Las Alfombras de Semana Santa Lesson Plan

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There are many beautiful traditions in the Spanish speaking world. Many of them surround Semana Santa, or Holy Week. One of my personal favorites are the alfombras created in Guatemala. They are vibrant, eye-catching, and yet fleeting. Let’s look at a lesson plan for las alfombras de Semana Santa!

Las Alfombras de Semana Santa Lesson Plan

Presentation on las Alfombras de Semana Santa

First, because these are just so colorful, let’s show students a few images! I created just a few slides to introduce the topic and give them a glimpse of what they’ll learn more about in the lesson with the reading selection.

You might also play a video or two for them. Here are some options – of course, always preview for your setting!

Reading on las Alfombras de Semana Santa

After students have just a glimpse of the beautiful and vibrant colors, it’s time to learn more with a short reading. There are a few options here, as always! You can choose to include the glossary to support your students, or if the vocab is enough that they’ll be comfortable with, you can use the version with space for them to add their own notes as you’re working. There’s also a second version of the reading, formatted to support a close reading activity. Up to you!

After reading, students can complete the close reading activity to encourage them to find the information in the text. They will also have to show where they find the evidence when they mark up the text with the different symbols and color writing utensils. Finally, choose between the comprehension questions in English or Spanish to wrap up the reading before moving onto the craft!

Art Project for La Semana Santa

After the reading comprehension pages, it’s fun for your students to color or design their own version of an alfombra! There are a few options for you to choose based on how much time you want students to spend and the materials you have available:

The lowest prep options are pre-designed coloring sheets. Print, let students choose, then color.
Next are the blank templates. Students can color with markers, crayons, or whatever to design their own alfombras.
The next level of materials are the color and cut pages. These allow students to experience the kind of multi-dimensional art they would see if they were able to visit and participate in creating an alfombra, but with the more readily available materials of paper, glue, and coloring utensils. You can print the color and cut pages and let students mix and match from the shapes and designs to create their alfombras.
A final, more involved option for this project would be to give students the template and a different medium to create their own version of an alfombra. Some options might include tearing construction paper or scrap paper, tissue paper, or (if you feel particularly brave) glitter and adhering your choice of medium with glue. All up to you, of course!

Of course when they’re done, it’s great to hang them up and turn them into a display! It’s always fun to show off to the rest of the school what you’ve been up to in Spanish class. These alfombra projects make a very colorful bulletin board when they are finished.