Why did the United States choose to invade Cuba in 1898? As part of a 3-day instructional activity, your young historians will first develop working hypotheses to answer this question, then work with a variety of historical primary...

Young scholars view a film that chronicles the experiences of Juan Carlos Zaldivar, a Cuban American immigrant. They discuss and analyze this autobiographical film and conduct further research on historical relations between the United...

Welcome to the Spanish-speaking world! Show your learners which countries declare Spanish as their primary language. Included are maps and flags for each Hispanophone country.

Students view a television program comparing conventional and guerilla warfare. They compare and contrast guerilla movements in Cuba, Vietnam and Afghanistan. Students also consider the American Revolutionary War from the perspective of...

Seventh graders investigate yellow journalism and how it affected public opinion and the government during the Spanish American War. They define key vocabulary words, and take notes during a teacher-led lecture. In pairs they read...

Analyze a primary source document "Our America" which depicts a Spanish-American point of view. The class answers 3 critical-thinking questions based on the reading and create a time line of Cuba's struggle for independence. 

Nine historical documents, an interactive online notebook, and a fantastic opportunity for historical inquiry await your pupils in this 5-day lesson plan. Class members identify and discuss various causes for the Spanish-American War...

Explore Cuba and its fight for independence through José Martí's poems "Dos patrias" and "Yo soy un hombre sincero." Identify common themes and touch on various concepts (a list is provided here). Resources and...

After analyzing newspaper articles portraying different perspectives of the explosion of the Battleship USS Maine, your young historians will take a stand on which position is the most believable in both discussion and writing.

Students explore past U.S.-Cuban relations, by researching key events in the past century and creating a class timeline, in order to evaluate restrictions in policy on Cuba and the potential for exhibition baseball games.

Students examine the influences of the Hispanic groups from Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico. In groups, they research the history of Mexico and read excerpts from a book in Spanish to practice their vocabulary. To end the lesson, they...

With a combination of images, maps, and valuable information, this presentation is a strong resource for a history class that is coming out of a WWII unit and into a Cold War unit. Some points are outlined for students, while others are...

Students listen and respond to various forms of Caribbean music. In this music and culture lesson, students clap rhythms and respond to a sung call. Lyrics are analyzed for language blends and repetition. Music and culture from Puerto...

Students imitate rhythmic patterns created by the teacher or taken from the drum performance of "Oshossi." They study and perform some of the layered and interlocking rhythms of the drum ensembles of Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, Suriname, and...

Eleventh graders explore the Bay of Pigs invasion and defend both sides of the issue.

Pupils examine the background of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Using the foreign policy decision-making process, they simulate and elaborate the processe involved. They identify the causes of the misconceptions that plagued the U.S.-Cuba...

Third graders become familiar with plantain recipes from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. They describe the preparation process for cooking plantains.

Does history really repeat itself? Encourage your middle and high schoolers to answer this age-old question by reading the attached articles on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Iraq Crisis of 2002. How similar or different are...

After locating Latin American countries on a world map, children read about how microbanks are loaning money to help start small businesses. Involving both current events and economics, the teacher introduces the article with a map...

A complete activity! The class reads the provided text, then answers the 7 critical-thinking questions. Topics covered are interpreting informational text, reading comprehension, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and US Policy. 

Using a Smartboard, learners break apart symbolism found in a political cartoon published in 1902. They work to analyze the cartoon in terms of US Imperialism occurring in the late 1890s. All necessary materials are included in this well...

Show youngsters how objects can tell a story! Here your class will learn about Cuban salsa dancer Celia Cruz by analyzing pictures of her dress, her shoes, and her marriage certificate. After describing Cruz's items and imagining what...

Recap your WWI unit with this presentation. Provided are major war-time statistics, causes/results of the war, a list of countries involved, and escalation. This would be best used as a review tool.

In celebration of renowned cartoonist Herb Block's Library of Congress exhibition, this handout includes 2 of his famous political cartoons for scholars to analyze. Background information describes "Herblock's" career, and talking points...