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Day of the Dead ELD Holiday Kit, a creative set of lessonsthat helps English language learners and all students practiceoral language along with reading comprehension, literature, art,and writing.

This Really Good Stuff® product includes:• 25 Photo Cards• 1 Day of the Dead Game Mat• 2 Write Again™ Dry-Erase Graphic Organizers• 21 Magnetic Skeleton Parts and Accessories• This Really Good Stuff® Teaching Guide

Introducing the Day of the Dead ELD Holiday Kit presents fiveengaging content-based lessons that address EnglishLanguage Development (ELD) standards (speaking, reading,and writing) as students learn about the Day of the Deadholiday. Students will learn how the holiday is observed and willbe introduced to the skeleton art of José Guadalupe Posada,the artist whose work is the inspiration for today’s popularDay of the Dead folk art around the world. The Kit includes aDay of the Dead game, a read-aloud literature lesson, ateacher-directed ELD art lesson, and a writing activity, plussuggestions for home-school connections. This comprehensiveReally Good Stuff® Teaching Guide, which includesdifferentiated questioning strategies, ensures that even aninexperienced teacher will be successful in helping studentsdevelop their English vocabulary and syntax.

The 25 Photo Cards, used in Lessons 1 and 3 (and anytimeyou find them helpful) show:• 3 Day of the Dead holiday scenes (#s A1–A3)• 16 skeletons that match the photos on the Game Mat

(#s 1–16)• 6 additional skeleton photos (#s 17–22)

Lesson 1: What Is Day of the Dead?Lesson OverviewThis activity is designed to provide background informationabout Day of the Dead and the context for this ELD Kit. Thiscomprehension lesson provides support through orallanguage, visuals, and a group activity in which students readfor information.

K–2 ELD Standards and Instructional Goals:Beginning—Listening & Speaking: Answer simple questionswith one- and two-word responses.Early Intermediate—Reading: Read aloud an increasingnumber of English words.Intermediate—Reading: Read and orally responds tocomprehension questions using simple sentences. Writing:Write simple sentences appropriate for Language Arts andother content areas.

3–5 ELD Standards and Instructional Goals:Beginning—Read aloud simple words in stories.Early Intermediate—Read simple vocabulary, phrases, andsentences independently; use pictures and graphic organizersto write simple sentences appropriate for Language Arts andother content areas.Intermediate—Demonstrate internalization of Englishgrammar, usage, and word choice by recognizing and correctingwhen speaking or reading aloud.

Target vocabulary: died, dead, grave, cemetery, candles,decorate, celebration, remember, skull, skeleton, believe, symbol

Teacher Preparation• Get out the Photo Cards #s A1–A3. Also get out a Day of

the Dead skeleton figurine if you have one.• Copy the What Is Day of the Dead? Reproducible for

every student.• Write the five questions (below) on sentence strips and

place them in a pocket chart.• Have available blank sentence strips, a pocket chart, and

colored markers.

Introducing the LessonGather students and tell them that this week they are goingto learn about the holiday Día de los muertos, or Day of theDead. Pass out the What Is Day of the Dead? Reproducible toeach student, and read the text aloud while students readalong silently with you. Discuss target vocabulary (in bold font)as needed.

Show and discuss Photo Cards #s A1–A3. Use the text andsample questions on the backs of the Cards as a guide. TheseCards can be used again at a later time to review and extendvocabulary, time permitting.

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All teaching guides can be found online:

Day of the Dead ELD Holiday Kit

What Is Day of the Dead?Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a two-day fiesta in Mexico, Peru, and now many cities in the United States. It takes place on November 1st and 2nd around the time of Halloween, but it is not really like Halloween.

Many people believe that on these days the spirits of people who have died return to visit their families, who honor them and welcome them as guests. It is not a sad time, but a happy time when the dead are remembered. Skeletons and skulls are symbols of death, but they are meant to make us laugh, not to be scary.

To welcome home their ancestors who have died, families prepare a special altar in their homes, and go to the cemetery to visit the graves of their loved ones. Many families bring flowers, candles, and picnic lunches to the cemetery, and often spend all night there—talking, eating, singing, and praying.

Altars, called ofrendas in Spanish, are decorated with a special flower for the Day of the Dead, called cempazúchil (sem-pah-soo-cheel), which is like a marigold. A photo of each dead person, the person’s favorite foods, a candle, and a glass of water are placed on the altar. If it is a child who died, many families put the child’s favorite toy on the altar. Parents sometimes shoot off firecrackers outside the house to help the child find his or her way home.

A special sweet bread baked only for Day of the Dead is called pan de muerto. Sometimes the bread is made in the shape of a skull or a skeleton, or it has a skull and crossbones on the top. In many villages the people drink hot chocolate and eat tamales or other favorite fiesta foods.

Day of the Dead is a fun time for children who like to go the market to see and buy skeleton toys and decorated sugar skulls. Sometimes the skeletons for Day of the Dead are homemade, and sometimes they are beautiful works of art that people in other countries like to buy. The most famous skeleton figurine is Catrina, who was first drawn by a Mexican artist named José Guadalupe Posada, and has become a symbol around the world for Day of the Dead celebrations.

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Group WorkAssign students to work in five groups, and number the groups.Pass out two blank sentence strips, a colored marker, andscissors to each group. Ask groups to read What Is Day of theDead? again, but this time they must find the answer to theirassigned comprehension questions (below), which you haveplaced in the pocket chart in order. Note: Students may usewords, phrases, or sentences depending on their ELD level. Ifyou have heterogeneous ELD levels, you might assign thefollowing jobs according to proficiency level: Facilitator, writer,presenter, and assistant, if you don’t already have cooperativelearning jobs set up. The writer and presenter should be themost proficient students.

Each group must agree on an answer to their assignedquestion, and the writer will record the answer on the sentencestrip. When every group has finished writing, ask them to decidewhich picture best goes with their information.

Whole-Class Share/PresentationAsk groups to read each question aloud one at a time with you,and then have the group’s presenter and assistant come upand insert their answer strip next to the appropriate picture.The presenter will read the group’s answer aloud. Encouragestudents to applaud fellow students.

Comprehension Questions1. Is Day of the Dead a sad time? Explain. 2. What do families do to welcome home the spirits of their

ancestors or the people who have died?3. What do many people put on their altars?4. Describe special foods people eat around Day of the Dead.5. What do children do for Day of the Dead in Mexico?

Lesson 2: Day of the Dead—a Family CelebrationLesson OverviewContinue the Day of the Dead theme with a book such asCalavera Abecedario, a simple story by Jeanette Winter abouta real Mexican family who create papier-mâché skeletons. Thesecond part of Calavera Abecedario, is a Spanish alphabet ofskeleton characters that will help to stimulate students’imaginations for the art project in Lesson 4. The plot andcharacter development are fairly simple, but this picture bookcreates several terrific opportunities to develop and expandyour students’ vocabularies. If you do not have this book, youcan adapt the lesson to any Day of the Dead storybook.

The Importance of Interactive Questioning for Vocabulary DevelopmentFor all children who are learning to read, but especially forEnglish language learners, attention to vocabularydevelopment is essential. We know reading aloud increasesthe vocabularies of students, but by itself it is not sufficientto build or increase comprehension. Many researcherscontend that the real value of reading aloud activities for

vocabulary growth lies not in the reading alone, but in theteacher-student talk that accompanies the reading. IsabelBeck, Ph.D., and Margaret McKeown, Ph.D., in 2001 reportedthat this process, which they call “Text Talk,” proved to besuccessful in helping students retain new words andrecognize them in later reading. In this lesson, you’ll focus ona few “word families” in the context of a story about makingart. In addition you’ll talk about the names for people in ourhuman families. The book Calavera Abecedario, provides manymore opportunities for word learning lessons than we presenthere, e.g., the use of compound words and affixes, so you canuse this lesson as a starting point and template for furtheractivities. We encourage you to use TPR (Total PhysicalResponse) or have students pantomime the actionswhenever possible.

K–2 ELD Standards and Instructional Goals:Beginning—Listening & Speaking: Respond to simple directionsusing physical actions; answer simple questions with one- andtwo-word responses.Early Intermediate—Listening & Speaking: Ask and answerquestions using phrases or simple sentences.Intermediate—Listening & Speaking: Ask and answerinstructional questions using simple sentences.

3–5 ELD Standards and Instructional Goals:Beginning—Reading Fluency & Systematic VocabularyDevelopment: Read aloud simple words in stories.Early Intermediate/Intermediate—Use knowledge of Englishmorphemes, phonics, and syntax to decode and interpret themeaning of unfamiliar words in written texts.Early Advanced—Use common roots and affixes whenattached to known vocabulary.

Target vocabulary: grandfather, son, grandson, grandmother,daughter, granddaughter, torn, wrap, press, dries, fasten,snips, paint

Teacher Preparation• Have the book Calavera Abecedario, or another Day of the

Dead story, ready to read.• Have the students sit close to you so they can see the

illustrations in the book.• Have several pieces of chart or butcher paper and markers

on hand.

Introducing the LessonHold up the book and ask students what they see on the cover(skeletons, letters). Ask children what they think the book willbe about. If using Calavera Abecedario, explain that calavera isone of the words in Spanish that means skeleton (there areothers), and abecedario means alphabet.

Read the book and show students the illustrations. Explainthat the letters in the second section are the alphabet inSpanish, and ask if the students can figure out what each ofthe skeletons might be.



• You will be showing the students Skeleton Photo Cards#s 1–22. Have the students seated nearby so they cansee the photos, unless you plan to pass them around.

• Prior to the lesson, read the Differentiated QuestioningStrategies and look over the questions below, thinkingabout your students’ EL levels in order to focus on thosequestions most appropriate for your students.

Introducing the LessonTell students that the photos you are going to show theminclude skeleton folk art inspired by the drawings of Mexicanartist José Guadalupe Posada. Point out that some artistsuse papier-mâché to make skeleton figurines, as the family inCalavera Abecedario does; others make their figurines(sometimes called sculptures) out of clay; and others paint onplates, as in #s 1 and 13. If students are interested and timeallows, ask them if they can determine the medium used by theartists. (The media used for photos shown on the Game Matare listed below.)

Show and discuss each of the Skeleton Photo Cards, identifyingwhat is shown, and what the skeleton is doing and/or wearing.Along with the 16 photos that match the Game Mat,additional photos show two Catrina skeletons, Posada’s iconicimage, and display plates that feature Posada-style drawings.Pass the Photo Cards around so students can get a closerlook. Then place them in a pocket chart for later use.

The photos in this activity will also serve as visual models andinspiration for the upcoming art and writing lessons when thestudents create their skeleton characters in Lesson 4.

Day of the Dead Game Mat

Interactive QuestioningUse the questions in this guide to develop your students’academic and everyday language. Refer to the DifferentiatedQuestioning Strategies and the list of questions below forguidance on providing “comprehensible input,” i.e., how tostretch your English Learners and take them to the nextlevel. These questions are just the beginning, though. You willneed to respond to their answers (which can vary dependingon their proficiency in English). Therefore, the entire processof questioning cannot be scripted and is necessarily quitespontaneous.

Treat this as a fun and fast-paced game. Children enjoy findingand pointing to the skeleton(s) you are describing. Feel free toextend the lesson and to reinforce the vocabulary by playingBingo with the students at a later time.

Questions:Ask the questions and have students point to the skeletonsyou are describing.• Which skeleton is next to the soccer player? Which one is

below him?• Is the basketball player holding a telephone? What is he

holding? Where is he holding the ball? (over or above his head)What is he going to do with it?

• Is the singer in #11 holding a ball? Is he holding a basketballor a microphone? Why is he holding a microphone? Is he thesame as #12? How are they different?

• Are #11 and #12 standing or sitting? (EL 1) Is anyone heresitting?

• What color dress is number #3 wearing? What is she doingwith her hands?

• Who else is a dancer? What is the dancer in #8 doing withher hands? Is her dress the same as the dancer’s in #3?How is it different?

• Is number #15 wearing a dress? No? Then what is he wearing?What color are his pants? What else is he wearing? Whatkind of ball does he have? Does he wear special clothes toplay baseball? Does anyone else wear special clothes? Whatdo we call those clothes? (a uniform)

• Does #4 play a musical instrument? (Model the contraction:No, he doesn’t.) Who plays a musical instrument? What arethese people called?

• Who can describe the skeletons in #16 and tell me whatthey do?

• Do basketball and soccer players play music or do they playsports? What do we call people who play sports? (athletes)Which of these skeletons are athletes?

• Who is wearing a hat? • Is skeleton #1 a man or a woman? What is she holding? What

do you think she is going to do with it?• What is the woman in #14 doing? Where do you think she

works? (Repeat question for chefs, etc.)• Is the man in #9 a doctor? No? What is his job? Which

skeleton is a doctor? • Look at the woman in #13. Does she look happy? How do



#1. Catrina withwatermelon –wood plate

#2. Mariachiwoman – clay figurine

#3. Flamencodancer –papier-mâché

#4. Doctor –papier-mâché

#5. Soccerplayer –papier-mâché

#6.Basketballplayer –papier-mâché

#7. Indianwomen – clay figurines

#8. Folk dancer –papier-mâché

#9.Policeman –clay figurine

#10. Chefs –papier-mâché

#11. Mariachisinger – clay figurine

#12. Mariachi withguitar – clay figurine

#13. Angry woman– clay plate

#14. Piano player– clay figurine

#15. Baseballplayer –papier-mâché

#16.Musicians –clay figurine

Interactive Read-AloudRead the book a second time, but before you do, tell studentsthat this time you will focus on certain words, write them on achart, and talk about other words that are in the same wordfamily. Discuss and write the following words on chart paper asyou encounter them in the book. Here is a sample interactiveread-aloud of Calavera Abecedario.

Father—Ask, “Who are Enrique, Felipe, and Miguel? Who is theirfather?” (Don Pedro) “Are they fathers?” (No, they are boys;they are Don Pedro’s sons.) Write son on the chart.Torn—Ask, “What did the sons do with the brown paper?”(They tore it into pieces.) Demonstrate tearing a piece ofpaper. Ask students: “What did I do?” (I tore the paper. Thepaper is now torn into pieces.) Write the words tore and tornon the chart.Wrap—Ask, “What does the father do with the paper?” (Hewraps it around the bamboo.) “This word we spell with a w, it isdifferent from rap music.” Write wrap on the chart. Have youever given someone a present? Did you cover the present or giftwith special paper? You wrapped it with wrapping paper. Candy orgranola bars are wrapped in papers called wrappers. What do wedo with the wrapper? Yes, we put it in the trash or recycling.”Next to wrap, write the words wrapped, wrapping, wrapper.Press—Ask, “What do the boys do next? (They press the paper). Ask, “Can you show me how you press with your fingers?We have to press down on our pencils or markers or the writingwon’t show, right?” Demonstrate how it looks if you don’t presswhen you write with a marker. “If we just put our fingers on thecomputer keys, will it type?” (No, we have to press the keys.)“So, what are we doing when we press? We must push down andapply pressure.” (Write press and pressure on the chart.) Askchildren to think of other things we press (telephone keys,elevator buttons, wrinkled clothes, etc.). Note: The word press isjust one example of a common verb that has many real-worlduses and therefore is important to know. Dries—Ask, “What did the sun do? Yes, it dried the paper.Why?” (Because it was wet.) “When you wash your hair, and yougo outside, does the sun dry it? After it dries, is your hair softor hard? After we wash clothes in a washing machine, wesometimes put them in another machine to dry. Do you knowwhat that is called?” Write dry, dries, and dryer on the chart.“After the clothes dry, will they be soft or hard? After thepaper dries, will it be soft or hard? The paper that has beenmixed with the paste and pressed in molds will dry hard. Andwhat does it look like now?” (skeleton bones) Fasten—Ask, “What do they do next with the paper bones?They attach them, or fasten them. When we drive in the car weput on our seatbelt—we fasten our seatbelt.” Write fasten onthe chart.Snips—Ask, “What does the woman do to the cat? Yes, shecuts the hair on its tail. We usually call the hair on an animal—like a cat, or dog, or lion—the fur. What does she use to cutthe fur?” (scissors) “Does she cut a lot of hair or a little bit?Snip is another word for cutting little pieces. Write snip on thechart. “Have you ever watched someone cut an onion into little

pieces? Show me what they do. Do we call that snipping theonion or chopping the onion? Yes, and do we chop it with a pairof scissors or a knife?”Paint—Ask, “Why does the woman snip the cat’s hair? Yes, tomake a brush. Is she going to make a hairbrush? No, that’s forbrushing your hair. Show me how you brush your hair. What dowe call a brush we paint with?” Write the word paintbrush nextto paint. “Show me, how do we use a paintbrush?” Point outthat when we put two words together that make another wordit is called a compound word. Grandson and Grandfather—Say, “Don Pedro is now old. He isa father, and a grandfather. What do we call the sons of hissons?” Discuss the relationship between the different boys andmen and draw a diagram if you wish. Then ask a girl if she is agrandson. Write the word daughter and explain that girls arenot sons but daughters. Ask if the girls have a grandfather andwhat his wife is called. Write the word grandmother. Then ask,“And what are girls called—are they called grandsons? No, theyare called granddaughters.” Write granddaughter on the board.

Home-School ConnectionExplain to the students that, like Don Pedro, most parentspass on what they know to their children. Tell students youwould like them to talk to their parents about theirgrandparents. They should ask their parents to sharesomething their parents taught them that they are alsopassing on. It could be how to cook something, how to takecare of a garden or animals, how to make something, or howto play a sport. Tell them they will be sharing with the classwhat they learn from talking with their parents.

Lesson 3: Day of the Dead GameLesson OverviewThis is a game using our Day of the Dead theme to build orallanguage in a comprehensible and enjoyable way. Students willlearn essential common nouns, verbs, adjectives, andprepositions as they describe, compare, and classify skeletonfigurines. Students will also develop specific vocabulary theywill later use in the skeleton art and writing activities inLessons 4 and 5.

ELD Standards and Instructional Goals:Beginning—Listening & Speaking: Respond to simple directionsusing physical actions; answer simple questions with one- andtwo-word responses.Early Intermediate—Listening & Speaking: Ask and answerquestions using phrases or simple sentences.Intermediate—Listening & Speaking: Ask and answerinstructional questions using simple sentences.

Teacher Preparation• For a small-group game, have the Day of the Dead Game

Mat ready for students to point to the skeletons thatyou describe. For a whole-class game, make a copy of theDay of the Dead Game Mat Reproducible for students touse at their desks or tables.



you know?• Which space has three skeletons? Are they men or women?

Do they look sad? What is the woman in the middle holdingin her hands? What is the woman on the right holding? Howare the women different?

Guessing GameState the clues as students look at the Day of the DeadGame Mat. Encourage them to answer in complete sentences.• I am thinking of a skeleton in a uniform, who plays a sport

where you never kick the ball. Who is he? (basketball player) • These are women who perform on a stage but don’t play an

instrument. Who are they? (dancers, #3 and #8) • He helps people feel better. Who is he? (#4 doctor)• These skeletons look like they are friends. Who are they? (#7

women)• I’m thinking of the skeleton who is between the musicians.

Who is it? (#15, the baseball player)

Lesson 4: Skeleton Art ProjectLesson OverviewThis is a teacher-directed ELD art lesson. The focus of thisactivity is the oral vocabulary and language structures thatare introduced and practiced, not the art itself. Studentsshould be encouraged to speak and actively use the targetvocabulary in order to meet the following instructionalobjectives.

ELD Standards and Instructional Goals:Beginning—Listening & Speaking: Respond to simple directionsusing physical actions; answer simple questions with one- andtwo-word responses. Reading: Demonstrate comprehension ofsimple vocabulary.Early Intermediate—Listening & Speaking: Ask and answerquestions using phrases or simple sentences.Intermediate—Listening & Speaking: Ask and answerinstructional questions using simple sentences.

Target vocabulary: singular and plural body parts (bone, arm,leg, hand, foot, head, skull, ankle, elbow, shoulder); occupations;present and past tense verbs (trace, cut, paste, glue, bend,move, decorate); prepositions/directional vocabulary (above,below, under, next to, behind, in, on, left, right)

Teacher Preparation• Separate the unique Magnetic Skeleton Parts and

Accessories.• Have a cookie sheet or magnetic board ready for use with

the Magnetic Skeleton Parts and Accessories.• Make copies of the Skeleton Parts and Accessories

Reproducible for each student.• Provide one piece of black 12” x 18” construction paper per

student, along with scissors and glue or glue sticks.• Optional: Set up a place where students can choose other

colors of construction paper (scraps are fine) for makingadditional accessories.

Directed ELD Art Lesson1. Ask students to brainstorm different occupations or public

figures they could depict as skeletons. Write their ideas onthe board and put the students’ initials next to theircontributions. If students are struggling to come up withideas, remind them of the Photo Cards you shared with themearlier, and perhaps make some additional suggestions.

2. After you record at least a dozen ideas, demonstrate howwe all use our heads, hands, arms, and feet to make what iscalled an action. Choose one character as an example, andask the students to name an action that character woulddo. Ask for a volunteer to demonstrate, and then showstudents how to create a representation of the action withskeleton pieces,explaining how bonesare connected withjoints, e.g., how webend our arms atthe elbow, our legsat the knee, etc.Note: This is a goodtime to review leftand right. TotalPhysical Response(TPR) and theHokey Pokey aregreat ways to teachleft and right.

3. Explain (anddemonstrate, if youhave beginners) howstudents willchoose one character and then trace, cut, and glue paperskeleton pieces, clothes, and accessories (patternsprovided by RGS) on a piece of black construction paper tocreate a skeleton character engaging in some activity, e.g.,soccer player, musician, teacher, etc.

Independent Art ActivityWhile students are busy cutting out their skeleton pieces,circulate among them and ask: “What will your skeleton be? Whatwill he be doing? Can you show me how she will stand and how herarms will go? What will he wear?” Use the target vocabularyduring your conversation and assess students’ comprehension.Once students have told you about their skeletons, provide gluesticks so that they can paste all the pieces onto theconstruction paper. Collect the finished projects, which will beused for the writing activity the following day.

Lesson 5: Skeleton Art WritingLesson OverviewThis lesson is a continuation of the Skeleton Art Project inLesson 4. Students will write a story or description of theirskeleton character, beginning with pre-writing activities usinggraphic organizers, and concluding the activity by sharing theirpictures and writing with the class.



The Importance of Oral Language DevelopmentTeaching and practicing the steps of the writing process areimportant for all young writers, but for English learners it isessential to develop students’ ideas orally before they beginto write. Using graphic organizers, such as character mapsand sentence frames, provides very important scaffoldingsupport for Beginning and Early Intermediate level students.The objectives for the final writing product will be determinedby the grade level and language proficiency of your students,but keep in mind that vocabulary development and syntaxare more important in this lesson than correct spelling andwriting conventions. If you are able to listen to each studentread his or her writing and provide brief feedback, this can bean important learning opportunity to further increase yourstudents’ language and writing skills.

ELD Standards for Writing Beginning—Write pattern sentences using previously learnedoral language.Early Intermediate—Write a short narrative that includeselements of setting and character; write a short paragraphfollowing a model given by the teacher.Intermediate—Independently create a cohesive paragraph thatdevelops a central idea.Early Advanced—Self-monitor and self-correct grammaticalstructures, spelling, and conventions of writing.

Teacher Preparation• Choose one of the Skeleton Photo Cards and think about

the story you will tell students about your character.• Have the Character Map and Sentence Frame Write

Again™ Dry Erase Graphic Organizers and a dry erasepen ready.

• Make copies of the Character Map and Sentence FrameReproducibles for each student.

• Have students’ skeleton pictures from the previous lessonand writing paper available.

Writing Demonstration1. Choose one of the Skeleton Photo Cards and tell the

students a story about that character. Tell students thatthey will soon be writing a story about their skeleton but willfirst need to think about some of the details. Show thestudents the Character Map Graphic Organizer and explainthat they will complete one just like it about their skeleton.

2. Demonstrate how to complete the Character Map using theskeleton you chose, first writing the skeleton’s name on theskull in the center. Then ask the students to help you answerthe following questions: What does your skeleton do? Whatdoes he or she wear? Tell about a special day your skeletonhad, what happened, and how it felt. Encourage students touse descriptive details about their skeletons. This last stepis most appropriate for Intermediate and Early Advancedstudents to encourage the development of their stories.

3. Put up the Sentence Frame Graphic Organizer next to theCharacter Map. Demonstrate how students will take theideas from their Character Map and fill in the blanks of theSentence Frame, encouraging them to use completesentences. The completed Sentence Frame GraphicOrganizer will be the student’s rough draft.

Independent WritingPass out students’ skeleton pictures and the Character Mapand Sentence Frame Reproducibles. Ask students to completethem the best they can. Circulate among students to assistthem in developing their ideas.

Depending on the abilities of your students, we recommendthat students revise and edit their rough drafts with apartner, in addition to reading them to you. If you are able tobriefly conference with each student, giving them this attentioncan provide an important learning opportunity to furtherstretch their language and writing skills. Have students copytheir frame sentences on writing paper for their final drafts.

Writing/Reading for an AudienceAsk each student to stand and share his or her skeletonpicture with the class. You can hold the picture while thestudent reads his or her story. Each story can later bemounted and displayed on a wall or bulletin board next to theskeleton picture or attached to the picture itself.




Day of the Dead ELD Holiday KitDifferentiated Questioning Strategies

ELD Level 1—Beginning

Beginning English learners need questions that allow them to give nonverbal or physicalresponses, yes/no answers, and one- or two-word replies. Examples:

1. Point to the ____. Put your finger on the ________. 2. Is this a _____? (yes or no answer)3. Is this blue or red? (the answer is provided so that it may be easily repeated by student)4. What is ____? What color is______? (requires one- or two-word response)

ELD Levels 2 and 3—Early Intermediate/Intermediate

Early Intermediate and Intermediate students can reply to questions using phrases orsimple sentences that include a predicate and noun. Intermediates should be asked to usemore complex sentences and detail. Examples:

1. Name some of the things you see in the picture.2. What is happening in this picture/story?3. Describe the character, place, or object.

ELD Level 4—Early Advanced

Early Advanced English learners should be asked inferential and abstract questions. Theyare able to respond with detail in compound and complex sentences. Examples:

1. How do you think the ___ feels? How do you know?2. How are the characters/places/objects different or the same?3. Which of these go together and why?

What Is Day of the Dead? Reproducible


Day of the Dead Game Mat Reproducible

9

5

14 15 16

10 11 12

6 7 8

2 3 4

13

1


Skeleton Parts and Accessories Reproducible


Character Map Reproducible


Sentence Frame Reproducible


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