Día de los Muertos Reader's Theater Script | Day of the Dead Reading Comprehension | Grades 2-4 ESL

Ribbit — ESL/EFL Worksheet Resource

This 18-page Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) reader's theater pack for Grades 2–4 and ESL/EFL classes is built around "An Ofrenda for Abuela", an original six-scene play in which a family in Mexico builds an ofrenda for the grandmother who died the year before. The play has 6 roles on three reading levels, marked with stars on the cast page. The Chorus repeats four short lines ("Light the way home!"), so a beginner or new arrival hears them several times before saying them. Mamá, Abuelo, Sofía and Diego have one or two sentences per turn, and the Narrator carries the longest, most descriptive lines. The teacher notes put the script at about six words per sentence, roughly US Grade 3 readability. Before the play, a one-page nonfiction reading explains the day: 1 and 2 November, the ofrenda, marigolds (cempasúchil), pan de muerto and calaveras, and why it is not Halloween. A Words to Know page pre-teaches 8 words, with pronunciation help for the Spanish ones (oh-FREN-dah, sem-pah-SOO-cheel). After the script come 7 activity pages: multiple-choice and written comprehension questions, Who Said It? with true/false, a fill-the-gaps word bank, a six-card story order with drawing boxes, a Venn diagram comparing Día de los Muertos with a festival the student knows, a "Write Scene 7" page, and Draw Your Ofrenda. The teacher notes cover assigning parts, a rehearsal routine, cultural points to get right, and handling loss gently. Students can make their ofrenda for a pet or a famous person and never have to say who theirs is for. They also link the day to Obon, Chuseok and Qingming for learners in Asia. An answer key covers every closed task. What's Included: • 18-page printable PDF • Nonfiction reading page: What Is Día de los Muertos? • Words to Know vocabulary page (8 words with pronunciation) • Cast page with three-level role guide and chorus lines • 4-page, six-scene script: An Ofrenda for Abuela • 7 comprehension, vocabulary, sequencing, compare and writing pages • Teacher notes and answer key Skills Practised: • Reading fluency and expression through a performed script • Reading comprehension of fiction and nonfiction • Vocabulary in context • Sequencing events • Comparing and contrasting two celebrations • Writing dialogue in script format Perfect for: • Día de los Muertos lessons in late October and early November • Mixed-level Grades 2–4 and ESL/EFL classes • Hispanic Heritage and world celebrations units