Día de Muertos Bulletin Boards and Displays
Inside: Bulletin boards, ofrends, and Day of the Dead decorations in Spanish Classrooms.
Decorations for Día de Muertos are a welcome alternative to the chile peppers and sombreros we often see in Spanish classroom decor. Many teachers embrace the holiday as more deeply rooted in true Latino tradition than, say, Cinco de Mayo, and a good way to bring culture into their classrooms.
As with any religious holidays, Day of the Dead has to be handled with care. Of course, since it falls in the same week as Halloween, some parents or students might mistake the decorations. I think it’s a good chance to explore culture and the increasing infusion between U.S. and Mexican culture, specifically.
If you have students who have recently experience loss, you may need to tread carefully. Some teachers use the day as it was intended, and intentionally create a space for grieving students to reach out and remember their loved ones.
The teacher below did just that, to remember a student in her own school community. “Altar de muertos dedicado a uno de los estudiantes que perdió la vida en un accidente el año pasado.”
Credit: Alicia Chávez Bartlett
You know your own students and community best, but it’s sometimes helpful to see what others are doing.
If YOU have pictures of Day of the Dead decorations, bulletin boards, or ofrenda you’d like featured, please send me an email or message and let me know!
Día de Muertos Bulletin Boards and Displays
We’ll start off with bulletin boards and displays that teachers set up to share about the holiday.
Credit: Diana García
Credit: Taina García
Twitter: @tgarciaspanish
Credit: Itzel Cedillo
Credit: Tania Dee
Or how about going Coco-themed for your Day of the Dead bulletin board?
Día de Muertos Ofrenda Projects
Many teachers assign making ofrenda as a project. Several Spanish teachers shared the gorgeous work their students created, and I love seeing their creativity.
Credit: Allysen Clancy
Twitter: @LamphereSpanish, #wearelamphere
Credit: Anne Baker
Credit: Kimberly Perez
School: Cypress Park High School
Día de Muertos Celebrations
Credit: Claudia Di Crosta
Claudia shared these pictures of the celebration she’s organized at her school. She says,
“We decorate the room with all different projects my students make, and we create a life size altar on the stage where the students and staff can display the pictures of their loved ones. Then we have a fiesta, our baking students bake/decorate skull shaped cookies and Día de los Muertos bread, our culinary students make us rice and pulled chicken and then we eat, dance, and share stories about our deceased loved ones. We have been featured in our local newspaper the past 3 years.”
Amazing way to put the spotlight on world language programs, right?
Spanglish Living
Teaching Spanish
Spanish Resources
Hispanic Culture