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Thursday, October 14, 2010

Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead Lesson Plans and Activities

photo by Paul and Jill

Día de los Muertos is quickly approaching, so I thought I would share some of the many fabulous resources that I have discovered over the years. Because this holiday is so popular, there is a growing number of lesson plans, units, and crafts and much more now available on-line. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links.

Day of the Dead Lesson Plans


  • By far, one of the best curriculum units has been created by Lori Langer de Ramirez, creator of MisCositas. It is geared for third year (intermediate) Spanish students. This is a comprehensive unit with 63 pages of activities, vocabulary, and more.

  • New Mexico Junior College Museum has shared this downloadable lesson plan for K - 2nd grades that comes from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

  • Vanderbilt's College of Arts & Sciences has this Day of the Dead lesson plan available for 3rd through 12th grades (designed for 5th grade). 

  • World Language Cafe has these 9 Day of the Dead Spanish activities and lesson plans.

  • Lesson Planet has 26 lessons related to Dia de los Muertos that you can scroll through. Each description includes the grade level and a rating. The downside is that you have to create an account, but you can get a free trial period for 10 days.



  • And MommyMaestra has several articles with a list of resources, including a brief history of Día de los Muertos for children, as well as information on José Guadalupe Posada.


Family-Friendly Day of the Dead Websites


  • MisCositas.com also has a virtual webquest with lots of links and ideas. You may also be interested in her virtual picture book: Mi abuela ya no está: Un cuento acerca de la celebración del Día de los Muertos en México

  • Author/Illustrator Yuyi Morales also has a few excellent activities that can be used in conjunction with one of her Trickster books, and she also has a downloadable Teacher’s Guide.

  • Inside Mexico has a great list of articles on a variety of subjects.

Day of the Dead Apps




Books




Día de los Muertos Printables


  • First! Download your FREE Day of the Dead Activity Calendar

  • Are you building your own ofrenda this year? Why not download my printable ofrenda labels to help explain the elements on your table to visitors? It even includes free-standing labels to place next to framed photos of loved ones, with space to write their name, relationship, and likes/hobbies.

  • Check out all of my Day of the Dead printables! From notecards to minibooks to triptych activities, I have you covered!

  • Do you have older students? Let them try their hand at creating their own Calavera Poetry

  • The Muppets has put out a super cute coloring page of Kermit in honor of Día de los Muertos. 

  • ESOL Courses has quite a few free worksheets & exercises on Día de los Muertos

  • HelloKids.com has a nice collection of coloring pages


Crafts & Supplies




Videos




Additional Resources


Check out MommyMaestra's Pinterest board on Día de los Muertos.



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