Do your Spanish students love talking about holidays and cultural diversity? It’s so fun to give them a window into a cultural holiday from a Spanish-speaking country while also practicing their Spanish skills. So October is the perfect time of year to give them cross-cultural exposure to the Mexican holiday el Día de los Muertos and Halloween. Read on in this blog post to find out about my three favorite activities that get them reading, writing, and speaking in Spanish the whole class period while learning about Día de los Muertos.
Día de los Muertos Speaking task cards
Are you looking to teach your students the basics about el Día de los Muertos? Are they familiar with the cultural significance of November 1st in Mexican culture? Are you looking for an interactive speaking and writing activity? Then don’t miss these speaking task cards! Each interpersonal speaking task card & writing activity contains a question about the holiday el Día de los Muertos. This great resource has 20 different cards/questions in total to improve your students’ understanding of el Dia de los Muertos and Mexican culture. These are a good idea for your older students / upper levels of Spanish.
Calaveras speaking writing & reading activities
Looking for a cute speaking, writing & reading activity for Day of the Dead? Do your students need practice with colors, numbers, and body parts? Then you will love these activities! Put your students in pairs or small groups. Then, students describe the calaveras out loud and their partner needs to guess which one they’re describing based on the different colors. Then students write descriptions for 1 of the calaveras which makes easy independent work. Finally, they draw calaveras based on short reading passages (this makes colorful classroom decorations that you can quickly turn into a beautiful bulletin board). Your younger students / middle school students will get tons of practice with the super 7 verb “tiene.” Perfect for a novice Spanish student! This resource also comes with a paperless option! The digital versions use Google Slides.
Halloween vs. Día de los Muertos reading activities
Are you students curious about Día de los Muertos & Halloween? Looking to give them a little culture while they practice their interpersonal reading & writing skills AND build their Day of the Dead vocabulary? Then you will love this resource! Give your students TONS of comprehensible input while reading 2 Spanish versions of letters from students describing their cultural practices for Dia de los Muertos and Halloween. After reading, they will write a letter back to a student in Mexico and the United States, answering questions and making comparisons to where they live. You will spark interesting class discussion in your Spanish classroom with these cross-cultural reading activities!
Crossword Puzzles and Word Search Worksheets
This resource includes key vocabulary for el Día de los Muertos, matching worksheet for vocabulary, 2 word searches, & 2 crossword puzzles.
Possible activities:
-Use as an in class assignment, warm up, or homework assignment.
-Challenge your higher-level students to a “race the clock” activity.
-Project it in class and complete it as a whole class or have two students race to find the word.
– Have your students translate the words to English or create a drawing for each word.
These activities are a great way to get your high school students to discover key facts about el Día de Muertos! They are a fun way to get them reading and speaking in the target language while learning cultural information. Plus, they’re an easy way for Spanish teachers to simplify their lesson plans! Click on the links above to check them out.
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