Día de los Muertos Lesson Plan for Spanish Class

Día de los Muertos is coming and you know you want to do something to educate your students about this celebration! Sometimes your curriculum and pacing guide doesn’t allow for a ton of time, so in this post we are going to talk about a one day lesson plan you can use to recognize Day of the Dead without deviating too far from a required curriculum timeline. I think your students will love this Día de los Muertos lesson plan for Spanish class!

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Background Info:

I have used this lesson with 6th-12th grade students, in exploratory, Spanish 1, and Spanish 2 classes. I have never tried a virtual field trip with elementary students, but if you teach upper elementary and have students who are very comfortable with technology, you might try it with your upper el ed students. This fit well in a 45-50 minute class period, but if your classes are much longer, you might like these activities instead!

Día de los Muertos Lesson Plan for Spanish Class

1. Start of class routine – click here to learn more! (10-15 minutes)
2. Share link to the map for them to explore – learn more about virtual field trips here (5-8 minutes)
3. Pass out graphic organizer or comprehension questions to let them gather the information – (25-30 minutes)
4. Fast finisher! Choose from Geoguessr, a list of YouTube videos, or another activity to reinforce what your students learned!

Take a Closer Look at the Virtual Field Trip

Countries Explored: 

• Mexico
• Guatemala
• Bolivia
• Ecuador

Click here to grab this activity!

Fast Finisher Options

As students finish the virtual field trip at their own pace, it’s nice to have a fast finisher. Check out these options:

• Geoguessr
• Halloween vs. Día de los Muertos Comparison Sorting Activity
• Chumba la Cachumba- Canción
• Las Calaveras y Las Calacas Reading and Glyph
• Design a Calavera Activity and Classroom Display

Need more ideas?

Check out these posts for more ways to celebrate Day of the Dead with your Spanish students!

• Day of the Dead
• Digital Day of the Dead Activities for Spanish Class
• 10 Day of the Dead Items Every Spanish Teacher Should Have
• Día de los Muertos Lesson Plan: Build an Ofrenda Challenge
• Stations for Day of the Dead

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Spanish Teacher Tees

If you’re looking for a fun tee to wear during your lessons, check these out!

The ol’ classic, “I’ll just wait until it’s quiet” classroom management technique. Check out these options:

• Doodle Calavera
• Frida Calavera
• Flower Calavera

They each come in different colors, too!