Spanish 1Seasonal and holidays
Día de los Muertos Spanish Activities
Day of the Dead Readings & Ofrenda
- Grades
- Grades 7–12
- Formats
- Google Slides, PDF, PowerPoint
- Pages
- 44
- Answer keys
- Included
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Teach the Day of the Dead the way it is really celebrated with these Día de los Muertos Spanish activities for Spanish 1 and Spanish 2. Students read five short leveled readings in Spanish (each in a novice and an intermediate version with a glossary), label an illustrated ofrenda, learn what every element means, meet La Catrina's creator José Guadalupe Posada, follow the monarch butterflies, compare regional traditions, write a calaverita literaria and plan their own ofrenda. Culturally accurate and respectful: a living family tradition, never "Mexican Halloween," with every fact checked against UNESCO and official Mexican sources. Nivel 1 works best for Spanish 1 students from about mid-year (pre-teach the illustrated vocabulary); Nivel 2 suits Spanish 2 and heritage speakers.
What's included
- Teacher guide with 8-day pacing, materials, differentiation (support, on level, challenge) and how to teach two reading levels in one lesson
- "Teaching It with Respect" page: dos and don'ts, grief-sensitive teaching notes, an option for families who do not celebrate, and the official sources behind every fact
- Standards page (ACTFL World-Readiness Standards, can-do goals) with a complete table of contents
- 2 illustrated vocabulary pages: 32 pictured words plus 28 more words and verbs (la ofrenda, el cempasúchil, el papel picado, el pan de muerto, la calavera de azúcar, el copal, la Catrina, la mariposa monarca...)
- Vocabulary practice page and a full-page illustrated ofrenda to label (12 items)
- 5 leveled readings in Spanish, each with a Nivel 1 (novice) and a Nivel 2 (intermediate) version and glossary: What is Día de los Muertos?; the ofrenda and its elements; La Catrina and José Guadalupe Posada; monarch butterflies; regional traditions (Pátzcuaro, Mixquic, Oaxaca, the Maya Hanal Pixán, Guatemala, Ecuador and the US)
- 5 question pages that work with both levels: true/false, matching, sequencing, short answer, a Nivel 2 section and perspectives questions
- Día de los Muertos vs. Halloween Venn diagram with 12 sorting sentences
- Calaverita literaria workshop: 3 original model poems, Death's playful nicknames, a rhyme bank and a step-by-step writing page
- "Mi ofrenda" project for a loved one, a historical figure or a pet (student's choice) with guide, sentence frames, model, planner and 20-point rubric
- Teacher read-aloud listening script with a student response page (descriptions, a conversation, an announcement and a dictation)
- 16 speaking task cards: 8 "¿Qué es?" listening riddles and 8 two-level conversation cards
- Interpersonal speaking rubric
- 6 exit tickets
- 2-page quiz (40 points)
- Complete answer keys (5 pages)
How to use it
Use it as a complete 8-day unit in late October and early November, or pick the pieces you need: the readings for a culture day, the ofrenda pages, the calaverita workshop or the project. Mixed-level classes can read different versions and share one question page. Print and go: only the task cards and exit tickets need cutting.
Skills practiced
Day of the Dead vocabulary with articlesreading comprehension at two levelsdescribing with ser, tener, llevar and hayel alma / el aguahistorical present and the preteritewriting a rhyming poempresenting an ofrendainterpersonal speakingculture and comparisons
