September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. Education World offers a piñata full of activities that will help us focus attention on the contributions of people of Hispanic heritage to the history of the United States.

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. 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 (in Cuba, Puerto Rico and other places). Some 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. Other Latinos trace their roots to the Africans who were brought as slaves to the New World. 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, tag on a U.S. map, and translate 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.

Mexico 67 out of 100
Puerto Rico 9 out of 100
Cuba 4 out of 100
Nations in Central & South America 14 out of 100
Other Hispanic Nations 6 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
cafetería  cafeteria  cañón (kan-YOHN)  canyon
chocolate  chocolate  colores  colors
ensalada  salad  explorador  explorer
inteligente (in-teh-lee-HEN-teh)  intelligent  mapa  map
mucho (MOO-choh)  much  música (MOO-see-cuh)  music
no  no  números (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), café (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 Latinos from the worksheet list (see Latinos 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 Núñez Balboa Explorer
Simón Bolívar Statesman
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Writer 
Salvador Dalí Painter
Roberto Durán Sportsman
Julio Iglesias Musician
Antonio Carlos Jobim Musician
Pablo Picasso Painter
Juan Ponce de León Explorer
Tito Puente Musician
Queen Isabel of Castille Ruler
Captain Angela Salinas Military
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario Sportswoman
Andrés Segovia Musician
Lee Treviño Sportsman
Emiliano Zapata Statesman

Trivia. Challenge students to use Internet or library resources to locate answers to the trivia questions below.

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 France at the Battle Of Puebla.
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.
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.