What is Dia De Los Muertos? 

Before you can integrate Dia De Los Muertos activities, you have to learn about them! While creating this Dia De Los Muerto activity for elementary students, we discovered many facts about the Day of the Dead.

• Dia De Los Muertos means the Day of the Dead in Spanish.
• It is a Mexican holiday celebrating the lives and memories of those who have passed away.
• It’s a time when families gather to remember their deceased loved ones.
• People decorate their homes with candles and flowers and set up an ofrenda (in English, these are called altars) where they can leave offerings.
• It’s celebrated on November 1st —the day that the dead would rise from their graves—and lasts two days. 
• People clean and decorate graves with marigolds and other flowers and leave colorful offerings like sugar skulls, candles and toys.

Dia De Los Muertos for Kids

Promoting cultural awareness and celebrating Mexican culture with Day of the Dead activities at school is easy. This printable reading comprehension activity is the perfect place to start!

This resource is perfect for fourth and fifth grade as cross-curricular support for students learning about the traditions and rituals associated with this cultural holiday.  It includes a one-page informational passage about the holiday, its celebrations, and the prevalent symbols related to the celebration. It also includes a ten-question assessment of the passage that features multiple-choice, true-false, short-answer, and constructed response questions requiring text evidence.

Celebrate culture, promote multiculturalism, and practice reading skills, all while exploring parts of the world beyond your classroom.

Downloading Your Prose Comprehension Worksheets

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to download this resource’s PDF or Google Slides version. 

This resource was created by Ali Endlich, a teacher in South Carolina and Teach Starter Collaborator.

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