Hispanic Holidays
A WebQuest for Fifth Grade Spanish and Social Studies
Designed by
Jennifer S. Boyer
Spanish teacher, McDougle Elementary School
Chapel Hill, NC

Introduction

A mysterious person named Jonathan is traveling to Spanish-speaking countries. He has begun sending postcards to McDougle of places he has visited and celebrations he has seen. Some McDougle students say they know Jonathan, but they can’t agree on what he looks like. Jonathan sometimes forgets to include important information in his descriptions of what he has seen. Because he is on the road so much, he sometimes forgets to even say exactly where he is!

The Task

Your job is to help fill in the missing information in this mystery. You should determine, for each postcard:

• What holiday or event is being described, and what is its name in Spanish and English? Find the names of three people or things associated with the holiday in Spanish.
  
• What country (if possible, what city) is the postcard from? Find it on a map.
  
• What are the origins of this celebration or holiday?
  
• Who celebrates the holiday? What do they do to celebrate?
  
• Does this celebration remind of you of any American holidays? If so, compare and contrast it to that holiday.
  
• Would you want to celebrate this holiday? What would you do if you were there?
  

You may use any resources in your classroom or library to answer these questions; however, your primary resource will be the Web.

The Process

•  
• Choose one of the postcards below.
  
• Look at the picture on the front of the postcard and read the letter on the back. Pay attention to when the postcard was written.
  
• Use clues from the picture and the letter to think about where the postcard might have come from.
  
• Follow the links below, and search on your own, to find answers to the above questions.
  
• Write up your results in AppleWorks, or create a HyperStudio presentation.
  
• For extra credit, see if you can find a free e-card for the holiday, in Spanish or English. Send it to Mrs. Boyer at jboyer@chccs.k12.nc.us
  
  

January mystery holiday:




April mystery holiday:




May mystery holiday:




July mystery holiday:




August mystery holiday:




October mystery holiday:




November mystery holiday:




December mystery holiday:

For an overview of world holidays, try these sites:

www.holidayfestival.com

www.rubicon.com/passport/holidays/200001.html

www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/MCC/calendar-index.html

www.californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/home.htm


For information on Mexico:
www.mexonline.com/holiday.htm

www.go2mexico.com/portraits/holidays

www.high-point.net/dept/library/celebrations.htm

For information on Spain:
www.cyberspain.com/life/index.htm

www.sol.com

http://andalunet.com