Enrich your homeschooling with a one week unit study for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Here is a one week unit study for Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is officially September 15 through October 15. Celebrate one of the many cultures and heritages in the United States with this unit study!
In this unit study we will cover:
- English/Language Arts
- American History
- Science
- Optional but highly suggested: World Languages- Spanish
- Fine Arts
Note: Log hours for activities and keep book lists so that appropriate credit can be given. (More details later in this post.) For information on logging hours, see this post.
Unit Study Goal
The United States is made up of many, many social, racial, ethnic and Indigenous cultures- all in one very large nation. Learning about the various people groups in our country is valuable for social and cultural intelligence to the high school education. Also, the more we know about our fellow Americans, the more we can walk in love as Christ has loved us.
This unit study will not cover the entire history of Hispanic Americans. It will simply give a glimpse to aid perspective-taking and create openness to learning more.
At the end of the unit study, the student should be able to describe some experiences of Hispanic Americans as well as have a better understanding of Hispanic-American history and contributions in America.
BTW: The term “unit study” is another way to describe integrated learning. If you would like a more in-depth discussion on how to create integrated learning experiences for your teens or homeschool co-op, check out this post.
Methods
- Reading real books of the student’s choice
- with accompanying book summary, reflection paper or discussion according to student’s abilities and goals
- Writing essay, report, research paper or short story (or combination, according to student’s goals)
- Optional: Start some Spanish Classes with
- Our Cousin Karim Morato at Homeschool Spanish Curriculum
- You will love her podcast: Becoming Bilungual
- Our friend Suzanne Goze at Flip Flop Spanish
- Our Cousin Karim Morato at Homeschool Spanish Curriculum
- Journalling-based learning using:
- Media: documentary videos, television series, interviews, movies
- Journaling
- Fine Arts: video presentations, art projects
- Discussions
Grading
Grading will be by assignment, with the assignment’s grades going toward the total grade for the student’s ELA, American History, Science or Fine Arts totals.
- For books:
- Graded assessment (from book summary, reflection paper or discussion)
- For writing assignments:
- Grading by rubrics given in 7Sisters materials
- For journaling:
- Grading by participation (were the questions answered?)
- Fine Arts:
- Grading by participation (was the project completed?)
- Guided discussion:
- Grading by participation (did the student participate?)
- For optional Spanish Classes (per instructor)
- Download this freebie for grading with rubric and how-to.
Unit Study Objectives
- The United States is a diverse nation, unfortunately many textbooks gloss over the impact and experiences of Americans who are not White. During Hispanic Heritage Month, it is useful to give students the opportunity to learn about the heritage of Hispanic Americans.
- Using a unit study approach allows students to perspective take, reflect and use critical thinking skills as they gain more social and cultural understanding and skills.
- Students will learn that Hispanic Americans are not a “monolith” (a uniform/all-the-same population). Instead, Hispanic Americans who have roots in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Latin America, South America all have differences in their cultures.
Resources
Americans with an Hispanic heritage make up almost nineteen percent of the population. (There are over 60 million people of Hispanic heritage in the US, according the the US Census Bureau.)
The National Museum of the American Latino has lots of recipes, short bios and more.
Books:
Choose one book for the week.
The book you can chose from are endless. The book should be by a Hispanic author discussing some aspect of Hispanic heritage and experiences or at least, someone well-acquainted and respectful of Hispanic heritage in America. Chose a book that fits your homeschool high schooler’s needs, goals and abilities.
The book can be read in various formats:
- Traditional book form
- Audio book
- Family read-aloud where appropriate
Novels
Award Winners (Note: Not all of these books are high school level. In our opinion it is okay to throw in some easier reads if the books are quality and high schoolers have plenty of high-school level books to read.)
- And Now, Miguel- Joseph Krumgold
- Clap When You Land- Elizabeth Alcevedo
- Furia- Yamile Sied Mendez
- Merci Suarez Changes Gears- Meg Medina
- Secret of the Andes- Ann Nolan Clark
- Tales Our Abuela Told- F. Isabel Campoy
- The Last Cuentista- Donna Barba Higuera
- Written in Starlight- Isabel Ibanez
For younger readers
- La Princesa and the Pea- Susan Middleton Elya
- Last Stop on Market Street- Matt de la Pena
- The Color of Your Skin- Desiree Acevedo
- Turning Pages: My Life Story by Justice Sonya Sotomayor
Memoirs or Book/Essays
- It’s All in the Frijoles- Yolanda Nava
- My Family Divided- Diane Guerrero or In the Country We Love- Diane Guerrero
- The Distance Between Us- Reyna Grande
- The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora- Pablo Cartaya
Poetry
Documentaries
- Hispanic Heritage for Kids– Twinkl Teaching Resources
- America’s Diversity Gives Us Strength– Localish
- 10 Hispanic Inventors That Changed Your Life– Spanish Academy TV
- Hispanic Heritage Month– Disney Channel
- National Hispanic Heritage Month– National Park Service
- German Santillan: A Taste of the Mexican chocolate-making heritage– Ted Talks
- Dr. Ellen Ochoa– NASA
Movies (all PG unless otherwise noted)
- The Blue Miracle (2021)
- And Now, Miguel (1966)
- Encanto (2021)
- Vivo (2021)
- The Long Game (2023)
- A Million Miles Away (2023)
- McFarland, USA (2015)
- Radical (2023 PG-13)
- West Side Story (2021 PG-13)
- Stand and Deliver (1988)
- Critical Thinking (2020, Not Rated)
Fine Arts
- Hands-on projects galore on Teachers Pay Teachers
- Learn how to do Salsa dance with Miami’s Children’s Museum
- Learn Mexican Hat Dance
- Learn Cuban Music with Iliana– Miss Jessica’s World
Here are the lesson ideas. (BTW- to create an entire Social Studies credit, check out this post.)
Syllabus
Monday
- Discuss with your teen the one week unit study. Read over week’s assignments together.
- Make choices of reading material and writing assignments.
- Begin reading and journalling assignments.
ELA Literature:
Read 1/4 of book (Books can be spread out over several weeks, if desired)
ELA Writing:
Choose the movie A Million Miles Away and/or the history documentary and write an essay or journal response to these questions:
Pick a character from today’s movie and/or documentary. Think about their experiences.
- How is their life similar to yours?
- How is their life different than yours?
- How do the differences they experience affect their opportunities and choices?
- What are some things that helped them succeed?
Science:
Watch the movie: A Million Miles Away
History:
Choose a documentary from the list above or find one that would be meaningful to you. The movie A Million Miles Away can count for History.
Fine Arts:
Pick one of the activities from the list above.
Daily Wrap Up
- Be sure to log hours on all the activities above.
- End of day discussion. Discuss the journaling questions together. Ask if your teen has any thoughts they would like to discuss or explore.
Tuesday
Continue reading and inquiry-based assignments.
ELA Literature:
Read 1/4 of book (Books can be spread out over several weeks, if desired)
ELA Writing:
Choose one of these movies and/or a history documentary:
- McFarland, USA
- Stand and Deliver
- The Long Game
- Critical Thinking
and write an essay or journal response to these questions:
Pick a character from the movie and/or documentary. Think about their experiences.
- How is their life similar to yours?
- How is their life different than yours?
- How do the differences they experience affect their opportunities and choices?
- What are some things that helped them succeed?
- If your teen is doing research online, here’s a post on internet safety when looking into causes.
Science:
Watch YouTube from 10 Hispanic Inventors That Changed Your Life– Spanish Academy TV.
History:
Choose a documentary from the list above or find one that would be meaningful to you.
Fine Arts:
Pick one of the activities from the list above.
Daily Wrap Up
- Be sure to log hours on all the activities above.
- End of day discussion. Discuss the journaling questions together. Ask if your teen has any thoughts they would like to discuss or explore.
Wednesday
ELA Literature:
Read 1/4 of book (Books can be spread out over several weeks, if desired)
ELA Writing:
Choose a movie one of the remaining movies listed above and/or a history documentary and write an essay or journal response to these questions:
Pick a character from the movie and/or documentary. Think about their experiences.
- How is their life similar to yours?
- How is their life different than yours?
- How do the differences they experience affect their opportunities and choices?
- What are some things that helped them succeed?
Science:
Watch movie: This video on Dr. Ellen Ochoa NASA’s first Hispanic female astronaut, then watch this interview with her on the Today show.
History:
Choose a documentary from the list above or find one that would be meaningful to you.
Fine Arts:
Pick one of the activities from the list above
Daily Wrap Up
- Be sure to log hours on all the activities above.
- End of day discussion. Discuss the journaling questions together. Ask if your teen has any thoughts they would like to discuss or explore.
Thursday
ELA Literature:
Read 1/4 of book (Books can be spread out over several weeks, if desired)
ELA Writing:
Choose one of the remaining movies and/or the history documentary and write an essay or journal response to these questions:
Pick a character from the movie and/or documentary. Think about their experiences.
- How is their life similar to yours?
- How is their life different than yours?
- How do the differences they experience affect their opportunities and choices?
- What are some things that helped them succeed?
Science:
Read this National Geographic article on the physical geography of Latin America.
- Draw a map of Latin America or use the map at this link. On the map show
- Each of the countries
- Amazon River
- Atacama Desert
- Andes Mountains
- Sierra Madre Mountains
- Rio Grande River
- Explain biodiversity and give examples of Latin America’s biodiversity (one or two paragraphs)
History:
Choose a documentary from the list above or find one that would be meaningful to you.
Fine Arts:
Pick one of the activities from the list above
Daily Wrap Up
- Be sure to log hours on all the activities above.
- End of day discussion. Discuss the journaling questions together. Ask if your teen has any thoughts they would like to discuss or explore.
Friday
Complete any assignments from earlier in the week.
Write a one- or two-page essay or reflection paper on the book you read this week. You can use 7Sisters Essay Writing Guides to help you through this process if you are writing an essay. A reflection paper is simply a one- or two-page journal-type response to the book How did you feel reading the book? Share what did you learn? What are the characters’ similarities and differences to your experiences and what helped them succeed?
Extra credit for leveling up
Pick a topic inspired by this unit study and write your annual research paper about it. (Note: you will need to do this after the one week unit study.)
Need more inspiration for helping teens understand how meaningful and important it is to study history? Check out this on why History is boring and how to make it better.
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