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Why do we want students to learn more about Hispanic American Heritage Month?
Hispanic Americans officially began celebrating their history and culture in September 1968, when Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week during the week including Sept. 15 and Sept. 16. In 1988, the observance was expanded to a month-long celebration (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15).
Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it's the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.
Most Hispanic Americans are immigrants from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Central American countries. They are presently the largest and fastest-growing ethnic group of citizens in the U.S., and thus Latino culture has significantly influenced our music, art, food, and language. Spanish is already the most popular world language studied in U.S. schools by non-Hispanics. and, in many ways, it has become the unofficial second language of the U.S.
Unfortunately, the illegal immigration problem may have affected public attitudes toward Hispanics. Teachers can help students see the positive side of Hispanic immigration by focusing them on the contributions and culture of Hispanic Americans who came here legally and chose to become U.S. citizens.
BookCart Activity: Hispanic culture has had and will continue to have a major impact on many aspects of our lives regardless of the outcome of the illegal immigration issue. Teachers can help students overcome any prejudices they may have acquired from the daily news about illegal immigration by focusing them on the positive contributions of Hispanic Americans.
ProQuest has created a model BookCart that's essentially a lesson plan for students to research Hispanic American Heritage Month. Here's how to find, review, and copy this BookCart for your students to use:
- Click ProQuest Carts tab
- Ethnic Culture and Interests folder
- Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
- Click the copy icon
Students should answer the essential questions for critical thinking included in the BookCart. Students should use at least three resources in preparing a written report of approximately 200 words. Here's a resource that provides models for written reports.
ProQuest Learning: Literature Activity: Students will gain a greater appreciation of the culture of Hispanic Americans, their struggles to overcome the obstacles they've faced, and their achievements by studying a Hispanic author and works.
Pathfinder 1: Click Study Pages > Literary Movement Pages > Hispanic American Literature > Scroll down to Select Study Questions.
Pathfinder 2: Type Hispanic Authors in the Quick Search box > GO > More...
Here are some pathfinders to sample lesson plans you can use to create activities, with information on the different Hispanic authors you assign to your students:
- Click Educator Resources (left margin)
- Curriculum Support
- Standard-Based Lesson Plans (three models)
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