Each year, from September 15 to October 15, we recognize and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. Rather than starting on the first of the month, celebrations start on Independence Day for countries like Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Other important Independence Days that take place during Hispanic Heritage Month include those for Mexico, Chile, and Belize.

During this celebration of history and culture, we shine a light on all of the exciting contributions people with roots from these countries have made to all aspects of American life. We have 13 exciting Hispanic Heritage Month lesson plans to share with you that you can use and adapt for your social studies, ELA, and science classrooms.

• Teach about key figures and cultural milestones in your social studies classes.
• Explore Hispanic literature with ELA lesson plans
• Discover Hispanic contributions to science

[Teach about key figures and cultural milestones in your social studies classes](id-ss)

Hispanic people have influenced and shaped every aspect of American culture, from politics to the arts. With Newsela Social Studies and our Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month collection, you can help students get to know these people and their stories better.

Introduce students to Hispanic Heritage Month

Give students the background knowledge they need to understand the topics you’ll cover throughout Hispanic Heritage Month with an introductory lesson using content like:

• An explainer that defines different terms used for the people celebrated during this heritage month, like Latino, Hispanic, and Chicano.
• A 2021 article that addresses the call for more inclusivity within the month to highlight Asian, Black, and Indigenous Hispanic people.
• An article covering the challenges of preserving recognized historical sites throughout the United States linked to Hispanic culture and events.

Spotlight Hispanic leaders and trailblazers

Introduce your students to influential Hispanic pioneers in politics, activism, the arts, and other professions, like:

• Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court justice in U.S. history.
• Alex Padilla, the first Latino U.S. senator from California.
• Antonia Pantoja, a Latina activist who fought for bilingual education in New York City.
• Sylvia Rivera, a transgender activist who played a role in New York City’s Stonewall riots.
• Rita Moreno, the first Latina to earn the EGOT: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards.

Dive into the unique influences of different Hispanic cultures

Hispanic Americans have had a strong influence on popular music, food, and fashion in our country. Teach students more about some of these people and trends with content like:

• A biography of Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana.
• An article about how Puerto Rican-American Lin-Manuel Miranda used his Latino upbringing in upper Manhattan as the inspiration for his Broadway musical “In the Heights.”
• An article about how Honduan-American fashion designer Carlos Campos transformed his life from a poor teenage immigrant to presenting his latest collection at New York Fashion Week.

Discover how Hispanic traditions influence the arts

Some of the most popular and up-and-coming painters, writers, and creatives have Hispanic roots. Learn more about these inspiring people and their art with content like:

• An article about Miami street artist Disem who embraces his Panamanian, Colombian, and Italian roots when choosing subjects for his murals.
• A biography on Frida Kahlo, considered to be one of Mexico’s greatest artists.
• An article about Cuban-American poet Margarita Engle and how a trip to her mother’s hometown of Trinidad inspired her to become a plant scientist and poet.

Hear Our Voices

Hispanic voices have shaped our world in countless ways. The “Hear Our Voices” lessons teach students about influential activists and leaders from these communities who have made real changes in the lives of people worldwide.

Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta was a Mexican-American labor activist who worked closely with Cesar Chavez to found the labor union known as the United Farm Workers of America. She is best known for using the phrase “Sí, se puede,” which translates to “Yes, we can!” To teach students more about Huerta, have them:

• Read a biography of Huerta’s life from childhood to her Presidential Medal of Freedom honor in 2012.
• Watch an interactive video explaining the history behind Huerata’s most popular phrase.
• Read a 2017 article about Huerta’s advice for the next generation of people who want to fight for equal rights.

Cesar Chavez

Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American Civil Rights and labor leader. With Dolores Huerta, he helped found the United Farm Workers of America and spent most of his adult life speaking out about the poor working conditions of migrant workers. To teach students more about Chavez:

• Share the video story called “Who is Cesar Chavez” to give students background information about his life and work.
• Read an article that goes into more detail about how Chavez organized and empowered migrant farmworkers in the United States through nonviolent methods.
• Invite students to explore the United Farm Workers of America website and compare and contrast Chavez’s foundational ideas for the union with its practices today.

Las Mariposas

Las Mariposas was a name earned by the Mirabel sisters, who led a revolution against a dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. To teach students more about their efforts to bring a more just government to their country, you can:

• Share a video about who Las Mariposas were and the injustices they faced when speaking up for their rights.
• Read an article about how the sisters participated in an underground resistance in an attempt to overthrow dictator Rafael Trujillo.
• Extend the lesson by asking students to write a blog post about the impact of Las Mariposas and their activism using evidence from the article and video.

Jovita Idar

Jovita Idar was a Mexican-American journalist, activist, and suffragist who fought against numerous injustices during her lifetime. To teach students more about Idar, you can:

• Share a video about how Idar used her platform as a journalist to speak out about injustice.
• Assign an article that takes a deeper look into Idar’s fight against two of her most important causes: Racism and sexism.
• Extend the lesson by asking students to follow in Idar’s footsteps and design a public service announcement to shed light on a cause of their choice and suggest ways for people to get involved and make a change.

[Explore Hispanic literature with ELA lesson plans](id-ela)

Hispanic authors and culture have a strong influence on the literature our students read and love. Use Newsela ELA and our ELA Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month collection to explore topics like:

Hispanic authors

Help students get to know some of their favorite authors with Hispanic roots with content like:

• A video biography about Pam Muñoz Ryan and how her family background influenced her writing.
• A video interview with Elizabeth Acevedo about her coming-of-age novels.
• An interview with Prisca Mojica Rodríguez about her book “For Brown Girls.”
• A biography about Gloria Anzaldúa, a feminist writer and LGBTQIA+ advocate.
• A video biography of Gary Soto about how his childhood neighborhood inspired many of the settings in his stories.

Folktales from Maya culture

The Maya culture began in what is now Mexico and Central America. Certain aspects of this ancient culture still exist today, like some of its folktales. Introduce students to some of North America’s first civilizations with this paired text assignment:

• Have students read “How the King of Birds Was Chosen,” a play based on an ancient Maya folktale.
• Alongside this reading, assign students a nonfiction explainer article about Mexico’s geography, wildlife, people, culture, government, economy, and history.
• Use a Venn Diagram and paired text analysis worksheet to help students answer a guiding question like, How do the genre and style of each text impact the author’s message?

The history of Aztec culture

The Aztecs were an ancient civilization in what is now present-day Mexico. You can help students learn more about its culture and traditions with this paired text activity:

• Assign a historical fiction article about a 16-year-old healer, Toci, in 16th century Mexico City who reflects on the cycle of life and death as she helps a midwife deliver a baby.
• Alongside the fiction article, have students read about Aztec society, its hierarchical structure, and the roles of different classes in the empire.
• Ask students to use the guiding question, What is the main idea of each text and how are the main ideas connected? while reading and record their observations with a Venn Diagram and paired text analysis worksheet.

Hispanic poetry

Theme your poetry lessons for September and October with selections from Hispanic poets, like:

• “Mercy” by José Antonio Rodríguez
• “The U.S. of Us” by Richard Blanco
• “swimming in pool-scented skies” by Isabella Ramírez
• “In Praise of Dreams” by Gary Soto
• “The Conditional” by Ada Limón

Hispanic novel studies

Whether you’re looking for a whole class novel to read or creating lists of recommended or free-time reading for students, add some from Hispanic authors to your list! Newsela ELA’s Novel and Book Studies collection has over 500 titles from diverse authors to help build background knowledge and spark students’ interests, like:

• “Before We Were Free” by Julia Alvarez
• “Esperanza Rising” by Pam Muñoz Ryan
• “Dominicana” by Angie Cruz
• “Dreaming in Cuban” by Cristina García
• “Taking Sides” by Gary Soto

[Discover Hispanic contributions to science](id-sci)

Every day, Hispanic scientists are making new discoveries or doing research to help us better understand our world. With Newsela Science and our Science Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month collection, students can learn even more about their contributions to every branch of science:

Help students learn more about Hispanic scientists

How much do your students know about the Hispanic scientists who have touched nearly every branch of science, from botany to astronomy and astronautics and environmental science? Help them get to know these trailblazers better with content like:

• A biography on Mario Molina, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
• An article about botanist Ynes Mexia, who collected and preserved over 150,000 plants, flowers, and leaves in her lifetime.
• An interview with astronaut Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina in space and former director of Johnson Space Center.
• An article about the biopic of José Hernández, a former migrant farmworker who became a successful NASA astronaut.

Hispanic scientists changing the world

Hispanic scientists have some even more interesting careers than your students may realize. This activity can help students see the diversity in scientists and their work and how what they do affects our daily lives.

• Assign part one of the “Hispanic scientists who are changing the world” article series to have students read about environmental scientists and planetary geologists.
• After discussing the first set of careers, assign part two of the “Hispanic scientists who are changing the world” article series to introduce students to sustainability experts, wildlife biologists, and climate scientists.
• Have students choose two of the scientists they read about—one from each article— and use a comparing characteristics worksheet to discover how different scientists use similar characteristics to do their jobs.

Science in the news: Record-setting U.S. spaceflight

How much do your students know about space exploration and the International Space Station (ISS)? Use Hispanic Heritage Month and astronaut Frank Rubio as an entry point to this topic.

• Watch the video tour of the International Space Station to learn more about its design and the challenges astronauts face when living there for extended periods.
• Assign the article about Frank Rubio, a Salvadoran-American astronaut who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight at 370 days.
• Add an activity and ask students to come up with three-to-five questions they would ask Rubio if they were interviewing him about his spaceflight and time on the ISS. Then, ask them to predict his answers by writing a mock article and using evidence from the resources in the text set in their writing.

Newsela’s products go beyond Hispanic Heritage Month

We hope these resources make it easier for you to develop relevant, engaging lessons about Hispanic history, influence, and achievements in your class. But Newsela’s products have even more great content, interactive activities, and assessment tools that you can use all year long.

If you’re not a Newsela customer yet, sign up for Newsela Lite for free and start your 45-day trial of our premium content to access everything you need to teach about nearly any historical, current event, or student interest topic in your classroom.