Day of the Dead vs. Halloween

Lesson Plan

By Milan Virant

NCSS Standards Covered:

1. Provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity.

3. Provide for the study of people, places, and environments.

Performance Expectations

c.  apply an understanding of culture as an integrated whole that explains the functions and interactions of language, literature, the arts, traditions, beliefs and values, and behavior patters;

e. demonstrate the value of cultural diversity, as well as cohesion, within and across groups;

Outcomes:

Students will gain awareness and appreciation of cultural similarities and differences by examining, comparing, and contrasting Halloween with the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead.  Also, students will understand the concept of multiple perspectives.

Lesson Content/Essential Questions

Procedures:

     Students will begin this lesson by writing words that describe Halloween on a T-chart drawn on the board. They will then be asked if they have heard of the holiday Day of the Dead. If so, they will be asked to write words on the board that describe that holiday. Next, teacher will comment briefly on Day of the Dead and explain that we will be researching the holiday and comparing it to Halloween by examining literature from web sites and watching a two-minute web video. Teacher will show a skeleton prop and ask why the skeleton is smiling. Teacher will hand out a sheet listing the web information for study and explain that the students will then work in groups of five or six to complete a short worksheet during the last 15 minutes of class time. They will then try to add new descriptive words for Day of the Dead. Teacher will again show the skeleton and ask why it is smiling. Teacher will ask higher-level questions concerning Day of the Dead. Teacher will direct research by observation, aiding students when necessary, and by assisting students in managing time to complete lesson. Teacher will encourage students to discuss their own attitudes pertaining to death and these holidays.

Essential questions are:

1. How does Day of the Dead differ from Halloween?
2. What do you believe the attitudes towards death are during these two holidays?

Learning Outcomes:

Working in groups, the students will complete an eleven questions fill-in-the-blank quiz or worksheet on the Day of the Dead and Halloween.

As a class, students will volunteer to add to a blackboard T-chart on Day of the Dead and Halloween, after they have completed the quiz or worksheet.

Activity:

Time needed for each step—What teacher will do—What students will do. 10 minutes: Teacher will introduce lesson, ask and answer questions, pass out assignment sheet and quiz and monitor students as they write on the board. Students will write descriptive words on the board and receive assignment and quiz sheets. 25 minutes: Teacher will supervise students and assist with questions and monitor time. Students will stay in the room or go to the computer room to research sites and take quizzes. 15 minutes: Teacher will discuss the topic and conclude the assignment. Students will complete writing on the, board T-chart, and discuss topic.

Comments/closure:

     The goal of this lesson is to help students gain awareness and appreciation of cultural similarities and differences by examining, comparing, and contrasting Halloween with the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead. I believe that this will be a fun lesson to teach on Halloween or Day of the Dead for both my students and me. This lesson will strongly display the concept of multiple perspectives and will be of special interest to Hispanic students who constitute an increasing presence in classrooms around Southern Minnesota. It is my hope that this lesson will instill a sense of cultural pride in Hispanic students and awareness of cultural differences and similarities in other students.

     This lesson plan can be made more or less complex based on the grade I am teaching. It can be used as a history lesson or even as a lesson in sociology. It can also easily accommodate special needs students.

Materials:

Computers will be utilized. Paper, pencils, quiz/worksheet sheet. Web material/directions sheet.

Differentiation, Learning Styles/Assessment:

Teacher will differentiate by allowing ESL/Special Education students to work together. Hispanic students will be encouraged to share their experiences with Day of the Dead.

Resources:

http://school.discovery.com/cgi-bin/wcmatch.cgi?T=match (worksheet generator)

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rjsalvad/scmfaq/muertos.html (Day of the Dead)

http://www.holidays.net/dayofthedead/index.htm (Day of the Dead)