Day of the Dead Lesson Plan: Culture

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8

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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic  Day of the Dead, and supports the standard of analyzing the background of holidays and their impact on culture. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of  projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Ask students:

  • What have you heard about Day of the Dead?
  • Where do you think this holiday comes from? 

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign the Day of the Dead Challenge and Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about Day of the Dead while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs. 

  • Make-a-Movie: Produce a commercial for a Day of the Dead celebration. Include a brief  history of the holiday, and describe the activities that will be happening at the celebration.  
  • Make-a-Map: Make a concept map identifying Day of the Dead traditions. Provide a brief description of each. 
  • Creative Coding: Code a flag for a Day of the Dead celebration.

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Teacher Support Resources:

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Related:

    Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, BrainPOP, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4