Culture

Stone serpent statues line the steps of an old brick staircase, with weathered walls and green trees in the background.

Southeast Asia Digital Library | Northern Illinois University

This collection contains a wide variety of materials published and produced in Southeast Asia. There are many interviews, videos, posters, photographs, periodicals, maps, manuscripts, and other archival materials.

Primary Source Teacher Resource
Council on Foreign Relations logo with white text on a brown background.

Belt and Road Tracker | Council on Foreign Relations

This tracker shows how China’s 2013 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)—a plan to promote infrastructure development across Africa, Asia, and Europe with Chinese financing—changed countries’ bilateral economic relationships with the nation over time.

Teacher Resource
Three large ancient Buddha statues are carved into a rock cliff, with greenery in the foreground and a small structure to the right—echoing the cultural legacy of the Silk Road.

Yale Silk Road Database | Yale University Library

This collection includes 11,000+ images of major sites along the Silk Road taken between 2006-2010. These photographs take the viewer on a trip through multiple Chinese provinces and the regions of Inner Mongolia and Tibet to map out the modern-day Silk Road that was shaped by the interconnected web of trade routes linking medieval Asia.

Teacher Resource
Map from Teachable Indonesia and University of Washington shows Indonesia's outline over the US, highlighting it's even wider—plus fun stats about its population, islands, and languages for Grades K-8 learners.

Teachable Indonesia: Grades K-8 | University of Washington Southeast Asia Center

The University of Washington’s Southeast Asia Center has created a resource titled “Teaching Indonesia”. This resource is engaging for grades K-8 and approaches Indonesian culture from many topics such as geography, language, politics, religion, social media, food culture, folk tales, music, and science. As “Teachable Indonesia” covers a variety of aspects of Indonesia, it can be used in classroom discussions of many subjects.

Teacher Resource
Cover of a Teacher’s Sourcebook for Korean Art and Culture, featuring historical photos, traditional patterns, and Korean text.

Korean Art and Culture: A Teacher’s Sourcebook – Peabody Essex Museum

This pdf document is a fantastic resource for art, art history, and religious studies teachers who want to bring Korean culture into their classroom. Korean Art and Culture: A Teacher’s Sourcebook features the Korean Art Collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts and contains vibrant images and informative essays about the collection. This enlightening sourcebook details many diverse forms of Korean art and whether it be paper crafts, embroidery, or pottery, you will be sure to learn something new! Also included in this resource is a glossary of symbols that are abundant in Korean art. The Peabody Essex Museum has much to offer and will inspire you to share the art and culture of Korea with your students.

Teacher Resource
Traditional Korean hanok houses line a narrow street, with modern city buildings and Namsan Seoul Tower visible in the background—a striking scene perfect for lesson plans on Korea or exploring world history through digital education.

Lesson Plans on Korea | World History Digital Education

The World History Digital Education foundation features a lesson plan library with free resources to help students and teachers learn about Korea. The lesson plans cover a variety of subjects for grades K-12 including geography, religion, history, culture, economic development, and the Korean War. 

Teacher Resource
A globe highlighting Korea and its location in East Asia with a dark circle, perfect for Asia for Educators and elementary level resources.

Elementary Level Resources: Korea | Asia for Educators

Asia For Educators, at Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asia Institute, has compiled a collection of resources for K-5 teachers. This collection is centered around Korea and offers resources for a wide variety of subjects: geography, language, culture, history, science, math, literature, arts & crafts, and drama & music. 

Teacher Resource
The Korea Society logo features four geometric square patterns above the organization name on a blue background, reflecting its commitment to Educational Resources and cultural exchange.

Educational Resources | The Korea Society

The Korea Society is a private, nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the promotion of greater awareness, understanding, and cooperation between the people of the United States and Korea. On their site they have a vast collection of resources for teachers that include: readings with background context for getting to know Korea, multiple engaging pdf documents that cover topics from the Silla Dynasty to the Korean War, and a large collection of lesson plans that contain all the information necessary for crafting dynamic and effective lessons. Educational resources from The Korea Society are free to use and make it easy to center Korea in your classroom.

Teacher Resource
A performer in a white suit sings on stage with dancers, in front of a green-lit screen displaying the words GANGNAM STYLE, capturing the global energy of Hallyu.

Introduction: The Hallyu Origin Story by Rosalie Kim

From the book Hallyu! The Korean Wave (London: Victoria and Albert Museum), this introductory essay provides a concise overview of the emergence of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) in relation to pivotal points in Korean history.

Teacher Resource
A large indoor K-pop concert with vibrant pink and blue stage lights, big screens displaying performers, and an audience holding glow sticks—an unforgettable experience showcasing global success and bridging cultural differences.

How Cultural Difference Became K-pop’s Key to Success around the World | Indiana University

“What is Korean popular music (K-pop) and how is it different from American popular music? How does it continue to attract new audiences despite linguistic barriers? In North America many people have only recently heard about K-pop, the genre-fluid industry that is taking the world by storm. As top stars have appeared on all the major American late night interview programs, and caused a sensation internationally K-pop has emerged as a cultural force far from its homeland. In this presentation I will sketch the history of this industry, from entertaining American troops in the 1950s and 1960s, through protest music and to the emergence of K-pop. I will outline how the Korean government changed its policy vis-à-vis the industry until it became part of policy level discussions for soft power and nation branding. Then through an examination of the adroit use of the internet to reach disparate audiences we will

Teacher Resource
A young girl in a kimono holds a caterpillar in her hand, looking at it closely. Set in Japan, the book title above reads The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars—a charming tale from children's literature.

Texts and Contexts: Teaching Japan through Children’s Literature

This curriculum made by TEA is a collection of teacher-developed, standards-based, cross-curricular K-6 lessons. The collection is designed to promote the teaching of cultural studies of Japan while developing students’ knowledge and skills in literacy and communication. Each of the six lessons features an authentic children’s literature book on an aspect of Japanese culture.

Lesson Plan
Promotional graphic for At-Home Adventures Through Asia by Asia Society, featuring Vietnam with scenic water, boats, and mountains in the background.

At-Home Adventures through Asia: Vietnam | Asia Society

“At-Home Adventures through Asia: Introduction to Vietnam” offers a rich, interactive exploration of Vietnamese culture tailored for K-6 students. Originally designed for parents and children, the activities in this program include a presentation on Vietnam and engaging artistic activities that can easily be adapted for classroom use, helping to build cultural empathy and global awareness.

Teacher Resource
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