Teach it as remembrance, not as Halloween.

Día de los Muertos is one of the richest cultural lessons of the school year, and one of the easiest to teach badly. This pack teaches it the way families live it: as a celebration of love and memory, with the ofrenda at its center.

WATCH THE LESSON FIRST (FREE)

The complete narrated lesson video is free on YouTube, so you and your students can watch it in class or at home: youtu.be/UTVH5l1s0Ic

Every Spanish word in the video is pronounced in Spanish, and the visuals are real photographs of real celebrations. The link is also printed in the introduction packet and the lesson plan.

WHAT'S INSIDE

- 16-slide PowerPoint deck with teacher notes (opens in PowerPoint and Keynote; imports into Google Slides), plus a PDF copy of the slides

- Two-level reading on the history and traditions: Level A (Novice, 154 words) and Level B (Intermediate, 317 words)

- Student handouts (5 pages): both readings, vocabulary and comprehension worksheet (Partes A-C), exit ticket, and an optional ofrenda extension

- Teacher answer key (6 pages): every answer with its paragraph reference, full translations, a 20-point rubric for Part C, and cultural accuracy notes

- Lesson plan (3 pages): a full 50-minute flow with ACTFL alignment, differentiation for both reading levels, and sensitivity guidance

- Introduction packet (4 pages): setup, standards, and the video link

STUDENTS LEARN

- The elements of an ofrenda and what each one represents: cempasúchil, pan de muerto, papel picado, veladoras, photographs, food and drink

- November 1 (Día de los Angelitos) and November 2 (Día de los Difuntos), La Catrina and José Guadalupe Posada, and how the celebration varies across regions: Michoacán and Janitzio, Oaxaca comparsas, Mixquic, Yucatán (Hanal Pixán), Guatemala's giant kites, and Ecuador's colada morada

- How to compare Día de los Muertos with Halloween and with their own family's remembrance traditions, in Spanish

DETAILS

Spanish 1-3 · Grades 7-10 · 30 pages + 16 slides · Print in black and white, project the deck in color

Created by Dr. Michael Alan Wood, EduLingo: 24 years in the classroom, PhD in Linguistics.

EduLingo by Dr. Alan Wood