Cinco de Mayo commemorates the day the Mexican army won the 1862 Battle of Puebla against the French. Counter to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo tends to be a bigger deal in America than it is in Mexico. In America, the holiday has become a day long celebration of Mexican culture and traditions. (Fun fact: Americans consume 81 million pounds of avocados on Cinco de Mayo each year!) Here are some 7 Generation Games’ resource videos you can incorporate into your lesson plans this week to celebrate the holiday in your classroom.
1.) Since Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican army’s victory in battle, you can relate the army’s triumph to finding the perimeter by asking your students to pretend that they were part of the army and their captain told them to “secure the perimeter!” The first step to securing the perimeter is knowing how to find the perimeter. Have them watch this video from Spirit Lake to learn how to solve perimeter problems.
2.) Cinco de Mayo marks an important event in world history because the Mexican army started as the underdogs. The French were larger in numbers and could afford better equipment. Yet, the Mexican army won. In order to talk about history events like this, it’s important that your students know the right terms. The video below explains world history terms every student should know. After your students watch the video, ask them to try to use the new terms they learned to explain the context of the Battle of Puebla.
3.) The Battle of Puebla began with 6,000 French troops against 2,000 Mexican troops. Was this fair? Ask your students how they can use math to prove that this was not fair. Make sure they watch this video from Fish Lake on fractions first.
4.) One of the reasons behind the Battle of Puebla was that the French believed that Benito Juarez, the then president of Mexico, needed to pay them interest on the money he owed them. Do your students know how to determine interest rate? They should start by understanding percents.
5.) The Battle of Puebla took place on May 5th, 1862. Ask your students to determine how many years ago that was using a timeline. If they haven’t used timelines before, this video will help them learn.
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