Explore the history and achievements of Asian Americans with activities, videos, and more for AANHPI month (and beyond).

Asian-appearing teacher works with diverse group of students.

There are approximately 30,000 islands scattered across the Pacific Ocean. Though they're divided into three major groups—Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia—the histories of their Indigenous peoples, the impacts of colonization, and the geopolitical divisions of these islands are rich and varied. And while they're included in the celebration of AANHPI month, lands like Hawaiʻi, Sāmoa, and Fiji have their own unique traditions and cultures. So, while the lessons, activities, videos, and other resources here don't comprehensively represent all the peoples of the Pacific islands, they offer a starting point for learning and celebrating

The resources below are organized by approximate grade band, but most of the lessons and resources are customizable, so feel free to take a look at any of them. The subjects range from photography to geography, culture, history, and more, and include lessons by and inclusive of Native peoples. Dive into the collections to find sources that can be woven into your classroom instruction throughout the year!

Lesson, Resource, and Site Collections for All Grades

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Tapestry with images of birds and other animals.

 

Activities and Resources for Preschool to Third Grade

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Illustration of a girl with brown skin in a sundress.

Audio/Stories 

  • The Language Learning Center of Victoria University of Wellington hosts a digital audio bookshelf with songs and folklore in te reo Māori and other languages.
  • When you need a little quiet time in class, listen to this relaxing Moana-inspired podcast episode from Honeybee Bedtime Stories.

Videos

Activities

  • This printable coloring book about coral reefs in the Pacific islands has tons of facts for kids to read or hear about.

Games

  • Some of these traditional Hawaiian games are great for little kids, like "Pass the Coconut." There are also some Hawaiian spins on games that kids will recognize.

Activities and Resources for Third to Fifth Grade 

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Illustration of a Polynesian wayfinder.

Audio/Stories 

  • Listen to Sounds of the Moana, an award-winning podcast that explores the traditional sounds—instruments, chanting, and songs—of the Pacific islands. The episodes are not about Disney's Moana, but there's no doubt that the movie's soundtrack was directly influenced by the rich musical history covered here.

Videos

  • Use this video from TED-Ed to get kids thinking about the marvels of Polynesian ocean navigation.
  • Watch a group that includes Jason Momoa (students may recognize him as Aquaman) and his children perform a haka in front of a crowd in this video from his YouTube channel. Then have students learn some facts about this type of meaningful dance.

Activities

  • Read about and interact with the Hawaiian Star Compass to show students the Indigenous knowledge of navigation.
  • This extensive Moana educator's guide can be used to study topics of biodiversity, life cycles, earth systems, communication, animal relationships, and more. By blending story and natural history, students can dive deeper into the movie's lessons.
  • The Bishop Museum in Hawaiʻi has lessons for grades 3–5 on broad topics such as ecosystems and others on specific processes within the Nuʻuanu landslide in Oʻahu.

Games

  • Try this Hawaiian game of balance and agility, called Haka Moa, but note that it's a contact game that involves pushing someone out of a circle. And this game involves passing and catching some long sticks! (Or just watch the videos.)
  • Some of these traditional Hawaiian games are great for little kids, like "Pass the Coconut." There are also some Hawaiian spins on games that kids will recognize.
  • You can also try Lu-lu Dice, in which kids make the dice and then do some simple math as they play.
  • Three Mountain Alliance has lessons, learning guides, games, projects, and diagrams about native species and watersheds, including this Hawaiian watershed adventure game.

Activities and Resources for Sixth to Eighth Grade

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Historical photo of Queen Sālote III of Tonga.

Audio/Stories 

Videos

  • Let TheCoconetTV explain how the Pacific islands ended up in three separate regional groups (hint: colonization).
  • Watch this moving speech given by Yolanda Joab-Mori, in a One Young World video, urging more effort around climate change and its impacts on Micronesia.
  • Use this TED-Ed video to help students understand the colonization of Hawaii and how the Missionary Party overthrew Queen Lili'uokalani.

Activities

Games

  • You can also try Lu-lu Dice, in which kids make the dice and then do some simple math as they play. For middle school students, you can adapt the necessary math to match their skill level.

Activities and Resources for Ninth to Twelfth Grade

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Illustration from the comic called "History Project."

 

Audio/Stories

Videos

  • Browse incredible performance videos from TheCocoNetTV to see Indigenous concerts, dances, opera, and more. They have a playlist of professional singers, dancers, and composers, including Grammy-nominated kumu hula (hula teacher) Keali'i Ceballos and Hālau Hula Keali'i o Nālani. 
  • This fast-moving, almost 20-minute video from Geography Now! about Papua New Guinea is cut into convenient segments and includes enough humor to keep students interested. 
  • And this video, also from Geography Now!, gives Micronesia the same treatment!
  • This video episode from the One Micronesia Podcast features two brother entrepreneurs who talk about their efforts to showcase their culture. (You could also just use the audio.)
  • Students will recognize Jason Momoa in this video (from his channel) that highlights a protest against building a telescope facility on sacred Hawaiian land. It's a great discussion starter on the history of colonialism and the lasting impacts on Indigenous peoples.
  • Take a look at this video about Hawaiʻi and the cosmos by Sun-Earth Day, an educational program co-established by NASA and the European Space Agency.

Activities

  • Discuss the impact of bomb testing on the Marshall Islands using this comic and poetry from the Marshallese Arts Project.  The comic contains some graphic—and accurate—details about the literal and figurative fallout from nuclear testing. 
  • Smithsonian Education has a set of lessons divided into grades K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12. Younger students can organize the Creating Hawaiʻi exhibition into categories, and older ones can look at Census Bureau statistics and develop theories about the island's diversity.
Bianca DeJesus

Bianca DeJesus is Editor, Learning Content at Common Sense where she assigns, edits, and publishes reviews. Prior to this role, she worked as a learning engagement manager and developed and implemented community support content and learning resources for over 50,000 global volunteers. She also worked as an adjunct professor of English and taught English as a second language. Bianca earned her bachelor’s degree in English and graduated with her master’s in Language and Literacy. She is originally from the Bronx, New York, and loves to paint and try new vegan restaurants.

Christine Elgersma

Christine Elgersma is Senior Editor, Learning Content, Strategy which means she manages the newsletter about learning, edits writing about learning, and loves to learn. Before coming to Common Sense, she helped create ELA curriculum for a K-12 app and taught the youth of America as a high school teacher, a community college teacher, a tutor, and a special education instructional aide for about 18 years. Christine is also a writer, primarily of fiction and essays, and loves to read all manner of books. When she's not putting on a spontaneous vaudeville show with her daughter, Christine loves nature, music, and almost any form of dark chocolate.