Honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the ELA Classroom - AAPI Activities
In the U.S., Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month takes place in May. Today, I'll be sharing some student activities to honor the contributions and achievements of the AAPI community.
1. Research AAPI leaders and create biography posters
Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with this engaging biography research project about the life of 37 figures who influenced history. This print-and-go poster template supports student independence by guiding them through a series of drawing and writing prompts. The directions are clear and easy to understand, so students can work at their own pace. Graphic organizers guide students through the process of recording information from online sources.
2. Fill your classroom library with books with Asian American and Pacific Islander characters
Here are a few of my favorite book options for middle school students:
- Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
- Front Desk by Kelly Yang
- Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
- Stand Up, Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim
- Amina's Voice by Hena Khan
- When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
- More to the Story by Hena Khan
3. Study and write haiku poetry
Check out this lesson from National Endowment for the Humanities. It includes standards-based activities to help your students understand the history and rules of the haiku poetry genre.
4. Relax by decorating a coloring page
This coloring page contains the message "Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month" and floral shapes for students to decorate. Once students finish coloring, this sheet can be used as bulletin board decor and more.
5. Have conversations about anti-Asian racism with students
Here are a few resources to equip you to have meaningful conversations with your students:
- Liz Kleinrock's TedTalk about having conversations with students about taboo topics
- Stop AAPI Hate website - This site explains the history and recent escalation in bigotry against the AAPI community in the U.S., gives actionable steps for reducing hate crimes, and more.
- Read Learning for Justice's article titled "How to Respond to Coronavirus Racism"
- Study Facing our History's lesson titled "Bearing Witness to Japanese American Incarceration"
6. Explore a timeline of Asian American and Pacific Islander History
This virtual timeline will help your students understand AAPI history in the U.S. Its interactive features are perfect for research assignments, web quests, and more.
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