Launching during Hispanic Heritage Month, students investigate how Hispanic and Latino/Latina people work together to make communities more fair, safe, and welcoming. Through stories of workers’ rights, environmental activism, educational equity, and Chicano Park, students identify how communities move from problem to action to change. With the school art teacher, students create a Chicano Park–inspired mural and write an evidence-based informational piece about an activism story. Families, parents, and teachers will view the mural and writing at a final exhibition.

Students will analyze and compare Latino/Latina and Hispanic activism stories about workers’ rights, environmental action, educational equity, and Chicano Park, identifying each problem, action, and resulting change. They will use details from multiple sources to write, revise, and edit an informational text that answers how communities can work together to become more fair, safe, and welcoming. Beginning with a Hispanic Heritage Month launch, students will build relevant academic vocabulary and participate in evidence-based discussions. With the school art teacher, they will translate their learning into a Chicano Park–inspired mural and clearly present its message and their writing to families, parents, and teachers.

Students will build a Problem → Action → Change Learning Wall during the Hispanic Heritage Month launch, adding evidence from stories about workers’ rights, environmental activism, educational equity, and Chicano Park. Each student will create an activism research organizer, a mural sketch, and a revised informational text explaining how Hispanic and Latino/Latina people worked together to make communities fair, safe, or welcoming. With guidance from the school art teacher, students will create a Chicano Park–inspired mural on a wooden pillar and exhibit it alongside their writing for families, parents, and teachers.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, students join the school art teacher for a gallery walk featuring Chicano Park murals, then hear a read-aloud excerpt from Barrio Rising. In teams, they record what they notice and wonder on a Problem → Action → Change Learning Wall before discussing the essential question: How can Hispanic and Latino/Latina people work together to make their communities more fair, safe, and welcoming? Conclude by revealing the challenge: create a Chicano Park–inspired pillar mural and informational writing about activism to share with families, parents, and teachers.

Students will host a Chicano Park–inspired mural gallery walk for families, parents, teachers, and the school art teacher as the culmination of their Hispanic Heritage Month project. Beside the painted wooden pillar, each student will display an informational text explaining an activism story through Problem → Action → Change. Students will briefly explain their artistic choices and answer how Hispanic and Latino/Latina people work together to make communities more fair, safe, and welcoming, then invite guests to leave written reflections.