Asian

American
and Pacific
Islander
Heritage Karly Smith
Month 1st Grade Team

Planning April, 2021

 Today's Objectives
1. Understand and appreciate Asian American and Pacific Islander History
and Heritage.
2. Understand how to reflect on personal unconscious biases and
determine how those might show up in our instructional practices.
3. Build an understanding of how to plan a unit that celebrates and teaches
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month for 1st grade
students.

Standards Addressed:
1.5 Students describe the human characteristics of familiar places and the
varied backgrounds of American citizens and residents in those places.
 Let's Begin
Discuss:

How many Asian American or Pacific Islander

Teachers did you have in your K-12
educational experience?
What Impacts does
this data have?
Who Is AAPI?
The Term Asian American began in 1968
Student activists at UC Berkley identified this
term to unite Asian American groups that had
similar experiences in America.
Nonetheless, this term encompasses origins
from over 20 countries
There was a need for collective identity AND
we also need an understanding of diversity
 Discuss:
When teaching about Asian
Americans and Pacific
Islanders, how can we
ensure that we are not
teaching a single narrative,
and not enforcing
stereotypes?
Discuss:
When was the last time
you intentionally
featured an Asian
American or Pacific
Islander person, author
or text in your
classroom?
 Windows & Mirrors

"Books are sometimes windows, offering views of the world that may be real, Imagined,
familiar or strange. When light conditions are just right, however, a window can also be
a mirror." -Rudine Sims Bishop

Do you think the texts you read with your students are mostly windows, mirrors, or
a mixture of both?
The Model Minority Myth
A belief that all AAPI people are successful, good at STEM, slightly emotionless,
have succeeded at the American Dream because of hard work and innate racial
qualities
 Discuss
What impact does the Model Minority Myth
have on us as educators of Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders?
 The Civil Rights Movement

Yuri Kochiyama Larry Itliong Grace Lee Boggs Vincent Chin

Fought for justice Fought for rights for Fought for the A victim of an
for Japanese- agricultural workers rights of marginalized Asian American
American on the West Coast. groups. hate crime, which led
internees & to increased activism
political prisoners for Asian Americans.
of all races.
 Check In:
What do our students know
about the Civil Rights
Movement already?
How can we make connections to what they already
know?
 Let's Start Planning
PREPARING PROCESS OUTCOMES

How will we present

Are there any biases information to What do we want our
that we currently hold students? What students to know
that we need to resources can we about understand by
acknowledge before use? What kinds of the end of this unit?
we begin? discussions do we What mindsets do we
hope to have? hope they gain?
 More Planning
BOOKS: WHAT BOOKS PEOPLE: WHICH
OR TEXTS CAN WE READ INDIVIDUALS DO WE
WITH STUDENTS? WANT TO HIGHLIGHT
FOR STUDENTS?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: PRODUCT: WHAT CAN

WHAT ARE SOME DISCUSSION
STUDENTS PRODUCE TO
TOPICS/QUESTIONS WE CAN
USE TO GET STUDENTS
SHOW WHAT THEY HAVE
TALKING ABOUT WHAT LEARNED?
THEY'VE LEARNED?
 Discuss:
What are you most
excited to
incorporate into your
classroom?