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.

Four soldiers run along a road carrying rifles and a flag, with large plumes of smoke and fire—echoing the turmoil witnessed during Imperial Takeover in Southeast Asian countries—rising in the background.

Southeast Asian Countries and the Imperial Takeover (Part II) | Pacific Atrocities Education

This educational website is provided by Pacific Atrocities Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness about the human rights violations and war crimes committed in the Asia-Pacific Theatre of World War II by the Japanese Imperial Army. It provides a brief but informative historical overview of Japan’s takeover of Southeast Asian countries during WWII and is great for middle and high school teachers as it provides related pictures, YouTube clips, and reference readings that can be used in class. [A continuation of the previous article with additional pictures, videos and readings provided.]

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Japanese soldiers on bicycles ride down a street lined with civilians waving Japanese flags, creating a scene of welcome during the imperial takeover of Southeast Asian countries.

Southeast Asian Countries and the Imperial Takeover (Part I) | Pacific Atrocities Education

This educational website is provided by Pacific Atrocities Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness about the human rights violations and war crimes committed in the Asia-Pacific Theatre of World War II by the Japanese Imperial Army. It provides a brief but informative historical overview of Japan’s takeover of Southeast Asian countries during WWII and is great for middle and high school teachers as it provides related pictures, YouTube clips, and reference readings that can be used in class.

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A vintage illustrated propaganda poster from the Second Sino-Japanese War, with numbered scenes depicting battles, soldiers, civilians, and revolutionary activities in a comic-strip style layout.

Propaganda Posters -The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937 – 1945) | Chinese Posters

This page collects propaganda posters produced during the Second Sino-Japanese War (following Japan’s invasion of China in 1937). The bulk of the posters are produced by the Chinese Nationalist Party and focus on the need to continue defending China despite heavy losses (the Nationalist party of GMD was doing most of the fighting while the communists were camped in rural China). Some posters produced by Japan (or the Japanese puppet state Manchukuo) used anti-communist sentiments or praised the Japanese army . This source provides several posters with historical context that can be compared and contrasted for discussion purposes.

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Black and white photo of people in traditional attire standing in a rural Southeast Asia village with thatched roofs; one person is being carried on a stretcher. Old Indo-China postage stamp in upper left corner hints at colonialism.

Colonialism in South & Southeast Asia | Students of History

This educational page by Students of History provides an overview of colonialism in South and Southeast Asia, which spanned from 16th to mid-20th centuries. This explains the effects of colonialism on various aspects of life including geography, people, and the different countries within South and Southeast Asia. Designed for middle and high school classrooms, the site offers a clear introduction to colonialism prior to and during WWII, helping teachers set the stage for the topic.

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Map titled Victory in the Pacific, featured in PBS’s American Experience, showing military movements and battles across the Asia-Pacific region during World War II, with labeled locations, routes, and explanatory text.

Victory in the Pacific | American Experience (PBS)

This resource is both a documentary that aired in 2005 and an article that discusses the final year of WWII and the lead-up to the Atomic Bombings. There are features provided that can be used to add to discussion or further research WWII or the Atomic Bombings, including articles, clips, and primary resources that were referenced in the documentary.

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Two stone grave markers are knocked over amid barren, leafless trees and scattered debris in a desolate landscape, evoking scenes from the 2015 documentary "The Bomb" aired on PBS.

The Bomb (2015, Documentary) | PBS

A documentary covering the story of America’s development of the nuclear bomb and the consequences that continue to loom over today. This is free to stream on PBS and can be assigned to students to screen in full or clips can be selected for class discussion.

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Two stone statues stand amid rubble and debris in a devastated landscape with mountains in the background, evoking images from the Atomic Archive or scenes recreated through AJ Software’s multimedia tools.

Atomic Archive | AJ Software & Multimedia

A website that provides an overview of the history and science of the nuclear age, as well as a resource library filled with historical documents and a media gallery with photos and videos. This resource can be used as a reference to different atomic events (e.g. Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Cold War) and provide a background for class discussions.

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A large cloud of smoke and debris rises over a harbor in East Asia as a ship is seen nearby, following a massive explosion that would later be analyzed in school textbooks about history wars.

School Textbooks and East Asia’s History Wars” | Education About Asia

This resource features excerpts from textbooks produced in Japan, China, South Korea, and the United States to highlight differing coverage of sensitive issues such as the Nanjing Massacre and the Atomic Bombings of Japan. Not only is this a useful tool for better understanding the violence of the Japanese occupation of Nanjing, but also illustrates collective memory in action. It provides examples from textbooks as well as pictures that can be used in class discussions regarding historical events and how different perspectives change the way they are recounted.

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A large crowd at a K-Pop concert waves light sticks while confetti falls onto a brightly lit stage with performers, creating an unforgettable experience and offering unique K-Pop facts for those interested in education about Asia.

Ten Things to Know about K-Pop | Education about Asia

“What makes K-pop distinct from other popular music? The authors explore the multifaceted evolution and global phenomenon of K-pop, tracing its origins from early twentieth-century musical adaptations to its current status as a sophisticated multimedia industry. Beginning with historical factors, including the emergence of modern Korean popular music during the colonial period, the impact of the U.S. military, and the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, this article addresses how these factors catalyzed the genre’s development and forced a strategic shift toward international markets.”

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A group of adults and children walk down a road carrying belongings, with baskets and bags balanced on their heads and backs, in a rural setting—an image often studied in Genocide Studies, such as during the Cambodian Genocide.

The Cambodian Genocide | Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota has a great list of digital resources for educators and learners. Included in this list are short introductions to the Khmer Rouge, its leader Pol Pot, and the legacy of the Cambodian Genocide. Each section includes relevant student and teacher resources, such as primary source photos and videos and links to further reading.

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