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Da de los

Muertos
proyecto cultural
Objective: To gain an understanding of the Mexican perspective on
the cycle of life and death and how this pertains to their celebration
of The Day of the Dead, El Da de los Muertos.
(TEKS 2A.01 and .02, 3A, 4B, and 5A)
Due Date: 11/1

Procedure
Investigate:
Go to these websites and read the information contained or watch the videos. (This document is
posted on my website, where the links are live to help you get there faster.) As you read, pay special
attention to the symbols used and their meanings, and to the differences between the way Western and
Mexican cultures view death.
websites:
http://www.mexonline.com/daydead.htm
http://farstrider.net/Mexico/Muertos/Background.htm
http://www.diadelosmuertos.us/article/day-of-the-dead
http://diadelosmuertos.us/article/dia-de-los-muertos-altars
http://planetwaves.net/pagetwo/2008/10/28/dias-de-los-muertos/
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/10/day_of_the_dead_shrine.html
videos:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1031_051031_video_muertos.html
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/video/
just for fun: http://www.vivacalaca.com/
Show What You Know
Use the information you learned from reading the websites to answer some questions about the
traditions and symbols of the celebration of Da de los muertos. Read carefully, because the
information you find will be your guide as you design and build your own ofrenda.
Apply What You Learned
Make an altar or ofrenda of your own. Use a sheet of construction paper and decorate it in the manner
of the Dia de los Muertos ofrendas. You will see many examples of ofrendas in the websites and
videos. Notice what things are included in the ofrendas and include these in your tribute to the person.
(Dont use perishable food and drink, though, as a real ofrenda would. Use pictures of it!) You may
make an ofrenda for a relative or acquaintance that has passed away, or you may choose to do one for
a famous person who has died or a fictitious character.

Include in the ofrenda ten sentences in Spanish to describe the person being honored. This will
require you to use the easiest form of past tense, the imperfect. (Information on using this form of past
tense is below. It is also on pages 194 and 196 of your textbook.) Use descriptive adjectives to tell
what their personality was like, what they looked like, and to tell about the activities or things they liked.

Do I get
points for
pretty?

You will be graded on how well you incorporated appropriate cultural symbols and on how well you
integrated items that represent the honorees tastes and personality. You will also be graded on the
creativity of your project, neatness and use of space, and on the sentences you write. Take your cue
from the ofrendas you see in your research.

Your ofrendas will be displayed with my altar on Da de los muertos.

Sneak Preview of the Past Tense ~ The Imperfect


This year in Spanish II, you will learn two past tenses. One of them is quite easy: the imperfect. The
imperfect is used to make general statements about the past, especially when describing something or
telling about actions that happened often. We might use used to when saying the same thing in
English. Regular endings and irregular verbs (there are only three) are given below. The only other
thing you need to know is that this tense has NO stem-changing! Es facilcimo, no?
-AR
-aba
-abas
-aba
-bamos
-aban

-ER/-IR
-a
-as
-a
-amos
-an

SER
era
eras
era
ramos
eran

IR
iba
ibas
iba
bamos
iban

VER
vea
veas
vea
veamos
vean

Ejemplos:
Mi padre era un hombre alto con ojos amables. My father was a tall man with kind eyes.
Mi padre pescaba todos los veranos. My father used to fish every summer.
El siempre me escuchaba cuando yo quera hablar. He always listened to me when I needed to talk.
Mi pap era el mejor cocinero de la familia. He was the best cook in the family.
Cuando mi pap cocinaba, todos comamos muy bien! When my dad cooked, we all ate well!

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