Dia de Los Muertos- a "powered up lesson"

My school division has adopted the ideas of John Antonetti, and my principal has asked that we teach one "Powered up" lesson each quarter of this school year. "Powered up" essentially means taking lessons we already do, and making them better, more rigorous and more engaging. Finding ways to "hook" middle schoolers is a lot harder than one might think. Many of them are 'too cool for school' at this stage, and trying to find something they will think is 'legit' is a most difficult task. 

One thing they all have in common is a love of food... so for my Dia de Los Muertos lesson, I decided to take a new spin and "power it up" by including more than just the art of the culture, but also some of the traditions that go along with the whole celebration of the holiday. 

Before they entered the room.. the mood was set.. the lights were off, decorations were hung and the  authentic tunes were filling the room.. 

The students entered intp the atmosphere of a fiesta, they were greeted by their art teacher.. who *GASP* was a little different than her usual self...

Thank you Lularoe for helping me to become Miss. Frizzle on a daily basis!

They began the class by viewing a Prezi

https://prezi.com/uphhcy-lwu6h/dia-de-los-muertos/

After the note taking, students were given a practice skull and some chips and salsa/queso to get in the partying mood. They enjoyed their fiesta food while they completed a colored pencil technique sheet and their practice skulls. 

At the end of class we concluded the lesson with a pinata full of candy.. so they got to hit something and eat tons of candy! 

The project itself began the following day. Students worked with me to draw a large skull onto a 12x18 piece of paper. They then added their designs from their practice skull being careful to 'fill the space'. We talked a lot about utilizing their work area and not leaving large areas of blank space. I had my examples on display:

Students drew their designs in pencil and then traced everything with a sharpie. When they were ready, they used the three colored pencil techniques that we practiced, and began coloring their sugar skull. 

I am always impressed with their creativity and ability to make something awesome!