464_5-2014.pdf

Sharing History: Cinco De Mayo Even though the holiday originated in Mexico, it has become very popular in the United States; so well, as a matter of fact, that it is more widely and enthusiastically celebrated here than it is in Mexico! There are both historical and cultural reasons for this difference - and of course, you will want to get your students up to speed while keeping them engaged in learning a little more about Mexican and US history at the same time.

Depending on the age of your students, the activities and information you will include in your lesson plans will vary. Very young children won't be too likely to retain all of the dates and names which relate to the history of this holiday, but you can still get them thinking about Cinco de Mayo through some fun activities such as making red, white and green tissue paper flowers, which are a popular decoration (as well as fashion accessory) worn by men and women alike in the parts of Mexico where Cinco de Mayo is celebrated. You can also use the opportunity to teach even the youngest of students a little bit of basic Spanish by making a Spanish bingo game as part of your Cinco de Mayo lesson plans.

If you're teaching older children, then you have a lot more options available to you and while you may want to include some enjoyable activities as part of your lesson on Cinco de Mayo, you'll definitely want to teach the history of this May 5th holiday and its context in the Maximilian Affair and how this event relates to American history as well.