Layla Henry- Fancy Free in 4th- Blog

Fancy Ideas for the Everyday Classroom

In Remembrance: Day of the Dead Writing Activity

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 I work in a district that has a highly latino population. I have had the pleasure of learning about and celebrating some of my students customs and heritage over the past 6 years. One of the holidays that I have enjoyed celebrating with my classes is Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead sounds a lot more dark and intimating than it really is. It is simply a holiday that remembers and honors loved ones who have passed away.  It is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd with a lot of different traditions, food and decorations. You can learn more about it on Mr. Donn’s website. He has other power points and resources to share too!  Last year I had each student bring in a picture or item that symbolized someone who has passed away. We had a great show and tell time that was one of the most unique and special moments I have experienced teaching.
     This year I found a CUTE Dia de los Muertos craftivity from Lita Lita. My grade level is in charge of the November bulletin board in the front office and we decided that all of us would get this craft (thanks multiple user licenses!) and pair it with a writing assignment. Lita Lita’s craftivity is definitely cute BUT there was no writing prompt that came with it so I created my own….

TADA…
Here is the writing prompt…. I added in a lot of thought starters to help my struggling writers.

My class really needs examples of GOOD writing to help them understand my expectations better. I wrote these two examples to help them see and interact with the text. I have prompts that ask them to point out the strengths and weaknesses in both. This can be done whole group or in partners before they start prewriting.
My example of an essay that needs to be revised! I added in a lot of the things that I have noticed my students doing so far this year.

This is an example of a good essay. 

     To start the writing off we always begin with a circle map. I plan on giving the students 5-8 minutes to write down anything they can think of about the person/pet they are honoring. This is done individually and students can share with a partner and whole class afterwards.

The second step is the wonderful Flee Map. I really want my class to focus on explaining rather  than listing!  The flee map I do whole group. I fill out one box, then they do theirs. I keep it really structured and sheltered.

These Sentence Stems will help those struggling writers know where to start! I plan on posting these as they fill out their flee maps.

After they have completed their flee map the next step is writing their rough draft. I always meet up with the students and go over their rough drafts with them. We have been focusing on writing basics: Capitalizing, indenting, spelling, not starting sentences with conjunctions, having complete paragraphs and sentences and using descriptive language.  These Self Editing Checklists will help them to go over their own writing in a more structured way.
Lastly, I created a Final Draft paper for publishing their writing. I will be using Lita Lita’s creativity for our final draft but this can be used as their rewriting template.

      I am so excited to use this writing assignment this year. It will be something really special and meaningful to the class that they can look back on after many years and it still hold deep meaning. This holiday may be one that is celebrated by a specific culture, but celebrating and honoring a loved one who has passed away is something every culture loves.  I just posted this fun writing assignment on my TpT store here. Get it on sale for this week only!

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