A Girl Named Rosita and other Hispanic Heritage Month Read Alouds

It's Hispanic Heritage Month. Have you read about any notable people of  Hispanic heritage? One such celebrated person of Puerto Rican descent is Rita Moreno, an actress born as Rosa Dolores Alverío. This book chronicles her struggles to be treated fairly as a Spanish speaker who faced stereotypes and discrimination in roles available to her throughout her career.

A very talented woman, Rita won many awards, including an Emmy, a Tony, a Grammy Award, and an Oscar. as well as a Presidental Medal of Freedom.

Check out the read aloud here. 

>View PBS's timeline of Rita Moreno's life here. Challenge students to add multimedia to it using Sutori, or view mine here.

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez Neal 

This book is part of what inspired me to create several Donors Choose projects to diversify my classrom. I came across a book called Always Anjali and thought, "Wow! I don't have many books with my students' names in them... let me see what I can find!" I wasn't super successful at finding their exact names, but I did find some from their varying cultures and religions. 

Alma is embarrassed by her long name, but she quickly learns her culture's naming tradition of being named after Spanish speaking family members. She hears stories about each person and identifies with their best traits. Then she learns that "Alma" belongs to her and the story it will tell to her future family members. Check out the read aloud above, which is read by an Argentinean legislator.

Soldier for Equality: Jose de la Luz Saenz and the Great War

This one is a biography. José de la Luz Sáenz (1888-1953)--or Luz--believed in fighting for what was right. Although he was born in the United States, he and his family experienced prejudice because of their Mexican heritage. When World War I broke out, Luz volunteered to join the fight. Because of his ability to quickly learn languages, he became part of the Intelligence Office in Europe. However, despite his hard work and intellect, Luz often didn't receive credit for his contributions.

We have so many more to share! For now, check out Scholastic's list of must-read books for Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Here is another non-fiction biography, Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. This book is included in the Journeys and Making Meaning reading programs, and for good reason. An advocate for migrant farm workers, Chavez became well-known in an industry that was, and still is, notorious for exploiting workers. He helped them unionize and fight for better conditions. 

Here is the read aloud video.

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

This is a story you've probably never heard. Seven years before Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the Mendez family fought segregation in California. An American by birth, but a member of a bilingual Mexican family, Sylvia was forced to attend a different school than her white counterparts. A lawsuit changed that, and within a decade schools all over the country were being desegregated.

Want more Women's History Month resources? Click here.

See my posts about diverse literature here.