Las Adelitas for Kids & Young Adults

Las Adelitas for Kids

Are you looking for information on las Adelitas to share with your children or students? If so, MommyMaestra has you covered with several resources for different ages.

4th through 8th Grades:

Today is the last day of Women's History Month, so I created this one-page reading passage with a brief history of las Adelitas.

Mexico's soldaderas played a crucial role in the Mexican Revolution. They were the military women who cared for or fought alongside their male family members and sweethearts. Some were camp followers who helped feed, clothe, or care for the sick. Others fought valiantly in their respective militias. And they could be found in each of the groups, or armies, battling for control

But their story has been largely ignored by history. We've had to rely on family histories and even corridos to learn about them. But word-of-mouth is powerful and the image of Adelita has persisted and spread. It's even featured in a children's picture book by the popular children's author and illustrator, Tomie dePaola. Titled “Adelita,” it is the Mexican version of the Cinderella story and tells the tale of a young woman fighting for her future.


My one-page reading passage (shown at the top of this post) comes with an 8-question reading comprehension quiz and answer key. As with all of my one pages, the file includes both the English and Spanish versions.

High School & College:

• Here is an excellent article on Medium about the Revolution and the Adelita's role in it. The article is packed with great information and has beautiful photos. How the Women “Adelitas” Helped Win the Mexican Revolution of 1910: Women played an essential role in Mexico’s cultural shift towards economic and racial equality during the early 20th century. 


• For a more in-depth study, check out this article (thesis?) in the McNair Scholars Journal from Grand Valley State University:: From Soldadera to Adelita: The Depiction of Women in the Mexican Revolution.



Enjoy!

Purposeful Talk Anchor Charts in English & Spanish

A little over a week ago, I had someone write and ask me if I had any Purposeful Talk anchor charts available. I didn't, so I tried to find her some online. But I couldn't find any with the Spanish version. So after doing a bit of research, I made these.

The struggle I had, though, came when I was putting the Spanish version together because after talking with several teacher friends and asking in a group, I realized that different districts use different terminology for "Purposeful Talk." Some were more laid back with "Una charla intencionada," while others used a more formal "Conversaciones académicas."

In the end, I went middle of the road with "Hablar con intención," but if you are a teacher who uses one of the other phrases (or something completely different), just drop me an email and I'll be happy to change the titles for you to reflect the language you use in your classroom.

I also had to create my own acronym for the Spanish version since S.L.A.N.T. didn't translate the same. :)

You can find these new posters/anchor charts in my TpT store.

And while we are on the subject, I want to remind you that if there is a particular printable that you'd like to see created or are looking to use with your students, but you can't find what you are looking for, don't hesitate to email me. I'm always open to suggestions and happy to create something just for you.

Happy Monday!

Free Download: Spanish Spring Sentence Pieces

Spring has FINALLY sprung! The last week at my house has been beautiful. We've actually been able to spend a good deal of time outside enjoying nature and the warmer weather. So today's Spanish download from MommyMaestra sponsor, Spanish for You! really is perfect timing.

This latest free printable is designed to help Spanish students continue to grow their vocabulary and practice putting together sentences. The words, of course, are all related to the spring season.

The four-page download includes one page of directions, two pages of vocabulary cards, and one worksheet. There's also an audio file (as usual) to help students learn the proper pronunciation. It's a real blessing for homeschoolers whose parents may not speak the language fluently (or at all!).

Click here to download this file

Spanish Books About Spring!

(The following links are affiliate links.)

An Affordable Spanish Curriculum for Homeschoolers

Remember! Spanish for You!'s program is geared for middle schoolers and is the perfect choice for homeschoolers and afterschoolers alike because their concepts are carefully divided up into manageable bundles that are available for immediate download from their website.

If this is your first time here, you can find other free samples from Spanish for You! here. There are some fantastic downloads of games and activities for you and your family to enjoy. If you enjoy this activity, be sure to visit the Spanish for You! website where you'll find tons of additional resources for you to help your young Spanish learner!

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• Free Spring Word Search in Spanish with Audio

Pon, pon: A jugar con el bebé!

The following post was originally published on the Latin Baby Book Club blog. It was a guest post written by Roxana Soto.

I love going back home for a lot of the obvious reasons, but also because, as an avid reader, it gives me a chance to stock up on books in Spanish. Now that I'm a mami, I've added children's books to my list. The selection tends to be much more varied than back in the States--especially now that we live in Colorado! I know there's always the option of getting books online, but there's nothing better--for me, at least--than to spend time browsing a bookstore, just picking up whatever looks interesting.

I should clarify that by "home" I usually mean Perú because even though I left many years ago, I still feel like that's the one place that will always pull me more than any other. Having said that and because my extended family and mis suegros y cuñada live in other Latin American countries, my search for books in Spanish is not limited to Perú. I have the fortune to visit Puerto Rico at least once a year and Mexico every two years.

It was actually during our last trip to La Isla del Encanto this past Christmas where I found the most wonderful collection of children's books which I immediately purchased for my daughter, Vanessa (and for myself, too!). The series is called "Colección 9 Pececitos" and it includes five books full of colorful illustrations with titles such as Los Tres Reyes, Pon, pon: A jugar con el bebé! and ¡Vamos a Jugar! All the books are supposed to be suitable for kids in their preschool years all the way to tweens. And, although my daughter might still be too young for some of them, she will eventually grow and be able to understand and appreciate them. So, it was totally worth the buy!

Vanessa loves to sing and it warms my heart to hear her tiny voice, especially when she sings tunes that take me back to when I was a child. It is so important for us to pass on all the traditional songs, nursery rhymes and finger plays both her father and I grew up with which is one of the reasons I enjoy Pon, pon: A jugar con el bebé! (aff link) so much. The book, written by Josefina Barceló Jiménez and illustrated by Mrinali Alvarez Astacio, is described as reflecting la cultura puertorriqueña. But the reality is that although the wording might be different, I bet most of us--no matter which Latin American country we hail from--have heard a version of most of these songs. Check them out for yourselves:

Pon, pon

(Sing this while taping your index finger on the palm of your hand)

Pon, pon, nena pon 

el dedito en el pilón.

Tortitas

(Sing this while clapping your hands softly)

Tortitas, tortitas, tortitas de manteca

a mamá que de galletas.

Tortitas, tortitas, tortitas de tostones

a papá que da calzones.

Tortitas, tortitas, tortitas de casabe

a mi hermano que no lo sabe.

Tortitas, tortitas, tortitas de pan y queso

a abuelita que me da un beso.

La Linda Manita

(Sing this while waving with your hand)

La linda manitaque tiene el bebé

qué linda, qué mona,

qué graciosa es.

My daughter's face lit up when I opened up the book and I started singing this last song for her. She had been to Puerto Rico before and had heard her cousins, grandparents and aunts sing it to her, so it was a moment of remembrance and recognition. We hadn't sung it in a while, maybe because she's a little older now, but the fact that her vocabulary grows exponentially every single day, allowed her to sing along which made the whole experience even more enjoyable.

All of these songs and finger plays are part of our cultural heritage. Raising bilingual children is more than just teaching them Spanish. It's about our music, our foods, our traditions and our holidays--among other things.

Other books in this series include:

Bilingual Printables for St. Patrick's Day

Are you looking for St. Patrick's Day themed, no-prep printables to celebrate the holiday this weekend? Consider one of mine!

This year, I've updated my St. Patrick's Day Bilingual Activity Pack for preschool and kindergarten with more activities and better graphics. This was one of my first printable files that needed updating, and it is now better than ever! Boost math and literacy concepts with these fun-filled pages that make learning fun. Click the link above to see a complete list of the activities and concepts covered.

For children who could use a little practice with their writing skills, my St. Patrick's Day Book of Words is a great choice. It's available in three formats: English-only, Spanish-only, or bilingual. And kids can further strengthen their pencil grip and fine-motor skills by coloring in the images, too.

Older children will enjoy learning the History of Los San Patricios, those Irish heroes of Mexico. This one-page reading passage is best suited for kids in 4th through 8th grade, and it even includes a quick reading comprehension quiz. This is a great resource for Spanish and History/Social Studies classes.

All of these are available in English or Spanish. Just choose the language that best suits your needs.

Other Posts that May Interest You...

• Bilingual Activities to Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day
• Free Spanish St. Patrick's Day Printables
• 3 Fun St. Patrick's Day Activities

Luck of the Irish to you, Amigos!

Buenos Diaz: The Lucky Band's New Album

Happy Taco Tuesday!

Just wanted to let you know that the Lucky Band (Lucky Diaz) will release a new album called Buenos Diaz on April 5th. Are you a fan of his? If so (and even if this is your first time learning about him), you'll love the new album! There are 11 new songs that will get your kids up and dancing. I already watched his first video for the new song "Pan Dulce" and it is so fun.

And today, in honor of Taco Tuesday, they have released this video of their song with the same name. Learn how to do the Taco Dance!


It's already available for pre-order on iTunes and on Amazon (aff link).

Enjoy!

Ravel's Boléro Lesson Plans

© Can Stock Photo  miceking

Maurice Ravel's most famous musical composition turns out to be (ironically) one that he considered to be his least important work. I am, of course, talking about Maurice Ravel's Boléro.

Ravel's Bolero

The French composer wrote this Spanish-themed, one-movement orchestral piece for his friend the Russian dancer and actress, Ida Rubinstein. The story gets messy, though. You can read about what happened here on Classic fm.

The music composition itself is a simple, yet a fascinating piece that is very rhythmic and concentrates on repetition. It maintains a constant rhythm that is set by the snare drums and repeats the melody 19 times. The simple melody is first played by the flute, but each time it is repeated by a different orchestral instrument (clarinet, bassoon, oboe, saxophone, and so on) until the finale, when it is played by nearly all of the instruments of the orchestra. (See video below.)

Ravel was very close to his mother, Marie, who was Basque but had grown up in Madrid. It is said that her Spanish/Basque heritage was a strong influence on his life and music. And perhaps that was reflected (whether he realized it or not) in his composition, Boléro, which he supposedly based on the musical form and the actual Spanish dance called bolero.

Lesson Plans for Ravel & Boléro

And here are a few fun lesson plans designed around Ravel and Boléro:

• Boléro: Rhythms, Obsession, and Art - Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO)
• Bolero to Bachata - LPO
• DSO Kids: Maurice Ravel
• Use Ravel's Bolero to help teach KS2 music

Check out this video:

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New FB Group for Spanish Teachers

Spanish teachers! There is a FABULOUS new resource for you to use on Facebook. If you haven't already heard and joined, there is a new group called Spanish TpT Resources that has been organized by Spanish teachers/sellers on TpT. I'm happy to participate in it, simply because all the other sellers are posting links to such excellent products.

It has only just formed, but already these teachers are sharing their remarkable products for a wide range of grades and ages. I was happy to learn about the AP Spanish products for older high school students. And also enjoyed discovering new materials for teaching young students to read in Spanish.

I continue to be amazed at the creativity and dedication of teachers. One of them shared a set of Spanish poems that she wrote herself to teach younger students classroom expectations and rules. So clever!

If it continues as it currently is going, this Facebook group will certainly be a valuable tool for parents and teachers alike. Go and take a look. It's a closed group and if you join and don't like it (I can't imagine why you wouldn't), you can always leave. No biggie. But I don't think you will!

Go over and join and scroll and read and comment.

You're welcome. 😉

Heritage Journal Series for Kids

I am SO EXCITED today to finally be able to announce my new series of activity books for children! My Heritage Journal Series for kids has been designed for children ages 8 to 14 and provides them with a way to record their family's story and heritage.

The first group of books is now available in TWO formats: a pdf download and the physical books shown above. (That's right. I said "first group" because I have a lot of these planned!) This first group focuses primarily on Hispanic heritage because I was thinking of my own family and all of you MommyMaestra readers. The first books are (in alphabetical order):

• My Cuban Heritage Journal
• My Mexican Heritage Journal
• My Puerto Rican Heritage Journal
• My Spanish Heritage Journal
• My Guatemalan Heritage Journal
• and My French Heritage Journal

And because families are so complex and diverse, I've also created My Multicultural Heritage Journal that provides a space for children to explore their multicultural backgrounds. 

I've been working on these almost nonstop since January. If you follow me on TpT, you may have already seen them and ordered your copies. They've already been selling even though I haven't promoted them. 

So let's talk about what's inside! Each book contains a page at the front where your kids can record their name and write down the year in which they start the journal. 

image from the My Mexican Heritage Journal

The next two pages include a map of the country so that your child can color in where in that country their family has lived, as well as space for writing down any explanations or explaining in greater detail the who, where, when, why, or even how their family lived in that country. NOTE: The Multicultural Heritage Journal has a world map so that kids can color in the countries in which their family/ancestors have lived.

The next page contains writing prompts where your child can record his or her own story and history. And there is space for drawing your family's crest coat of arms, if you know what it is. FYI, there are lots of online sites that can show your family's coat of arms. Just make sure that you monitor your child's time online and don't let them use a site that asks for all sorts of personal information. They only have to enter their last name. Or you can Google your last name and add "Coat of Arms" at the end.

Or, if you prefer, you can have your child design and draw your family's coat of arms! (Fun, no?) This might be preferable for families with mixed ancestry. Kids can look up different coats of arms from their family heritage and then choose elements to create their own. 

And of course, no heritage journal is complete without a place to draw your family tree! Right after you do so, you can even draw or post snapshots of the family members listed in the family tree with space for captions.

image from the My Puerto Rican Heritage Journal

image from My Cuban Heritage Journal

image from My Multicultural Heritage Journal

Then the main part of the journal is filled with journaling pages. Kids can write their family stories here. And because I wanted to be sure and emphasize the heritage aspect, there are 17 journaling pages with small cultural images and fun facts about the country scattered throughout the book. (The Multicultural Heritage Journal just has images of items and places found in countries across the world.)

image from the My Spanish Heritage Journal

There are even a few pages for recording family interviews. Sketch pages and more photo pages are also scattered throughout the journal. Don't be afraid to really think outside the box. Scrapbook these pages! Add text and dimension to your journal. :)

image from My Spanish Heritage Journal

And it all ends with a section in the very back for writing down favorite family recipes. 

So what do you think? Isn't it awesome?

These books will eventually be translated into Spanish for my Spanish-seeking readers. And the next round of books will focus on non-Spanish speaking heritages, such as French, British, German, and others. If you are looking for something in particular, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and put in a request.

If you want to just print the pages on your own, you can download the pdf files from my store on TpT.  That file contains a cover page, so you could put everything in a binder. And it would make scrapbooking some of the interior sketch pages easier. These files will soon be available in my MommyMaestra online shop, too.

Educators! This would make a fantastic project to turn in at the end of the school year, or to complete over summer break. But, of course, it could be completed in a much shorter time frame, too.

You know that I am all about raising children who are proud of their heritage and family's history. That's partially because I read a study by researchers at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill a few years ago that showed how "Latino adolescents in the U.S. who maintain ties to their culture of origin are more likely to develop healthy behaviors than their peers who do not. Latino adolescents with a strong awareness of their family’s culture reported higher self-esteem, fewer social problems and less hopelessness, aggression and substance abuse."

This, then, is my gift to our children: a tool for researching, recording, and treasuring our family stories.

Abrazo to you all!

Here are the links to the books on Amazon:

5 Printable Packets for Women's History Month

Did you know that March is Women's History Month? It sure seems like there are a lot of women making history right now, but the truth is that women have ALWAYS made history. They just haven't usually been recognized for their contributions.

And so, I'm delighted to be participating in Multicultural Kid Blogs' blog hop in celebration of Women's History Month (scroll down to read more)! The site is run by a board of women around the world who are just the most fabulous people to work with and befriend. They do amazing things and write such wonderful posts that share and reveal the experiences of mothers and families all across the globe. If you've never visited their site, please do. You'll learn so much and love the content!

Over the years, I've created quite a few products featuring women in history. And I have several new ones planned for this month so keep an eye out! For the moment, though, here's a refresher of all my products. Some are for sale in my TpT shop, and one I collaborated on with my lovely friend Annabelle (of thepiripirilexicon.com) in Germany for Multicultural Kid Blogs (MKB), and the other is one that was created by my talented friend Julie of OpenWidetheWorld.com also for MKB.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I have making them or using them!

Reading Comprehension Passages: 10 Latinas in History (vol 2)

This reading comprehension packet can be used for Women's History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, or any time of the year. It comes with one-page reading passages and reading comprehension questions and activities for 10 famous Latinas. Click on the link to read more.

Susan B Anthony Glossary for Families

Introduce your students to Susan B. Anthony with this easy, no-prep, printable poster and glossary!

Women in World History Fandex

Introduce your students to women in world history with this fun packet! These fact files may be used as individual bookmarks or as a fandex. It features 18 historical figures.
Click on the link to read more.

PLEASE NOTE: This is available in English only!

Women in World History Activity Pack

This educational, no-prep packet includes one-page reading passages featuring 20 women in history, a reading comprehension quiz for each reading passage, additional comprehension worksheets that boost vocabulary, writing, and critical thinking skills, and a recommended reading list for further research.

Women’s History Month Research Packet

This month-long unit for Women’s History Month incorporates the study of 20 women, five in each of four categories: Human Rights, Politics, Science and The Arts.

Join us for our annual Women's History Month series, celebrating the contributions and accomplishments of women around the world! Don't miss our series from last year, 2017, 2016 and 2015, and find even more posts on our Women's History board on Pinterest:

  Follow Multicultural Kid Blogs's board Women's History on Pinterest.

Participating Blogs Biracial Bookworms on Multicultural Kid Blogs Great Family Reads Mama Tortuga: Latin American Women that Transcended | Bilingual MommyMaestra Alizehmysoul Ketchupmoms Living Ideas Mommy Evolution

Don't miss our Women's History Month Activity Printables, on sale now!