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Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. Education World offers a piata full of activities that will help teachers focus attention on the contributions of people of Hispanic heritage to the history of the United States.
Today, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 31 million people in the United States are of Hispanic origin. That\'s about eleven percent of us!
Teaching of the contributions of Hispanic Americans, and learning about the cultures from which they come, will be the focal point of many classroom activities and discussions in the weeks ahead as students across the United States recognize Hispanic Heritage Month -- September 15 to October 15.
But why teach about Hispanic heritage? Or, for that matter, why teach about any heritage?
Clearly, teaching about the contributions of Latinos can only help to build the self-esteem and the pride of those who identify themselves as Mexican-American or Cuban-American or Puerto Rican-American or . . . .
But, even more importantly, it is essential that all students learn to understand the ethnic diversity that is our country, according to Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives (Banks and Banks, 1992). Integrating the cultures in the social studies classroom helps develop "ethnic literacy" in all students. Developing ethnic literacy fosters pride in one\'s own culture and a respect and appreciation for the uniqueness of others.
Many Hispanic Americans trace their roots to the cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas -- including the Arawaks (Puerto Rico), the Aztecs (Mexico), the Incas (South America), the Maya (Central America), and the Tainos (Cuba). Others trace their roots to the Spanish explorers, who in the 1400s set out to find an easier and less costly way to trade with the Indies. For purposes of the U.S. Census, Hispanic Americans today are identified according to the parts of the world that they or their ancestors came from, including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Spain, or the nations of Central or South America.
What follows is a loose series of activities that teachers might use to explore Hispanic heritage. But these activities -- which touch on the people, the statistics, the Internet resources -- are just the tip of the tortilla. Feel free to pick and choose, and (by all means!) to adapt these ideas in any way. Use these activities as a jumping-off point for a real fiesta celebrating and honoring the contributions of Hispanic Americans! Buena suerte! ACTIVITIES TO CELEBRATE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
U.S. geography.Many U.S. place names are derived from the Spanish language. Invite students to locate and tag on a U.S. map the following states and cities:
States-- Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Montana.
Cities-- El Paso, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Pueblo, Colorado; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; San Jose, California; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Challenge students to find additional U.S. place names of Spanish origin.
Study skills.Use the Hispanic Americans in History worksheetwith this activity. Invite students to use classroom, library, and Internet resources to match each famous Hispanic American listed on the worksheet with the brief description (in the second column) that tells what that person is noted for. Students might work cooperatively to complete this activity.
Hispanic Americans of the Past Answer Key: 1. i, 2. e, 3. a, 4. j, 5. h, 6. b, 7. g, 8. d, 9. c, 10. f.
Hispanic Americans of Today Answer Key: 1. d, 2. h, 3. c, 4. f, 5. e, 6. a, 7. j, 8. i, 9. g, 10. b.
Graphing.Invite students to use the following information from the U.S. Bureau of the Census to create a bar graph, a picture graph, or a circle graph showing the country of origin of U.S. Hispanics. The information below shows how many of every 100 Hispanic Americans list each of seven different countries as the nation from which their ancestors came.
Mexico
61 out of 100
Puerto Rico
12 out of 100
Cuba
5 out of 100
Spain
5 out of 100
Dominican Republic
2 out of 100
Nations in Central America
6 out of 100
Nations of South America
5 out of 100
Other Hispanic Nations
4 out of 100
Art.Invite students to design a postage stamp that could be part of a Hispanic Heritage stamp series. The stamp might show a famous Hispanic American or some aspect of Hispanic-American history or culture.
Dictionary skills.Many common English words are very similar to Spanish vocabulary. Following are a list of Spanish words and their English translations. Invite students to read each Spanish word below and to tell what the English equivalent might be.
Spanish English Spanish English
armadillo
armadillo
banana
banana
barbacoa
barbecue
botella (boh-TEH-yah)
bottle
cafetera
cafeteria
can (kan-YOHN)
canyon
chocolate
chocolate
colores
colors
ensalada
salad
explorador
explorer
inteligente (in-teh-lee-HEN-teh)
intelligent
mapa
map
mucho (MOO-choh)
much
msica (MOO-see-cuh)
music
no
no
nmeros (NOO-meh-rohs)
numbers
papel (pah-PEL)
paper
patio
patio
rosa
rose
tomate (toh-MAH-teh)
tomato
tornado
tornado
vegetal (veh-heh-TAHL)
vegetable
Language.Invite students to create books (libros) to help them learn the Spanish words for the numbers one to ten and for common colors. - Each page in the student\'s Number Book has it on the numeral (1), the English word (one), and the Spanish word (uno) for that numeral, and a drawing that depicts that number of a given item. You might choose words from the list that accompanies the dictionary skills activity above (e.g., 1 armadillo, 2 ensaladas, 3 rosas, 4 bananas, etc.) and label the illustrations appropriately. The Spanish-language numbers, in sequence from one to ten, are: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis , siete, ocho, nueve, and diez.
- The Color Book is made of pages of different colored construction paper with the Spanish and English words for each color written on the appropriate pages. Include the colors amarillo (yellow), anaranjado (orange), azul (blue), blanco (white), caf (brown), gris (gray), morado (purple), negro (black), oro (gold), plata (silver), rosado (pink), rojo (red), and verde (green).
World geography.Introduce students to the idea that the United States is a "melting pot." That means that people of many cultures have joined together to make this country great. Invite students to learn where their ancestors came from. Place a tag(s) with each student\'s name on the world map to indicate his/her place(s) of family origin.
Bulletin board/current events.Create a big black kettle (representing the "melting pot" that is America) out of construction paper and staple it to the bulletin board. Use white chalk to write the cultures represented in your students\' families on the pot. Then ask students to keep an eye out for articles in newspapers and magazines that include references to different cultural groups that are part of the American "melting pot." Hang those articles on the bulletin board.
Biographies.Invite students to select one of the famous Hispanics from the worksheet list (see Hispanic Americans in History) or one of the ones that follow and to learn two new facts about that person. Set up a "share time" when students will share with each other the information they\'ve learned.
Vasco Nez Balboa
Explorer
Simn Bolvar
Statesman
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Writer
Salvador Dal
Painter
Roberto Durn
Sportsman
Gloria Estefan
Singer
Francisco de Goya
Painter
Julio Iglesias
Musician
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Musician
Javier Prez de Cullar
Statesman
Pablo Picasso
Painter
Juan Ponce de Len
Explorer
Tito Puente
Musician
Queen Isabel of Castille
Ruler
Captain Angela Salinas
Military
Arantxa Snchez-Vicario
Sportswoman
Andrs Segovia
Musician
Lee Trevio
Sportsman
Emiliano Zapata
Statesman
Trivia.Following are ten trivia questions from a special quiz published for Hispanic Heritage Month 1996 on Latino Link. Check out Latino Link for information and fun related to this year\'s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. - Why should you think of Hispanic Heritage when you see the yellow veil of mustard blossoms on the roadside?Spanish soldiers and friars scattered the seeds...to mark a trail.
- What event do Mexicans and Mexican-Americans celebrate on Sept. 16? September 16 is Mexican Independence Day.
- What are sikus, quenas, wankaras and charangos? Andean musical instruments.
- What three U.S. states are home to most Hispanic-owned businesses?California, Texas and Florida.
- Who is the city of Galveston, Texas named after?Marshall Bernardo de Galvez
- What historic event is remembered in Puerto Rico on Sept. 23?El Grito de Lares.
- What historic event is celebrated on May 5th (or Cinco de mayo)? On May 5, 1862, Mexican forces defeated the invading soldiers of Napoleon in the town of Puebla.
- According to the census of 1990, which U.S. city is home to 49 percent of the Guatemalans living in the U.S.?Los Angeles.
- What is one of the accepted roots of the word Mariachi?It is a variation of the French word mariage, meaning wedding or marriage; or that it comes from the name of the wood used to make the platform on which the performers danced to the music of the village musicians.
- What tragic March 31, 1995 event left hundreds of thousands of Latinos in mourning?The untimely death of singer Selena.
Holiday research.Divide the class into groups and assign each group a holiday to research. Many of these holidays are celebrated today by Hispanic Americans: Guadalupe Day, Cinco de mayo, La Navidad, La Posadas, Three Kings Day, and The Day of the Dead.HISPANIC HERITAGE ON THE INTERNET LatinoLinkLook for a new section to be posted in time for the start of Hispanic Heritage Month to include a trivia contest and a revised edition of last year\'s very popular "Fifty Things to Do for Hispanic Heritage Month" by Ricardo Parra. What Does Hispanic Heritage Month Mean to You?A handful of individuals respond to the question with their very personal and poignant observations. Latinos: A Fiesta of StoriesTen great children\'s books that portray the history, customs, and family traditions of Latinos. Census Facts For Hispanic Heritage MonthA ton of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, with links to Bureau documents. JSC Celebrates Hispanic Heritage MonthSearch through a wide variety of "astronaut\'s-view" images of Hispanic countries. Hispanic Pages in the USAThe site includes a long list of famous Hispanics in history along with features on bullfighting and on Bernardo de Galvez, the hero of the American Revolution whose victories over the British helped George Washington win the war in the thirteen colonies. Contemporary Southwestern Hispanic ArtAn exhibit presented by the Museum of International Folk Art at the Museum of New Mexico includes an online exhibit of "pao" (Spanish for handkerchief) art, ink drawings on handkerchiefs and torn bed sheets that were typically drawn by Hispanic prisoners in U.S. prisons and mailed to their loved ones. The Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research (SHHAR)SHHAR (pronounced "share") is a non-profit volunteer organization with the specific goal of helping Hispanics research their family history. Includes much research support and links to many other sites for additional help in genealogical research. Integrating Mexican-American History and Culture into the Social Studies ClassroomAn ERIC Digest looks at selecting texts and preparing teachers for integrating the Mexican-American experience into the social studies curriculum. Action on Hispanic American EducationA September 1996 statement from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics addresses issues of equity in education for Hispanic Americans.
The following links are appropriate for secondary school studies of Hispanic culture: - Lesson Plans for Teaching About the AmericasMore than 65 lesson plans written by secondary teachers in 1995 as part of a summer institute at the Latin America Data Base. Many activities are cross-disciplinary and some integrate the Internet.
- Chicano!History of the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement. The teacher\'s guide for this PBS series includes a bio section and a time line that explores in depth Mexican-American and American history.
Hispanic Portals- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Mxico
- Nicaragua
- Panam
- Paraguay
- Per
- Puerto Rico
- Repblica Dominicana
- Spain
- United States
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
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