Like many commemorative months, AAPI Heritage Month was first introduced in Congress, and became public law in 1978. Please join us in watching the read aloud video below in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month!

When we talk about the Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities in the United States, we are talking about a huge amount of people who are incredibly diverse. There are hundreds of languages spoken, countless different traditions and beliefs, and folks who trace their roots back to 48 Asian nations and 25 Pacific Islander nations, according to the UN. For the purposes of this read aloud, we selected to read a book about the warmth between a mother and a daughter as they share a piece of their Filipino heritage. The book is called Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore, illustrated by Kristi Valiant. Our guest readers will now introduce a share a bit about themselves, and how this book connects to them!

• No matter the grade level or content area(s) you teach, the odds are in your favor that Newsela's text set for AAPI Heritage month has material that you can incorporate into your instruction!
• Use Min Jee's Lunch short story text or read aloud video to proactively teach into the importance of understanding, examining, and dismantling assumptions. This text is appropriate for combatting Anti-Asian racism even with our youngest learners.
  
• Social Studies and Humanities teachers, this one's for you: Extensive lessons to accompany Asian Americans documentary!
  
• The quality and amount of AAPI resources here for EVERYONE Pk-12 blew my mind in the best possible way - and I deeply appreciated the teacher personal work prompts in each week, as well.
• In this article, Dr. Monisha Bajaj identifies common stereotypes that harm AAPI students—and she suggests texts that can be used to counter them. Highlighting books for elementary and middle-grade readers, Bajaj recommends stories educators can use today to celebrate AAPI identity and history with all their students. (Learning for Justice)
  
• Lots of lesson plans, resources from the ADL here

• How to Talk to Children About Antisemitism, ADL CT, May 10, 7:00 pm
• Teaching Asian American Studies: A Critical Introduction & Conversation for CT K-12 Teachers, Yale & ARTLC, May 11, 7:00 pm
  
• Are Microaggressions Really A Thing? (Outline: The definition of microaggressions is problematic; Types of microaggressions; You decide; Ways to navigate Aggression), Leading Equity, May 11, 7:00 pm
• Separate by Design: Teaching the History of Residential Segregation in Connecticut, Gilder Lehrman Center at Yale, May 13, 5:00-7:00 pm
• Transforming Your Curriculum to be Equitable & Inclusive, ASCD, May 18, 3:15-4:15
• The Tulsa Race Massacre: Looking Back, Looking Ahead, African American Intellectual History Society, May 19, 1:00 pm
• ASCD's Annual Conference features speakers such as Ruby Bridges, Bernice King, and Dena Simmons, June 23-25
• Human Geography of East Asia: Contemporary Views Online Short Seminar, July 19-23, 10am-noon ET each day (10 contact hours). This short seminar is intended for K-12 educators who already have some experience with teaching and learning about East Asia. Participants who attend all sessions and respond to required daily discussion prompts on Moodle will receive seminar books, a small stipend, and a one-year subscription to Education about Asia. Open to anyone who will be a K-12 teacher, specialist or administrator in the 2021-22 school year. Registration will close when the limit of 30 participants is reached. Details and registration.
  

We are proud to announce three Region 15 winners from the National History Day state-level competition, which took place on May 1st! There were 14 students from Region 15 who competed at the state competition this year in both the junior and senior levels of competition. Three students received third-place ribbons for their work based on the theme, Communication in History: The Key to Understanding. Scroll down to watch and hear from the winning students themselves!

Interested in participating in National History Day? Information for participating next year will be shared in middle school Social Studies classes. Also, you may contact Mrs. Sharon Wlodarczyk or Mr. Karl Buckley, Region 15 National History Day Advisors.

Senior Division

Senior Group Exhibit: Caroline Parrott and Emma Williams from Pomperaug High School

Project title: Charles Dana Gibson and the Gibson Girl - Communicating a new feminine ideal for women in the 1890’s

Individual Documentary- Katherine Vongsouvanh from Memorial Middle School

Project Title: The Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom: Hearing the Voices of the Civil Rights Movement.