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Since I started teaching Spanish, the focus each October was the Día de los Muertos celebrations and traditions from Mexico, but often the beautiful variations in traditions from other countries have taken a back seat.  I wanted to draw light and attention to other cultural events, and chose to begin with Guatemala’s Barriletes Gigantes (Giant Kites). 

I found an incredible authentic resource to help me teach my 8th graders to create their own Barriletes Gigantes, which we then hung up in the classroom.  In this video, artist and Vicecónsul of the Consulate General of Guatemala, Cristina España, demonstrates how to create mini-kites with a few common classroom materials.  She speaks Spanish and then immediately restates her instructions English - great for students to hear the language in this context.

After teaching about the Barriletes using the comprehensible slideshow lesson (grab it in my FREE DOWNLOAD!) and authentic videos, students are SUPER PUMPED and ready to make their own kites.

Here’s everything you need to know:

DIY Mini-Barriletes Gigantes: (materials list modified slightly from the video)

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• jumbo popsicle sticks (4 per student)

• tissue paper sheets

• tissue paper squares

• yarn

• glue sticks

• scissors

• brown paper bags

Step 1: Distribute a brown paper bag to each student so they can store their materials inside. Instruct them to write their name and class period on the bags - this helps keep things organized since the project may take 2 - 3 class periods. Distribute 4 popsicle sticks and about 2.5 yards of yarn per students. (Pro-tip: recruit a few kids in a flex block to help stuff the bags with pre-cut yarn and popsicle sticks to make set-up go faster.)

Step 2: Instruct students on how to wrap the yarn around the center of the popsicle sticks (much like making god’s eyes). I played the video up until this point, so kids knew the task well. Early finishers helped others, and once done they added the outer line of string.

Step 3: Invite students to add the tissue paper layers using glue sticks (gently!). I had several bins in the front of the room with different colors and sizes of tissue paper. They looked best with three base layers of tissue paper.

Step 4: Decorate the kites with fringe and several images of the cultural products from the celebration, included in the printables.

Some kids wanted to take the kites outside to fly them, which we didn’t try but probably should have!

We finished with a summative assessment on the perspectives, practices and products of Guatemala’s Barriletes Gigantes.

I highly recommend this project - it took about 5 days total (50 min classes daily) from start to finish - beginning with the slideshow and ending with displaying the kites. Older students probably could finish building the kites even faster. Give it a try - I’ve made it EASY by giving you the whole resource for FREE!

I hope this helps give you an idea and spark of enthusiasm heading into what can be a daunting month! I’d love to hear from you - what All Saints Day traditions do you typically teach about in your classroom?

Wishing you all the very best,

Catherine 👻

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