Dream in Color - Asian American Heritage in the Classroom
The Asian Pacific Fund is a proud partner of Target and Scholastic in presenting the Dream in ColorSM project, launched in April 2008. We believe this national curriculum project is the first to address multiple Asian ethnic groups in lesson plans for grades kindergarten through 12 that celebrate Asian American heritage. Dream in Color encourages students to embrace and celebrate the diversity in their classrooms and communities, and we applaud Target's investment in this project.
The Asian Pacific Fund is pleased we can contribute to this pioneering project. In this as with our other education programs, the Asian Pacific Fund aims to provide resources that help Asian American youth understand and value their cultural heritage. We believe two key components of well-rounded education for youth is the development of a strong sense of personal identity and an appreciation of the cultures of their peers. By celebrating our differences as well as the values and beliefs we share in common, the Fund believes Dream in Color will help Americans of all backgrounds better understand their Asian neighbors.
The Dream in Color lesson plans and classroom materials will share with students the achievements of highly-accomplished Asian Americans and teach them about the many countries that Asian Americans in the U.S. originally came from. The lesson plans were designed specifically for four grade categories: K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Two of the lesson plans address geography and mapping, and the other two discuss Asian American heroes. We are proud to join Target Corporation and Scholastic in celebrating all heritages and cultures by inspiring kids to “dream in color.”
About the Mapping Lesson Plans
There are more than 50 countries in Asia and Oceania, and we chose to highlight the 15 countries from which the most Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders originated. According to U.S. Census data, these groups are Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Pakistani, Native Hawaiian, Taiwanese, Thai, Samoan, Guamanian or Chamorro, Afghani, and Bangladeshi. Please note that the Hmong people live in many Asian countries but have no country of their own, and Hawaii and Guam are a U.S. state and territory, respectively. As a result of these considerations, the Hmong were mentioned as a notable ethnic group in some country fact sheets, and Hawaii and Guam were addressed as U.S. Pacific islands rather than as separate countries. Thus, the 15 fact sheets produced for classroom use focus on the following countries: China, the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Laos, Pakistan, U.S. Pacific Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, Samoa, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
The mapping activities aim to introduce students to the many different Asian countries. We relied on public sources for information and made every reasonable effort to present basic information that was appropriate for this kind of project. Even though the U S. is a nation of immigrants, Asian countries and the Asian continent overall have a long history of great diversity. In some Asian countries, 50 to 100 ethnic groups live side by side and speak many languages and distinct dialects. Other regions of Asia are unstable because of border disputes or wars. Because the issues surrounding geopolitical disputes and relationships between ethnic or religious groups are often very complex, we hope that feedback from the public will help us improve these materials over time. We welcome input for any corrections to the curriculum and classroom materials that will be considered for future editions.
Click on the links below for the mapping lesson plans:
About the Heroes Lesson Plans
Asian Americans are about 4 percent of the U.S. population, and many of them have distinguished themselves in a variety of fields. In some areas of the country, like metropolitan New York and Los Angeles, these noteworthy individuals may have a higher profile than in other regions. Many of these Asian American leaders already serve as role models and some live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Asians are 24 percent of the population. In these lesson plans we profile heroes who have achieved national prominence and share their stories of struggle and success, in the hopes that we will inspire young people of all backgrounds.
We have included the profile of writer Amy Tan below as a sample of the information you will find at the Scholastic Dream in Color web site. Please see the lesson plans for detailed instructions on how to use the Amy Tan Hero Card in the classroom. Other prominent Asian Americans profiled for Dream in Color include Dado Banatao, Steven Chu, Yul Kwon, Suketu Mehta, Betty Nguyen, Ellison Onizuka and Jerry Yang.
Click on the links below for the heroes lesson plans:
Additional Resources
Many cultural institutions throughout the country have fine materials available to educators. Your students may enjoy participating in the special events these organizations host throughout the year. Click here to download a list of such cultural groups and contact your local organizations directly.
You may also be interested in viewing student work from the Growing Up Asian in America program. This annual art and essay contest is a forum for students to explore what it means to be Asian American and express how they feel about who they are and where their families came from. You may view the winning entries of 2009 or search the archive, which includes the top essays, poems and art from 1995 through the present. Every year, students in the San Francisco Bay Area compete for $27,000 in savings bond awards distributed through Growing Up Asian in America. Typically the winners are chosen from 1,500 entries, and the winning art and essays are reproduced in exhibits that are hosted throughout the year by local libraries. For many years, teachers and parents have told us that Growing Up Asian in America is a valuable resource for understanding the issues that Asian youth face. We hope this material is helpful as you celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in your classroom.
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