This document outlines a unit plan for teaching 4th grade Spanish students about Dia de los Muertos and Qing Ming Jie, two holidays that different cultures use to honor the dead. The unit incorporates stories, discussions, projects and assessments to help students understand the traditions and compare them to their own culture. Key learning objectives are for students to discuss feelings about loss, compare rituals between the cultures, and create an altar project displaying their understanding of the traditions. The unit is designed to meet language, math, geography and culture standards through interactive activities involving food, maps, interviews and artwork.

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Storytelling and
Technology in the Foreign
Caroline Petters, New York University Language Classroom
Grace Wang, New York University
Erin Wang and Jessica Levy

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Why We Use Stories
 Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are
ideally set up to understand stories. (Roger Schank,
Cognitive scientist)
 Stories are easier to remember—because in many ways,
stories are how we remember.
 Most of our experience, our knowledge and our thinking is
organized as stories.
 Stories have causality, conflicts, complications, and characters.
(Daniel Willingham, 2000)
 Storytelling is one of the most effective teaching strategies to
stimulate thinking and creativity, and encourage collaborative
learning.

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Background
 How do we honor the dead?
2 Languages, 2 Cultures
 Dia de los Muertos and Qing Ming Jie
 4th Grade Foreign Language Class, NYC
Public School

4. + Concept Web

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Standards
 ACTFL Standards: 5 Cs
 Communication
 Cultures
 Connections
 Comparisons
 Communities
 MATH STANDARD 4.OA: Use the four operations with whole
numbers to solve problems.
 GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS 3.1B, 3.1C, 3.1D, 3.2A: Location
of New York State in relation to other states
(countries/world/ bodies of water)

6. + UPI
Unit Plan Inventory Unit Title-How do we Language Levels: Intermediate
Honor the Dead? School grade: 4th Grade
Stage 1—What students should know and be able to do …
Enduring Understanding: Students will understand different cultures honor the dead in different ways
Essential Question(s):
How do different cultures pay their respects to those that have passed away?
Why are friends and/or family important?
How do we respect each other?
How do we define legacy?
Targeted ACTFL Standards:
1.1 Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions
1.2 Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
2.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied
3.1 Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language
4.1 Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own
4.2 Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
Fourth Grade Math Standard:
4.OA: Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.
Fourth Grade Social Studies Standards:
Geography Standard, 3.1B, 3.1C, 3.1D, 3.2A: Location of New York State in relation to other states (countries/world/bodies of water)
Outcomes/Objectives/ Progress Indicators:
DO SWBAT talk about how people honor the dead in Mexican and Chinese culture
SWBAT compare and contrast cultural norms in their own culture with those from Mexican and Chinese culture
SWBAT express how they feel/felt when someone passes away
SWBAT distinguish between different regions in Mexico and China
SWBAT apply their own backgrounds to Mexican cultural norms through artwork
SWBAT interview others about what legacy means

7. + UPI (x2)
Stage 2 How students will demonstrate what they know and can do: Performance-Based Assessment
Interpretive Task & Rubric Interpersonal Task & Rubric Presentational Task & Rubric
Students will listen to the story “Yo Students will interview each other about Students will create an altar for a person based upon
recuerdo a Abuelito.” how they remember those that have the cultural aspects they have learned.
passed away.
Stage 3 Preparing Students to demonstrate what they know and can do
Language / Grammatical Vocabulary Culture(s) Subject Content Connections Essential Learning Activities,
Communication Structures (know) (know) (know) Materials Performances,
(Do) (know) (Formative
Assessments) (Do)
-talk about family -present and -science -Mexican Social studies (family history), -Dia de los (Use separate page for
members and past tenses vocab -Chinese math, and science, ELA Muertos books this section)
legacy -command -math vocab -Qing Ming Jie Beginning
-talk about how form (mucho/más, books Middle
you honor the menos -realia from End
dead de/que) Day of the SEE PAGE 2
-talk about -day of the dead and Qing
feelings dead/qingmi Ming Jie
ng jie vocab -SMART board
(ofrendas, -Map of
celebrar, etc) Mexico and
China
-art supplies
Comparisons: Students will compare how Mexican and Chinese cultures honor the dead with how they honor the dead.
Communities: Students will show evidence of becoming life long learners and personal enrichment through researching their own
families’ ancestries and applying their own familial legacy to Mexican and Chinese traditions.

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UPI (x3)
 Learning Activities, Performances (Formative Assessments) :
 Beginning: At the beginning of the unit, we will be focusing on getting the students
interested and motivated in the topic. We will start the unit by reading the book, Yo
recuerdo a Abuelito. To get the students interested in the topic of El día de los muertos
and Qingming Jie, we will have the classroom decorated with realia from this
celebration. We will first ask the students to predict what they think they will be
learning about and will then present the book to them. After reading and discussing
the book, students will talk about what kind of ofrendas (offerings) they would bring to
famous deceased people to honor them (i.e., a CD would be an ofrenda/offering for
Elvis, a crown would be an ofrenda/offering for Princess Diana, etc).
 Middle: Students will explore how their own cultures pay respect to the dead and how
this differs with that of Mexican and Chinese culture. Students will also learn about the
geography of Mexico and China and the food related to the celebrations. For example,
one class will include a cooking demonstration of a typical Mexican food (for example,
making Mexican hot chocolate following the command form recipe).
 End: Students will learn about legacy and how people are remembered or want to be
remembered. They will investigate their own ancestry and will figure out what is
important about their families (i.e., that there are many generations of teachers in one’s
family). Students will then create an altar, depicting symbols and “ofrendas” that they
have learned about in Mexican and Chinese culture (i.e., a ruler, an apple, etc. for a
person they have chosen to honor. They can also bring in typical food or drink for the
celebration. Students will present their work to the class and have other classes come
visit.

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今天是亡靈節

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我的爺爺去年過世了。
我很想念他。

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媽媽說爺爺今天會回來。

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今天是亡靈節！
我們買麵包和花朵給爺爺！

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今天是亡靈節！
我們帶食物和水果給爺爺。

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今天是亡靈節！我看到很多蝴蝶！

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今天是亡靈節！我的爺爺回來了！

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Yo Recuerdo a Abuelito
¡Es el día de los muertos!
¡Celebramos!

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Ahora, compramos pan.

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¡Es el día de los muertos!
¡Celebramos!

19. + Ahora, compramos flores.

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¡Es el día de los muertos!
¡Celebramos!

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Ahora, compramos calaveras.

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¡Es el día de los muertos!
¡Celebramos!

23. + Ahora, compramos dulces.

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¡Es el día de los muertos!
¡Celebramos!

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Ahora, vamos al cementerio.

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¡Es el día de los muertos!
¡Celebramos!

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Ahora, abuelito se celebra con nosotros.

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Dia de los muertos vs. 清明节

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Formative Assessment
Almost
I can name… Yes! Not yet
there
Dia de los Muertos in
Chinese
3 rituals of Dia de los
Muertos
Qing Ming Jie in Chinese
3 rituals of Qing Ming Jie
2 rituals that both have in common

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Final Assessment: Altar
4 3 2 1
Student makes more
Student makes 0-2 Student makes 3-4 Student makes 5-6 than 6 grammatical
Grammar errors. errors errors errors
Student uses 8 or
more new Student uses 6-7 Student uses 4-5 Student uses 1-3
Vocabulary vocabulary words. new words. new words. new words.
Student organized Student was not
and prepared the fully prepared for
project and the project and Students' materials Student did not
Organization presentation. presentation. were disorganized. prepare in advance.
Student includes 6
or more authentic Student includes 4-5 Student includes 2-3 Student includes 1
Authentic Materials materials. authentic materials. materials. material.
Student
Student Student demonstrates a Student shows a
demonstrates a demonstrates some minimal lack of
Understanding of complete mastery of knowledge of
cultural cultural
understanding of understanding of
cultural
cultural
Topic celebrations. celebrations. celebrations. celebrations.

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Thank you!
Caroline Petters
cgp249@nyu.edu
Grace Wang
gracewang@nyu.edu