Hispanic Pride & Justice Sonia Sotomayor

September 15th to October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month. 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. Because of this growth, Latino culture has had a significant influence on our music, art, food, and language. Spanish has become the most relevant world language taken in school by non-Hispanics.

This year, the celebration is especially meaningful to Hispanic Americans as well as all Americans who believe that diversity is the strength of our country. Judge Sonia Sotomayor, whose parents are Puerto Rican, becomes the first Hispanic American to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

She passed the grueling test of Senate hearings in which the minority Senators questioning arguably tried to paint her as an "activist" and "racist" judge based on snippets from a few of her many speeches ("wise Latina woman") to primarily groups of law students.

Ultimately, the majority Senators questioning proved successful by focusing on Judge Sotomayor's long record of decisions that consistently applied the accepted practice of legal precedent rather than personal bias. A profile of fairness and consistency emerged that ultimately paved the way for her appointment as the newest Justice of the Supreme Court.

Sonia Sotomayor's parents came from Puerto Rico. They raised Sonia successfully integrating the elements of Hispanic culture with the American culture of New York. How is Hispanic culture different from mainstream American culture and how does it enrich American culture?

ProQuest BookCart learning activities are flexible lesson plans for inquiry-based learning. Instead of sending students out to search eLibrary or Google the web and generally waste time searching, teachers can direct them to a BookCart learning activity for the topic/issue.

ProQuest editors have created a BookCart that helps students celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month—"Hispanic Heritage Month—MS/HS."

This BookCart includes all the best articles and websites and student directions that students need to complete the assignment—and all in a single place.

A complete listing (PDF) of more than 800 ProQuest Carts by curriculum area is available for you to copy this or any other Carts that support your department's curriculum inquiry-based learning activities needs. Each Title is hyperlinked and will provide instructions for copying when clicked.

• Open the eLibrary Teacher Edition.
• Click BookCart Admin tab at the top.
• Click the ProQuest Carts tab (800 ProQuest models).
• Type "Hispanic Heritage Month—MS/HS" in the Search box.
• Click the COPY icon in the Actions column to the right of this title.
• Click Return to My Local Carts to end the copying process.

Edit your new Cart to customize it for your students:

• Click the new BookCart Title--it has "Copy of" as its prefix.
• Delete "Copy of" in the Title.
• Type your first and last name in the AUTHOR boxes.
• Type your email address in the EMAIL box.
• Optional: Edit the essential questions and any other text in the DESCRIPTIONS box.
• Scroll down and click SAVE button at bottom > Return to My Local Carts.
• Your edited Cart is ready for students to use when they click the BookCart tab in eLibrary.

The Hispanic culture has had and will continue to have a major impact on many aspects of our lives as the Hispanic population continues to grow, and Hispanics such as Justice Sotomayor move into the mainstream of leadership in business and government. To help students understand and appreciate the contributions of Hispanic Americans, assign a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least two minutes and seven slides, citing at least three resources.

Give your students two different career categories that help define Hispanic contributions to American culture and achievement. Here are some examples for you to use in making assignments: music; sports; acting; politics; science; the arts; military, etc. (you can add or substitute other categories).

Students should address the following essential questions for critical thinking in their reports (feel free to add your own):

• Who are two of the most famous Hispanic Americans that have achieved in each of these two career areas?
• What obstacles did they have to overcome to achieve success?
• How do their accomplishments benefit America?
• Why is it more difficult for Hispanics and other minorities to succeed in America?
• Is Hispanic American progress increasing in America—why or why not?
• What is your favorite part of Hispanic American culture and why?

Type "Hispanic Americans" in the Search box.

Use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

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