Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2. Celebrate Día de los Muertos in your classroom using free resources from Sno-Isle Libraries.
Elementary:
Read About It
Check out books about Día de los Muertos in English and Spanish to share with your students.
- Día De Muertos Números by Duncan Tonatiuh is a bilingual counting book about a family assembling an altar to honor their loved ones.
- Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead offers an introduction to the Day of the Dead, including its history and traditions.
- Te recuerdo / Remembering tells the story of one family’s preparation of an ofrenda for their beloved pet.
BookFlix is a digital literacy resource created by Scholastic that pairs interactive, animated stories with a nonfiction eBook on a similar subject. Watch Bob Barner’s The Day of the Dead / El Día de los Muertos and then read El Día de los Muertos: The Day of the Dead by Mary Dodson Wade. Both titles are available in Spanish and English.
Learn More
Use Sno-Isle Libraries resources to share information about Día de los Muertos with your classroom. World Book Student gives a brief overview of this holiday and its traditions. Explore Gale in Context: Elementary for credible facts and articles from books and magazines. Spanish translation is available. Learn more about Mexico, including Día de los Muertos, using CultureGrams, a reference resource for cultural information.
Secondary:
Read About It
- Llewellyn’s Little Book of the Day of the Dead includes recipes, activities, and information about Day of the Dead in an accessible, pocket-sized format.
- Check out Day of the Dead, a publication from Artes de Mexico magazine, for vibrant photographs and bilingual accounts of the holiday.
- To dive deeper into the origins of Día de los Muertos, History of the Day of the Dead is a great resource.
Learn More
Sno-Isle databases are starting places to find accurate and credible online information on a wide range of topics. Use Gale in Context: World History’s article on Day of the Dead to give students a comprehensive overview of the holiday. For lessons in Spanish, Informe Académico offers a multitude of articles and resources en Español.
A Día de los Muertos celebration is full of color, music, and ritual. Watch “La Ofrenda: The Days of the Dead” on Kanopy to see how Día de los Muertos was celebrated in the past, and witness how contemporary communities celebrate it today. To learn the story behind Lupe Posada and his ubiquitous Day of the Dead calaveras, check out "Funny Bones” on Hoopla.
