Club Kit¶

This kit is for South Asian student associations and any club that wants to learn about South Asian cultures together. It is built for a club that meets once a month for 45 minutes, which is how many school clubs work (for example, the South Asian Student Association at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota, meets one Friday a month). Twenty meetings over two school years cover all 22 chapters.

Everything here is free. You need a screen, an internet connection, paper and pencils. You don't need to be an expert to lead. The leader's job is to keep things moving and ask good questions. The book has the answers.

Start with one meeting

Mora giving a tip Don't try to plan two years at once. Pick next month's session below, give each officer one job, and run it. You'll learn more from one real meeting than from any plan.

Before your first meeting¶

Find a faculty advisor. Most schools require one. A social studies, world language or ethnic studies teacher is a natural fit. The For Teachers page explains the book to them.
Book a room with a projector. MicroSims also run on phones and Chromebooks, so members can follow along on their own devices.
Check your school's rules on food, posters, social media and events with other clubs. Your advisor will know.
Make it clear the club is for everyone. See How non-South Asian members belong below.

Officer roles¶

Small clubs can combine roles. Rotate the meeting jobs (leader, quizmaster) so more people get a turn.

Role	What they do
President or co-presidents	Set the year's calendar with the advisor, run the opener, keep the meeting on time, and speak for the club with the school.
Meeting leader (rotates)	Reads the chapter's Summary and Key Takeaways before the meeting and runs the MicroSim on the big screen.
Quizmaster	Builds the game from the chapter's quiz and Common Misconceptions, keeps score, and checks answers.
Treasurer	Tracks any money (many meetings need none) and collects ingredient lists when food is involved.
Food and allergy lead	Plans any food, checks the food notes for each session, labels everything, and makes sure there is always an option everyone can eat. Can be the treasurer.
Story keeper	Runs the Ask Your Elders share-out, collects stories only with permission, and helps members submit to the Story Archive if they want to.
Outreach and social media	Makes posters and posts, and reaches out to other clubs for joint events. Follows school rules on photos (always ask before posting anyone's face).

The 45-minute meeting template¶

Every session uses the same five parts. A steady routine means less planning and more time for fun.

Part	Time	What happens
1. Opener	5 min	A quick question everyone can answer, posted on the board as people walk in.
2. MicroSim activity	12 min	The leader runs the chapter's MicroSim on the big screen. Use predict, then reveal: everyone guesses first, then the sim shows what happens.
3. Game	13 min	A Kahoot-style quiz built from the chapter quiz, Jeopardy categories, or Two Truths and a Myth from Common Misconceptions. Play in teams.
4. Ask Your Elders share-out	10 min	Members who did last month's interview share one short story. Always voluntary.
5. Wrap-up	5 min	Hand out next month's Ask Your Elders questions, announce the next date, and clean up.

The three games¶

Kahoot-style quiz. The quizmaster copies 8 to 10 questions from the chapter's quiz page into a free quiz tool or onto slides, without the answers. Teams answer on paper or devices. Read the explanation from the quiz page after each question; that's where the learning happens.
Jeopardy. Five categories, three questions each. Good categories come from the chapter's section headings, plus one category called "Myth or Reality?" and one called "Say It Right" (pronounce a term from the chapter using its respelling).
Two Truths and a Myth. Read three statements: two true facts from the chapter and one myth from its Common Misconceptions. Teams pick the myth, then one member explains the reality in their own words. This is the best game for new members because it rewards listening, not prior knowledge.

Food at meetings: the basics¶

Food brings people in, but it needs care. These notes apply to every session.

Label everything with its name and main ingredients, and mark it vegetarian, vegan, contains nuts, contains egg, or contains meat (and which meat).
Halal: many Muslim members eat only halal meat. The simplest choice is to keep shared snacks vegetarian.
Vegetarian: many Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist families are vegetarian, and many are not. Never assume. Always have a vegetarian option.
Jain diets often avoid root vegetables (such as onion, garlic and potato) as well as meat and eggs. If you have Jain members, ask them what works.
Nut allergies can be life-threatening. Many South Asian sweets contain cashews, almonds or pistachios. Follow your school's allergy rules, read labels, and keep nut items clearly separate or skip them.
Ramadan: many Muslim members fast from dawn to sunset during Ramadan. If a meeting falls during Ramadan, skip food or send it home in to-go bags.
No food is fine. Many great meetings have no food at all. Check your school's rules before bringing anything homemade.

Festival dates for planning¶

The plan below places sessions near festivals. Many festival dates move every year, and Islamic dates depend on moon sighting, so check a calendar each fall. The book's Festival Calendar 2026-27 and the Festival Wheel explain why.

Festival	2026-27	2027-28
Diwali	Sunday 8 November 2026 (timeanddate)	Friday 29 October 2027 in US Central time; some calendars for the West Coast give 28 October (Daanyam)
Ramadan begins	Around 8 February 2027 (timeanddate)	Check in the fall
Eid al-Fitr	Around Wednesday 10 March 2027, tentative (timeanddate)	Around Sunday 27 February 2028, tentative (same source)
Holi	Monday 22 March 2027 (timeanddate, India)	Saturday 11 March 2028 (same source)
Pohela Boishakh (Bangladesh)	14 April	14 April
Vaisakhi	13 or 14 April	13 or 14 April

Islamic holidays begin at sundown the evening before, and the exact day can shift by one depending on when the new moon is seen. Ask your Muslim members which date their families will celebrate.

The two-year plan¶

Each school year has ten meetings, September through June. If your school year ends in early June, combine the May and June sessions. Every session links to its chapter, quiz and MicroSim.

Year 1¶

September: What is South Asia?¶

Chapter: 1: What Is South Asia? (quiz)
Goal: Everyone can name the eight countries and say why "South Asia" is not the same as "India".
Opener: "Put a sticky dot on the board for a place in South Asia you, your family or a friend has a connection to. No connection? Pick one you want to visit."
MicroSim: Region Explorer. Predict which country has the most people and which has the fewest, then click to check. Turn on the monsoon and ask where the rain arrives first.
Game: Two Truths and a Myth, using "South Asia = India" and "monsoon means constant rain" as myths.
Ask Your Elders: First meeting, so no share-out. Hand out Chapter 1's questions (where the family comes from, what the monsoon meant to them).
Food note: Skip food or keep it simple: a labeled, nut-free, vegetarian snack.

October: Ancient roots¶

Chapter: 2: Ancient Roots (quiz)
Goal: Put the big ancient periods in order and know that the Indus script is still not deciphered.
Opener: "What's the oldest object in your home? Who did it belong to?"
MicroSim: Ancient Timeline. Teams predict which city lights up next before the leader moves the slider.
Game: Jeopardy with categories "Indus Cities", "Empires", "Faiths Begin", "Myth or Reality?" and "Say It Right".
Ask Your Elders: Share-out from Chapter 1. Then hand out Chapter 2's questions.
Food note: None needed.

November: Festivals through the year (Diwali season)¶

Chapter: 7: Festivals Through the Year (quiz)
Goal: Explain why Diwali, Eid and Vaisakhi move on the calendar in different ways.
Opener: "What's one sound, smell or food that means 'festival' to you?"
MicroSim: Festival Wheel. Predict where Eid will be in five years, then slide the year to check.
Game: Kahoot-style quiz from the Chapter 7 quiz.
Ask Your Elders: Share-out from Chapter 2, then hand out Chapter 7's questions (a favorite festival as a child, how it's different in Minnesota).
Food note: Diwali sweets often contain nuts, ghee or milk. Label carefully and include a nut-free option. Remember that Diwali is marked by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, each for their own reasons, and not every member celebrates it.

December: Food and the table¶

Chapter: 8: Food and the Table (quiz)
Goal: Compare regional food across at least four countries and connect it to climate and trade.
Opener: "Describe an ordinary weekday dinner at your house in five words."
MicroSim: Thali Builder. Teams each take a region and report back one thing that surprised them.
Game: Two Truths and a Myth ("curry is one dish", "all South Asian food is spicy").
Ask Your Elders: Festival stories from November. Hand out Chapter 8's questions (a dish only your family makes).
Food note: A good month for a small potluck if your school allows it. Require ingredient cards, keep meat dishes separate and labeled (and say whether meat is halal), and have a vegetarian, nut-free table.

January: Empires and encounters¶

Chapter: 3: Empires and Encounters (quiz)
Goal: See that many powers overlapped in time instead of replacing each other neatly.
Opener: "Name a building from South Asia you've seen in a photo. Who built it?"
MicroSim: Empire Swim Lanes. Drop the year cursor on 1600 and count who overlaps.
Game: Jeopardy: "Dynasties", "Buildings", "Trade", "Myth or Reality?", "Say It Right".
Ask Your Elders: Food stories. Hand out Chapter 3's questions (the oldest building near home).
Food note: None needed.

February: Languages and scripts (Mother Language Day)¶

Chapter: 6: Languages and Scripts (quiz)
Goal: Explain that many South Asian scripts share an ancestor, and why 21 February matters (Language Martyrs' Day in Bangladesh, 1952, and International Mother Language Day, declared by UNESCO in 1999).
Opener: "Write your name in any script you know. If you only know one, ask a neighbor to teach you a letter."
MicroSim: Script Family Tree. Predict which scripts write "ka" the most alike, then click to compare.
Game: Kahoot-style quiz, plus a bonus "Say It Right" round.
Ask Your Elders: Empire and building stories. Hand out Chapter 6's questions (a word with no English translation).
Food note: In 2027, Ramadan begins around 8 February, so a February meeting may fall during the fast. Skip food or send it home.

March: Faiths of South Asia (Eid and Holi)¶

Chapter: 5: Faiths of South Asia (quiz)
Goal: Compare faiths on the same questions without ranking them.
Opener: "What's one value your family taught you? (It doesn't have to be religious.)"
MicroSim: Faith Explorer. Use Compare mode: each team picks a lens (like "a major festival") and compares two faiths.
Game: Two Truths and a Myth ("Hinduism has one holy book", "religion and country map one-to-one").
Ask Your Elders: "A word with no English translation" share-out. Many members love this one. Hand out Chapter 5's questions, including the option to ask about values if the family isn't religious.
Food note: Time this meeting after Eid al-Fitr if you can (around 10 March 2027). If it falls during Ramadan, skip food. Never ask anyone to explain or perform a prayer.

April: Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (spring new years)¶

Chapter: 19: Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (quiz)
Goal: Explain how a river delta and an island shape daily life, and name new-year festivals that fall in mid-April.
Opener: "How does your family mark a new year? Any new year counts: January, Lunar New Year, Nowruz, Pohela Boishakh, Vaisakhi, Sinhala and Tamil New Year, or none."
MicroSim: Delta and Island. Predict how much land floods when the monsoon slider goes up.
Game: Jeopardy: "Rivers", "Tea and Rice", "New Year", "Myth or Reality?", "Say It Right".
Ask Your Elders: Faith and values stories (handle with extra care; nobody explains their faith on demand). Hand out Chapter 19's questions.
Food note: A spring snack table works well. Keep it vegetarian and nut-free, or ask members who celebrate these new years what they would like to share.

May: Music and dance¶

Chapters: 9: Music and 10: Dance and Theater (quiz 9, quiz 10)
Goal: Count a tala cycle and tell two classical dance forms apart.
Opener: "Name a song you'd play at a family wedding."
MicroSim: Tala Clapper. Everyone claps Teentaal together and waves on the khali beat. Then a quick look at the Classical Dance Map.
Game: Two Truths and a Myth ("all Indian dance is Bollywood dance", "a raga is just a scale").
Ask Your Elders: New-year stories. Hand out Chapter 13's questions for June.
Food note: None needed.

June: Family, names, and life events (Ask Your Elders night)¶

Chapter: 13: Family, Names, and Life Events (quiz)
Goal: Explain why many South Asian languages have separate words for mother's and father's relatives.
Opener: "What do you call your father's older brother? Write it on the board in any language."
MicroSim: Kinship Explorer. Compare terms across five languages.
Game: Kahoot-style quiz. Keep it short to leave time for stories.
Ask Your Elders: This is the year's Ask Your Elders night. Members may invite an elder.
Food note: If elders are invited, ask families in advance about dietary needs, and plan for halal, vegetarian, Jain and nut-free guests.

Year 2¶

September: India¶

Chapter: 17: India (quiz)
Goal: Connect India's language-based states to its federal structure. Welcome new members with a quick recap of Chapter 1.
Opener: "Two truths and a lie about yourself" as an icebreaker for new members.
MicroSim: India Explorer. Color by language family and predict which family covers the south.
Game: Jeopardy: "States", "Languages", "Capitals", "Myth or Reality?", "Say It Right".
Ask Your Elders: Hand out Chapter 17's questions, with the "place you visited or want to visit" option for members without Indian heritage.
Food note: None needed.

October: Art, craft, and clothing (Diwali season)¶

Chapters: 11: Art, Architecture, and Craft and 12: Clothing and Textiles
Goal: Make a symmetric kolam pattern and match garments and textiles to regions in several countries.
Opener: "Wear or bring something from home if you'd like" (never required). Members can say one sentence about it.
MicroSim: Kolam Maker on the big screen, then on paper with chalk or markers. Finish with the Textile Map.
Game: Two Truths and a Myth ("the saree is only Indian", "turbans mean one religion").
Ask Your Elders: India stories. Hand out Chapter 11's questions (a handmade object passed down).
Food note: Diwali falls on 29 October 2027 in Minnesota (some calendars say 28 October). Same notes as Year 1's November session: label, nut-free option, and remember not every member celebrates.

November: Colonialism, independence, and Partition¶

Chapter: 4: Colonialism, Independence, and Partition (quiz)
Goal: Explain how one colonial territory became several countries through two separate events, 1947 and 1971.
Opener: "Why might a family remember the same year very differently from a textbook?" (Keep it general.)
MicroSim: Borders Then and Now. Predict what happens at 1971 before moving the slider.
Game: Kahoot-style quiz only. Skip jokes and fast-paced games for this topic.
Ask Your Elders: Art and craft stories. Hand out Chapter 4's questions, and read the gentle note aloud: ask only if your elder wants to share, and stop if a memory is painful. Ask your advisor to read the sensitive topics guidance first.
Food note: None needed.

December: Cinema, cricket, and pop culture¶

Chapter: 15: Cinema, Cricket, and Pop Culture (quiz)
Goal: Know that "Bollywood" is one of many film industries, and understand an over in cricket.
Opener: "First movie you remember watching with your family?"
MicroSim: Film Industries Map, then the Cricket Basics tab. Ben-style questions encouraged.
Game: Jeopardy: "Film Industries", "Cricket", "Music", "Myth or Reality?", "Say It Right".
Ask Your Elders: Partition and 1971 share-out, only if members want to, and with no follow-up questions unless the speaker invites them. Hand out Chapter 15's questions.
Food note: A relaxed, end-of-semester snack is fine. Label it.

January: Science, math, and ideas¶

Chapter: 16: Science, Math, and Ideas (quiz)
Goal: Explain why a symbol for zero makes place value work, without overclaiming.
Opener: "Write 2027 in Roman numerals. How long did it take?"
MicroSim: Zero and Place Value. Try a number with zeros in the Roman and South Asian digit views.
Game: Two Truths and a Myth ("Indians invented all of math", "zero was invented by one person on one day").
Ask Your Elders: Film and cricket stories. Hand out Chapter 16's questions (math tricks they learned).
Food note: None needed.

February: Pakistan and Afghanistan (Ramadan and Eid season)¶

Chapter: 18: Pakistan and Afghanistan (quiz)
Goal: Compare the two countries and trace the old road from Kabul to Lahore.
Opener: "What does a good host do when guests arrive at your house?"
MicroSim: Country Compare. Run the Khyber route animation and predict the next city.
Game: Kahoot-style quiz.
Ask Your Elders: Math and memory stories. Hand out Chapter 18's questions (hospitality customs).
Food note: Eid al-Fitr 2028 is expected around 27 February, so this meeting will likely fall during Ramadan. Skip food, or hold an after-Eid celebration in March with members' input.

March: Stories and literature (Holi season)¶

Chapter: 14: Stories and Literature (quiz)
Goal: See how one story can be told many ways across languages, faiths and borders.
Opener: "A bedtime story you heard as a kid, in one sentence."
MicroSim: Story Web. Filter by language and trace one story across borders.
Game: Jeopardy: "Epics", "Poets", "Fables", "Myth or Reality?", "Say It Right".
Ask Your Elders: Hospitality stories. Hand out Chapter 14's questions.
Food note: Holi falls on 11 March 2028. If you celebrate with color, use only skin-safe colors, do it outdoors with permission, and make it opt-in. Not every member celebrates Holi.

April: Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives (spring new years)¶

Chapter: 20: Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives (quiz)
Goal: Compare how altitude and sea level shape life in three smaller countries.
Opener: "Mountains or ocean? Pick one and say why."
MicroSim: Mountains to Atolls. Predict what a one-meter sea rise does to the atolls, then raise the slider.
Game: Two Truths and a Myth ("Sherpa means porter", "the Maldives is just a resort").
Ask Your Elders: Story share-out. Hand out Chapter 21's questions now so members have two months for the bigger diaspora interview.
Food note: If you mark Vaisakhi or Pohela Boishakh, ask members who celebrate to lead. Label everything.

May: The South Asian diaspora¶

Chapter: 21: The South Asian Diaspora (quiz)
Goal: Identify the major migration waves and their causes, including to Minnesota.
Opener: "Without naming anyone, what's one thing a family might bring when they move to a new country?"
MicroSim: Migration Waves. Predict the order of the waves, then run the timeline.
Game: Kahoot-style quiz.
Ask Your Elders: First share-out of the diaspora interviews. Keep immigration details general; nobody has to say when or how their family arrived.
Food note: None needed, or save food for June.

June: Bring it home (capstone)¶

Chapter: 22: Bring It Home (quiz)
Goal: Plan an ethical oral history interview, and celebrate two years of stories.
Opener: "One thing you learned in this club that you told someone at home."
MicroSim: Interview Builder. Each member builds and prints a plan for a summer interview.
Game: A "best of" Jeopardy with one category from each part of the book.
Ask Your Elders: A second Ask Your Elders night. Members who want to can submit a story to the Story Archive with permission.
Food note: If it's a celebration, plan as in Year 1's June session.

How to run an Ask Your Elders night¶

Once or twice a year, make the share-out the whole meeting.

Invite early. Two weeks ahead, members may invite one elder (a grandparent, parent, aunt or uncle, or a community member). Inviting is optional, and members can come alone.
Set up a circle with chairs, and a small table for objects or photos people bring.
Open with the ground rules (2 minutes): sharing is voluntary, we listen without interrupting, no recording or photos without permission, and nothing leaves the room unless the speaker says so.
Story rounds (30 minutes): each member who wants to shares one story from an interview, in two minutes or less, using first names only. Elders can add a sentence if they want.
Close (5 minutes): each person names one thing they want to keep. The story keeper reminds members how to submit to the Story Archive, with permission from the person who told the story and from a parent or guardian if the member is under 18.

Not everyone has an elder to interview, and some family stories are private. Members can share an interview with a community member, a story from a published oral history, or just listen. Listening is a full way to take part. See the Oral History Project for the method and consent script.

How to run a culture day with other clubs¶

A culture day with an Asian Student Association, a Black Student Union, a Latino club, a world language club or another cultural group shows that the clubs are partners, not rivals.

Plan together from the start. Meet with the other club's officers and both advisors. Split the work evenly and put both clubs' names on every poster.
Pick a shared theme. Good ones from this book: new years around the world (Chapter 7 and Chapter 19), scripts and writing systems (Chapter 6), patterns and symmetry (Chapter 11), or migration stories (Chapter 21).
Stations work well. Each club runs two or three tables: a MicroSim on a laptop, a hands-on activity like writing your name in a script or drawing a kolam on paper, and a Two Truths and a Myth card game.
Let members represent themselves. Nobody has to perform, dress up or explain their culture. Volunteers lead what they're comfortable with.
Food rules double with more people. Use one shared allergy and ingredient label format for both clubs.
Get school approval for the date, room and any food, and follow your school's photo rules.

How non-South Asian members belong¶

South Asian student clubs are better with friends in them. The book's own running character, Ben, is the club's first non-South Asian member, and he asks the questions other people are afraid to ask. Make that easy:

Say it out loud at the first meeting and on every poster: the club is open to everyone.
Use games that reward curiosity, like Two Truths and a Myth, where nobody needs prior knowledge.
Give everyone the Ask Your Elders alternatives: interview a community member, a family friend, or your own grandparents about their traditions and compare.
Give real roles. Any member can run a MicroSim, be quizmaster or be an officer.
Avoid "explain your culture" moments for anyone. South Asian members aren't spokespeople, and non-South Asian members aren't tourists.
Talk about appreciation and appropriation using Chapter 22: learning, asking and giving credit are different from taking.

Budget-free ideas¶

Most of what makes a meeting good costs nothing.

Script name tags: members write their name in a South Asian script with the help of the Pronunciation and Script Guide.
Paper kolam: dot grids on scrap paper, after using the Kolam Maker.
Tala circle: clap a tala together with the Tala Clapper. No instruments needed.
Myth-buster wall: a poster where members add one myth and its reality each month.
Festival board: a hallway calendar of festivals for the year, with each date checked against a reliable calendar.
Story jar: members drop in one-line memories from interviews (first names only) to read aloud at the next meeting.
Teach a younger class: with teachers' permission, members run Two Truths and a Myth for a middle school class.
Library display: ask your school librarian to display books by South Asian authors during a festival month.

Tell us how it went¶

If your club uses this kit, please report it with the classroom and club use form. The form is public, so don't include members' names. Your notes help other clubs and improve the book.