Grammar 

Review
Coco izlesinler 
Inference questions

The Day of the Dead , is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased
relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. A blend of Mesoamerican ritual,
European religion and Spanish culture, the holiday is celebrated each year from October 31-November 2.
According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31 and the spirits of
children can rejoin their families for 24 hours. The spirits of adults can do the same on November 2.

Only after getting through nine challenging levels, a journey of several years, could the person’s soul
finally reach Mictlán, the final resting place. In Nahua rituals honoring the dead, traditionally held in
August, family members provided food, water and tools to aid the deceased in this difficult journey. This
inspired the contemporary Day of the Dead practice in which people leave food or other offerings on
their loved ones’ graves, or set them out on makeshift altars called ofrendas in their homes.

El Día de los Muertos is not, as is commonly thought, a Mexican version of Halloween, though the two
holidays do share some traditions, including costumes and parades. On the Day of the Dead, it’s believed
that the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolve. The most prominent symbols
related to the Day of the Dead are calacas and calaveras . In the early 20th century, the printer and
cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada incorporated skeletal figures in his art mocking politicians and
commenting on revolutionary politics. His most well-known work, La Calavera Catrina, or Elegant Skull,
features a female skeleton adorned with makeup and dressed in fancy clothes. The 1910 etching was
intended as a statement about Mexicans adopting European fashions over their own heritage and
traditions. La Calavera Catrina was then adopted as one of the most recognizable Day of the Dead icons.

During contemporary Day of the Dead festivities, people commonly wear skull masks and eat sugar
candy molded into the shape of skulls. Other food and drink associated with the holiday, but consumed
year-round as well, include spicy dark chocolate and the corn-based drink called atole. You can wish
someone a happy Day of the Dead by saying, “Feliz día de los Muertos.”

After the student finishes reading, the teacher asks students whether they liked the text or not and the
teacher wants them to write their answers to a paper.

T: Thank you for reading it. Did you like the text? Did anything catch your attention? I want you to write
your thoughts on a paper and I also want you to use “wish” clause. You have 3 minutes.

The students started to write their sentences. After three minutes, the teacher asks some of the students
to read their answers.
T: Who wants to read their answers?

S1: Me! I liked it because it was about a very different holiday. I wish we had a holiday celebration like
this.

T: Great. Who wants to read?

S2: I can! I think The Day of the Dead is a very cool holiday. Also, it is a nice way to remember the family
members. I wish that it was a memorial day rather than a holiday.

T: Yes, both of you made great comments.

The teacher briefly summarizes the text to the students.

T: We learned by this text that The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday to remember the family
members that is passed away. They believe that they are helping them and they feel connected with
them through this holiday. Although this holiday shares some similar traditions with Halloween, the Day
of the Dead is not another version of Halloween.

After summarizing the text, the teacher asks students if they are ready to answer some questions about
the text. If they are ready, the teacher starts to ask the questions about the text.

T: I have some questions for you about the text. I am going to ask them to you, if you are ready. Are you?

The students say “yes” all together.

T: Okay, then. Why do you think people assume that the Day of the Dead and Halloween are other
versions of each other?

S1: Because they wear skull masks and they eat candy. The same is done in Halloween, too.

S2: People wear costumes in both of those holidays.

T: Thanks! I have another question. Are there any similarities between the Day of the Dead and the
holidays you know? Which holidays are they?

S1: There is a festival in Japan. Its name is the Festival of the Dead. They light small fires outside of their
houses. The difference is that this festival’s purpose is to honor deceased ancestors.

S2: In US, there is a day named All Souls’ Day. In this day, many Christians pray for dead ones. Sometimes
they place candles on graves.

T: Very great answers! Both of them are correct and relevant. Thank you.

The teacher finishes the lesson after giving them a fun homework. The teacher wants them to watch the
movie called Coco to fully understand the holiday.
T: Before finishing the lesson, I want all of you to watch the movie Coco. It is an animated movie and it is
about this holiday. It is a very fun movie and it will be educative after this lesson.

The students shake their heads in the sense of understanding. The teacher finishes the lesson.