Día de muertos in Spanish class

Inside: El día de los muertos in Spanish class. Resources for Day of the Dead in Spanish class that do not involve Day of the Dead Projects for Spanish Class. Día de muertos en la clase de español.

Día de los Muertos ideas for Spanish class from Mis Clases Locas

It is that time of year, it has cooled off, time for pumpkin spice everything, and everyone on Instagram is reminding me that it is fall. This means it is time to get ready for Spanish teachers’ favorite holiday, el Día de los muertos, or the Day of the Dead. I have done many day of the dead posts before, which can be found here or a bundle of all my resources here.

Typically I plan on doing activities related to the Day of the Dead at all levels for the entire week in which it falls. I have not been one to have Day of the Dead Projects for Spanish class, but instead, teach about the holiday.

It works out that it is close to the start of a new quarter, so all levels get a culture break before diving into new novel units. I teach about the holiday IN SPANISH and try to compare it with their own personal life and experiences as much as I can. When I taught at a Catholic school it was the perfect tie-in with All Saints Day and All Souls Day as well. For even more resources, check out my post about Day of the Dead in Spanish class on Secondary Spanish Space.

Below are my favorite ready-to-go resources for teaching Día de los muertos in Spanish class.

Coco Movie Guide

This Coco movie guide is the perfect way to both give yourself a break, as well as expose students to The Day of the Dead. DO NOT FEEL bad for putting on a cultural movie, you all need the break! Make it a full unit using resources in this Coco Blog Post as well as downloading my FREE Coco Bonuses of character introduction slides & post viewing “Everyday IPA” with #authres reading, speaking and writing.

Find Someone Who – Day of the Dead

A newer resource for Day of the Dead is a Find Someone Who with variations that could be used in any level of Spanish class. **Using the TPT Digital tool, you can assign this online for students to complete socially distanced or all online. Read this post to learn more.

The personalized questions about the holiday would be a great way to reintroduce the holiday and personalize it for Spanish two and up students, or as a wrap up interpersonal activity after studying the holiday or watching a film in Spanish 1. As always, I include multiple levels of differentiation, as well as extension opportunities to write about classmates.

Día de los muertos in Spanish class – Para Empezar – Day of the Dead

If you are looking for Ediatable Google Slides class starters or brain breaks, to infuse a little bit about the holiday each day, this is for you. (it is also included if you have my year of Para Empezar). It is a Google Slideshow & you can pick and choose to add into your in person or virtual plans. You can start right after HHM ends, and continue for 3 weeks though Day of the Dead week. They could be used as one activity each day, or combined for a couple days worth of content. The daily activities are as follows:

Monday – Ad/Infographic

Tuesday – Video

Wednesday – Music

Thursday – Joke

Friday – Dance

Novice Reading in Spanish – Mexico & Day of the Dead

Reading for novice Spanish - Mexico & Day of the Dead

I made this novice-level reading to introduce the novel Tumba by Mira Canion. It would be a good one-day reading to introduce a little bit about Mexico with a brief overview of the Day of the Dead. It would work well as a sub-plan as well. Update – It is now digital and can be assigned on Google Classroom or your LMS of choice!

Book of Life – Novice Movie Guide

The Book of Life Free Novice Spanish Movie Guide shared by Mis Clases Locas

This FREE guide is based on the amazing Kara Jacob’s intermediate level guide. If you teach higher-level students, her guide is perfect! But if you just want questions in English to keep students on track, mine will work.

I bought the DVD in English online and typically show it with Spanish audio (with English subtitles in level 1). It is currently (fall 2021) on Disney+ as well. Read more about how I use the film and get a bonus character introduction slideshow in this blog post.