Teachers need to model appreciation and respect for diversity every day, and PBS LearningMedia can serve as a strong classroom resource. Before the end of Hispanic Heritage Month — September 15 through October 15 — and beyond, there are rich resources to celebrate the 54+ million people of Hispanic descent living in the United States, including many neighbors in our region.
At PBS LearningMedia WGBY is proud to provide a resource that highlights Latino culture in western MA through the lens of our bilingual, on-air program Presencia. The interactive lesson Diversity in Latino Culture explores the variety found within local Latino food, music, and art and introduces individuals who honor and celebrate their culture.
Other PBS LearningMedia resources that help students in grades 6-12 understand and explore the impacts of Latinxs in America are:
Latino Americans Share Their Experiences, another interactive lesson, introduces students to playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, actor Judy Reyes, and astronaut José Hernández through interviews from MARIA HINOJOSA: ONE-ON-ONE. Students consider how the life experiences and achievements of these individuals helped shape how they identify as Americans in the 21st-century United States.
NOVA scienceNOW: Franklin Chang-Díaz: Rocket Scientist is a video segment students that shows how NASA’s first Latin American astronaut has been interested in rockets and space travel since he was a child in Costa Rica, and how he immigrated to the United States to pursue his dream and found success in school. They also find out about a new type of rocket he’s developing that uses a plasma engine and may one day help facilitate human colonization of the solar system.
The collection of lesson plans, videos and classroom resources, Latino Americans, invites teachers and students to explore the history, people and issues chronicled in this PBS series. Along the way, it engages students in dramatic real-life stories and offers primary texts that serve the Common Core goals.