Day of the Dead, Dia de los muertos & Diorama Research Project for 6th, 7th, 8th

Are you looking for an interactive and fun Day of the Dead research project to help your middle school, intermediate, and advanced ESL students learn about Día de los muertos and how cultures around the world celebrate their ancestors? This Day of the Dead, Dia de los muertos & Diorama Research Project gets your 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students to use their creativity, with a hands-on project!. It's designed with your students' diverse learning styles in mind, providing an opportunity for your students to research, draw, write, to show off their knowledge!

✨Culture choices are:

• Mexico – Day of the Dead

• Japan – Obon Festival

• China – Quingming Festival

• Spain – All Saints Day

• India – Diwali (Festival of Lights)

• Indonesia – Galungan

• Guatemala – All Saints Day

• Ecuador – All Saints Day (Día de los difuntos)

• Philippines – All Saints Day

• Thailand – Ghost Festival (Phi Ta Khon)

• Korea – Chuseok

• Peru – All Saints Day (Día de los difuntos)

• Nigeria – Egungun

• Cambodia – Ancestor’s Day

• Sweden – All Saints Day

• Honduras – All Saints Day

• Or add your own!

In this 2-week-long project, your students will go on a deep exploration of a chosen culture and how they celebrate their dead. They’ll research, put a create a diorama, present, and write an essay about the culture of their choice.

This product covers the following standards: 

The student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes

• Locate relevant resources

• Examine sources for credibility

• Take notes

• Cite resources

• Give a presentation using language effectively

• Compose informational texts

• Revise drafts

• Publish written work for appropriate audiences

Students will research:

•Origins and history

•Traditions and rituals

•Significant symbols

•Dates and festivals

•Altars and offerings (including food)

•Beliefs and afterlife

•Any arts and crafts associated with these traditions

✨ Day of the Dead Research Project Includes✨

• Teacher Guide with cards with names of Hispanic Americans

• Student Handouts:

  • Project Guidelines

  • Research Notes Pages

  • Writing assignment

  • Sentence starters

• Writing Rubric

• Diorama Rubric

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