Day of the Dead: идеи для тематического урока

Только-только отпраздновали Хэллоуин и порадовали учеников интересными тематическими занятиями, как вот еще один повод провести необычный урок — 2 ноября в Мексике отмечают День мертвых. Это праздник, посвящённый памяти умерших. По поверью, именно в этот день души умерших родственников посещают родной дом. Сегодня поделимся подборкой заданий для уровня Intermediate, с помощью которых можно разнообразить урок.

Семь таблиц с готовыми планами урока, десятки упражнений и разминок в дайджесте: Хэллоуин для преподавателей: факты, упражнения и планы уроков

Task 1. 

Watch the video and answer the questions. 

1. Who can you see in the video? Do you think these people are related to each other?
2. Why do we see a skeleton at the beginning and at the end of the video?

Key:

1. Yes, they are a father and a daughter.
2. This man is no longer alive. What we see in the video are his memories.

*Задание подойдет для разминки. Если ученик смотрел мультфильм “Тайна Коко”, можно обсудить его подробнее: расспросить о героях, о том, почему мужчина поет своей дочери такую песню, и что происходит с героями в конце мультфильма. Если студент мультик не видел, можно переходить ко второму заданию сразу. 

Task 2. 

The video you’ve just seen is a part of the film Coco. Read a short text about it and complete the gaps with the missing words. You might need to change the form of the word given.

pass

depart

mourn

offer

reunite

The man from the video, Héctor Rivera, is a father of this little girl (now an elderly lady Mama Coco). He is now in the Land of the Dead, being slowly forgotten by his own daughter. So he needs help from his great-grandson to put his photo on the altar in order to be remembered… The concept for Coco is inspired by the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. This holiday ___ the living and dead. It is an unusual holiday where ___ is exchanged for celebration. Families create ofrendas ( ___ ) to honor their family members that have ___. The altars are usually decorated with bright yellow flowers, photos of the ___, and their favorite foods and drinks. The offerings are believed to encourage visits from the land of the dead as the departed souls hear their prayers, smell their foods and join in the celebrations!

Key:

1. reunites
2. mourning
3. offerings 
4. passed
5. departed

Task 3.

Watch the video and answer the questions.

1. Is the day of the dead celebrated in Mexico only?

Yes / No.

2. Does it combine the traditions of several holidays?

Yes / No.

3. Is it believed that the spirits of the dead are allowed to visit their relatives during this holiday?

Yes / No.

4. Do people cry and mourn during this holiday?

Yes / No.

5. Are people scared of the spirits of their dead relatives returning home?

Yes / No.

Key:

1. No
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. No
5. No

*Возможно, перед выполнением задания, нужно будет разобрать некоторые слова, такие как commemorate, indigenous, deceased.

Task 4.

Continue the statements with your own ideas.

1. My opinion about this holiday is …
2. The most fascinating fact about this holiday is …
3. The tradition I find quite unusual is …
4. If there was a similar holiday in my country, here’s what the celebration would be like: …
5. If I decided to celebrate this holiday, I’d wear …

Task 5. 

Use the pictures below to make a story about the celebration of the Day of the Dead.