During November 1st and 2nd, many Latino cultures in the United States celebrate Dias de los Muertos, or Days of the Dead. This tradition is typically seen in pueblos (towns) in Mexico, where families build beautiful altars to lovingly remember their deceased friends and relatives.
In Ms. Arroyo’s Spanish 1 and 2 classes at Roberto Clemente Community Academy, students learned about the Days of the Dead through various activities and videos. To learn the history of the Days of the Dead, students followed along with PowerPoint slides that provided details of the history of the Days of the Dead, including the dates and the cultures that the tradition stems from. This lesson was then reinforced by the PBS documentary, “Food for the Ancestors”. While watching, students filled out a K-W-L chart, which aimed to activate any prior knowledge they remembered.
Students also acquired the necessary vocabulary to read along with an introductory passage to the Days of the Dead, including words like calacas (skeletons), flor de muertos (flower of the dead), ofrenda (offering), and papel picado (cut tissue paper art). The reading also provided insight on the many other contents that ofrendas typically have, such as candles, favorite foods, photos of the deceased, and marigold flowers. Additionally, students were able to apply this vocabulary to the lesson on the months in Spanish. When asked when the Days of the Dead were celebrated, students readily replied with, “iNoviembre!”
Finally, Ms. Arroyo’s classes eagerly watched the cinematic masterpiece, The Book of Life. Our classes loved the movie! Many happily shared that they had seen the movie in theaters when it first came out. Students enjoyed the lessons on the Days of the Dead and were able to connect their traditions of commemorating lost loved ones with the Mexican holiday.