Holidays & Events

Day of
the Dead
Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1.  hat is the main purpose of the Day of

W
the Dead festival? If you don’t know, guess.

2. Which countries celebrate this festival?

3. W
 hat do you think sugar skulls are,
and what do you think they are used for?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match up as many words and meanings as you can.

Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page 2.

1. loved one a) used as a way to make money

2. altar b) dead

3. gravesite c) a relative or close friend

4. deceased d) the living spirit of a dead person

5. pass away e) to die

6. soul f) something you can’t physically touch

7. prosperity g) sad and depressing , often to do with death

8. morbid h) a raised platform used in religious ceremonies and rituals

9. commercialized i) a place where a dead person’s remains are buried

10. intangible j) wealth and well-being

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 Day of the Dead
Holidays & Events

Reading
1.  he Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos) is a centuries-old
T
Mexican festival for remembering and honouring lost loved
ones. The festival begins on All Hallows’ Eve (October 31) and
ends on All Souls’ Day (November 2). According to age-old Mexican
beliefs, the dead return once a year to visit with the living.

2.  uring the Day of the Dead festival, family members build altars and
D
decorate gravesites for their deceased relatives and friends. On
November 1, families honour the children who have passed away.
Fruits, nuts, and miniature sugar skulls are placed on altars in homes
and cemeteries to attract the young souls for a visit. On November 2,
the souls of the adults are invited home. Yellow marigolds (the flower
of the dead), candles, and favourite foods and beverages are offered
to the spirits. In many traditional Mexican families, a lot of time and
money is spent to ensure that the dead bring hope and prosperity
to the family when they visit.

 he Day of the Dead may sound like a morbid holiday, but it is

3. T
actually a joyous occasion. Some families play cards and sing
songs in cemeteries, while others dance and share memories.
Many spend all night at the cemetery celebrating their ancestors.
This helps bring communities together and prevents children
from developing a fear of death.

4. The
 Day of the Dead originated in Mexico and spread throughout Latin
America. Today it is celebrated in many parts of the world, including
Italy, Spain, the Philippines, and parts of the US. As it spreads,
it becomes more commercialized. Some Latino Americans
fear that Halloween and the Day of the Dead are becoming too
closely associated. They worry that the traditions of honouring
the dead may soon be lost. In 2008, UNESCO declared the
Day of the Dead an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”
Intangible culture includes anything from music and folklore
to ceremonial dances.

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 Day of the Dead
Holidays & Events

Comprehension
Answer the following questions in full sentences in your notebook.

1. When is the Day of the Dead?

2. What is the main purpose of this festival?

3. Who celebrates the Day of the Dead?

4. What takes place on the first day of the festival?

5. Why does the reading mention UNESCO?

Vocabulary Review
Circle the vocabulary error in the sentences below.
Correct the word or phrase that needs fixing.

1. The Day of the Dead is an example of a tangible cultural festival.

2. We remember our loves ones by baking their favourite cookies.

3. The young soles return from the dead and bring prosperity to the homes they once lived in.

4. After my grandfather passed out, we buried him in the cemetery by our house.

5. On November 2, we honour and remember our diseased loved ones.

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 Day of the Dead
Holidays & Events

Confusing Words
ENSURE, ASSURE, OR INSURE?

A. Reference

When English words sound or look similar, it is easy to confuse them.

Here are three words that people often confuse.

Verb Meaning

ensure to guarantee that something will happen

assure to tell someone that something is sure to happen

insure to buy insurance for something

B. Practice

Complete the following sentences with ensure, assure, or insure.

1. I would like to this parcel because it contains jewellery.

2. The day care that the kids have a healthy breakfast.

3. She us that the bus would be on time.

4. I you that the movie starts at 4:00.

5. Will they travellers over the age of 80?

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 Day of the Dead
Holidays & Events

Discussion
1. Is this a holiday you celebrate or would like to celebrate?
Why or why not?

2. How does this holiday help make death less scary for children?

3. Do you feel comfortable talking about death and dying?

4. W
 hat holidays or rituals from other cultures
or religions would you want to celebrate?

5. Which holidays have become too commercialized?

What can be done to preserve cultural traditions?

Writing
If you were going to build and decorate an altar for a lost loved one, what
would it look like and where would you place it? Write about the altar
below or in your notebook.

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 Day of the Dead
Holidays & Events

Listening
 http://blog.esllibrary.com/2015/10/14/podcast-day-of-the-dead/

Fill in the blanks as you listen to the recording.

1.  he Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos) is a

T
centuries-old Mexican festival for remembering
and lost loved ones. The festival
begins on All Hallows’ (October 31)
and ends on All Souls’ Day (November 2). According to age-old
Mexican beliefs, the dead return once a year to visit with the living.

2. D
 uring the Day of the Dead festival, family members build altars and
decorate gravesites for their relatives
and friends. On November 1, families honour the children who have
. Fruits, nuts, and miniature
sugar skulls are placed on altars in homes and cemeteries
to attract the young souls for a visit. On November 2, the
of the adults are invited home.
Yellow marigolds (the flower of the dead), candles, and favourite foods
and beverages are offered to the spirits. In many traditional Mexican
families, a lot of time and money is spent to ensure that the dead
bring hope and prosperity to the family when they visit.

3. T
 he Day of the Dead may sound like a
holiday, but it is actually a joyous occasion. Some families play cards
and sing songs in cemeteries, while others dance and share memories.
Many spend all night at the celebrating
their ancestors. This helps bring communities together and prevents
children from developing a fear of death.

4. The
 Day of the Dead originated in Mexico and spread throughout
Latin America. Today it is celebrated in many parts of the world,
including Italy, Spain, the Philippines, and parts of the US.
As it spreads, it becomes more .
Some Latino Americans fear that Halloween and the Day of the Dead
are becoming too closely associated. They worry that the traditions
of honouring the dead may soon be lost. In 2008, UNESCO declared
the Day of the Dead an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”
Intangible includes anything from
music and folklore to ceremonial dances.

Copyright 2018, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T / V E R S I O N 2 . 0) 6
 Day of the Dead
Holidays & Events

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Int

The Day of the Dead may sound like a morbid holiday, but it is TIME: 1–1.5 hours
actually a happy Mexican festival that is becoming popular around
TAGS: Day of the Dead, Halloween, Mexico,
the world. In this lesson, students learn about this interesting
All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, Catholic,
holiday that helps people remember and honour lost loved ones.
dead, family, festival, culture, spirit, soul

Pre-Reading Vocabulary Review

B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW 1. T he Day of the Dead is an example

of an intangible cultural festival.
1. c 3. i 5. e 7. j 9. a
2. We remember our loved ones
2. h 4. b 6. d 8. g 10. f
by baking their favourite cookies.
3. T he young souls return from the dead and
Reading (and/or Listening)
bring prosperity to the homes they once lived in.
4. After my grandfather passed away,
Read individually, in small groups, or as a class. You can also play
we buried him in the cemetery by our house.
the listening as your students read along. A gap-fill version of the
5. On November 2, we honour and
reading is available on page 6. Help your students with vocabulary
remember our deceased loved ones.
and expressions that they are unfamiliar with.

Confusing Words
Comprehension
1. insure 3. assured 5. insure
1. The Day of the Dead takes place
2. ensures 4. assure
from October 31 to November 2.
2. T he main purpose of this festival is to remember and See our editor’s blog post for more examples and tips:

honour dead relatives and invite their souls back for a visit. http://blog.esllibrary.com/2014/12/19/assure-ensure-insure/

3. It is a holiday in Mexico, but is also celebrated

by many people in Latin American countries as well
(continued on the next page...)
as Italy, Spain, the Philippines, and the US.
4. On the first day of the festival, families
build altars for the souls of dead children.
5. T he reading mentions UNESCO because this
organization declared the Day of the Dead an
“Intangible Culture Heritage of Humanity.”
(This official recognition will help bring global awareness
to this festival and make it less likely to be forgotten.)

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 Day of the Dead
Holidays & Events

Answer Key cont.

Discussion

Answers will vary.

Writing

This writing task can be done in class or at home for homework.

If your students don’t have any close relatives or friends who
have died, they can invent an altar for a dead celebrity.

Listening

Play the recording and have students fill in the blanks.

1. honouring, Eve
2. deceased, passed away, souls
3. morbid, cemetery
4. commercialized, culture

EDITOR’S NOTE:

As a follow-up to this lesson, you may want to watch

the 2014 animated movie The Book of Life with your students.

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