Books and Free Activities for Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Your Classroom

Sep 19

Sep 19 Books and Free Activities for Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Your Classroom

“Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures”

- Cesar Chavez

Harvesting Hope : The Story of Cesar Chavez by Katherine Krull and illustrated by Yuyi Morales is the story of Cesar Chavez, a civil rights leader who fought for the rights of migrant farmworkers. He led a 340-mile protest walk to generate support for the movement. The book discusses Chavez’s early life, when he was a shy child from a poor family. Chavez believed in his cause and when he spoke up people listened.

You can find a great YouTube read-aloud version here, and a free Cesar Chavez coloring page here.

You can also find a colorful poster of him with the quote, “Yes, we can!” included in this free “Quotes by Famous Spanish Americans”resource.

Who was Cesar Chavez? by Dana M. Rau is another great biography from the widely popular ‘Who Was?’ series.

This episode of Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum focusing on Cesar Chavez in a fun and informative way!

After sharing the life of Cesar Chavez with students, have them write an “I can do it“ poem. You could provide them with sentence stems such as I am, I will, I can, I believe, and I hope.

You will find MANY more options for activities for grades K-12 here.

“Education is what allows you to stand out.”

-Ellen Ochoa

The Astronaut with a Song for the Stars: The Story of Dr. Ellen Ochoa by Julia Finley Mosca introduces us to Dr. Ellen Ochoa, who is the first Hispanic female astronaut, and can be found as an entertaining read-aloud here.

Growing up in a family of immigrants, Ellen dreamed of becoming a professional flutist, but all of that changed when she discovered engineering in college. Though she was told that field of study wasn't for girls, the bright young scientist refused to give up-ultimately becoming a NASA astronaut who shattered barriers and rocketed to success!

This free resource has great graphic organizers and is perfect for grades 2-5.

Ellen Ochoa: Dynamic Space Director by Rebecca Felix follows her story as she works at NASA’s Ames Research Center while attempting to become an astronaut. We see how her persistence pays off when she is chosen to be an astronaut on the third try! This books teaches us about her accomplishments from her space shuttle missions through her retirement as the director of the Johnson Space Center. In has infographics, historic photos, a timeline, and fun facts.

This quick little video also shows fun facts about Ellen Ochoa.

Her quote, “Education is what allows you to stand out,” is included in this free “Quotes by Famous Spanish Americans” resource.

I was also happy to find this coloring page free on this link.

“Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”

-Roberto Clemente

Robert Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates by Jonah Winter tells the story of
a little boy who lived on an island called Puerto Rico and only wanted to play baseball. Although he had no money, Roberto Clemente practiced and practiced until—eventually—he made it to the Major Leagues. As a right-fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he fought tough opponents—and even tougher racism—but with his unreal catches and swift feet, he earned his nickname, "The Great One." He led the Pirates to two World Series, hit three-thousand hits, and was the first Latino to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. But it wasn't just baseball that made Clemente legendary—he was was also a humanitarian dedicated to improving the lives of others. This book has been recorded as a YouTube read-aloud many times and this version is one of my favorites.

You can find this colorful quote poster here as part of the free Quotes by Famous Hispanic Americans resource.

I also found this really great resource free here on this link.

Who Was Roberto Clemente? by James Buckley Jr. is another awesome book that shares Clemente’s inspiring story and is very popular with kids and teachers.