Celebrate Afro-Colombian Culture: Lessons & Resources

What’s In Store?

Dia de Afrocolombianidad

Stem Projects/ Women in Stem

Pride Month

French Resources

Illustration celebrating 'Día de Afrocolombianidad' featuring diverse Afro-Colombian individuals against a backdrop of Africa and Colombia's map with its flag colors.

Celebrate the cultural contributions of Afro-Colombians in your classroom! Check out his freebie to learn about San Andres (swap with NL) a predominately Afro-Caribbean Island in Colombia. Let’s take a look at how you can enrich your lessons with these ready-made materials!

Resources Related To Sports

I am currently doing a Sports unit in my level 1 class, and although the materials below are best suited for level 2, I have taken bits and pieces to enrich my lessons for level 1. Let’s have a look at these amazing superstars who fought an uphill battle to secure their place in history.

Linda Caicedo

Whether you’re teaching a sports unit, highlighting someone for Black History Month, or conducting independent reading with your students, Linda Caicedo, a talented and determined Afro-Colombian soccer player, is an excellent choice.

Students will learn about her life as a budding soccer phenom in the world of women’s sports. They will also explore her challenges and how she overcame them to become a household name in sports today.

Click here to learn more about Linda!

Box It Out with Kid Pambelé

Looking for an engaging, culturally rich reading for your Spanish class?

This 12-page resource tells the inspiring story of Kid Pambelé (Antonio Cervantes), Colombia’s first world boxing champion. Students explore themes of perseverance, identity, resilience, and Afro-Colombian heritage through accessible, glossed text written for Intermediate Low learners.

This biography highlights:

San Basilio de Palenque and its powerful history
Afro-Colombian culture and bilingual identity
Overcoming poverty through determination
Representation and hope for marginalized communities

A promotional image for a 12-page educational resource about Kid Pambelé, featuring a colorful illustration of the boxer, highlighting themes of perseverance and Afro-Colombian heritage. The text includes information on reading comprehension and writing activities for Spanish learners.

Click here to learn more about Kid Pambelé

Sí se puede

Comparing ourselves to others can be detrimental, and that the story “Sí se puede.” Joel, a young teenager who loves soccer, idolizes James Rodríguez and is a diehard fan of his home team, El Junior de Barranquilla. He loves soccer, but the joy he used to get from the game is diminishing because he compares himself to his friends. His dad understands and encourages him, but will it be enough for Joel?

What is the target level of this resource?

This short story and resources are for level 1 Spanish.

Click here to learn more about this short story that takes place in Barranquilla! (featuring an activity on James Rodríguez)

Activism

Francia Mina Márquez is an Afro -Colombian activist who has a heart for her land and its people. Her indefatigable spirit and conviction have inspired a generation. Despite having serious threats leveled against her and her children, she fights relentlessly against the big mining companies whose expansion not only contaminates the water supply but displaces thousands of people: most of whom are of African and indigenous descent. Her story interweaves many topics. Your students will be inspired by her.

Click here to learn more about Francia Márquez Mina (currently Vice president of Colombia)

Fashion and Beauty

Whether you are looking for an activity for Black History month, or want your students to know about the lives of Afro-Hispanic people, start with Vanessa Mendoza! She was Colombia’s first Afro-Colombian Beauty Queen, and it’s perfect for Spanish 1!

Click here to learn more about the wonderful and fruitful life of Vanessa Mendoza

Travel

Let’s visit San Andrés! Edition #8 Las Voces Diversas. This text comes with audio!!! Great for differentiation.

San Andrés, Colombia a group of islands located between Colombia and Nicaragua. This island has an interesting history. Once a haven for English pirates, San Andrés later came under Spanish control. Today, it boasts a unique blend of English, Spanish, and Creole cultures.

Click here to learn about this resource

Click here to learn more about San Andrés, Colombia

Stem

This resource explores the meteorite rise of Ángela Guzmán, who created emojis for Apple. Her story is one of inspiration, courage, dedication, and vision. This resource can be used as part of a unit on technology, immigration, Hispanic Heritage Month, Women’s history, or silent reading.

This resource includes a short biography, graphics to support the reading, personal questions, multiple-choice questions, and a glossary to support struggling readers.

Click here to learn more about the resource.

La tecnología del futuro is a STEAM (STEM+ Art) oriented project that encourages students to think about the role of technology, and create a concept of a future app that will incorporate human values. The purpose of this project is to enable students to use their target language in a creative way, while also encouraging artistic skills, critical thinking skills, and empathy.

This resource takes students step-by-step during the process in accessible Spanish! Below are both the outlined activities Interested in more resources on the topic of social media, technology, and teen health?

Click here to LEARN more about this resource

Pride Month!

Who was Marsha P. Johnson?

She was an African-American Trans woman who fought tirelessly for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. She was a mover and a shaker, and this resource chronicles her life and contributions!

We believe that diversity in the curriculum is essential, and we aimed to create a valuable tool that highlights the lives of important activists.

Click here to learn more about this resource

Indya Moore

Discover the moving journey of Indya Moore, a model and activist! Students will explore a snapshot of her/their life journey and learn how she/they continues to fight for human rights of the LGBTQ+ community today!

Click here to LEARN more about this resource!

French Resources

Professor Dupont is confronted with every teacher’s nightmare: a student soundly sleeping in class! He finds a creative way of dealing with it while learning a lot about his students.

In Le Dormeur, the dedicated Professor Dupont notices that one of his students, Thomas, often falls asleep in class, even to the point of snoring. Concerned, Dupont begins to question whether he’s a boring teacher, though the other students remain engaged and alert. He decides to confront Thomas, asking if there’s trouble at home or if the class is simply uninteresting.

Thomas reveals a secret: he’s hooked on playing Super Mario Odyssey late into the night, losing hours of sleep (can you relate teachers?). To help Thomas,

Click here for the French resource!

Cognates are a powerful tool for learning a second language, especially a Romance Language. Exploit this natural and historical connection with Cognate Connection.

Click here for link to resource

Comprehensible Novels for the Classroom

Looking for an engaging classroom novel? Need help building a classroom library? Check out readersbyacquintero.com

A promotional graphic featuring a collection of illustrated book covers by A.C. Quintero, surrounded by text urging educators to complement their curriculum with engaging readers.

Don’t have a classroom library? Check out this list of digital reads for your students!

Discover the perfect novel for any classroom with our extensive library, tailored for every level and interest. Each book comes with proven teaching materials designed to captivate students through engaging storylines, language use, authentic expressions, and essential grammar structures. Empower your teaching and keep your focus where it matters most: on your students’ learning!