Cinco de Mayo is a great holiday to teach about in Spanish class! It’s not just an end of the year celebration. It’s a great opportunity to teach about history and culture! Check out these ideas for digital Cinco de Mayo activities with your Spanish students.
If you’re looking for printables, readings, graphic organizers, and more, check out my post Cinco de Mayo Activities and Lesson Plans for Spanish Class here!
Videos
Check out this Pinterest board of videos that explain and celebrate the history of Cinco de Mayo! A quick search on Edpuzzle also turned up several pre-made activities that could be a great introduction to the holiday. I wouldn’t let a video be your only component to your lesson (some of these are sub 3 minute!) but they are a great, clear, and quick overview before you dig into some more culture!
Interactive Map
I’ve shared before how much I LOVE using Google Maps with culture in my classroom. Cinco de Mayo is no exception! Students navigate the map, read descriptions, look at pictures, and watch embedded videos. As they do so, they fill out the graphic organizer, or answer comprehension questions!
Websites
- Social Studies for Kids has a simple explanation of the holiday.
- TIME Magazine has a slideshow walking through the holiday.
- WatchKnowLearn has a gallery of videos for learning about Cinco de Mayo.
Boom Cards
Boom Cards are a great option for a digital lesson on Cinco de Mayo! (Feeling confused? Check out my post here to learn more about Boom Cards!)
This set starts with a reading and listening activity to introduce students to the holiday. Then students complete some comprehension questions, order a timeline of events and unscramble sentences. Finally, they do a cultural comparison activity looking at how the Fourth of July and Cinco de Mayo are celebrated, what they have in common, and what’s different between the two! Click here to check out the set in a short preview.
My favorite part about this set? It basically encompasses all of my printable stations, so if I have an absent student while I’m using them in class, I can just share the link with them and they’re set! Handy!
Digital Cinco de Mayo Activities
How do you educate students about Cinco de Mayo in your classroom? Do you do anything special for the day, or is it a normal day of class? Let me know!
