Día de los Muertos Vocabulary Sort & Venn

Vocabulario y comparación

Día de los Muertos vocabulary in both languages, with cognates as the bridge — plus a Halloween vs. Día de los Muertos compare and contrast that never treats them as the same holiday. Free for your bilingual and dual language 3rd graders.

Partners sort 12 bilingual word cards onto two mats, Cognados or Palabras nuevas, then place 10 bilingual statements in a Venn diagram and write about it in English, en español, or both.

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Grade · Grado: 3rd · works for 2nd–4th
Language · Idioma: English & Español
Pages · Páginas: 10 (PDF)
Format · Formato: Print & go · ink-friendly
Answer key: Included · Incluida
Supports: ELPS & WIDA language goals

Questions about this pack? Ask Ofelia

Cognate or new word?

¿Cognado o palabra nueva?

Twelve Día de los Muertos words, one big question. Familia looks like family, so it’s a cognate. Ofrenda goes on the Palabras nuevas mat, a word to learn from context.

ofrenda
familia
calavera
altar
cempasúchil
esqueleto
vela
tradición
papel picado
música
pan de muerto
ancestros

Partners sort all 12 cards and explain why, not just where.

What’s inside

Qué incluye

Page	Resource	Language
2	Teacher guide: what’s inside, prep, timing, a 5-step teaching sequence and a “Teaching with care” note	Bilingual
3	Anchor chart: ¿Qué es el Día de los Muertos? / What is Día de los Muertos? Key words, what goes on an ofrenda, the two days and a sorting clue	Bilingual
4	Sorting mats · Tapetes para clasificar: Cognados and Palabras nuevas	Bilingual
5	12 word cards · Tarjetas: ofrenda, familia, calavera, altar, cempasúchil, esqueleto, vela, tradición, papel picado, música, pan de muerto, ancestros	Bilingual
6	Recording sheet · Mi hoja de vocabulario: predict, check with a partner, then underline the cognates in 3 ¡Aplícalo! sentences	Bilingual
7	Compare & contrast · Compara y contrasta: 10 bilingual statements to place in a Halloween / Both · Los dos / Día de los Muertos Venn diagram	Bilingual
8	Writing frames · Escribe: 3 sentence frames in English and Spanish	Both
9	Answer key · Clave de respuestas for the sort, the ¡Aplícalo! sentences and the Venn diagram	Both
10	Thank-you page and terms of use	Both

How it works

Cómo funciona

Step 1Start with the anchor chart: ¿Qué es el Día de los Muertos?
Step 2Model with two cards: familia is a cognate; ofrenda goes on the Palabras nuevas mat.
Step 3Partners sort all 12 cards and explain why, not just where.
Step 4Students predict each word’s meaning, check it, then find the cognates in three ¡Aplícalo! sentences.
Step 5Compare Halloween and Día de los Muertos in the Venn diagram, then write in English, en español, or both.

Timing: fits one 60-minute block, or split it across two days. Tip: print the word cards on cardstock.

Teaching with care

Día de los Muertos, celebrated November 1–2, is presented as a celebration of love and memory, not “Mexican Halloween.” Sharing family traditions stays optional.