ES
This is what you'll see by the end of this super engaging lesson about the Day of the Dead:
- Your students will make beautiful photo frames to decorate the class.
- They'll also describe those frames in Spanish.
- They'll know what Day of the Dead is about: when, where, how and why it's celebrated.
- They'll learn the basic vocabulary related to Día de Muertos, and use it to describe an ofrenda.
- You will not have a headache, because the instructions are clear and students will be able to work independently when they build their photo frames.
1 Warm-up, reading, activities and a cool video
This lesson includes everything you need to celebrate the Day of the Dead with your Spanish classes, regardless of their level.
In the warm-up, students will read different sentences to guess a movie.
The movie is, of course, Coco, which is great to introduce this celebration.
Then, they'll read a short text about El Día de Muertos and learn the key vocabulary of the lesson.
That vocabulary will help students describe an ofrenda, just using hay and the words they just learnt.
At that point, students will be ready to watch a video about Day of the Dead, with short and real interviews.
2 Students make their own very cute photo frames
After working on the activities and watching the video, learners will have a clear understanding of what Day of the Dead is about.
It'll be time now to make some pretty photo frames and describe them.
This is a great opportunity to learn about several Hispanic champions, a perfect follow-up of the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
If you're using the Spanish reader 15 sueños in your classes, students will already be familiar with some of those champions and the drawings.
And if you don't, you can order your copies here or on Amazon.
Using Hispanic champions for the photos avoids students getting sad when talking about people who passed away.
If we ask students to bring photos of family members, friends or pets who passed away, we'll be taking a huge risk.
A second concern about Day of the Dead is about the craft.
Worried about a messy classroom and confused students?
Don't be.
The instructions are very clear and students will find them on FlippedSpanish.
That means they'll be able to work independently at their own pace.
The perfect follow-up for this lesson is to use those photo frames to build an ofrenda in your class.
How?
You'll find everything you need in Hacemos una ofrenda, a wonderful lesson that explains what the different elements of an altar for the Day of the Dead mean, and where they should be placed.