Día de los Muertos

1. Día de los Muertos Amy Annalora EDU 505 Professor Harrison Yang

2. Introduction Tonight is your first night in Mexico for your school trip. Before bed, you start to close your shades, when you notice numerous people in the cemetery. Frantically, you call your Spanish teacher. She assures you that everything is okay, because it is November 2nd. Today the Mexican people are celebrating Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead, which is a very important holiday in their culture.

3. Introduction Continued • Is it actually okay to celebrate a person’s death? • When does one’s “life” end? • Is Día de los Muertos similar to any holiday that we celebrate in the United States?

4. Task • You will work in a group of four students to complete a Webquest about the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos. • Each group member will focus on one aspect of this holiday. • As a guide, you will use the provided questions and websites to help you research your topic. • You and your group members will put all of your information together and present it to those on your trip through a PowerPoint or Posters.

5. Process Step #1: Topic Assignments • Sit with the three other students in your group. • Decide which group member will research each topic. • The topics: 1.) History 2.) Food 3.) Art 4.) Comparing and Contrasting With Other Holidays

6. Process Step #2: Survey Worksheet • Fill out the survey worksheet, which is where you will record your group members, which aspect each individual in your group will be researching, and how your group will present the information to the class (PowerPoint or Posters). • SURVEY WORKSHEET

7. ProcessStep #3: Research Your Topic • Explore the provided websites about the topic that you choose. • Jot down any information pertinent to your topic and make sure to answer the provided questions. • RESEARCH QUESTIONS

8. Process Step #3: Research Your TopicContinued • Copy and paste any images and/or clipart that you want to use in your presentation into Microsoft Word. • Make sure to keep track of any sites you take information from, because you will need to include a bibliography with all of your group’s resources.

9. Process Step #4: Create Group Presentation • Once everyone has found all of their information, together you will create one PowerPoint or 4 posters for a group presentation.

10. Resources History • http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/history/ • http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/jking/jkdayofthedead.html • http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/muertosorig.html • http://modernlanguages.louisville.edu/spanish/daydead/dia_muertos_Mexico/index.php • http://www.nacnet.org/assunta/dead.htm

11. Resources Food • http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/history/a/dayofthedead.htm • http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/food/ • http://www.inside-mexico.com/calabaza.htm • http://www.inside-mexico.com/calaveras.htm

12. Resources Art • http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/history/posada.html • http://olvera-street.com/html/cemetery.html • http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/papel.html • http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/crafts/paperflowers.html • http://www.dayofthedead.com/TraditionAltars.html

13. Resources Comparing and Contrasting • http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36366.asp • http://www.inside-mexico.com/noes.htm • http://www.inside-mexico.com/teaching4.htm • http://www.holidays.net/halloween/muertos.htm • http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/muertos.html • http://olvera-street.com/html/cemetery.html

14. Evaluation

15. Evaluation Continued

16. Conclusion What great teachers you all are! Thanks to you, everyone on the trip now knows all about Día de los Muertos. Also, now you will be able to help any other tourists that you meet in Mexico to understand that the Mexican people actually celebrate death. You so worked hard while learning that cultures celebrate death differently, so now go out and enjoy the festivities by having some pan de muerte and atole de leche.