May 2022 Monthly Highlights

Monthly Highlights – May 2022

Asian American and Pacific Islander History Month

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Month! We are excited to share teaching resources, articles, and scholarly work that amplify the contributions of the AAPI community to US History.

Blog Post

"Celebrating Changemakers: Asian American and Pacific Islander History Month," by Tuyen Tran, Ph.D., Assistant Director of the California History-Social Science Project

Featured Teaching Resources

  • “Filipino Americans and the Farm Labor Movement.” 
    • This video and attached resources help teachers emphasize the importance of Filipino collaboration to the farm worker movement. “Filipino Americans comprise the largest Asian population within California and the third largest Asian population within the United States. In California, all students learn about Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement in their study of state and US history. ” After the video, scroll toward the bottom of the webpage, and you will find additional resources including archives, classroom materials, and scholarly work.
  • Tuyen Tran, “Teach Asain American and Pacific Islander History,” May 2021
    • Our Assistant Director, Tuyen Tran, offers historical context to the ongoing violence against Asain Americans and Pacific Islanders. At the end of the article, she offers a menu of resources, including archives, online exhibits, and lesson plans.
  • Inquiry Set: “How Do Many People Make One Nation?”
    • Students will learn and discuss the multiple cultures and peoples that historically have contributed to the creation and growth of the United States. Students will compare and contrast their conception of the racial and ethnic diversity of the United States at present and its past communities.
    • 1st Grade, HSS Standard 1.5  Students  describe  the  human  characteristics  of  familiar  places  and  the  varied  backgrounds  of American citizens and residents in those places. 
  • Inquiry Set: “Civil Rights Movements” 
    • Particular Attention to Source 6, “Necessary but not Sufficient–Yellow Power!” This source helps students understand the Asian American Movement in the late 1960s and 1970s, and places it in context with other social movements of the period.
    • 11th Grade, HSS Standard 11.10. Students analyze the development of federal civil rights and voting rights.
  • Inquiry Set: “Immigrants to Angel Island at the Turn of the 20th Century”
    • This source set examines the experiences of immigrants at Angel Island and Ellis Island through photographs and first-hand accounts, and considers the impact of immigration policy on these hopeful immigrants.
    • 8th Grade, HSS Standard: United States History and Geography: Growth and Conflict
      • 8.12 Students analyze the transformation of the American economy and the changing social and political conditions in the United States in response to the Industrial Revolution
      • 8.12.5 Examine the location and effects of urbanization, renewed immigration, and industrialization (e.g., the effects on the social fabric of cities, wealth and economic opportunity, the conservation movement).
  • Inquiry Set: “South and Southeast Asia”
    • This set uses physical evidence through two cultural productions -the Ramayana and representations of Buddhist and Hindu religious figures -to show students evidence of how aspects of religion, art, and architecture moved from South Asia to Southeast Asia. The sources also offer an economical way to expose students to Hinduism, Buddhism, the Gupta and Mughal empires, and the major movements in South and Southeast Asian religion and history from 300 to 1700 (excepting Sikhism).
    • 7th Grade, HSS Standard 7.4 (NOTE: Because the framework reorganized grade 7 units, the standard topic does not match the framework topic. The content of this set corresponds to HSS Standard 7.4.)

Picture Books (all annotations from publisher)

“A Boy Named Isamu:  A Story of Isamu Noguchi,” by James Yang.

  • James Yang imagines a day in the boyhood of Japanese American artist, Isamu Noguchi. Wandering through an outdoor market, through the forest, and then by the ocean, Isamu sees things through the eyes of a young artist . . .but also in a way that many children will relate. Stones look like birds. And birds look like stones.

Barbed Wire Baseball:  How One Man Brought Hope to the Japanese Internment Camps of WWII,” words by Marissa Moss, pictures by Yuko Shimizu.

  • Tells the story of Kenichi "Zen" Zenimura, a Japanese American baseball player, who spent time in an Arizona internment camp during World War II and his creation of a baseball field there. Beautifully illustrated. Includes author and illustrator's notes and photographs. 

“Baseball Saved Us,” by Dom Lee.

  • Shorty and his family, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, have been forced to relocate from their homes to a camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Fighting the heat, dust, and freezing cold nights of the desert, Shorty and the others at the camp need something to look forward to, even if only for nine innings. So they build a playing field, and in this unlikely place, a baseball league is formed. Surrounded by barbed-wire fences and guards in towers, Shorty soon finds that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and self-respect as well.

“The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee,” words by Julie Leung, pictures by Julie Kwon.

  • Hazel Ying Lee was born fearless—she was not afraid of anything, and the moment she took her first airplane ride, she knew where she belonged. When people scoffed at her dreams of becoming a pilot, Hazel wouldn't take no for an answer. She joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II. It was a dangerous job, but Hazel flew with joy and boldness.

“I Dream of Popo,” words by Livia Blackburn, pictures by Julia Kuo.

  • When a young girl and her family emigrate from Taiwan to America, she leaves behind her beloved popo, her grandmother. She misses her popo every day, but even if their visits are fleeting, their love is ever true and strong.

“It Began with a Page:  How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way,” words by Kyo Maclear, pictures by Julie Morstad.

  • An elegant picture book biography that portrays the most moving moments in the life of Gyo Fujikawa, a groundbreaking Japanese American hero in the fight for racial diversity in picture books.

“Kamala Harris:  Rooted in Justice,” words by Nikki Grimes, pictures by Laura Freeman.

  • Story of a young daughter of immigrants who would grow up to defend the rights of people everywhere in this moving picture book biography of Senator Kamala Harris. First Black woman of Asian descent to be nominated for Vice President of the United States.

“A Map into the World,” words by Kao Kalia Yang, pictures by Seo Kim.

  • As the seasons change, so too does a young Hmong girl's world. She moves into a new home with her family and encounters both birth and death. As this curious girl explores life inside her house and beyond, she collects bits of the natural world. But who are her treasures for?

Educator Spotlight

Scholarship

Tags

Resource Spotlights