Hispanic Heritage Month STEM Activities for Students

An educator guides two students through hands-on plant observation for Hispanic Heritage Month STEM activities.
August 15, 2026

Need Hispanic Heritage Month STEM activities that go beyond a one-day lesson? Start with real scientists, engineers, and astronauts whose work helps students see STEM at work in the world.

These Newsela STEM resources help you build lessons around Hispanic STEM leaders and icons when you want to connect science learning with real people and real-world questions.

[Bring Hispanic Heritage Month STEM activities into science class](id-sci)

Hispanic Heritage Month STEM activities work best when students study the science behind the story. Use these resources to frame scientists, engineers, astronauts, and environmental leaders as people solving real problems—not just a list of names to memorize.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month science resources

Use these articles and biographies to explore space exploration, engineering, scientific research, and environmental work. Browse the two categories to find resources that connect Hispanic Heritage Month with STEM topics and careers.

Space exploration and engineering 4 resources

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Scientists and environmental research 5 resources

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[Build lessons around Hispanic scientists and STEM stories](id-scientists)

Key Takeaways

  • Look beyond biographical details. Have students identify the scientific questions, research, and discoveries described in each scientist's story.
  • Compare scientific approaches. Use details from two scientists' stories to examine how observation, persistence, and problem-solving contributed to their work.
  • Connect space science to evidence-based writing. Use Frank Rubio's record-setting spaceflight to prompt questions about living and working in space, then have students support their answers with details from the article.

Use these resources to help students move from “learn about this scientist” to “Think like a scientist.” Students can compare traits, trace evidence, ask stronger questions, and connect STEM careers to real problems people are solving.

See how Hispanic scientists are changing the world

A scientist’s work is often influenced by their questions, experiences, persistence, and curiosity, and those affect the problems they choose to solve.

Use this activity to help students compare Hispanic scientists and connect their character traits to the scientific work they do. Students will read about scientists across fields, look for stated and inferred traits, and explain why those traits matter in STEM.

Lesson flow: Compare scientists and their STEM practices

Guide students through a comparison of Hispanic scientists, using evidence from the readings to connect personal traits with scientific work.

Brainstorm scientist traits

Ask students to name traits scientists may use in their work, such as curiosity, persistence, careful observation, and problem-solving.

Read the scientists' stories

Have students read Part 1 and Part 2 of the scientist article series.

Annotate the evidence

Have students highlight traits stated directly in the text and annotate actions that suggest other traits, using article details as evidence.

Compare two scientists

Ask students to choose two scientists who demonstrate similar traits and complete the Comparing Characteristics worksheet.

Connect traits to scientific work

Have students explain how a shared trait shaped each scientist's approach to a problem, citing evidence from both articles.

Teach about Frank Rubio’s record-setting spaceflight

Frank Rubio’s spaceflight gives students a concrete way to connect science content with human experience. Instead of only learning that astronauts live and work on the International Space Station, students can ask what long-duration spaceflight feels like, what problems astronauts have to solve, and how reporters use evidence to tell that story.

Lesson flow: Investigate life in space

Guide students from space-station background knowledge to evidence-based interview questions about Frank Rubio’s record-setting spaceflight.

Set the question

Ask students: What is it like to live in space for long periods of time?

Tour the ISS

Have students watch Tour the International Space Station and use a Web Chart to collect details about life aboard the station.

Read Rubio’s story

Have students read the article about Frank Rubio’s spaceflight and identify details about how his mission changed.

Annotate his perspective

Ask students to highlight Rubio’s reactions to the experience and annotate details that help explain his point of view.

Think like a reporter

Have students write three to five interview questions, then use article evidence to predict how Rubio might answer.

Keep STEM connections going beyond Hispanic Heritage Month with Newsela

Hispanic Heritage Month is a great time to help students see how Hispanic scientists, astronauts, engineers, and environmental leaders have shaped the world around them. But these stories do not have to stay in one month of the school year.

With the Newsela Learning Suite, you can use these and other Hispanic Heritage Month STEM activities as a starting point for more conversations about who does science, what questions scientists ask, and how STEM work connects to students’ lives.

If you’re not a Newsela customer yet, sign up for free and start your 45-day trial of premium content to access everything you need to support science lessons during Hispanic Heritage Month year-round.

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