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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
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  • 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
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  • 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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  • Two women in headscarves sit in second row during community forum. Unfocused in the foreground, a man in blue jacket sits in front of them.

    Module

    Module 4: Challenges: Pakistani Americans and the Aftermath of 9/11

    Uzma Quraishi

    Chapter:

    Pakistani Americans
    View module
  • Young volunteers, all wearing "Proud Pakistani-American And I Vote" shirts, stand next to an American flag inside an office and smile for photo.

    Module

    Module 5: Advocacy: Pakistani American Community Power

    Uzma Quraishi

    Chapter:

    Pakistani Americans
    View module
  • A chef in a red chef coat and black apron holds a giant steaming bowl of crawfish.

    Chapter

    Chapter Overview: Where We Live: Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities

    Thao Ha, Tarry Hum, ‘Inoke Hafoka, Louise Cainkar, and Zohra Saed

    View chapter
  • Outdoor strip mall with "Vietnamtown Center" sign on exterior wall and signs for businesses below. Flagpole on either side fly South Vietnamese flags.

    Chapter

    Module 1: Vietnamese Americans in the Texas Gulf

    Thao Ha

    View chapter
  • A group of women gather in New York City street with one arm raised above their heads. They stand with signs, including one reading "Adhikaar."

    Module

    Module 2: New Immigrant Communities of Queens, New York City

    Tarry Hum

    Chapter:

    Where We Live: Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
    View module
  • Brightly colored graphic advertising the Friendly Islands Tongan Festival. Photo of drummer with drumstick raised to strike appears beside text.

    Module

    Module 3: Tongan Community in Salt Lake City, Utah

    ʻInoke Hafoka

    Chapter:

    Asian American and Pacific Islander Places and Spaces
    View module
  • The cast of Crazy Rich Asians stand in a row on stage. Behind them, a large screen displays the film's key art.

    Chapter

    Chapter Overview: Asian American Popular Culture

    Jeff Yang

    View chapter
  • An illustrated movie poster for The Crimson Kimono. Against a light backdrop, a white woman and a Japanese man kiss. The movie title appears below.

    Module

    Module 1: An Introduction to Asian American Popular Culture

    Jeff Yang

    Chapter:

    Asian American Popular Culture
    View module
  • Bruce Lee, a Hong Kong-born American martial artist and actor, poses shirtless in fighting stance with arms raised in front of his chest.

    Module

    Module 2: Asian Americans and the Moving Image, Part 1: Film and Television

    Jeff Yang

    Chapter:

    Asian American Popular Culture
    View module
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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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