ESL

El Dia de los Muertos Presentation Outline El Dia de los Muertos goes back to the Aztecs, who had not just a few days but an entire month dedicated to the dead. Festivities were presided over by the goddess Mictecacihuatl, “Lady of the Dead”, and dedicated to children and the dead. In the Aztec calendar, this ritual fell roughly at the end of the Gregorian month of July and the beginning of August, but in the post conquest era it was moved by Spanish priests so that it coincided with the Christian holiday of All Hallows Eve (in Spanish: “Dian de Todas Santos,”) in a vain effort to transform a “profane” to a Christian celebration. The result is that Mexicans now celebrate the day of the dead during the first two days of November, rather than at the beginning of summer. The modern festivity is characterized by the traditional Mexican blend of ancient aboriginal and introduced Christian features.
November 2 is the official date for Day of the Dead, although it is celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd. The day of the dead is a time for the dead to return home and visit loved ones, feast on their favorite foods and listen to their favorite music. They are thought to return to be with their living relatives for a few brief hours each year in this world, but come as spirits who have returned from another world. A widely held belief is that the souls of the children (“angelitos”) return first, and food and gifts appropriate for their age and taste will be set out for them. Everything is miniature: cups, plates, small breads, etc. The adult dead are said to return on November 1st and they are given the most elaborate foods and drinks the family can afford. Today the celebration takes place at about the same time ancient corn festivals were celebrated, when food from a plentiful harvest was shared with the deceased. In Mexico, this festival is considered to be the most important holiday of the year. The celebration is portrayed as a period full of life, happiness, color, food, family, and fun. The main symbols of this holiday are skulls and skeletons, which are displayed throughout the city. Marigolds are another significant symbol for the Day of the Dead festivity, and are known as the “flower of the dead.” Their scent is believed to “attract the souls and draw them back.”
Offerings are often set up in the home on an altar displaying portraits, personnel goods, clothes, favorite foods, and possessions of the deceased family member. On November 2nd, family members visit the gravesites of their loved ones. They decorate the graves with flowers, enjoy picnics consisting of favorite foods of the deceased, and socially interact
with others at the cemetery. This is an important social ritual that the Latino people see as “a way of recognizing the cycle of life and death.”
Common foods eaten during this celebration include: pan de los muertos (“bread of the dead”), flat bread baked in the shape of skulls and crossbones. It is said to be good luck to the one who bites into the plastic toy skeleton hidden by the baker in each rounded loaf. Friends and family members give one another gifts consisting of sugar skeletons or other items
with a death motif, and the gift is more prized if the skull or skeleton is embossed with one’s own name. Candy in the shape of skulls, skeletons,
and coffins, and many favorite Mexican dishes (tamales, moles, chilies, enchiladas) can be found in one's home during this celebration. The meals prepared for these picnics usually feature meat dishes in spicy sauces, special egg batter bread, cookies, chocolate, and sugary confections in a variety of animal or skull shapes. The traditional observance calls for a feast during the early morning hours on November 2nd, the Day of the Dead proper, though modern urban Mexican families usually observe the Day of the Dead with only a special family supper featuring the “bread of the dead”.
There are folktales believed and told that say the dead spirits will get revenge on the living if they get poor treatment during these days each year. Leaving nothing (or inferior gifts) on the altar causes the spirits to be angry or sad. These superstitions inspire many people to participate in this holiday celebration for this very reason.

El Dia de los Muertos Unit Plan

Over View:
Day of the Dead, also known as “Dia de los Muertos,” is a holiday (or festival) which is celebrated in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, and other areas in Central and South America populated with the Latino ethnic background. The Day of the Dead is also celebrated in areas of the United States, such as California, Texas, and many others, in which the Mexican/American heritage exists.
Students will recognize that certain cultures have celebrations unique to them and recognize that a holiday celebrated by one ethnic culture may be honored in many countries as the cultural group disperses among different areas. Students will also create their own poems about this cultural celebration. By participating in this unit plan, students will recognize that certain values and beliefs may be shared and reinforced through a celebration.

Lesson Plan # 1 – Drawing Depiction
Explain when and where the Day of the Dead is celebrated. Show the students on a may where the areas and countries in which it is honored are located. Be sure to explain to the students that there are areas in the United States that celebrate this holiday as well. Share information about this holiday. Check for understanding with questions and review ideas as needed. Ask students to draw a picture resembling something they remember about this holiday.

Lesson Plan # 2 – El Dia de los Muertos Collage
Students will make a poster or a collage depicting a celebration of El Dia de los Muertos. By decorating the poster with objects or pictures of objects that might be used in the celebration of the holiday, the students will try to capture some of the rich combinations and influences the celebration entails: life/death, happiness/solemnity, Native American traditions/ Spanish Catholic tradition, humor/respect, reality/fancy, and whatever other aspects may appeal to them. Afterwards the students will discuss the meaning behind their collage and the items they chose to represent it.

Lesson Plan # 3 – Oferendas for the Altar
Traditional oferendas may include favorite foods, candles, flowers, incense, photographs, and shoes to help the spirits return to Heaven more comfortably. Musical instruments might be placed on the oferenda of someone who was a musician in life. As a group project, the students will create an oferenda to honor a Mexican artist who is no longer living. Students will research their artist’s life to choose works of art and other appropriate items to include in the oferenda for the artist.

Lesson Plan # 4 – “Calaveras” Poem
Define the different definitions of “calaveras.” Introduce the traditional “CALAVERAS” poem used for the Day of the Dead celebration, and explain what definition is applied to the poem. Display the poem on the board or overhead for the students to see. Go over the poem in Spanish and English. Have the entire class read the poem both in English and Spanish. Discuss how there is a rhyming pattern used when read in Spanish, but not in English. Once students are familiar with this poem, have them write their own poem about the Day of the Dead. An option to consider about the writing topic being the Day of the Dead could be to expand the topic, and allow them to write their poem about Halloween (considering the idea that the Day of the Dead is a religious holiday in which some of the students may not feel comfortable writing about). Allow time for the students who want to share their poems with the class to do so. If time allows for it, the students can translate their poem into Spanish so that they can hear how the rhyming pattern they used in English is not present in Spanish.

Lesson Plan # 5 – Baked Skulls
Review information about the holiday symbols. Display pictures showing some of these symbols, and focus on the decorative skulls. Students will be designing a skull sculpture of their own out of the salt dough provided. Once their sculpture is molded, they will need to be baked in the oven over night, and then they can paint and decorate them the following day. Display pictures of some elaborate skulls that are seen during the Day of the Dead celebration. Focus on the different colors, shapes, and designs that the skulls have, in order to help the students get ideas for decorating their own skull sculpture. Provide paints and allow them to decorate their sculpture.
Salt Dough Recipe:
Ingredients needed – 1cup flour, 1-tablespoon salad oil, 1-cup water, ½ cup salt, and 2 teaspoons cream of tartar.
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Use wooden spoon to stir over medium heat. Stir constantly to prevent sticking. The mixture will be soupy for several minutes and then suddenly it will stick together and can be stirred into a ball. Turn the hot ball out onto a floured surface, and begin kneading as it cools. This recipe makes nice soft dough that can be colored brightly with food colors (if desired). It keeps in the refrigerator or freezer in a covered container. After students have decorated their skulls, spray them with an acrylic sealer.

Lesson Plan # 6 – Calaveras Puppets
After seeing skeleton images used in the El Dia de los Muertos festival and hearing the Mexican tale of “Sister Death and the Healer”, the students will be able to identify the view of death held by the Mexican people. (Analysis) Discuss calaveras as an important symbol of death held by the Mexican people (Analysis) Discuss calaveras as an important symbol to the El Dia de los Muertos festival, students will create their own animated calaveras puppet. (Synthesis)
Ask students what feeling comes to mind when they think of skulls and skeletons. Provide a skull image for the students to view. After viewing the skulls, have the students share their responses. Show students pictures of the skeleton images seen in the El Dia de los Muertos festival. Ask the students how their feelings differ from those of the other skulls. Allow students to share their responses. Next, have students to point out the differences between the two types of skull and skeleton images. Explain to the students that the animated skulls and skeletons are important images. The Mexican culture refers to the animated skeletons as calaveras, which literally means “skull”. After reading the story of “Sister Death and the Healer”, have the students explain why they think the calaveras are such an important symbol of the El Dia de los Muertos festival. Explain to the students that the important aspect to remember when creating their calaveras, is that they should make them as animated as possible. Students should use various matierials to create different textures to animate their skeleton. To make their skeleton look more animated, students can decorate their skeletons with clothes, hats, or props.

Lesson Plan # 7 – Papel Picado
Refer to lesson plan handout.

Lesson Plan # 8 – “Meeting the Bony Woman”
The students will create a picture book that depicts the actions in the story of “Meeting the Bony Woman.” When the picture books are finished the students will explain their choice of colors, shapes, etc. that they used to tell the story without words.

Lesson Plan # 9 – Jose Guadalupe Posada
The students will investigate the work of Jose Guadalupe Posada and create cartoons with social or political content. Skeletons can be used as a basis for figures, but encourage students to show interaction between figures, dress them in contemporary clothing, and make social comments on human behavior.

Lesson Plan # 10 – Pan de los Muertos “bread of the dead”/Sugar Skulls
Have students discuss why these things are important to the celebration. Divide the class in to two groups and have each group complete the making of the sugar skulls or bread of the dead to be used as an oferenda.

Lesson Plan # 11 – El Dia de los Muertos Altar
Facts about the Altar:
The most important thing to put on your Day of the Dead Altar is a photograph of the person to whom you are dedicating the altar. The three-tier altar is covered in “papel picado” – which is bright colored tissue paper with cut out designs. The paper can be either handmade or purchased. Three important colors are purple (for pain), white (for hope), and pink (for the celebration). Candles are also placed all over the altar. Purple candles again are used to signify pain. On the top level of the altar, four candles need to be placed – signifying the four cardinal points. The light of the candle will illuminate the way for the dead upon their return. Three candy skulls are placed on the second level. These represent the Holy Trinity. On the center of the third level a large skull is placed – this represents the Giver of Life. All bad spirits must be whisked away and leave a clear path of the dead soul by burning in a bracero, a small burner used to cook outside. Or you can use a sahumerio to burn copal incense. A small cross of ash is made so that the ghost will expel all its guilt when it is stepped on. The Day of the Dead bread, should be accompanied by fruit and candy placed on the altar. Pan de Muertos is plain round sweet bread sprinkled with white sugar and a crisscrossed bone shape laid on top. You can also add the person’s favorite food. A towel, soap and small bowl are put on the altar so that the returning ghost can wash their hands after their long trip. There is a pitcher of fresh water to quench their thirst and a bottle of liquor to remember the good times of their life. To decorate and leave a fragrance on the altar, the traditional cempasuchil flower is placed around the other figures. Cempasuchil comes from Nahuatl cempoalxochitl, the flower with four hundred lives. The flower petals form a path for the spirits to bring them to their banquette. In lesson plan 3, the students chose an artist to create an oferenda for – using traditional colors, the students will now create an altar to dedicate to that artist. After the completion of the project the students will describe their altars to their classmates and explain why they chose that specific artist and what that artist was known for.

Lesson Plan # 12 – Recap / Crowning of Queen and King
Make arrangements to allow the students to go on a field trip to a nearby cemetery. At the cemetery, have the students sit in a circle on a blanket and review what they have learned about the Day of the Dead celebration and what takes place in cemeteries during this holiday. Talk about pan de muertos (“bread of the dead”), and review the idea about how the person with the plastic skeleton in their piece of bread is said to have good luck. Explain to the students that instead of the bread that you are going to use cupcakes and that everyone will get a cupcake. The girls will pick from one box while the boys chose from a separate box. One boy and one girl will have a candy skeleton in their cupcake, which means they will receive good luck and are crowned the king and queen for the day. Eat the cupcakes and present the crowns to the king and queen. Take a walk around the grounds of the cemetery, explore the different styles of headstones from the past to the more recent years, figure out how old people were when they passed away, observe the family burial plots, and note the year of the oldest and most recent deaths. Remember to remind students that they must respect the grounds and families of the “spirits” who reside there. Back in the classroom discuss the student’s observations from the cemetery, and share the recipe for pan de muertos, so that they may make it at home.

RESOURCES:
Pan de los Muertos: http://www.web-holidays.com
Sugar Skull Making Instructions: http://mexicansugarskull.com
Day of the Dead: http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/about.html
Meeting the Bony Woman: http://mexconect.mex_/travel/wdevlin/wdbones.html

Sugar Skulls and Pan de los Muertos:
Sugar skulls are a traditional folk art from Southern Mexico used to celebrate the Day of the Dead. Indian vendors in open-air village markets sell mounds of colorful sugar skulls during the week preceding the holiday. Spirits of the dead are welcomed back to their homes with beautifully decorated altars made by their loved ones. Sugar skull, marigolds, candles, incense, and special foods adorn home altars. Families take the flowers and sugar skulls to the cemetery to decorate the tombs on November 2. Sugar skulls are colorfully decorated with icing; pieces of bright foil, colored sugars and usually bear the name of the deceased loved one being honored. They are easy to make by children and adults, and if kept dry, they can last a year.

The recipes for making sugar skulls and Pan de los Muertos can be found on the following web pages:
Sugar Skull Making Instructions: http://www.mexicansugarskull.com
Pan de los Muertos “Bread of the Dead”: http://www.web-holidays.com

“CALAVERAS” POEM
Ahi viene el agua Hear comes the water
Por la ladera,   down the slope
Y se me moja   and my skull
Mi calavera   is getting wet.
La muerte calaca, Death, a skeleton
Ni gorda ni flaca Neither fat or skinny.
La muerte casera,   A homemade skeleton
Pegada con cera . stuck together with wax.

El Dia de los Muertos Unit:
Papel Picado (Mexican Cut Paper) Lesson Plan # 7

Goals:
1. Students will describe the characteristics of a piece of papel picado. Art seen in the El Dia de los Muertos festival. Knowledge.
2. Students will predict what medium was used in the papel picado art. Analysis.
3. Students will predict where they might find the papel picado art. Analysis.
4. Students will explain how the scene in the appeal pieced art made them feel. Comprehension.
5. After seeing a demonstration of a simple papel picado art, students will produce their own papel picado art using the appropriate technique. Application.
6. Students will be able to identify positive and negative spaces and explain their meanings.

Background:
Identify the traditions and history of El Dia de los Mertos.
1. Hand students a copy of a papel picado art piece from Mexico.
2. Have students answer questions about the art pieces that have been written on the board. (Example: What are some of the characteristics of this artwork? What materials do you think the artist used to make this artwork? Where might you find art like this? How did it make you feel?) Give the students a few minutes to answer each question.
3. Let students share their observations of the art with the class. Point out some of the key characteristics of the art. After students have shared their observations, share with the students what that the author used a technique called papel picado. Tell the students what the term means and write it on the board. Discuss how papel picado is made.
4. Explain to students that this technique is a popular art form in Mexico. Discuss its uses and how it plays a role in the festival of El Dia de los Muertos.

Vocabulary:
El Dia de los Muertos
Papel picado
Positive area
Negative area

Supplies:
1. Different kinds of paper for designs (butcher paper, tissue paper, fadeless colored paper, origami paper).
2. Colored construction paper for background paper.
3. Pencils
4. Scissors
5. Copies of papel picado piece from Mexico
6. Books showing visual examples of cut traditions and styles in other cultures (Example: Matisse paper cutouts, French silhouettes, Chinese hua yang, German scherenschnitte, or Japanese kirigami).

Studio Activity:
Explain to students that they will make their own papel picado art. Demonstrate the process of simple papel picado.
1. Choose which paper you would like to use for your creation.
2. Fold the paper in half. Sketch one half of the design on one of the folded halves.
3. Designs must touch and connect to the other areas of the paper as they form the positive shapes on the paper.
4. Shade negative areas that will cut away with pencil to help in cutting.
5. Cut away negative areas around design with scissors.
6. Open slowly and flatten. Glue design to a colorful background paper.
7. Folding the paper more than once can make more complex designs.
8. While demonstrating the activity, explain to the students what terms positive and negative areas mean in art. Show an example of papel picado creation. Have students point out the positive and negative areas in the piece.

Evaluation:
Did the students describe the characteristics of the picture of the art given to them?
Did the students predict how the art was made?
Did the students predict where they might see the art?
Did the students describe how the art made them feel?
Did the students produce papel picado creations using the correct technique?
Can the students determine the difference between positive and negative areas?
Can the students explain what positive and negative areas are?
Can the students identify positive and negative areas?

Resources:
Papel Picado: http://www.federalmarine.com/cut-it-out
Papel Picado: http://www.art.unt.edu/artbace/print/garcia/muerte.html
Carmichael, Elizabeth. The Skeleton at the feast: The Day of the Dead in Mexico. Austin:
University of Texas Press, 1992.
Harris, Zoe, 1941. Pinatas and Smiling Skeletons Celebrating Mexican Festivals. Berkly Calif.:
Pacific View Press, c1998.