May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Help your students to celebrate and learn about the contributions of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) to American history, society, and culture with cross-curricular activities, lesson plans, printables, and teaching resources.
What Is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month?
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (or Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month) recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islanders. The term Asian/Pacific broadly refers to all of the Asian continent and the Pacific Islands of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have made significant contributions to American culture and society, including sports, science and medicine, literature and art, government, politics, and law.
The month of May was chosen for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to mark two significant dates: the first Japanese immigrant arriving on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Worksheets & Activities
Use these Asian Pacific American Heritage Month worksheets and printables to explore the art, food, music, and writing of Asian and Pacific Island cultures. Choose from printables for making Asian musical instruments, ELA activities for learning about cultural diversity and experiences of AAPIs, or social studies resources that explore Asian-Pacific-American connections. These resources are also great to incorporate across the curriculum for Diversity Awareness Month in October.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Printables
Teach your students about Asian-Pacific-American cultures and traditions with these printables and worksheets. Test their Asian-Pacific-American history knowledge with a quiz, explore Asian-American culture through Chinese music and folk tales, or learn about fans used by traditional Korean dancers.
- Asian-Pacific-American History Quiz
- Making an Erhu
- Chinese New Year Dragon Puppet
- Making a Koto
- Making a Fan
- Mooncakes
- Music for Fuhng Yang Wha Gu (Flower Drum Song)
- Japanese Numbers - Count in Japanese
Lesson Plans for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Our lesson plans on Asian music and traditions of paper-making to help students to explore these aspects of Asian-American culture.
- Paper Making
- Chinese Percussion Music
- Chinese Opera
- More Asian-American and Pacific Heritage Month Resources
References for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Refer to our resources on Asian-Pacific-American heritage to enhance and support your lessons. Students can learn about the origins of this month-long holiday, as well as important aspects of Chinese history and culture.
- Origins of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
- Chinese Music
- History of Chopsticks
- Asian-American History
- The Chinese Calendar
- All About the Chinese New Year
- History of Tea
- Chinatowns and Other Asian-American Enclaves
Social Studies & History Resources for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Explore Asian-Pacific-American historical and cultural connections using these social studies and history teaching resources. Students can learn about AAPIs throughout U.S. history, from the California gold rush to Japanese-American immigrants and internment camps during World War II, and the more recent history of Asian Americans in the 1980s and 1990s.
Art & Music Activities for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Learn about Chinese music and create Asian-American-inspired crafts and art projects with these lesson plans and printable worksheets. Sing Chinese folk music, create musical instruments, or make your own Chinese New Year Dragon puppets using the printable template and coloring pages.
- Chinese Music
- Music for Fuhng Yang Wha Gu (Chinese folk song)
- Making an Erhu
- Making a Koto
- Paper Making
- Make a Chinese New Year Dragon Puppet
- More Asian Music Resources
Literature & Asian Pacific American Heritage
Explore Asian-Pacific-American heritage through literature. Use these teaching tips, lesson plans, and literature guides to develop students’ reading comprehension skills and teach them about cultural diversity.
- Asian-American Heritage Through Literature
- In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
- A Step from Heaven
- The Dragon's Child Reading Guide
- Sharing the Asian American Heritage Experience
- Study Guides to Books by Laurence Yep
- Discussion Guide for the Novels of Carolyn Marsden
English Language Arts & Asian-American History
Combine English Language Arts with learning about Asian-Pacific-American heritage using these lesson plans and reading guides. Includes paper making, reading passages on Chinese immigration and their experiences in new places, and more.
- In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
- Paper Making
- The Dragon's Child Reading Guide
- Chinese New Year -- Fill in the Blank (Answer Key)
- Angel Island: Gateway to Gold Mountain Discussion Guide
- More Asian-American History Resources for Language Arts
