This bilingual title (Spanish/English) will introduce students to one of Mexico's most popular holidays: Dia de los Muertos. Although the name of the holiday, "Day of the Dead," may sound frightening to many Americans, and the displays of skeletons and skulls may seem a bit strange, Dia de los Muertos is not a Mexican version of Halloween. Nor is it any type of "devil worship." Dia de los Muertos is a time of the year in which families remember those who have departed. It is a time of celebration of the lives of those who are no longer living.

We include a reproducible mini-book that explains the holiday and its traditions. One of these traditions is the making of an "altar" to honor the departed. Students will be able to make their own altar diorama, complete with illustrated background and objects such as flowers, candies, candles and more to complete the 3-D effect. There are paper bag puppets and art projects galore.

This unit also contains material that can be used at other times of the year, including Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day (September 16). There is a sombrero that students make and wear, a Mexican flag, a map of Mexico, and more!

Each reproducible is completely bilingual: Spanish and English on every page! Perfect for use in any classroom.

Dia de los Muertos by Dwayne Douglas Kohn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.Based on a work at www.PrimerGrado.com.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.FlipBooklets.com.