Welcome, cultural explorers! Today we are going to take a deeper look into a widely celebrated cultural holiday! A holiday is a dedicated day or period of celebration. Have you ever wondered why people create beautiful altars filled with marigolds, paint their faces like skulls, and bake sweet bread during Día de los Muertos? Get ready to embark on an exciting journey through one of Mexico's most colorful and meaningful celebrations! In this WebQuest, you'll discover how this fascinating holiday helps people honor their loved ones who have passed away while celebrating life itself. Take a look at this video from the Disney movie Coco...
Task
Your Role
Congratulations! You've been hired as a Cultural Curator for the International Museum of World Celebrations. The museum director has chosen YOU to design an immersive Day of the Dead exhibit that will educate and inspire visitors from around the world. Your creativity, attention to detail, and respect for cultural traditions will help visitors understand the deep meaning behind this beautiful celebration.
Your Mission
Create an interactive museum exhibit that transforms visitors' understanding of Día de los Muertos to a profound appreciation of this rich cultural celebration. Your exhibit should engage all five senses and create meaningful connections between visitors and the tradition of honoring loved ones who have passed.
Required Exhibit Components
- Traditional Ofrenda (Altar) Display
- Educational Media Presentation
- Interactive Visitor Stations
- Design of Exhibition Space
You may submit this project through a drawn design portfolio with detailed sketches and material samples, a digital presentation, or a mix of both! See more guidelines in the rubric. You may connect this project to your own family as well!
Remember: You're not just creating a display – you're building a bridge between cultures and generations. Make it memorable, make it meaningful, and most importantly, make it a celebration of life and memory! ¡Buena suerte!
Process
Día de los Muertos Research and Discovery Materials
The first step in your exhibit is to create a traditional ofrenda. Gather as much information and inspiration from the resources below on what they include. Examples of things to include would be, photos of those being honored, papel picado, candles, food offerings, marigold flowers, sugar skulls, and personal items representing the honored dead. This can be done online or drawn to be included in your presentation. Be as creative and colorful as you can! Make sure to provide written explanations for each element and why you included them.
The next step in creating your exhibition is to create an educational media video presentation about the key traditional elements of Day of the Dead. You may be as creative as you want when creating your 3-5 minute video. Include re-enactments of traditions, verbal explanations, or animations! Use these resources below to help create an educational guide of knowledge for your guests as they walk through the exhibit! Make connections on how this could be different or the same in the past and present cultures.
You are doing excelente! Now, it is time for you to complete 2-3 unique interactive hands on visitor activities that follow your Day of the Dead exhibit. Include pictures and descriptions of your activities in your presentation. Now is the time to really brainstorm what is something you could have visitors do to be immersed and experience the holiday in it's beauty? Some examples are...
Last but not least! It is time to design the outline of your exhibit. Make sure to include all you want in your exhibit in your layout. Let us know where the ofrenda is going, where you are going to play your educational media presentation, will you have artwork? Where will your visitor activity center be? Will there be a photo opportunities? Live mariachi bands? Be creative! This can be made digitally or drawn!
Now it is time to put your findings and personal connections together to create an interactive presentation. I want you to create something that is unique to your personal experiences. You will be graded on your creativity, attention to detail in your presentation, content, and including all four task categories.
Evaluation
Category
Excellent (4)
Good (3)
Fair (2)
Needs Work (1)
Historical Accuracy
Demonstrates deep understanding of origins and traditions. Includes past and present connections, personal connections, and more than 5 key historical facts about Day of the Dead in the media video.
Shows good grasp of main concepts, includes some connections to past and present but is lacking personal connections. Has 4 or less key historical facts about Day of the Dead in the media video.
Basic understanding present but is lacking connections and has 3 or less facts about Day of the Dead in the media video.
Limited historical context, lacks connections and has 1-2 key historical facts about Day of the Dead in the media video.
Creativity
Highly innovative and engaging presentation with lots of creativity and visual aids. Shows a portfolio of all work.
Innovative and engaging presentation that has creative elements present but lacks multiple visual aids.
Some creative attempts but is lacking visual aids.
Minimal creativity and is lacking visuals.
Completeness
All required elements present with detail.
Traditional Ofrenda (Altar) Display
- Educational Media Presentation (3-5 minutes)
- Interactive Visitor Stations (2-3)
- Design of Exhibition Space
Most elements included but missing some aspects of uniqueness and organization.
Some elements missing and is not harnessing much uniqueness and organization.
Many missing elements.
Bonus Points:
Include authentic Spanish terminology
Include original artwork
Incorporate family stories/interviews
Use traditional music
Comments:
Conclusion
Congratulations on completing your Day of the Dead exploration! You may now begin creating your exhibit! You've not only learned about an important cultural celebration but also helped others understand its significance. Remember that Día de los Muertos teaches us that death is not the end of our story – it's simply another chapter in the great book of life. By creating memories and honoring those who came before us, we keep their spirits alive in our hearts.
Is there anything you would change about this WebQuest or my instructions? Submit your requests to me please! What other cultural holiday's should we take a deeper look into?
¡Gracias for joining this cultural journey! May you always remember the importance of celebrating both life and the memories of those we love.
Teacher Page
Grade 8-9 History
2 week, multiple class periods and homework project.
Individual project.
To be done as a project at the end of October early November.
Standards:
Standard 3 Societies are shaped by the identities, beliefs, and practices of individuals and groups.
3.1 The student will recognize and evaluate how societies are shaped by the identities, beliefs, and practices of individuals and groups.
Standard 4 Societies experience continuity and change over time.
4.1 The student will recognize and evaluate continuity and change over time.
4.2 The student will analyze the context and draw conclusions about continuity and change.