Southwest Children's Literature

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Festival of the Bones/El festival de las calaveras: The Little-Bitty Book for Day of the Dead

In the classroom/library:

GRADE LEVEL: 1st Grade

SUBJECTS: Social Studies, Language Arts, Fine Arts

OVERVIEW: Students will learn about the Mexican celebration El día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) and other traditions through engaging with a picture book, and making connections to the artifacts. This will allow students to gain an understanding that different cultures have differing views of life and death.

PURPOSE: This lesson is to provide students with cultural awareness. Students will be introduced to the Mexican holiday the Day of the Dead (El día de los muertos). This lesson will help students understand that the Day of the Dead is not a Mexican version of Halloween. Students will also become more aware of their own culture.

Outcomes

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Respond to the theme of the story.
2. Design a clay skeleton figure.
3. Identify and describe the use of various artifacts used in this Mexican tradition.
4. Recognize that cultures have celebrations/traditions unique to them.

Standards - Taken from the TUSD Core Curriculum Web Site

History
o Use stories to describe past events, people and places. (SS1-F3)
PO 1. Contributions from past events and cultures as a group

Language Arts
Reading - Vocabulary
o Recognize and apply knowledge of the historical and cultural aspects of American, British, and world literature. (1-R2-C2)
Listening and Speaking
o Respond to oral and written presentations by formulating relevant feedback, expressing opinions, discerning the main idea and distinguishing fact from opinion. (WP1-E4)
o Listen actively to the ideas of others in order to acquire new knowledge. (ELL-L&S-3)

Fine Arts
Students study, appreciate and produce two- and three-dimensional visual works of art.
Creating Art
o Select and use subjects, themes and symbols** in works of art. (FAV1-F1)
o Identify and describe how history, culture and visual arts can and do influence one another. (FAV2-F3)
PO 1. restate the purpose an art image/object served based on the cultural history of the maker (e.g., sugar skulls and Mexico)

Resources
Children's Books:
The Festival of Bones by Luis San Vicente
A Gift for Abuelita by Nancy Luenn, illustrated by Robert Chapman
Rattle Your Bones by David Clemesha and Andrea Griffing Zimmerman
Artifacts:
o Sugar skull
o Children's skeleton toy
o Pop-up altar
o Papel picado
o Picture cards
o Stamp and stamp pad
o Pancho the Skeleton taken from http://www.inside-mexico.com/titere.htm
o Sample of skeleton project

Authentic food:
Pan de muerto (Bread of the Dead)

Materials:
oWhite Crayola® Model Magic
o Permanent markers
o Wax paper
o Popsicle sticks
o Sandwich bags

Process
1. Introductory Set
Does anyone know what El día de los muertos is? When is it celebrated? Do we know who celebrates El día de los muertos? Where? What do we know about El día de los muertos? Let's look at some of the things I've brought to share with you today.
2. Objectives/purpose -
o Students will learn about the traditions as practiced by the Mexican culture through reading two books about The Day of the Dead
o Students will design/create a skeleton artifact.
3. Input
a. Build vocabulary: El día de los muertos (Day of the Dead), ofrenda (offering made to honor the dead), calavera (skeleton), papel picado (paper decorations)
b. Read story: The Festival of Bones by Luis San Vicente
c. Come up with the cultural features of the story.
4. Modeling
Creating and designing a skeleton sculpture.
Model steps: Use white Crayola® Model Magic form one large cylinder and one small cylinder, shape head, use Popsicle stick to cut legs from cylinder, attach second cylinder for arms, look at designs on the artifacts, design, mark colors on design and color with permanent marker.
5. Check for Understanding
Review process and reason for skeletons celebrating.
6. Guided Practice
Teachers will support students as they create and design their skeleton sculpture.
7. Independent Practice - or Homework
Children will be sent home with a letter about what they learned to day. They will be encourage to ask their parents what they know about El día de los muertos.
8. Closure
Social studies is the study of people and it is important that we understand that people are different and have different customs/ way of doing things.

Assessment:
I will lead the class through an art project. By creating and decorating a skeleton figurine. Students will also be evaluated with a multiple-choice quiz about our lesson.

Extensions/Modifications:
This lesson may lead to learning about other Mexican holidays, such as Cinco de mayo. Students will then be able to do a project in learning how to create papel picado, which is used in all Mexican celebrations. This lesson can also extend to science and human anatomy.

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