Eeron Spencer
Nexcy Perez
Spanish 2
6/9/12
Spanish 2 Reflection
Portfolio Piece: Dia de los Muertos
Paragraph 1:
El Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is an event that happens in Spanish speaking
countries like Mexico and Guatemala. It is a time to remember the dead, but not in the same way
as other countries. The people from Mexico and Guatemala remember by celebrating the dead.
Also, they throw parties in the dead persons honor and create altars for them with the deceased
person’s favorite foods and their picture. I learned many things from studying about el Dia de los
Muertos. I learned how create papel picado, or paper cutouts as it is called in english. For the
project, I created papel picados and hung them in the classroom. I also wrote a one page essay
about pretending to be someone who is celebrating el Dia de los Muertos. I had to include all of
the vocabulary words that we learned that connected with day of the dead. It was very
interesting learning about this holiday from another culture.
Habit of Mind:
The Habit of Mind that corresponds with this project is Expression. This Habit of Mind
states that I learned how to create work that shows an idea, feeling, or a personal meaning. I
demonstrated Expression because of how much I represented myself in the essay. I was very
detailed with my essay, and made it as though I were from Mexico. In the essay, I pretended to
be from Oaxaca, Mexico and I was celebrating day of the dead. I explained all of the steps that
were necessary for day of the dead. First, we had to talk about cleaning the cemeteries where the
dead are rested, then we created the ofrendas or altars. We decorated the ofrendas with
cempaxúchitl which is a type of flower, and also decorated it with incense and calaveras which
are sugar skulls. After all of the decoration process, we celebrate by eating the deceased person's
favorite food and play their favorite music. People are usually dressed up in costumes and dance
around. It is a very exciting time for Mexico and Guatemala. I had a very fun time doing this
essay because it was interesting.
Standard:
The standard that corresponds with this assignment is Standard 2.1. This standard states
that students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and
perspectives of the culture studied. This standard connects to the assignment because I studied
about el Dia de los Muertos that takes place in Mexico and Guatemala. I learned that what they
do in Mexico and Guatemala is much different compared to what other countries do. America
does not have day of the dead. Around that time, we are celebrating Halloween. Also, Americans
usually mourn the deaths of their friends, while Mexico and Guatemala celebrate them. I find it
to be a very pleasant way to cope with a death. I can understand why they have this event.