No, they are not the same, but occur near the same
date and have some commonalities.
Start
planning that great Halloween Unit now! - Children's Lit, History, Media
Literacy, Geography, Economics, Science, Nutrition, Cultures and more!
Halloween (October 31) and Day of
the Dead (November 2) have very different origins and attitudes toward death.
These holidays are not celebrated in every country in the world, and among those
that do the traditions and importance of the celebrations vary significantly.
These holidays date back thousands of years, and have changed dramatically
through time.
The Mind's Eye: A Halloween Activity to Ignite Young Imaginations
Here is a great resource
that one teacher uses to get his students involved and enthusiastic
about writing.
Content standards learned through
the investigations include history, geography, philosophy, religion,
anthropology, all the language arts skills, media studies, communications, the
arts (art, music, dance, drama, filmmaking), science, family and consumer
sciences, economics, marketing, and math. Second language learning is certainly
applicable. Additionally students could develop critical 21st century skills
and multiple
literacies.
This
theme would be fun, interesting and meaningful for students when approached as a
global, collaborative classrooms project. Through investigations of these
traditions students could develop multicultural perspectives and
global competencies.
Countries
celebrating Halloween, Day of the Dead or similar holidays in their cultures
include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brittany, Canada, China,
Columbia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Finland, France,
Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Isle of Man,
Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, Norway,
Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saint Helena, Scotland, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tyrol, the United States, Wales,
West Bank/Gaza.
Left:
Catrinas, one of the most popular
figures of the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico
Monsters
From
ancient mythology and religion to modern movies, from the deep seas to outer
space, an interdisciplinary unit on the theme of Monsters can carry your
curriculum standards: incorporate literature, history, geography, philosophy,
ethics, medicine, the media culture, economics, advertising and marketing and
law.
See resources for
other unit themes related to this one:
Monsters,
Candy,
Johnny
Appleseed and
Science Fiction.
Younger children probably shouldn't do anything about Monsters, but they could
do something with
Super Heroes. Also see our resources on
Harry Potter
and War of the Worlds at the end of this page.
Please scroll down
to view sample Big Questions to guide student research, possible Unit Outcomes
and a list of possible culminating projects/products.
Just for Fun - Jerry Seinfeld on
Halloween
Halloween by Jerry
Seinfeld
Possible "big
questions" to guide student research and learning, correlating unit outcome
statements and culminating project ideas:
Big Questions
Correlating Unit Outcome
Statement
What are
Halloween and Day of the Dead? How are they similar and how are they
different?
Discover commonalities,
differences and connections between Halloween and Day of the Dead.
What are the
sociohistorical contexts for these two holidays?
Investigate the history
and evolution of these two holidays, then create and defend a
representation of their evolution and important concepts.
How do
people in different parts of the world celebrate these holidays?
Collaborate with
students in other countries to investigate the traditions in various
cultures.
What role do
these holidays play in our society economically?
Analyze the significance
of these holidays in terms of economics.
Possible
Culminating Projects, Products and Performances
1. A traditional or
a modern celebration such as a Halloween Festival
2. Art, Film and/or
Music Festival
3. Cookbook and DVD
with cooking shows featuring foods from celebrations of these holidays. Foods
associated with Halloween:
Novelty candy shaped like
skulls,
pumpkins, bats, worms, etc.
4. Publish a
multicultural collection of original Ghost Stories written by students. You
could also have students interview their parents and grandparents to get their
favorite ghost stories and include those in the book.
5. Haunted House
6. Day of the Dead
sugar skulls on alters
7. Halloween Parade
8. Monster
Dinner Theatre - have students design and deliver an actual dinner theatre
experience. They would have to research everything from "dinner theatres" to
health department laws on serving and selling food, to drama, budgets,
advertising and marketing, and more. Get the community involved by asking for
assistance with printing bills to advertise, and consultants such as chefs,
radio and television stations, local university drama, theatre, RTF (Radio,
Television and Film) departments, and more.
LitQuotes - This literary
reference site features quotations from the great works of literature.
You can search for quotations in a number of different ways.
