Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th to October 15th. It’s a time to recognize, honor, and celebrate people of Hispanic descent who are influential in our history, our present, and our culture. My collaboration poster is the perfect Hispanic Heritage Month Activity for teachers and students grade PreK-high school. The National Hispanic Heritage website says:

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.”

I have many collaboration posters featuring important people from our history. I started making collaboration posters of individual people, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Then I decided to start putting collections together in what I call a “Famous Faces®” series. I have these “Famous Faces®” posters for Black History Month, Women’s History, Growth Mindset, STEM/STEAM, and now Hispanic Heritage.

If you have time, read this post and see the fun things I did with 4th-grade students using my Hispanic Heritage collaboration poster. 

Hispanic Heritage Month Activity: Collaboration Poster

My Hispanic Heritage collaboration poster features Selena Quintanilla, César Chávez, Juan Herrera, Roberto Clemente, Sonia Sotomayor, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Ellen Ochoa. This mix showcases women and men who are social activists, artists, singers, astronauts, poets, judges, and even baseball players. Kids can relate to these role models and connect their passions to those featured on this poster!

One of the reasons teachers like my collaboration posters so much is that they are easy to prepare. I know how busy you are, so I’ve included as much as possible to save you time! Kids love them, too. Students love when their academic learning and the arts meet together in their classroom!

How-to!

The process is as easy as coloring, cutting, and assembling. There are 36 pieces (each piece fitting on a regular 8.5-inch by 11-inch paper), and the final poster is approximately 21 inches by 84 inches. However, you can always reduce the size if that is too large. I explain how to do that in the resource – it’s straightforward!

Students color each page of the poster using a color key on each page. The poster pages are included in English and Spanish. Students can color the poster with solid colors to yield a poster that looks something like this:

…or you can guide your students to color using patterns, shapes, and designs to make something that looks like this:

The great thing about this patterned version is it seems complicated, but it’s very simple!

I love doing my collaboration posters this way because it creates a unique design – no two classes will have the same final poster. To do this, you’ll want to gather crayons, colored pencils, and markers in all different shades (the more, the better). You’ll instruct students to use a variety of shades of one color in each section. For example, if the section calls for blue, you’ll tell your students to color the area using all the blue crayons, markers, and colored pencils available to them. Tell your students to use those materials to create patterns, designs, and textures. You’ll see how easy and fun this is for kids – their creativity will amaze you!

Creating a monochromatic design is my favorite way to have students color my collaboration posters, but there are so many ways you can make my poster. For example, look how this teacher had her students use whatever colors they wanted on my Growth Mindset poster – stunning results!

I created a 200-piece collaboration poster for a keynote speech I gave at a conference in NY, and I had everyone in attendance create a piece of the final poster. Preparing for such a significant event was a monumental effort, but it was worth every moment. You can read about that project HERE if you’d like to see it.

Once students have colored their pieces, they will cut out the pieces and start building the final poster. It’s fun to assemble the poster on the floor and make it as the pieces get finished. Students will begin to see what they have created, and their excitement will grow!

Options

My Hispanic heritage collaboration poster also has many options to customize to your needs. For example, I included the option to have your poster say “Latino Heritage,” “Hispanic Heritage or “LatinX Heritage.”

I also provide quotes for each person on the poster that you can cut out and put around each person. Those quotes are provided in English and Spanish.

This poster can be a great addition to any lessons you plan for Hispanic Heritage Month. No matter how you and your students decide to personalize the poster, the results will be stunning! Not only will your students love seeing it on display, but so will those who pass by.

I love when teachers share the posters they have made with their students and tag me so I can see them! Here is a collection of just a few that teachers have shared with me!

I would love to see your students’ work if you decide to create any of my projects with them. Feel free to tag me (@artwithjennyk or #artwithjennyk) on social media so I can see what they make! You’ll find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! 

As always, thanks for reading – and thanks for making art with your students!

Jenny K.