This telling time to the hour clock activity lets 1st and 2nd Grade students match analog clocks to fiesta event cards for a Cinco de Mayo schedule. Answer key included.
Using this Telling Time To The Half Hour Clock Activity, students practice telling time to the half hour on an analog clock.
A big win in Puebla, a big party today
Second graders learn the real story behind Cinco de Mayo: on May 5, 1862, a smaller Mexican army beat the French army at the Battle of Puebla. They learn it's a different day from Mexican Independence Day on September 16, and that today it's celebrated with parades, music, dancing and food in Mexico and in many U.S. cities. Kids compare how people celebrate in different places and add Spanish words to their vocabulary, like fiesta and mayo. The surprise moment comes when they learn the smaller army won!
Second graders are ready for a little history with their fiesta.
Make a two-column chart: "1862" and "Today." Read a short passage about the battle, then list how people celebrate now. Partners explain how the past connects to the party today.
Why it works: using clear, consistent math words out loud is one of the U.S. Department of Education's recommendations for elementary math.
Try it withTelling Time To The Hour Clock ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Before the big day, kids practice setting clocks for each event on a fiesta timeline: parade at 9:00, music at 10:30. Start with hours and half hours, then challenge them with times to five minutes.
Why it works: the brain holds on to what it meets again and again over time; spaced practice was rated among the very best methods (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withTelling Time To The Half Hour Clock ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Kids make a paper maraca or a papel picado banner, then write two sentences about what Cinco de Mayo celebrates. Hands-on making plus a quick write helps the facts stick.
Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.
Music, color and a little competition.
Teacher favorites right now: Telling Time To The Hour Clock Activity and Telling Time To The Half Hour Clock Activity.
On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army defeated the French army at the Battle of Puebla. It was a big surprise because the French army was larger.
It is celebrated most in the city of Puebla. In the United States, many cities hold big celebrations of Mexican culture on that day.
Mexican Independence Day, September 16, celebrates Mexico's independence from Spain. Cinco de Mayo remembers one battle victory.
Focus on the history, the people and real traditions like music, dance and papel picado. Avoid costumes like fake mustaches or sombreros as jokes.
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