Hispanic Heritage Month Activities & Worksheets

Studying Hispanic heritage should focus on beliefs and religion.

The term Hispanic refers to individuals who speak Spanish and reside in the United States. According to the 2000 United States Census, more than 35 million people identified their heritage as being Hispanic or Latino. Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the impact and contributions that Hispanic Americans have made on the United States. Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates their heritage and culture. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan made the Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15. Activities and worksheets focused on Hispanic Heritage Month may focus on the beliefs, people and celebrations in the Hispanic culture.

Beliefs

Have students choose a belief held by the majority of Hispanics, such as the religion in majority (Catholic) and other major beliefs. Instruct students to present on one of the beliefs commonly held and discuss how it has affected other parts of life, such as art.

Hispanic Firsts

Study Hispanic "firsts," such as the first Hispanic American baseball player, members of government, baseball players, military leaders, astronaut, Nobel Prize winners, actors and others who were the first to do something in their career. Students should write a two-to-three-sentence biography of each person listed, summarizing their personal background, such as their upbringing, education and career, as well as how they were a "first." Students should also explain how each person made an impact on society.

Chronological Time Line

Create a historical time line or access a time line of Hispanic history. This can help give your students a way of understanding the impact and influence of Hispanic history since the Spanish conquest to the present time. Students should outline the dates of major events.

Population Tracking

Track the Hispanic American population by finding the census records from the last 50 years. Students should break down information by the number of people who claimed Hispanic or Latino descent on each census record. Students can then graph the growth over a specific period of time, such as five years, 10 years or 50 years. Students can also outline the country of origin and determine how much of the population is from a specific country -- such as Mexico, Cuba or Central America.

Geography Worksheet

Hand out a geography worksheet that includes a map of the entire world. Students should be able to locate and name the country listed, such as Cuba, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and other countries.

Independence Day Celebration

Celebrate Independence Day, which is September 15 for five Hispanic countries -- including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador. Mexico's date of independence is September 16 and Chile's is September 18. As a class, celebrate Independence day by listening to music from these countries, sampling food, and discussing what independence meant for each of these countries and why it is celebrated.

Hispanic Heritage Crossword

Discuss different aspects of Hispanic culture and then create a crossword puzzle based off of these discussions. The crossword puzzle should have across and down answers. As an alternative, you may choose to use a Hispanic Heritage Month crossword puzzle.

References

• Fact Monster: Notable Hispanic Americans
• Fact Monster: Hispanic Heritage Holidays
• Fact Monster: Hispanic Heritage Month Crossword Puzzle
• Hispanic Culture Online: Hispanic Religion