Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th through October 15th. The theme this year is “Heritage, Diversity, Integrity and Honor: The Renewed Hope of America.” Here are some resources that you may find useful:

A web portal full of excellent resources has been set up by the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov

The Annenberg Foundation recommends the following resources:
-Pat Mora, a writer and activist from Texas and descendent of Mexican grandparents, works to preserve and celebrate Mexican American literature. Her work is featured in session 1 (http://www.learner.org/workshops/hslit/session1/aw/author1.html )of The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature in High School (http://www.learner.org/workshops/hslit ). More Hispanic writers are featured throughout the program.
-In Biography of America (http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica ), program 26, “The Redemptive Imagination,” (http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog26/index.html ) watch Esmeralda Santiago join in the discussion about the role of storytelling in creating identity. She explains what compelled her to tell about her experiences as a Puerto Rican coming to live in the United States.
-Middle school teachers, take a look at Teaching Multicultural Literature (http://www.learner.org/workshops/tml ). Authors and their works including Alma Flor Ada and Julia Alvarez and many others are featured.
-More resources for Hispanic-Heritage Month: American Passages: A Literary Survey (http://www.learner.org/amerpass/index.html ); and Invitation to World Literature (http://www.learner.org/courses/worldlit ), program 11, “One Hundred Years of Solitude” (http://www.learner.org/courses/worldlit/one-hundred-years-of-solitude )

Scholastic Magazine has an interactive website for kids at http://www.teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/index.htm

A useful metasite with links to more online resources and information is available at http://www.infoplease.com/spot/hhm1.html

Two free concerts by Agustin Lira & Alma and Quetzal, curated by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts and presented by the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress and the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, will take place in Washington, D.C., on September 14th. The concerts will also be webcast by the presenting organizations and broadcast by Radio Bilingüe–the National Spanish-language radio network. For more information go to http://www.actaonline.org/content/acta-showcase-chicano-music-washington-dc

Look for free articles about Mexican history and culture at the Inside Mexico website: http://www.inside-mexico.com/index.htm ; for example, this one about Doña Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez: http://www.inside-mexico.com/historia/josefaortiz.htm

A collection of resources for elementary-age students is available at http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/hispanic-heritage/printables

Gale Cengage Learning has a website where you and your students can read biographies of significant Hispanic individuals; take a Hispanic culture quiz; follow a timeline of events that helped shape the Hispanic culture; explore Hispanic holidays, musical genres and other topics with information culled from Gale resources; and visit other pertinent sites and find suggestions for further readings, available at http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/chh