Womens History Month takes place during the month of March and we can use this time to celebrate and teach our students about the impacts Hispanic women have had on our world. There are countless women in the Hispanic world that have made incredible impacts on society. From motivational speakers to astronauts to civil rights activists… you could spend all year teaching about these women. But if we have to narrow it down to a few days, or if we’re lucky, the month of March for Womens History Month, then these are some of the best activities to teach about Hispanic Women famous for making their mark on the world!
38 Amazing Hispanic Women List
To begin, I’ve gathered a list of 38 amazing Hispanic women famous for a variety of inspirational reasons. You can grab it for FREE here. See below how you can use this list to teach about one woman a day for the entire Womens History Month or throughout the year for research projects, interpretive tasks, and cultural lessons!
You’ll find women such as Sandra Cisneros, Selena Quintanilla, Ellen Ochoa, Rigoberta Menchu, and so many more on this comprehensive list. Plus, it comes in English and Spanish, so you can use it for any level of students. Most of the words are cognates, anyway (autor, artista, atleta, etc.) so the Spanish version is easily accessible.
Activities for Women’s History Month
Research Presentations
Assigning the Project
I suggest starting with the free list of 38 Hispanic women that I have for FREE! You can either assign each student a different person from the list or let them choose based on the woman’s role in society. Some students may be interested in theatre, so they might pick Rita Moreno. Another student may have a passion for technology, so Ana Corrales, the COO of Google may be more up their alley. By letting them choose, they will most likely have more motivation to complete the project with enthusiasm.
Once each student has been assigned a woman, they will research her life, accomplishments, quotes, birthplace, education, and more. Give them one or two days to complete the research and prepare a presentation. I recommend using these research posters so each student is held accountable for gathering the same information. This set comes with 20 posters and an additional blank poster for students to add the name of any Hispanic woman!
Presenting the Project
As students complete the research, you should have them sign up to present their research to the class. Since Womens History Month is during the entire month of March, you can take the entire month to incorporate these research presentations while still covering your normal curriculum. Presentations will only be 1 or two minutes, so it will barely cut into your lesson. Your sign-up sheet should account for one or two students to present each day of the month.
At the beginning of class each day, a different student presents on the woman they researched. Then, by the end of the month, each student has presented and students have learned about tons of inspirational figures. You may need to double up on presentations some days if you have a large class size.
As students listen to each presentation, you could have them keep a list of the women they learn about, along with one interesting fact. At the end of the month, they can turn this list in as a way to hold them accountable for paying attention during the presentations!
Displaying the Projects
If your students made posters, hang the posters around the room to create a “library” of Hispanic women. Students can circulate around the room and learn more about these women. As they walk around, they can take notes or have conversations so they are held accountable for their library walk. Some ideas include: Find 5 women that you have something in common with. Write 5 questions that you would ask to learn more about these women’s lives. Which 5 women do you think are most inspirational and why?
Mini Booklets
Another great way to teach about one woman a day during Womens History Month is to use mini foldable booklets. These mini booklets are just one printed page, folded into four mini pages. This makes a super easy and very quick introduction to famous Hispanic women. Each day, students will get a new booklet to create and by the end of the month they will have a set of 20 booklets.
When students enter your classroom, have the stack of papers printed out and placed by the door. Get them in the routine of grabbing a paper on their way in and making their booklet as the daily Do Now. After just a few days, they will be in the routine and also be excited to see who they will learn about today!
Every day, they can add a hole punch in the corner and keep them all together on a binder ring. If you want to hold students accountable, at the end of the month have an exam, writing task, or interpersonal speaking assessment so students can share the information they learned.
I’ve used a variety of interactive notebooks and flip books in my classroom. Here are some easy and low prep flip book ideas if you like this style of activity!
Read Biographies as Interpretive Tasks
Work on interpretive skills by reading biographies of famous Hispanic women. You can find biographies online, write your own, or grab this bio about Carmen Lomas Garza or Frida Kahlo. Each comes with three differentiated versions for novice through intermediate learners.
As you read these biographies, have students do a close read, annotating the text as they go. Here are instructions for close reading, along with a free guide to annotation markings in Spanish. This will not only teach them about the woman, but provide them with reading skills and empower them to form questions to learn more about the life and impact of this woman.
One of my favorite Hispanics is Frida Kahlo. You could also dedicate Womens History Month to one famous Hispanic woman and do a deep dive into her life, accomplishments, and contributions. With this method, students learn a lot about one person and by the end of the lesson can talk about this woman in the target language in their own words. If this interests you, check out these 7 Frida Kahlo lesson plans; it is a great place to start! With these lessons, students will practice interpretive skills with a biography, descriptions of paintings, a video, and much more!
Mujeres revolucionarias Book and Activities
Teacher’s Discovery has a book with fifteen influential women from various Spanish-speaking countries. Each chapter is in Spanish and is dedicated to one of the women. It comes with facts, a biographical reading, comprehension questions, communicative activity, Webquest, and project! These activities are meant for Level 1 (Novice Mid-Novice High) students.
I also love the 15 beautiful posters that accompany the readings. These brightly colored posters showcase 15 amazing Hispanic women and identify the woman’s name and contribution, plus her country of birth— or roots, if born in the United States. Each poster measures 13×19 inches and is made of cardstock.
If you like these ideas, you’ll love teaching about famous Hispanics during Hispanic Heritage Month. You may even be inspired by some of these ideas and activities and could incorporate them during Womens History Month as well. So don’t forget to grab the freebie list of 38 Hispanic women and get started on some of these lessons for your students!
