El Día de los Muertos: A WebQuest Presenter: Tonya Acome Spanish Teacher Union Springs Middle School Presenter: Tiffany Zaremba

Introduction Many people consider El Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) to be the Mexican version of Halloween. Is it? Or is this a misconception? Through this WebQuest, you will come up with an answer to this question and learn what the Day of the Dead is and how it is celebrated.

Task First, you will discover what the Day of the Dead is and how it is celebrated. Questions you will answer in a complete sentence on your own paper are: When is the Day of the Dead celebrated? What is the history and origina behind the Day of the Dead? What are two kinds of decorations associated with the holiday? What is an “ofrenda” and what is its significance? What are two traditional foods associated with the holiday? What is the latino view of death?

Task Continued Second, you will create a detailed timeline of the Day of the Dead festivities. Include two days of set-up and preparation leading up to the big day. Include 12 events from the celebration. This will be from a first person perspective, like you are preparing for this holiday.

Task continued Third, create a graphic organizer or Venn Diagram, which shows the differences and similarities between the Day of the Dead and Halloween.

Resources Video: day of the dead dead-resource-pagehttp:// dead-resource-page Mexico16.htmhttp:// Mexico16.htm tmhttp://gomexico.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/p/day_of_the_dead.h tm

Resources Continued Halloween

Evaluation Your answers, timeline, and Venn Diagram will be graded using the following rubric: 4 points3 points2 points1 point Question/ Answers Answers are accurate, in complete sentences, and detailed. Answers are in complete sentences with some details. Answers are somewhat incomplete and/or contain inaccurate information. Answers are mostly incomplete and contain mostly inaccurate answers. No use of complete sentences. Timeline Timeline includes 12 events from celebration, which are richly detailed. Timeline is visually pleasing and neat. Timeline includes 10 events from celebration, with explanation. Timeline is neat. Timeline includes 8 events from celebration, with minimal details. Timeline hard to follow. Timeline includes less than 8 events from celebration, with no details or explanation. Timeline is sloppy. Graphic Organizer/ Venn Diagram There are 9 similarities/differen ces listed between the holidays. There are 7 similarities/differne ces listed between the holidays. There are 5 similarities/differne ces listed between the holidays. There are 3 similarities/differne ces listed between the holidays.

Conclusion ¡Felicitaciones! Congratulations! You have completed your exploration of the Day of the Dead! You can now consider yourself an expert on this Mexican cultural tradition. You should have the following things ready to turn in: A completed Día de los Muertos answered questions. A completed timeline of El Día de los Muertos celebration. A Venn Diagram or graphic organizer comparing and contrasting El Día de los Muertos and Halloween holidays.