Dia de los muertos

[hohrtma...@lewiston.k12.id.us]

Thanks for the files Kari, my class builds altars as well, but we
approach them differently. Our school is divided into grade level
teams and the 9th grade team has agreed to be the "dead ancestors" for
the day. All of the teachers come dressed as "dead ancestors" for the
day. We use this opportunity not just for Spanish, but also as a
community building/writing across the curriculum activity. My
students get a chance to interview their assigned teacher/counselor
and yes, even our principal. They have to figure out what we like/
dislike and decide what would entice us to come back from the dead to
visit them. Then they must write our obituaries-- this year I died at
the ripe old age of 106 in a freak skydiving accident (caught my heels
in the parachute).

Since I teach 1st year, they write in both Spanish and English. In
addition to the obituaries, they also write altar descriptions
explaining what each layer has and why. We write those together using
a cloze passage style. I have judges from the other grade levels
judge the final products and they select the top altars. My students
work to be the top--we've done this for several years, so they are
pretty elaborate now and they want the prizes associated with
winning. I am blessed that my team is very good natured and tolerates
my students writing about their deaths. I will forward pictures of
the altars at the end of the week--

Heather