Day of the Dead Alternative Assignment | Spanish 2 Las mariposas monarca Readings
Independent reading and activity intended to be used as an alternative assignment for El Día de Muertos.
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- Novice (Levels 1-2), Intermediate (Levels 2-4)
- Formats
- Pages
- 12 Pages
- Duration
- 3 days
Need a Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos alternative assignment for Spanish class? Give students meaningful independent work with Las mariposas monarca, a sequence of Spanish readings and activities about monarch butterflies and Michoacán, Mexico.
Designed for students who need an alternative to Día de Muertos lessons, this resource provides approximately 3–5 class periods of 45 minutes, depending on student pace. The student materials focus on butterflies and Michoacán and do not mention Día de Muertos.
AT A GLANCE
- Best fit: Spanish 2+
- Format: Printable PDF worksheets
- Time: Approximately 3–5 class periods
- Learning format: Independent, self-guided work
- Technology: Internet access for the YouTube video and research activities
WHAT STUDENTS WILL DO
Students follow a sequence of nine activities:
- Read La mariposa Magdalena, a simple story in Spanish.
- Create an original version of the story.
- Read about monarch butterflies.
- Create a Chain Reaction activity based on the butterfly reading.
- Read Vamos de viaje / Michoacán.
- Watch a YouTube video about Michoacán.
- Complete a research project about Michoacán.
- Read Preocupante migración tardía de mariposas monarcas.
- Summarize the article using a Shrinking Summary activity.
Worksheets guide students through the activities, helping you provide a purposeful alternate assignment while continuing instruction with the rest of your class.
IS THIS APPROPRIATE FOR SPANISH 1?
The complete sequence is most accessible to students in their second year of Spanish. Selected activities may work for Spanish 1 students, depending on their reading proficiency and available support. Preview the readings before choosing activities for your students.
Click View Preview to check the reading level and activities for your students.
DÍA DE MUERTOS RESOURCES:
- Day of the Dead | BUNDLE + COCO
- El Día de los Muertos Strip BINGO in Spanish
- El Día de Muertos | Las calaveras de Chilacayote
- El Día de Muertos | Los alebrijes de la Ciudad de México
- El Día de Muertos | Readings and more in Spanish
- El Día de Muertos and Las Mariposas Monarcas
- El Día de Muertos Flex | Level 1 Spanish
- El Día de Muertos Flex | Level 2 Spanish
- El que sabe, sabe | Día de Muertos
- La leyenda del cempasúchil | The Legend of the Marigold
-
My students loved this resource! I will continue to use this yearly. There are several students who need this alternate activity.
Bridget C. -
My students enjoyed this new twist on the Day of the Dead lesson. They enjoyed the reading and we colored mariposas that were displayed outside of our classroom. It was so pretty!
Lauren A. -
Thanks for this alternative lesson, it was a game changer for those students who refrain from direct activities with Day of the Dead. Great lesson.
Maria Teresa G. -
My students loved learning about the butterflies so this was the perfect resource to make the language accessible for them. They loved it and I loved it!!
Suzanne M. -
Great time-saving resource! Students of all levels found this interesting so this was a helpful addition to our unit. Thank you for your hard work.
Sandra R.
