Hispanic Heritage Month Resources for Teachers

Discover Hispanic Heritage Month resources to enrich your classroom. Explore lesson plans, videos, and activities to celebrate Hispanic and Latino cultures.

Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15th to October 15th, is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the rich histories and vibrant cultures of Hispanic and Latino communities to your students.

As educators, this month offers a unique chance to create engaging, inclusive lessons that highlight the significant contributions of Hispanic and Latino individuals to society.

However, the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month should extend beyond these few weeks—it’s a celebration that can and should be integrated into your curriculum all year long.

Hispanic Heritage Month Resources for Teachers

To help you bring this celebration to life in your classroom, we’ve gathered some excellent resources that you can use to inspire and educate your students. Use these tools to help create meaningful lessons that foster understanding, respect, and appreciation for Hispanic and Latino cultures.

Smithsonian Latino Center

The Smithsonian Latino Center offers online exhibitions, educational resources, and lesson plans focused on Latino history and culture. The center’s website is a fantastic starting point for teachers looking to enrich their lessons with authentic and comprehensive content. The Smithsonian’s resources include interactive timelines, digital exhibitions, and detailed lesson plans that cover a wide range of topics, from the arts to social movements.

One key feature of the Smithsonian Latino Center is its commitment to representing Latino communities’ diverse experiences and contributions. This resource allows students to explore stories and histories that are often underrepresented in traditional curricula. Incorporating these resources into your teaching can give your students a more inclusive and accurate understanding of American history.

Explore the Smithsonian Latino Center’s resources here: Smithsonian Latino Center

PBS LearningMedia

PBS LearningMedia is another excellent resource that offers a variety of videos, activities, and interactive lessons specifically tailored for Hispanic Heritage Month. This platform provides high-quality, educational content that can easily be integrated into your classroom, whether you’re teaching virtually or in person.

The “Latino Americans” collection on PBS LearningMedia is particularly noteworthy. It includes a series of videos that trace the history of Latinos in the United States from the 16th century to the present day. These videos, accompanied by teaching guides and activities, allow students to engage with history in a dynamic and accessible way. By using these resources, you can help students understand the complex and often challenging experiences of Latino Americans throughout history.

Access PBS LearningMedia’s Hispanic Heritage Month resources here: PBS LearningMedia

Hispanic Heritage Month For Teachers

The official Hispanic Heritage Month website, managed by the National Museum of the American Latino, offers a comprehensive set of resources specifically curated for teachers. This site explains why and how we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, providing educators with the tools to effectively teach about Latino communities and their contributions to American society.

You’ll find resources such as lesson plans, educational videos, and historical documents that can be used to create engaging and informative lessons. Whether you’re looking to introduce your students to the history of Hispanic Heritage Month or dive deeper into specific contributions made by Hispanic and Latino individuals, this site has something to offer.

Visit the official Hispanic Heritage Month website for teachers here: Hispanic Heritage Month For Teachers

More resources from The Educator Academy:

• Learn what Hispanic Heritage Month means to one of our coaches, Jessica Garcia.
• Edgar Jose Palacios, CEO & Founder of Latinx Education Collaborative and Jessica Garcia, Continuum Coach at The Educator Academy, share about the importance of this month, its history, and resources for the classroom and the community.

Incorporate These Resources Year-Round

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate diversity, learning, and cultural appreciation. However, the resources and lessons you introduce this month can and should be woven into your teaching throughout the year. Doing so ensures that Hispanic and Latino communities’ histories, cultures, and contributions are recognized and valued daily, not just during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Let’s make this month—and every month—a celebration of the diversity that enriches our classrooms and our society.