Dia de Los Muertos | Music Video, Game & Art

The Game & Video

Here’s a fun and rhythmic Spanish video for your Halloween or Dia de los Muertos festivities.

We’ve also added our own TPR game, instructional video, art project, and optional 21st Century Skills activity. 

Simply pick out the elements that’ll get you and your students in the festive mood and make the most of this great learning opportunity.

Materials

• Video Display and Sound
• Internet Connection
• Paper
• Markers and Crayons

Preparation

1. Learn the words to the song. We have included the TPR instructions as well. Check out the video below to see what it looks like in action.
   
   Lyrics
   
   Verse One - Eerie Walk
   Entre las ruinas de un monasterio,
   Se abren las tumbas de un cementerio
   
   Chorus - Dance with Gestures
   Tumbas por aquí [Hand gestures for “here.”]
   Tumbas por allá [Hand gestures for “there.”]
   Tumbas, tumbas, tumbas [Hands in the air.]
   jajajajaja [Hold stomach for laughter gesture.]
   (Repeat Chorus)
   
   Verse Two - Eerie Walk
   Las calaveras salen bailando,
   Momias hermosas de ojos chupados
   
   Musical Ghost March
   [Ooooooh 4x while marching in place with hands cupped around mouth]
   
   Chorus - Dance with Gestures
   Tumbas por aquí [Hand gestures for “here.”]
   Tumbas por allá [Hand gestures for “there.”]
   Tumbas, tumbas, tumbas [Hands in the air.]
   jajajajaja [Hold stomach for laughter gesture.]
   (Repeat Chorus)
    
2. Watch both the videos a few times until you feel comfortable singing along and know the motions.
3. For older children prepare a lyrics sheet for the class so they can learn the words as well. Don’t forget to make sure the video display and sound are working in your classroom. This step is especially important if you want to turn the song up loud enough so no one can hear you sing.

Play the Game!

1. Start by playing the video for the class so that they can see the Dia de los Muertos images.
2. Hand out the lyrics sheet (older children) and watch the video again, this time focus on singing along during the chorus. 
3. Ask the students to stand in a circle and join hands.
4. As the eerie music and first verse start—“Entre las ruinas de un monasterio / Se abren las tumbas de un cementerio”—tell your student to move creepily to the right.
5. Once the chorus begin, tell them to let go of each other’s hands and dance to the music.
6. Mimic the gestures described in the lyrics and in the video or invent your own. Allow them to feel and dance to the Latin rhythms that are so much a part of the culture.
7. As the next verse begins—“Las calaberas salen bailando / Momias hermosas de ojos chupados”—have the class join hands again and move creepily to the left.
8. Repeat the video and TRP game as many times as you’d like.

Have fun! But be warned…

You will be singing this song in your head for weeks!

Monster Variation

1. When the chorus starts up again, this time tell your students to dance like their favorite monster.
2. Brainstorm as a class before you start the song. Ask them how they think Frankenstein’s monster, the Wolfman, a Zombie, or any of the other monsters they think up would dance. Act it out and get them moving.
3. You might also try calling out different monsters in Spanish—[list of monsters]—so that the whole class is dancing in unison... or close to it.

Art Project

1. After the TPR game, bring out some paper, markers, and crayons and ask the students to create a poster for that song. 
2. Write the names of the vocabulary words from the song on the board for reference. Add additional related vocabulary as needed.
3. This Pinterest Board has 232 pins with great images around the Dia de los Muestos theme. If you have a projector you can project the page. Otherwise print out some of your favorites or have a computer in your classroom open to this page so that students can come up and search for ideas.  
4. Walk around as they work, reinforcing vocabulary and as you comment on their images: “¡Qué linda calavera!”
5. Once the drawings are complete have each student stand up and describe their poster in Spanish as best they can. Help them form sentences and encourage the class to ask the presenter questions in Spanish. “Qué es esa cosa verde en la sequin?"

21st Century Skills: Publish and Share

1. Create a Pinterest Board for your class. It is free and easy to open an account.
2. Create a folder called Day of the Dead (or Dia de Los Muertos).
3. Scan and upload the student drawings to this folder.
4. Go to the Pinterest board that you used in the class for reference and repin the ones that your class used or liked.
5. Share this process with the class so that they learn how to create, publish and share their work.
6. If the class is old enough (2nd-5th grade) ask them to create their own Pinterest boards at home, research online for Day of the Dead ideas, and repin to the class Pinterest board to share with the class.
7. During the following days, visit their Boards and repin as a class. This is a great way to encourage independent learning and interaction with technology.