When

Lead-in

  • What’s your favorite holiday?
  • What do these holidays celebrate?

Presentation

Pre

  • What do you know about Dia de los Muertos?
  • What do you think they celebrate?

Top Down

  • How do you think people celebrate the “Dia de los Muertos“? Read the text and find out.

Dia de los Muertos

The Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos or Día de los Muertos) is a holiday celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November. It originated and is mostly observed in Mexico but also in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere. Although associated with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, it has a much less solemn tone and is portrayed as a holiday of joyful celebration rather than mourning. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Traditions connected with the holiday include honoring the deceased using calaveras and aztec marigold flowers known as cempazúchitl, building home altars called ofrendas with the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts for the deceased. The celebration is not solely focused on the dead, as it is also common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls, to share traditional pan de muerto with family and friends, and to write light-hearted and often irreverent verses in the form of mock epitaphs dedicated to living friends and acquaintances, a literary form known as calaveras literarias.

Bottom Up

  • True or False?
  1. The Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of April.
  2. It has a much less solemn tone and is portrayed as a holiday of joyful celebration rather than mourning.
  3. People build home altars called ofrendas with leftover food.
  4. It’s common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls, to share traditional pan de muerto with family and friends.
  5. It’s not usual to write light-hearted and often irreverent verses in the form of mock epitaphs dedicated to living friends and acquaintances.
  1. The Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of April. False
  2. It has a much less solemn tone and is portrayed as a holiday of joyful celebration rather than mourning. True
  3. People build home altars called ofrendas with leftover food. False
  4. It’s common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls, to share traditional pan de muerto with family and friends. True
  5. It’s not usual to write light-hearted and often irreverent verses in the form of mock epitaphs dedicated to living friends and acquaintances. False

Post

  • Do you think Dia de los Muertos is interesting?
  • Do you want to celebrate it?
  • What do you think of people who celebrate it?

Target Language

Days of the Week

Weekdays x Weekend

  • Sunday
  • Monday
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
  • Thursday
  • Friday   
  • Saturday

On + Days

  • on Monday at 2pm
  • on Tuesday morning
  • on Wednesday afternoon
  • on Christmas
  • on weekdays
  • at / on  the weekend

Part of the Day

  • in the morning
  • in the afternoon
  • in the evening
  • at night

From ____ to ____

  • from Monday to Friday
  • from the morning to the afternoon
  • from 10:00 to 11:30

 

Controlled Practice

  • Complete the dates with the correct prepositions. There is one example.
  1. On Sunday
  2. ______ the weekend
  3. ______ night
  4. ______ the afternoon
  5. ______ Tuesday
  1. ______ the evening
  2. ______ Halloween
  3. ______ Wednesday
  4. ______ the morning
  5. ______ Easter
  1. On Sunday
  2. On / At the weekend
  3. At night
  4. In the afternoon
  5. On Tuesday
  1. In the evening
  2. On Halloween
  3. On Wednesday
  4. In the morning
  5. On Easter

Freer Practice

  • When is Dia de los Muertos?
    • It’s from November 1st to the 2nd.

Production

  • What day is today?

  • When is your birthday?

  • When do you have English classes?

  • When do you work?

  • When do you rest?

Homework

Connect the sentences with their meanings.

Column A

  1. 07:00 a.m.

  2. Begin at nine o’clock and finish at eleven o’clock 

  3. Weekend 

  4. Weekday 

  5. 07:00 p.m. 

Column B

(   ) Monday

(   ) From nine to eleven

(   ) At night

(   ) In the morning

(   ) Saturday

Column A

  1. 07:00 a.m.

  2. Begin at nine o’clock and finish at eleven o’clock 

  3. Weekend 

  4. Weekday 

  5. 07:00 p.m. 

Column B

(4) Monday

(2) From nine to eleven

(5) At night

(1) In the morning

(3) Saturday

Complete with in, on, at or from … to.

Example: I work ______ the morning and work out ______ five o’clock. > I work in the morning and work out at five o’clock.

  1. My exam is ______ Sunday.
  2. The sun is great ______ the morning.
  3. My mom works ______ Monday ______ Friday.
  4. We’re going to the mountains ______ the weekend.
  5. The baby sleeps ______ the afternoon.
  1. My exam is on Sunday.
  2. The sun is great in the morning.
  3. My mom works from Monday to Friday.
  4. We’re going to the mountains at / on the weekend.
  5. The baby sleeps in the afternoon.

Put the words in the correct order.

Example: in / work / o’clock / the / and / I / exercise / at / morning / five. > I work in the morning and exercise at five o’clock.

  1. on / work / weekdays / I
  2. the / ice / cream / Let’s / eat / in / afternoon
  3. Friday / night / is / on / The / show
  4. Tuesday / from / Thursday / She / studies / to
  5. on / Thanksgiving / Can / me / meet / you
  1. I work on weekdays.
  2. Let’s eat ice cream in the afternoon.
  3. The show is on Friday night.
  4. She studies from Tuesday to Thursday.
  5. Can you meet me on Thanksgiving?

Look at Carol’s plans for the week and answer the questions.

Monday

  • Morning – WORK
  • Afternoon – HOSPITAL
  • Evening – HOME

Tuesday

  • Morning – WORK
  • Afternoon – SUPERMARKET
  • Evening – HOME

Wednesday

  • Morning – WORK
  • Afternoon – SHOPPING MALL
  • Evening – HOME

Thursday

  • Morning – WORK
  • Afternoon – BANK
  • Evening – CINEMA

Friday

  • Morning – WORK
  • Afternoon – RESTAURANT
  • Evening – HOME

Saturday

  • Morning – HOME
  • Afternoon – PARK
  • Evening – RESTAURANT

Sunday

  • Morning – CHURCH
  • Afternoon – HOME
  • Evening – HOME

  1. Where’s Carol on Saturday night?

  2. When is Carol at church?

  3. When is Carol at the park?

  4. Where’s Carol on Tuesday at 4pm? 

  1. She’s in the restaurant.

  2. She’s at church on Sunday morning.

  3. She’s at the park on Saturday afternoon.

  4. She’s at the supermarket.

Correct the mistakes in the sentences.

Example: I work at the morning and exercise in five o’clock. > I work in the morning and exercise at five o’clock.

  1. The pharmacy is open Monday to Friday.
  2. There aren’t any restaurants open at morning.
  3. She doesn’t go to school at weekend.
  4. The show is on Thursday on 9 p.m.
  5. My brother works in Sunday morning.
  1. The pharmacy is open from Monday to Friday.
  2. There aren’t any restaurants open in the morning.
  3. She doesn’t go to school at the weekend.
  4. The show is on Thursday at 9 p.m.
  5. My brother works on Sunday morning.

Writing

Write about a holiday you like.