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Educator Resources

Explore our tailor-made resources, lessons, and activities that have been created to support high school and college-level educators in bringing South Asian American history and stories into the classroom!

We're here to help! Please reach out to us at educators@saada.org to schedule a professional development workshop or let us know what we can do to support your efforts! 💙


Anandibai Joshee & Pandita Ramabai Activity
The following is a sample activity from SAADA's professional development workshop for high school teachers featuring the stories of two pioneering South Asian American women: Anandibai Joshee and Pandita Ramabai.

Anandibai Joshee was the first South Asian woman in the world to become a physician, graduating from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1886. Pandita Ramabai, her distant cousin, attended Joshee's graduation in Philadelphia and then lived and traveled across the U.S. for the next three years, documenting her experiences in a memoir.

In this activity, we use primary artifacts from Joshee and Ramabai's first person accounts along with a song composed by musical artist Anju for SAADA's Revolution Remix walking tour. The lesson plan was created in alignment with common core standards. Specific standards are listed in the lesson plan.

Activity Outline

Estimated time: 45 minutes

1. Introduce students to the story of Anandibai Joshee using this video created by SAADA.



2. Have students listen and read the lyrics to Red, Anju's song about the lives of these two women. Ask students to underline any words or phrases in the lyrics that are unfamiliar to them or for which they would like additional context.


3. Provide students with:
Cultural reference sheet, which includes additional context for unfamiliar words and phrases from the song.
• Primary artifacts (original text or leveled for middle school) from Joshee and Ramabai's first person accounts of their time in Philadelphia.
• A note catcher for students to record their responses.

4. Divide students into small groups and ask them to read the three primary artifacts and identify the lines in the song that match each primary artifact. Students should record their responses in the note catcher. After they have matched the artifacts and lyrics in small groups, bring the class back together to share responses and analyze together.

Downloadable lesson plan.


Additional Lesson Plans
Exploring South Asian America: A 50-minute Tour
Dr. Amber Abbas, Saint Joseph’s University (2014)

Ethnography and the South Asian American Experience
Dr. Fariha Khan, University of Pennsylvania (2014)

Artifacts in the Archive
Dr. Amy Bhatt, University of Maryland Baltimore County (2014)

Oral History, Migration and the Archive
Dr. Amber Abbas, Saint Joseph’s University (2014)

In the Face of Xenophobia: Lessons to address bullying of South Asian American youth [external]
Dr. Monisha Bajaj, Dr. Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher, and Karishma Desai (2013)


Our Stories
An Introduction to South Asian America

Our Stories is an introduction to the South Asian America specifically written for high school and college-age readers.

Bringing together the voices of sixty-four authors—including a wide range of scholars, artists, journalists, and community members—Our Stories weaves together the myriad histories, experiences, perspectives, and identities that make up the South Asian American community.

Educators, please email us at educators@saada.org for an exclusive 15% off discount code for the print edition of Our Stories.

$50 for print edition; $35 for digital edition; $85 for collector's edition.


Educator Companion for Our Stories
Created by a team of educators, this companion to Our Stories offers educators suggested discussion questions, activities, and excerpts to explore issues of identity, belonging, collective action, and social change.

The guide offer prompts and ideas for educators to utilize Our Stories in junior high or high school (grades 7–12) or college classrooms. The companion can also be utilized outside the classroom to lead discussions at home, after-school clubs, or community group meetings.

Free digital edition for educators; $15 for print edition.


South Asian America in the Classroom
A collection of eleven lesson plans for college-level educators, assembled by SAADA in partnership with educators who are experts in their respective fields. Lesson plans explore the intersection of South Asian American identity with fashion, civil rights, food, social media, and more!

Free digital edition for educators; $20 for print edition.


Revolution Remix Lesson Plan
Revolution Remix, SAADA's immersive musical walking tour of Philadelphia, is accompanied by a standalone lesson plan!

Developed by Dr. Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher, EdD, this common core aligned lesson plan encourages students to use independent learning to recognize and appreciate the hidden histories of immigrant groups in the United States, thus gaining a more complete picture of immigrant life in the early 20th century and a deeper understanding of historical global connections.

Free digital edition for educators.


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