Updated Post: Cultural activities for teaching students about Christmas traditions in Mexico in Spanish class!
December 16th is the first day of Las Posadas! I love teaching my middle school students about the rich traditions of Christmas in Mexico. I wish I could show them first hand.
Until then, I have a video that I purchased from Teacher's Discovery years ago. It's called "Moo - Las Posadas: Christmas in Mexico." I love this video for so many reasons! One, it is filmed in Mexico City & Puebla. Two, it is narrated by Esther, a Mexican high school student. And three, my students LOVE it!
This video describes the holiday of Virgen de Guadalupe, Las Posadas, the history of piñatas, the making of tamales, Three Kings Day, and more! Watching this short video is like taking a quick field trip to Mexico - something many of my students will never do. It opens their eyes to a different culture and creates a sense of understanding as we compare and contrast Christmas traditions in Mexico and in the United States.
So, if you're looking for a way to help students understand Christmas in Mexico, download the video, serve some atole, and enjoy learning all about Las Posadas!
You will love these vocabulary-building activities for your Christmas in Mexico unit!
Word Wall - Word walls visually support students as they read and write in class. Students will refer to this Christmas in Mexico Word Wall over and over again!
Bingo Game - Play Christmas Bingo - Introduce 24 Christmas in Mexico / Las Posadas vocabulary words. Read simple sentences in English or Spanish describing each object or person. Excellent listening comprehension activity.
Color By Number - Reinforce basic Spanish colors and numbers with 4 color by number activities. Color a Poinsettia, a pair of shoes, a Las Posadas celebration, and a piñata. Each differentiated activity comes with a short, simple reading about the picture that uses cognates, present tense verbs, and novice-level vocabulary.
Word Search & Crossword - Kids LOVE word searches! Use them to introduce new vocabulary at the beginning of a unit. Students first define the word, then find it. The crossword includes a vocabulary list and definition activity / guided notes to go along with the video.
Vocabulary includes: Atole, El Día de Reyes, Feliz Navidad, Juan Diego, Misa de Gallo, Nacimiento, Nochebuena, Piñata, Las Posadas, Rosca de Reyes, Tamales, Virgen De Guadalupe
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Hope you find the resources you need to enrich and support your unit on Las Posadas. Make learning fun!
