanak independence in New Caledonia, a French territory where Kanak are Indigenous peoples, in solidarity with Māori of Aotearoa New Zealand, a former British Crown colony.

    Featured in:

    Pacific Islanders, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • A map of Oceania. The subregions of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia, and Polynesia are highlighted in various colors.

    Image

    Map of Oceania

    Another map of Oceania with the subregions Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia identified. Compared to the map above, how might categorization be used to both divide and unite?

    Featured in:

    Pacific Islanders, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • Map of the Pacific Islands in Oceania. The map highlights the land masses of the smaller and larger island states.

    Image

    Map of the Pacific Islands

    Map of the Pacific Islands, from the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Reproduced with permission.

    Featured in:

    Pacific Islanders, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • A Google Doodle of Bangladeshi American Fazlur Rahman Khan. He is dressed in a suit and tie with his hands raised looking at the John Hancock Center.

    Image

    Google Doodle of Fazlur Rahman Khan

    Google celebrated what would have been Khan’s eighty-eighth birthday in 2017 with a Google Doodle that shows Chicago’s John Hancock Center, designed by Khan.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 5
    View multimedia
  • Skyline view of the Sears Tower and other buildings in Chicago, Illinois on a clear and cloudless day.

    Image

    Chicago Loop Skyline

    The iconic Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois, designed by Fazlur Rahman Khan. Originally known as the Sears Tower, it was the tallest building in the world for over twenty-five years.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 5
    View multimedia
  • Bangladeshi American Fazlur Khan in a suit and tie sits behind his office desk covered with piles of paper and holds his hands spread apart.

    Image

    Fazlur Khan Sitting At His Desk

    Bangladeshi architect Fazlur Rahman Khan revolutionized the modern skyscraper with his use of tubular systems.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 5
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  • Bangladeshi Americans gather outside on a snowy day behind a yellow ribbon in anticipation of the ceremonial unveiling of the Shaheed Minar replica.

    Image

    Unveiling the Replica of the Shaheed Minar

    Bangladeshi Americans unveil a replica of the Shaheed Minar in Paterson, New Jersey, in 2015.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 5
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  • Mural depicts a young girl wearing a saree on a boat floating in the water amongst lily pads as she handpicks another shapla for her collection.

    Image

    Memory of Bangladesh Mural

    A young girl picks “shapla”, a water lily and the national flower of Bangladesh, in a mural by artist Zeehan Wazed in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 5
    View multimedia
  • Bangladeshi Americans gather on the street corner to celebrate the naming of Little Bangladesh. A man holds a Bangladeshi flag and an American flag.

    Image

    Naming of Little Bangladesh in Brooklyn

    Bangladeshi Americans in 2022 celebrate the naming of the neighborhood “Little Bangladesh” in Brooklyn, New York.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 5
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  • Bayon Temple bathed in the light of the setting sun and covered in moss. Two women sit in a doorway and two men sit at the base of the stairs.

    Module

    Module 1: Temples and Trauma

    Lina Chhun

    Chapter:

    Cambodian Americans
    View module
    Lesson Plan
  • Aerial view of a myriad of bomb craters pockmarking lush farmland in Cambodia. Most craters are filled with water. A few are covered in vegetation.

    Module

    Module 2: Decolonization and the Cold War

    Lina Chhun

    Chapter:

    Decolonization and the Cold War
    View module
  • The displayed Khmer Rouge uniforms consist of black long-sleeved shirts and pants with a red checkered woven cloth tied at the neck.

    Module

    Module 3: Genocide and State Violence

    Lina Chhun

    Chapter:

    Cambodian Americans
    View module
  • A man takes a selfie in front of the parade in Cambodia Town. Confetti fills the air above the paraders dressed in brightly colored attire.

    Module

    Module 4: Refugee Resettlement and Diaspora

    Lina Chhun

    Chapter:

    Cambodian Americans
    View module
  • Art piece of a statue with a skull head wearing a soldier's helmet and a dress made out of a military parachute displayed in a gallery.

    Module

    Module 5: Transnational Connections and Intergenerational Legacies

    Lina Chhun

    Chapter:

    Cambodian Americans
    View module
  • The all-Asian female cast of The Joy Luck Club pose in mother-daughter pairs around dining room table.

    Module

    Module 3: The Empowerment of Asian American and Pacific Islander Independent Media

    Lori Lopez

    Chapter:

    Asian American and Pacific Islanders and the Media

    View module
  • At the illustration's center, a person stands with their back turned and their hands raised over head. Their black jacket reads "Protect Mauna Kea."

    Module

    Module 4: Media and Asian American and Pacific Islander Activism

    Lori Lopez

    Chapter:

    Asian American and Pacific Islanders and the Media
    View module
  • In a still from Fire Island, a group of five friends attend outdoor party. The group, all looking at something off-camera, wear warm weather clothing.

    Module

    Module 5: Asian American and Pacific Islander Intersections, Media, and its Futures

    Lori Lopez

    Chapter:

    Asian American and Pacific Islanders and the Media
    View module
  • Protestors behind barricade carry signs protesting Miss Saigon as they line sidewalk. Opposite them a woman reads the signs.

    Chapter

    Asian American and Pacific Islander Women Representations and Voices

    Christine Chai, Candice Custodio-Tan, and Cecilia Tran

    View chapter
Foundations and Futures Logo

The Asian American Studies Center acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, So. Channel Islands) and pay our respects to the honuukvetam (ancestors), ‘ahiihirom (elders), and ‘eyoohiinkem (relatives/relations) past, present, and emerging.

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