Resources

Explore a curated collection of resources designed specifically for educators teaching about East Asia and Asian America. Below, you’ll find links to primary sources, structured curriculums, comprehensive resource collections, and other classroom materials to enrich your lessons. You can filter your search by grade level, region, state standard, and resource type, or just search for a specific topic or keyword. Additionally, don’t miss the excellent content available through NCTA’s Partner Sites, tailored to support K-12 educators in bringing East Asia into the classroom.

Performers in red costumes showcase a traditional drum routine on a street in San Jose, with decorative lion heads and large flags, echoing the vibrant celebrations often seen in Vietnam.

Voyage to Vietnam | Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose

The Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose offers an immersive set of online resources for children to interactively learn about Vietnamese culture. The exhibits feature a variety of topics, such as traditional foods, clothing, ancestor altars, musical instruments, and festivals, with a special focus on the Tet Festival. These engaging resources can be adapted for use in grades K-6, providing meaningful and educational pathways to explore aspects of life and culture in Vietnam.

Student Resource
A person is writing gold calligraphy in Vietnamese on a red envelope with a brush, wearing a green ring, at a wooden table—an elegant moment reminiscent of Omniglot’s celebration of world scripts.

Vietnamese | Omniglot

This resource guide provides an overview of the Vietnamese language, including its linguistic features and writing systems. It covers the history of Vietnamese script, offers sample texts and videos, and includes practical materials for learning Vietnamese phrases and words. The guide also provides links to further information and educational resources for deeper exploration of Vietnamese language and culture.

Student Resource
A stone statue of a robed figure, possibly Confucius, stands outdoors before dense leafy trees. This black and white image evokes the ethos of Confucianism and can enhance Asia for Educators class materials.

Class Materials over Confucianism | Asia for Educators

This curated collection from Asia for Educators gathers a wide range of teaching materials on Confucianism. One highlight is the Confucianism lesson plan, which provides strategies for getting students to think more broadly about applying Confucian ideas—fostering both historical understanding and critical thinking. Another useful resource is the DBQs featuring selections from The Analects, which offer accessible primary sources alongside thoughtful discussion prompts that help students engage deeply with Confucian values.

Teacher Resource
A map of eastern Asia on a globe highlighting Japan with a brown circle, perfect for Elementary Level Resources or Asia For Educators.

Elementary Level Resources: Japan | 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 Japan and offers resources for a wide variety of subjects: geography, language, culture, history, science, math, literature, arts & crafts, and drama & dance. 

Teacher Resource
Two women in traditional Japanese clothing examine a patterned cloth, reflecting early 20th-century Japan, with colorful geometric patterns and text evoking the artistic trends of modern Japan in the background.

Becoming Modern: Early 20th-Century Japan through Primary Sources

This curriculum is one of several Teaching about East Asia (TEA) Online Curriculum Projects from the University of Colorado Boulder that offers secondary teachers interesting resources. This curriculum offers seven lessons that examine a critical period in Japanese and world history: the period of Japan’s modernization and international expansion from the 1880s through the 1920s, a time span overlapping the late Meiji, Taishō, and early Shōwa periods. The lessons draw upon a range of historical source materials—including art, literature, memoir, interviews, board games, and government documents—to teach Japanese history using pedagogical approaches that address national content standards and Common Core skills.

Lesson Plan
The image shows the national flag of Japan, featuring a red circle centered on a white rectangular background, as seen in many PBS documentaries about Japanese culture.

Around the Globe: Japan | PBS

PBS LearningMedia’s Around the Globe: Japan is a large collection of resources including webpages, documents, audio files, images, videos, media galleries, and lesson plans centered around Japan, its society and its culture. Resources are available for grades 3-12.

Teacher Resource
Black and white illustration of two figures in traditional Chinese clothing, with one person bending over a third figure lying down, surrounded by decorative patterns and calligraphy, evoking themes from Chinese history and bisexuality.

Bisexuality in Chinese History

The inclusion of queer history in curriculums is integral to teaching about world civilizations. With this featured article, high school students can be introduced to prevalent representations of bisexuality in Han Dynasty China. In the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE) it was common for emperors to have both wives and male companions. Both men and women at the time used intimate relationships to gain favor with the upper court, and this openness to nonheterosexual intimacy led to legendary love stories that are still prevalent as symbols of queer love. 

Teacher Resource
A group of people march outdoors in China, holding a rainbow flag overhead and a red banner, with some waving small rainbow flags—a vibrant scene reflecting LGBT activism in China.

Unfinished Revolution: An Overview of Three Decades of LGBT Activism in China

Within the context of queer activism, perhaps one of the most inspiring movements is that of the Chinese LGBTQ community. In pre-modern times, China had a long history of societally accepted homosexuality, a stark contrast to pre-modern Europe that largely viewed any homosexuality as an abomination. However, in the present period, the Chinese Party-State has suppressed and censored the LGBTQ community, prompting activists to fight back. This article discusses the ups and downs queer activism in China has experienced in the last few decades, the role of nongovernmental organizations as opportunities for change, and the political sensitivity surrounding human rights activism.   

Teacher Resource
A large crowd gathers at night in front of an ornate, illuminated temple gate in Taiwan, surrounding a decorated boat and holding up phones to take photos, celebrating the vibrant religious traditions at the Heart of Asia.

Religion | Taiwan the Heart of Asia

This guide by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau discusses the many beliefs present within the country, a brief history of religion in Taiwan, and complementary images that display the beauty and originality of religious practices in Taiwanese culture.  

Student Resource Teacher Resource
Stone statue of a seated man with a long beard and traditional hat, resting his chin on one hand with scrolls beside him—an image evoking the deep contemplation found in Legalism and ancient philosophy, set outdoors with trees in the background.

Legalism | Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

This resource from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy provides an overview of Legalism. Legalism became popular in the latter half of the Warring States period as a representation of the teachings and beliefs of the scholars Han Fei, Shen Buhai, and Shang Yang. The goal of these legalists was to attain “a rich state and a powerful army” and to focus on the stability of the government and the people in such a turbulent time as the Warring States period. The basis of legalism was the belief that humans are inherently selfish, and shouldn’t be expected to act morally and abstain from coveting wealth and power. Instead, legalists believed that commoners and elites alike should be allowed to strive for wealth and fame in ways that benefitted the state, such as agricultural pursuits and warfare. Legalism, along with Daoism and Confucianism, is one of China’s foundational philosophies.

Teacher Resource
A statue of a figure in traditional robes holding a yin-yang symbol, seated in an ornate shrine decorated with flowers and gold accents, reflects the influence of Daoism celebrated by Asia Society.

Daoism | Asia Society

This article from the Asia Society provides helpful context and key text references on the subject of Daoism/Taoism. Daoism originated in the 5th century B.C.E. from the teachings of Laozi and his classic text, the Dao De Jing. The basis of this philosophy was connection with nature, a life of simplicity, and a spiritual approach to the universe. Daoism, along with Confucianism and Legalism, is one of the philosophies that has shaped China for thousands of years and represents an integral part of Chinese history. 

Teacher Resource
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