Educator Resources

The Asian Art Museum offers a variety of resources to enhance your curriculum. The museum’s resource collection includes resource packets, curriculum books, children’s literature, Asian art history books and educational videos. In addition, Search the Asian Art Museum's Collection Online and discover Art Projects and Gallery Guides to enhance your lesson plans and prepare for your visit to the museum. The resources listed below are available for purchase (prices listed), loan (free), as downloadable .pdfs (free), and for view/download (free) on ArtBabble and iTunes U.

To request a loan, please complete the Educator Resources Loan Form. To place an order, please use the PayPal buttons (note: A PayPal account is not needed to make a purchase via PayPal).

For more information about Asian Art Museum resources, please call (415) 581-3663 or email resourcecenter@asianart.org.

 

At a Glance: Stories and Celebrations (pdf: free)

These At-A-Glance worksheets on works of art in the museum's collection are geared for use in Elementary and Middle School classrooms.

Stories of Rama's Youth: download pdf (1.03 MB)

The Money Tree: download pdf (1.42 MB)

Winning Without Hands: Kamishibai: download pdf (127 KB)

Native Song: download pdf (153 KB)

Resource Packets (by region)

 

China

 

chinadownload pdf
(2.7 MB)
download
PowerPoint pdf
(2.5 MB) 		Ancient China: From the Neolithic Period to the Han Dynasty ($25.00: includes image CD and slides; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts
Classroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all agesAn historical overview of ancient China—from the Neolithic period (approx. 6,000–2000 BCE) to the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE).


Supplement this packet with the New Discoveries in Chinese Archaeology video.
chinadownload pdf
(2.61 MB)
brushstrokes vocabulary pdf
(2.3 MB)
download activity pdf
(281 KB)		 Brushstrokes: Styles and Techniques of Chinese Painting ($25.00: includes image CD and slides; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts

This packet explores the history, development and significance of brushpainting in Chinese art. Includes discussion of painting and calligraphy techniques, and a comparison of painting styles.


Brushpainting Kit (for loan only)
Teach students the art of Chinese brushpainting.  Kit includes brushes, ink and rice paper for a class of 30 students, as well as Brushstrokes: Styles and Techniques of Chinese Painting educator packet and classroom activities. Limited Availability. To borrow the kit, please contact: resourcecenter@asianart.org or (415) 581-3663.

Supplement your lessons on brushpainting with the Chinese Calligraphy video.
chinadownload pdf
(5.03 MB) 		China: The Glorious Tang and Song Dynasties ($25.00: includes image CD; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts
Classroom activities meet California state content standards for 7th grade; adaptable for all ages

This packet examines the trade, commerce, religion, philosophy, literature, and art of these dynasties. Student handouts include readings and activities on Tang and Song dynasty literature, art, and science.


Golden Age Educator Packet Coverdownload supplemental classroom activity pdf
(6.25 MB) 		Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology ($25.00: includes slides)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts, Language Arts, Sciences, Mathematics
Classroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages

This special-edition slide packet, produced in conjunction with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., includes highlights from The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology, a blockbuster special exhibition featuring archaeological finds that have transformed historical theories about the development of Chinese civilization. Sites examined include the Tomb of Fu Hao; Sanxingdui; the Tomb of Yi, Marquis of Zeng and the Tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE). 


Supplement this packet with the New Discoveries in Chinese Archaeology video.

 

The Himalayas & the Tibetan Buddhist World (Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia)

 

tibetdownload pdf
(5.01 MB)
appendix 1 and 2
(33 KB)		 The Sacred Arts of Tibet ($25.00: includes image CD; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts
Classroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages

This packet features an overview of the culture, history, and arts of Tibet, with a focus on the influence of Buddhism.

 

 

Japan

 

arts of the samurai packet coverdownload pdf
(7.25 MB)		 Arts of the Samurai ($25.00: includes image CD; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual ArtsClassroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages

This packet examines the samurai through precious art objects from the museum’s collection.


Supplement this packet with the Samurai Castles video.
Arts of Edo Packet Coverdownload pdf
(3.25 MB) 		Arts of Edo Japan ($25.00: includes image CD; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts
Classroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages

This packet offers an in-depth examination of Edo period (1615–1868) Japan, focusing on the flourishing arts of the period.


Supplement this packet with the Zen Buddhism video and Guides to Japanese Screens (pdfs).
Chanoyu packet coverdownload pdf
(2.08 MB)		 Experience Chanoyu: The Japanese Art of Tea ($25.00: includes image CD; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual ArtsClassroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages

This packet focuses on artworks dating from the 1400s to the 1900s that were used in a traditional Japanese tea gathering or Chanoyu.


Supplement this packet with the Tearoom at the Asian Art Museum video.

Hokusai and Hiroshige educator packet coverdownload background pdf (762 KB)
download worksheet pdf (921 KB)
download woodblock print pdf (368 KB)

 Hokusai and Hiroshige: Great Japanese Prints from the James A. Michener Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts ($25.00: includes slides; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual ArtsClassroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages

This packet provides a historical and cultural overview of Edo period (1615–1868) Japan as a context for examining Japanese woodblock prints.


Supplement this packet with the Hokusai and Hiroshige video.

 

Korea

 

Goryeodownload pdf
(1.49 MB) 		Goryeo Dynasty: Korea’s Age of Enlightenment ($20.00: includes slides; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts
Classroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages

Few people are aware that the name Korea is derived from the name of the Goryeo (previously tranliterated as Koryo) dynasty. It was during this period (918–1392) that Korea became known to the world outside East Asia. This packet provides an overview of aspects of Goryeo society and Goryeo Buddhism as depicted in the arts of the period.


Supplement this packet with the Goryeo Dynasty Celadons video.

 

Pan-Asian

 

Ganeshadownload pdf
(183 KB)		 Teaching Through Myth and Metaphor (for loan only; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts

Classroom activities geared to elementary school; adoptable for all agesThis packet focuses on picture storytelling techniques from India and Japan. Activities include creating a kavad, a popular folk art storytelling device used in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, India, and kamishibai, a popular Japanese storytelling art form that combines oral and visual narration experiences.

 

The Persian World & West Asia (Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan)

 

Afghanistan packet coverdownload pdf
(5.70 MB) 		Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul (for loan only; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Language Arts, Visual Arts
Classroom activities meet California State content standards for 5th-7th, and 10th grades; adaptable for all ages

This packet, developed in conjunction with the special exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul examines the nation’s role as a both a cultural hub and a connecting point along the Silk Road.
Islamdownload pdf
(4.59 MB) 		Islam and the Arts of the Ottoman Empire ($25.00: includes image CD and slides; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts
Classroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages

Using objects from the traveling exhibition Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection, this packet provides an overview of Islam and Islamic art during the Ottoman empire.

 

South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka)

 

legend of krishnadownload pdf
(6.39 MB)		 Art in Focus: The Legend of Krishna ($25.00: includes image CD; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts
Classroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages

The legend of Krishna has inspired Hindu art, poetry, music, and philosophy for more than two thousand years. This packet highlights the celebrated legend of this Hindu god as depicted in South Asian painting.
Afghanistan packet coverdownload pdf
(4.84 MB)
download temple illustrations pdf
(88 KB)		 Beliefs Made Visible: Introduction to Hindu and Buddhist Art ($25.00: includes image CD and slides; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Visual Arts
Classroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages

Explore the basic tenets and influences of Hinduism and Buddhism throughout Asia.


Supplement this packet with the Beliefs Made Visible video, featuring members of the Bay Area Indian community.

 

Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia)

 

Story of Rama download pdf
(2.78 MB) 		The Story of Rama ($15.00: includes image CD; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, English/Language Arts, Visual Arts
Classroom activities geared to middle school through high school; adaptable for all ages

In this unit, students are introduced to the basic background of Balinese Hinduism and to one of its main texts, the Ramayana.

 


Supplement this packet with vidoes of Asian Art Museum storytellers telling portions of the Ramayana and Balinese folktales on artbabble.org and iTunes U.
warrior kings and divine jestersdownload pdf
(4.23 MB)
download slide descriptions pdf
(4.3 MB)		 Warrior Kings and Divine Jesters: Indonesian Rod Puppets ($25.00: includes image CD and slides; pdf version: free)
Subject Areas: History–Social Sciences, Language Arts, Visual and Performing Arts
Classroom activities geared to middle school through high school; adaptable for all ages

This packet is designed to give an introduction to the world of Indonesian three-dimensional rod puppet theater (wayang golek) and to the stories told in performances using these puppets, including Islamic and Javanese historical tales as well as Indonesian versions of the Ramayana, the epic story of the hero Rama.


Supplement this packet with the Indonesan Rod Puppets (wayang golek) video, featuring puppet master Kathy Foley.

 

For more activities, visit Art Projects to Make at Home; and to view a more complete list of videos, visit Educational Videos.