Add a Cinco de Mayo Activity To Your Lessons This May

On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army surprised the French army at the Battle of Puebla. Although this was the original reason to commemorate the Cinco de Mayo holiday, people in the United States also use May 5 to remember the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, celebrate Mexican heritage, and reflect on the work done to fight discrimination. 

Teach about all the reasons to mark the holiday in your classroom with a Cinco de Mayo activity for any class or grade band.

• Discover the history of Cinco de Mayo with social studies activities
• Teach literacy skills in ELA with Cinco de Mayo activities

[Discover the history of Cinco de Mayo with social studies activities](id-ss)

Make sure all your students have the background knowledge they need to understand the significance of this holiday. Provide the context students need for reading comprehension and synthesizing their own ideas about the topic with activities like:

Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. and Mexico

How do people in the United States and Mexico celebrate Cinco de Mayo differently? Use the holiday as a chance to teach students how to compare and contrast celebrations with resources like:

• A list of things your students may not know about the holiday’s history, like how France was one of the strongest armies in the world when Mexico conquered them at the Battle of Puebla.
• Articles about traditional foods served at Cinco de Mayo celebrations in each country, and which meals are missing from U.S. tables.
• Maps and articles that show how the current borders of the U.S. and Mexico are different than they were over 150 years ago—and why territory changes may influence who celebrates Cinco de Mayo in the U.S.

Leaders of the United Farm Workers Movement

Mexican Americans and others who celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. often use it as a time to remember the Chicano Rights Movement and its leaders. Students can learn more about the impact this movement had on migrant laborers with resources like:

• A biography of activist and labor organizer Cesar Chavez, one of the key leaders of the United Farm Workers Movement.
• A biography of civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW).
• A video exploring the Chicano Art Movement and how it coincided with the Farmworkers Rights Movement.

The history of Mexico

Dig deeper with your Cinco de Mayo activities by exploring more than just the holiday. Use this time to share a lesson about the past and present history of the country of Mexico. Introduce students to concepts like:

• Quick facts about Mexico’s geography, government, economy, and wildlife.
• How Mexico is working to protect its marine population by creating one of North America's largest marine protected reserves.
• The Mexican government is proposing teaching English and Spanish in its schools so that students grow up bilingual.

El país de México

Speaking of teaching bilingual students, you can also infuse more language studies into your social studies lessons, or more social studies lessons into your language classes. 

This activity can help students better understand and appreciate the variety of cultures that influence American society. Use content and activities in Spanish to teach topics like:

• The relationship between the Mexican city of Juárez and the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas, and how their proximity affects the lives of citizens in both places.
• How urban art is resurging and thriving in Oaxaca, Mexico, and how artists' political viewpoints drive their creativity.
• The recovery of the monarch butterfly population in Mexico and what it means for the country’s wildlife and ecosystems.

[Teach literacy skills in ELA with Cinco de Mayo activities](id-ela)

Turn your Cinco de Mayo activities into skills practice lessons and incorporate the following resources into your ELA classrooms:

Use Cinco de Mayo to analyze multimedia

Teach students how to analyze multimedia sources with the following lesson:

• First, show students an interactive video about the history and significance of Cinco de Mayo.
• Next, share two texts in English or Spanish that explore little-known facts about the holiday.
• Finally, ask students to complete a three-column chart worksheet to organize what information they learned from each source and explore how the presentation of the information influenced what they learned.

Explore the significance of storytelling in Mexican culture

Mexican and Mexican-American cultures value storytelling through words, art, and music as a key tool for communication. Teach students some of the ways creatives share these stories with resources like:

• A video biography of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
• A bilingual cartoon called “Dancing at sunrise: Life in Mexico’s land of the artists” by Ernesto Sin
• An opinion article about how the Disney-Pixar film “Coco” celebrates Mexican culture amid political turmoil.

Teach students about journeys to and from Mexico

Because the U.S. and Mexico share a land border, it’s easy for people to move from one country to the other to live, work, and vacation. Students can learn more about some of the journeys that brought people across these borders with resources like:

• A video about forced Mexican deportation during the Great Depression.
• An explainer article about the history of Mexican immigration to the United States and the influence on the shared American culture.
• An article examining the Bracero Program, the largest guest worker experiment in U.S. history and its impact on immigration, labor practices, and other aspects of American life.

Teach and assess bilingual lessons all year long

Cinco de Mayo is a great seasonal moment to engage your students in Mexican culture and the world of bilingual education. But it doesn’t have to be the only moment for these activities. 

With Newsela products, you can support Spanish-speaking English Learners (ELs), or supplement teaching Spanish to English speakers with thousands of translated articles on various topics. Highlight articles showcasing Latin American countries like Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and more.

If you’re not a Newsela customer yet, you can register for Newsela Lite and start your free 45-day trial to explore a taste of our premium differentiated content and engaging formative assessments.