Online Learning Activities
Latinos in History: A Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Activity
A great way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, students meet 25 Latinos who have inspired others with their deeds and contributions.
- Grades: 1–2, 3–5
Scholastic’s “Latinos in History” (grades 2–5) lets students explore 25 people of Hispanic Heritage who’ve contributed to American history in different ways. A brief bio accompanies each Latino, and some include a photo and links offsite for further reading.
This learning activity is organized chronologically in the following categories:
- Born Before 1900: Includes a Civil War admiral, a Texas state senator, the physician who first linked yellow fever to mosquitoes, a woman who disguised herself as a man to fight in the Civil War, a governor of New Mexico, a U.S. senator, a nutritionist who advanced food safety issues in the Southwest, and the governor of Puerto Rico.
- Born 1901 – 1949: Features a Nobel Prize winner in medicine and physiology, the founder and co-founder of United Farm Workers of America, a community organizer who fought for civil rights for Mexican-Americans in the 1960s, an inspirational teacher, a playwright, baseball player, actor, a former United States Surgeon General, the Executive Vice-President of the AFL-CIO, and the former United States Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Energy.
- Born after 1950: Includes two astronauts, a congresswoman, a male ballet dancer, a female pro golfer, and a singer and musician.
Plus, students can use Scholastic’s biography sheet to document their own research on these Latinos or other history-makers.
Learning Objectives
While participating in the “Latinos in History” activity, students become proficient with several of these standards-based skills.
- Identify and describe traits that represent Hispanic cultures
- Study and analyze the traditions and culture of Hispanic Americans
- Conduct research on issues of identity and heritage
- Formulate interview questions based on reading materials
- Use compiled information to ask questions that seek information not already discussed
- Understand and summarize the contributions of Hispanic Americans
- Gather and synthesize information about Hispanic community members by using a variety of informational resources.
- Apply reading comprehension skills, including: main idea, read for detail, draw conclusions
- Subjects:American History, Hispanic and Latin American, Historic Figures, World History, Hispanic Heritage Month
