Top 5 Lesson Plans for El Cinco De Mayo

El Cinco de Mayo has been celebrated for decades in both Mexican and American culture because it commemorates the day the fifth of May, 1862 when the French, led by Napolean, were unsuccessful in conquering Mexico. On El Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican Army defeated the French at the Battle of Puebla, killing two enemies for every Mexican soldier dead, and discouraging the Europeans to ever invade the Americas again. For this reason, El Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that triggers immense pride for many Latino Americans and Mexicans. El Cinco de Mayo should be taught in all schools, and if you don't know how to teach it, here's how (primarily for middle and high school students):

Presentation
Have your students create a presentation that details the events and traditions surrounding El Cinco de Mayo. Make a simple rubric, emphasizing the history around El Cinco de Mayo, some of the current celebrations, the foods that are eaten, and the most popular activities. While PowerPoint presentations are not too taxing, they are an efficient and convenient way to teach the information to your students. In addition, encourage them to include famous Mexican music and images that will clearly illustrate what goes on during El Cinco de Mayo. After they completed the assignment, have them present them in under five minutes. Generally, this project takes two days, but it's certainly worth it to effectively teach the lesson. Back when I was in high school, this assignment proves to be relaxing and educational. It's not a rush to find a lot of information and stuff it into a PowerPoint, yet the presentations have enough details, in total, to sufficiently educate you on El Cinco de Mayo. This is definitely one of the strongest lesson plans for teaching El Cinco de Mayo to your classes in high school or middle school.

Word Search Puzzle
You should introduce your class with a brief lecture on El Cinco de Mayo. This shouldn't take more than ten minutes. Then, hand out this word search puzzle that you can find at this website. Have your students work in groups because they can lose motivation quickly if they can't find the answers as fast as they thought. You may also want to play a movie, like the History Channel's Cinco de Mayo, just in case your students get bored. However, make sure that you have the word search puzzle due for homework otherwise you'll have students ditching the puzzle for the movie. This is a fun, interactive, and cooperative way to learn about El Cinco de Mayo and the particular vocabulary that goes along with it.

Party
Have your students prepare for this party a week in advance. Assign foods to students and have them research a specific subject regarding El Cinco de Mayo. Have their presentations be three minutes or less, and let them be creative. Don't let them just memorize off a note card; rather, have them do an interactive presentation with the class. Either way, you want to make sure that you have enough time to both eat and present during the class period. This lesson plan will teach the facts about El Cinco de Mayo while embracing the culture that goes along with it.

Tissue-Paper Flowers
This is a great complimentary project after introducing El Cinco de Mayo. Bring in the proper materials to class, including pipecleaners and tissue paper, and teach the students how to create tissue-paper flowers using these directions. While they work, you can continue talking about El Cinco de Mayo or throw up a movie that includes all the details surrounding this prominent Mexican holiday. When they finish, you can attach the flowers to the ceilings and walls of the room to decorate your classroom in a unique and colorful fashion.

DVD
Purchase this DVD about El Cinco de Mayo from the History Channel. At the same time, have them answer a worksheet that you have created, which asks simple questions relating to the movie just to keep them focused. After the movie is over, which runs for 50 minutes (you may need to cut down on what to show to fit it in the class period), you can have a classroom discussion about the major points of the holiday. And if you're thinking that this is too boring, you'll be surprised how grateful your students are. Preparing for a fiesta or completing a word search can be time consuming and tiring. On the other hand, watching a movie and taking simple notes makes a very relaxing, yet educational period for your students.