Cinco de Mayo Celebration
 Kindergarten: The Spanish Alphabet
 1st Grade: The Mexican Hat Dance
 2nd Grade: Reader’s Theatre on “The Charreada” (Mexican Rodeo)
 3rd Grade: Maracas & Mariachi Dance
Maracas: One of the most recognizable of the percussion instruments is the maracas, a pair
of rattles made from gourds. Maracas are essential to Latin and South American orchestras
and bands, and other musical forms that have adopted the rhythm of the maracas.
Mariachi: Mariachi is a form of folk music from Mexico. Mariachi began as a regional folk
style called “Son Jaliscience” in the center west of Mexico originally played only with string
instruments and musicians dressed in the white pants and shirts of peasant farmers.
 4th/5th Grade: History of Cinco de Mayo and Mexico
 6th/7th Grade: La Bamba
Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally
as Ritchie Valens, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer
and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted eight
months, as it abruptly ended when he was killed in a plane crash. During this time, he had
several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he adapted from a Mexican folk song. Valens
transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958,
making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement.
 7th/8th Grade: Latin Dance
Latin dance is a general label, and a term in partner dance competition jargon. It refers to
types of ballroom dance and folk dance that (with few exceptions) originated in Latin
America.The category of Latin dances in the international dancesport competitions consists
of the cha-cha-cha, rumba, samba, paso doble, and also the jive of United States origin.
Social Latin dances include salsa, mambo, merengue, tumba, bachata, bomba, plena, and
the Argentine tango.