Resources and Ideas for Incorporating Celia Cruz in the Elementary Spanish Class

CELIA CRUZ, QUEEN OF SALSA was, and is, an inspiration to all! Her music makes you want to dance and her vivacious personality was infectious. There are a number of resources available that are perfect for little learners, making her a great addition to your Spanish class. I want to say a special thank you to Salema Jenkins for inspiring this post and sharing the idea of making Celia part of Black History Month! While I definitely recommend incorporating Afro-latinx throughout the year, we can also take advantage of the spotlight in February to further highlight the many influential people that connect with this month.

*ME LLAMO CELIA My name is Celia: This is a wonderful, bilingual children's book about Celia's life. The illustrations are delightful and kids can easily connect to the storyline.

*CELIA CRUZ QUEEN OF SALSA- Another biography of Celia, this is one I haven't read yet, but is on my list! The excerpts on Amazon show a wonderfully written storyline telling about Celia's life, with beautiful illustrations.

*PEPITA LEE SOBRE CELIA CRUZ MINIBOOK & ACTIVITY PACK: This printable minibook features salient facts about Celia's life in simple Spanish, while the activity pack includes activities to incorporate salsa music and dancing to class- great to introduce Celia and Cuba to your class! You can find it here

*ZUN ZUN BA BA E: Here is Celia on Sesame Street singing the traditional song, Zun Zun Ba Ba E- kids love this!

*GUANTAMERA: I LOVE this version of Guantamera, sung by Celia, as well as the video- just beautiful!

*YO VIVIRÉ- This song brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it! Though for elementary students, the lyrics are probably too much to learn, it is a great song to play for Freeze Dance or while they are doing folder activities. Other great songs are La vida es un Carnaval and Rie y Llora. Also perfect for Baile Viernes!