Asian/Pacific American Heritage in the ELA Classroom

In celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May, we’ve curated a selection of NCTE award-winning books, book rationales, classroom resources and lesson plans, and journal articles to uplift Asian/Pacific American authors, history, culture, scholarship, and literature.

NCTE Award-Winning, Recommended, and Series Books

Gibberish by Young Vo
2021 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award® for Outstanding Fiction for Children Recommended Book
See the associated NCTE book rationale (grades K–3).

Drawn Together by Minh Lê; illustrated by Dan Santat
2019 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award® for Outstanding Fiction for Children Recommended Book
See the associated NCTE book rationale (grades preK–2).

Grand Canyon by Jason Chin
2018 Orbis Pictus Award® for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Winner
See the associated NCTE book rationale (grades 2–5).

The Incarceration of Japanese Americans in the 1940s: Literature for the High School Classroom by Rachel Endo
Part of the NCTE High School Literature Series

Classroom Resources and Lesson Plans from ReadWriteThink.org

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is in May!
Get ideas for classroom activities and links to helpful websites.

Experiencing Haiku Through Mindfulness, Movement & Music (grades 5–8)
In this unit, students read and listen to examples of haiku and learn about the history and structure behind this Japanese poetic form.

Exploring Language and Identity: Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Beyond (grades 9–12)
In this lesson, students read and write to explore how “different Englishes” or even a language other than English can contribute to their identity.

NCTE Journal Articles

“Editors’ Introduction: Honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Communities, Voices, and Experiences” by Rick Coppola, Sandra L. Osorio, and Rebecca Woodard
Published in Language Arts

“Journeys of Three Asian American Teachers: Uplifting Asian American Experiences in the Classroom” by Shuling Yang, Diana Liu, and Jeffrey Arellano Cabusao
Published in Language Arts

“NYC Men Teach: Listening to and Supporting Early-Career Asian American Male Teachers in English Teaching” by Ting Yuan, Shannon R. Waite, Travis J. Bristol, and Marcelle Mentor
Published in English Leadership Quarterly

“Perspectives on Practice: Asian American Stories Are for Everyone: Highlighting the Universal Themes in Asian American Children’s Literature” by Grace Choi
Published in Language Arts

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