1

A COMMUNITY EXHIBIT

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOSHONORING DAY OF THE DEAD

TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDEFor Grades 6 – 12

www.grpl.org 616.988.5400

2

BEFORE YOUR VISIT: CULTURAL ACTIVITYLesson Subject: Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Grade: 6-12Time: 45 minutes

OBJECTIVES Students will explore how they remember a loved one in conjunction with learning about Día de los Muertos. Students will learn about the cultural history concerning the Día de los Muertos tradition. Students will practice their language skills by learning the necessary words associated with Día de los Muertos altars.

Students will have a solid understanding of Día de los Muertos.

INSTRUCTIONS The following lesson is intended to help students understand the cultural history of Día de los Muertos. Included in our resource guide are websites and books you can use to show students examples from the Understanding Day of the Dead fact list. When students finish this lesson, they will learn how to recognize Día de los Muertos cultural symbols, as well as understand an array of terms often displayed or used during this celebration.

MATERIALS Fact Sheet Projector & Computer Access Resource Guide

PROCEDURES 1. Explain to the students the significance of Day of the Dead using the background information provided.

For beginning and intermediate Spanish classes, have students translate specific words out of paragraphs or conjugate verbs.

2. Go through each of the celebration facts with students. Ask them to point out geographic locationsmentioned within this guide (Mexico, Central America, South America).

3. Go through the chart listing what common offerings are. 4. Use the picture of the altar located on the Fact Sheet to point out where items may be located. 5. Find a blank image of a slightly different Día de los Muertos altar and ask students to point out specific

common ofrendas located on the altar. 6. Have students read aloud the phrases in both English and Spanish.

ASSESSMENTS

Informal1. Observe student’s questions and answers concerning their understanding of Día de los Muertos. 2. Using direct observation, were students engaged in your lesson demonstration? 3. See if students are correctly using terms and meanings given to ofrendas.

Formal1. Have students write a reflection paper on their understanding of this celebration. 2. Have Spanish students journal their practiced use of identifying Día de los Muertos terms. 3. Have students answer reflection questions in a writing format when they come back from their visit.

See Page 9 for suggested questions.

3

English Language Arts Social Studies World Languages

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI6-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

CC6-8RH/SS4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/ social studies.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.

2.2.N.F.d Describe and explain the significance of the products associated with an important:civil or religious holiday or celebration AND regional holiday or celebration AND personal or family holiday or celebration within a community or culture in which the target language is spoken.

2.1.N.F.e Explain the practices and significance of an important: civil or religious holiday or celebration AND regional holiday or celebration AND personal or family holiday or celebration within a community or culture in which the target language is spoken.

COMMON CORE & STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY THIS LESSON

4

FACT SHEETUNDERSTANDING DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATIONDía de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a festival celebrated October 31 to November 2 by people in Mexico, parts of Central and South America, and increasingly, throughout the United States. It is said during Día de los Muertos, souls of the dead return to the earth for one day of the year. The souls of the children are said to arrive on October 31 and leave November 1, or All Saint’s Day. The souls of the adults arrive on November 1 and leave on November 2, All Souls’ Day. This holiday has a mix of indigenous roots and European rituals of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. People celebrate in their homes, creating altars (ofrendas) that display portraits, favorite foods, and special possessions of their loved ones. Families also visit the graves of their loved ones, cleaning the headstones, decorating with flowers, and bringing food and music. Images of Skeletons (Calavera) dancing or doing other comical things are common. Día de los Muertos is a joyful celebration as Mexican culture accepts death as an essential part of life.

COMMON OFRENDASWater: for the journey. It represents purity and the origin of life.

Agua: para el largo recorrido del difunto. Representa pureza y origen de la vida.

Candles: to illuminate the path to the altar. They also represent the soul.

Veladoras: iluminan el camino y representan al difunto en la ofrenda.

Incense: an offering to the gods. It carries songs and prayers.

Copal (incienso): es la ofrenda a los dioses que transmite los cantos y oraciones.

Marigolds: they show the way to the altar. Cempasuchitl: señalan el camino al altar, y representan el amore hacia el difunto.

Petate (reed carpet): for the soul to rest on. Petate: para el descanso del difunto, es también donde se sienta a disfrutar de la ofrenda.

Bread (pan de muerto), sugar skulls, and fruit Pan de muerto o tamales: (itacatl) para el viaje de regreso, calaveras de azucar, y fruta

Cut paper banners Papel picado

Toys, tools, or belongings Jugetes, herramientas o pertenencias

Picture of the deceased Fotos del difunto

picture of loved one

candles or votive lights

favorite foods of the loved one

papel picado (cut paper) banners

marigolds

UNDERSTANDING DAY OF THE DEAD ALTARSAn important part of any Día de los Muertos celebration is making an altar to honor loved ones who have passed away. After the altar is built, ofrendas (offerings) are then left at the altar. Some of the items the person loved in life and other items have traditional meanings. Below is a list of common ofrendas and what they stand for.

5

BEFORE YOUR VISIT: WRITING ACTIVITYLesson Subject: Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Grade: 6-12Time: 45 minutes

OBJECTIVES Students will explore how they remember a loved one in conjunction with learning about Día de los Muertos. Students will create a memorial that goes along with the Day of the Dead tradition. Students will practice their writing skills in a personal essay about the loss of a loved one.

MATERIALS Copies of the sample worksheet Pens, crayons, and markers Flowers, bread, and skull templates (optional) Picture of deceased

PROCEDURES 1. Students will use the provided worksheet to create a visual and written memorial that honors a chosen person from their life.

2. Students will write a 1-2 paragraph memorial essay about someone they have lost in their life.3. Students may use a photograph or they may choose to draw their loved one with the provided crayons and pencils.

OPTIONAL PROCEDURE1. At the end of this assignment, teachers may choose 2-3 memorials to share with the Library. These memorials will be displayed on special exhibit boards during the Day of the Dead Celebration.2. Contact Amy Cochran at acochran@grpl.org if you plan to share memorials with the Library or if you need more information.

English Language Arts Art World Languages

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6-8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-12.2.a Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

ART.VA.V.6-8.1 Effectively recognize and describe personal, family, and community connections with artworks.

ART.VA.II.HS.2 Create artwork using materials and techniques with skill so that personal intentions are carried out.

2.2.N.F.d Explain how cultural beliefs, values and perspectives influence the products associated with civil, religious, and personal/family holidays or celebrations.

1.3.N.W.b Prepare illustrated stories (big books, posters, dioramas, cartoons) about activities or events in student’s personal life, and share these with an audience.

6

First Name:______________________________ School:__________________________________________ Grade:________

1. Place your photo below, or draw a picture of your lost loved one.

2. Write 1-2 paragraphs about your loved one.

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS | WRITING ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

7

DURING YOUR VISITVIEWING THE ALTARS

1. Describe what you expect the altar(s) to look like.

2. Look at and read through the educational panels before viewing the altars.

3. What items do the altars have in common? Can you list at least five?

a. d. b. e.

c.

4. Choose a specific altar and think about the following questions as you view. Then write some of your observations down for each question.

a. What do you think the creator of this altar wanted you to know about the person who is featured on it?

b. How did they communicate that information to you?

5. List two things you learned and one thing that surprised you about the altars.

a.

b.

c.

8

Bus drop off is in front of the library, however weask that buses not park there for the duration of the tour. There are spaces for the buses to park on Turner near the Gerald R. Ford museum.

If your group is arriving by car, parking is availablein the library parking lot. Please bring in your ticket to have it validated. Tickets are validated for one hour. If you will be spending more than an hour at the library, please ask your tour guide for a green ticket to exit the lot.

Your tour guide will greet you in the lobby of thelibrary and lead you to the exhibit on Level 3. There are both stairs and elevators available. Please let your guide know if anyone in your group has special needs.

If you are going to be late for your tour, pleasecall the library at 616.988.5400 to let us know.

The altars in the exhibit are very meaningful tothe person that created them. They have personal items and food on display. Please remind your group to not touch the altars or eat/ take the food.

While the library has a “no shushing” policy,please remind your group that there are people working in the library and to use indoor voices.

The library is an urban space that is open to the public. Please do not leave personal items unattended.

TIPS FOR YOUR TOUR

9

AFTER YOUR VISITQUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS WHEN YOU GET BACK— REFLECTIONS ON THE VISIT

1. How do you remember people in your life who have passed on?

2. How did you feel when you created your own memorial through writing?

3. Describe how the Day of the Dead is universal to all cultures.

4. Using what you learned in class and during your tour and altar observation, talk about Mexican cultural symbolism in Day of the Dead.

5. What else did you learn from your visit?

10

RESOURCESBOOKSFor Students

Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Days of the Dead by George Ancona Halloween and Day of the Dead Traditions Around the World by Joan Axelrod-Contrada Day of the Dead by Carrie Gleason Day of the Dead: a Mexican-American Celebration by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith Days of the Dead by Kathryn Lasky

For Adults Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead: the Day of the Dead in Mexico and Beyond by Stanley Brandes The Day of the Dead: La Dia de los Muertos by Antoni Cadafalch The Skeleton at the Feast: The Day of the Dead in Mexico by Elizabeth Carmichael Day of the Dead by Kitty Williams and Stevie Mack Day of the Dead Folk Art by Kitty Williams and Stevie Mack

ONLINE RESOURCES www.unm.edu/~htafoya/dayofthedead.html www.art-is-fun.com/day-of-the-dead-art www.mexconnect.com/articles/3099-mexico-s-day-of-the-dead-resource-page

BUILDING ALTARS www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/chngmexico/211 archive.azcentral.com/ent/dead/altar/tradaltar.html

LESSON PLAN SOURCES For more information, visit http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/daydeadindex.html

Funding for this program was provided by the Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation. Consider a gift today! Donate by calling 616.988.5399 or visiting www.grplfoundation.org.

09.2018