Free Cinco De Mayo Lesson Plans

Cinco de Mayo, or May fifth, is a special day in Mexican history. It celebrates the day a small band of Mexicans defeated an army twice their size. Perhaps it should also be a special day for Americans. According to www.vivacincodemayo.org : "It might be a historical stretch to credit the survival of the United States to those brave 4,000 Mexicans who faced an army twice as large in 1862. But who knows?" Teaching about Cinco de Mayo is an accepted part of today's educational scope and sequence. Here is a guide to lesson plans that will work for teachers as well as homeschooling parents.

The website www.schooldiscoveryeducation.com has lesson ideas for Cinco de Mayo that are age appropriate for grade levels 6-8. This comprehensive lesson plan will enhance student's Internet search skills. A printable version as well as a lesson plan support video are available. Suggested readings and links provide enough information that teachers could have a "Mexican Madness Month" and continue from Cinco de Mayo straight through May. This lesson plan provides objectives, materials needed, procedures, comprehensive discussion questions, and a suggested evaluation procedure.

If you are looking for Cinco de Mayo lesson plans for early childhood to elementary aged students, the site www.hummingbirded.com has strong resources, simple lessons, and is easy to navigate. The music incorporates the piggyback method - songs sung to the tune of familiar songs, as well as motions to enhance learning. With suggestions for crafts, food, and vocabulary words, you can plan a fun theme unit for Cinco de Mayo.

A high quality, concise lesson plan is available from www.history.com. The student guide is available in a printable PDF format, and there is a middle and high school version in Spanish. This lesson plan is clear and thorough, but leaves room for creativity. This is an excellent lesson plan for those who can only devote a week to Cinco de Mayo lessons.

A web-friendly lesson plan for Cinco de Mayo was found at www.fc.bigwalnut.k12.oh.us., and is suitable for students in eighth grade. The concept is a team of students being part of a "CFFSC - Culture Facts for Spanish Class." This innovative method engages students and makes learning fun. Students are assigned to teams, and teams are assigned to one of five areas that relate to Cinco de Mayo and Mexico. The students "gather information, answer questions, prepare a summary, and a speech." There is a good library of links that relate to the history of Cinco de Mayo. Overall, the site has bright, primary colors and is very appealing.

Another good site for a web quest lesson plan for Cinco de Mayo can be found at www.zianet.com. In this creative lesson plan targeted to second and third grade, students learn to be good reporters. The assignments are age appropriate for the grade levels, and interesting enough to engage the students and maintain their attention.

Regardless of which lesson plan you choose, a study of Cinco de Mayo will remind students of the cultural similarities shared with other countries and cultures. And your scholars might just uncover some evidence to show that the United States does owe a debt of gratitude to those courageous Mexicans in that long-ago fight.

Sources:

www.vivacincodemayo.org/history/htm

www.zianet.com/cjcox/edutech4learning/cinco.html

fc.bigwalnut.k12.oh.us/~Laura_Laidley/cincodemayo.htm