DVD 1 - Level 1.1: Day of the dead lessons

1. The Day of the Dead (Audio)

I arrive in Guatemala on The Day of the Dead, November 1st. I’m curious about this holiday, so I go to the cemetery to see what’s happening. What I find is quite interesting. 

The atmosphere is like a party. There are people everywhere. Families are sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors. They clean the graves and add fresh flowers. I walk through the cemetery and admire the beauty of all the colorful flowers. 

There is also color in the sky, because many kids are flying kites. Some families are having a picnic next to the graves. They eat, drink, and chat together. People laugh and smile.

In the Unites States, cemeteries are always somber. We certainly never have festivals or parties next to graves. We don’t laugh or play music or fly kites in cemeteries either.

I find that I prefer the Guatemalan approach. I like the way they remember and celebrate those who have passed away. I like that they acknowledge death, instead of denying it the way Americans do. I like that there is life, as well as death, in their cemeteries. 

Guatemalans call it “The Day of the Dead”, but it is also a day to appreciate life.

2. Day Of The Dead (MS) - AJ Hoge 

Welcome to the mini story for Day of the Dead. 
In the mini story I will do 3 things. 
I will make a statement. For example, “I arrived in Guatemala.” 
When you hear a statement, a sentence, you just say, “Ah,” or, “Oh.” You need to say that. Show that you understand this is not a question. A statement is not a question, so when you hear a statement say, “Ah.” For example, “I arrive in 
Guatemala.” “Ah.” 
The second thing I will do is ask a question you know the answer to. For example, “Where do I arrive?” I will stop. You say the answer. You must say the answer to every question. I say, “I arrive in Guatemala. Where did I arrive?” You say, “Guatemala.” Easy. 
And No. 3, I might ask a question you don’t know the answer to. If you don’t know the answer just guess. Say any answer, but you must answer every question. Use your pause button if necessary. 
Let’s begin. Here we go. 
I arrived in Guatemala on the Day of the Dead, November 1st. Did I arrive in Guatemala? Yes. 
Yes, I arrived in Guatemala. Where did I arrive? Guatemala, right. I arrived in Guatemala. 
I arrived in Guatemala on the Day of the Dead, November 1st. Who arrived in Guatemala on the 
Day of the Dead? Well, me – AJ. I arrived in Guatemala on the Day of the Dead, November 1st. 
Did I arrive in Guatemala on November 3rd? No, no. I didn’t arrive in Guatemala on November 3rd; 
I arrived in Guatemala on November 1st. 
What day did I arrive in Guatemala? November 1st. I arrived in Guatemala on November 1st. 
Where did I arrive on November 1st? Guatemala. I arrived in Guatemala on November 1st. 
I arrived in Guatemala on the Day of the Dead, November 1st. I was curious about this holiday so I 
went to the cemetery to see what was happening. Was I angry about this holiday? No, no. I wasn’t 
angry about this holiday. 
Was I sad about this holiday? No, no. I wasn’t sad about this holiday. I was curious about this holiday. 
Who was curious about this holiday? Well, I was – AJ. I was curious about this holiday. 
What was I curious about? The holiday. I was curious about the holiday. Which holiday was I curious 
about? Which holiday was I curious about? The Day of the Dead. I was curious about the Day 
of the Dead. 
Was I curious about the Day of the Dead or was I curious about Christmas? No. I was curious 
about the Day of the Dead of course. I was curious about the Day of the Dead so I went to the 
cemetery to see what was happening. Where did I go? To the cemetery. 
I went to the cemetery. Did I go to the cemetery or did I go to the airport? Easy. I went to the 
cemetery. Who went to the cemetery? Well, me – AJ. I went to the cemetery. 
Where did I go? To the cemetery, right. I went to the cemetery. When did I go to the cemetery? 
November 1st, the Day of the Dead. I went to the cemetery on the Day of the Dead, November 1st. 
Why did I go to the cemetery? Well, to see what was happening. I went to the cemetery to see 
what was happening. Who went to the cemetery to see what was happening? Me – AJ – went to 
the cemetery to see what was happening. 
Where was the cemetery? In Guatemala. The cemetery was in Guatemala. What is the Day of the 
Dead? A holiday. The Day of the Dead is a holiday. 
When is the Day of the Dead? November 1st. The Day of the Dead was and is November 1st, so I 
went to the cemetery on the Day of the Dead to see what was happening. What I found was quite 
interesting. Was it boring? No, no. It wasn’t boring. 
Was it interesting? Yes, yes. It was interesting. The cemetery was interesting. How did I feel about 
the cemetery? I felt it was interesting or I thought it was interesting. 
Was it boring or was it interesting? It was interesting. Of course it was interesting. What was interesting? 
The cemetery. The cemetery was interesting. 
When was the cemetery interesting? It was interesting on the Day of the Dead, November 1st. The 
atmosphere in the cemetery was like a party. Was the atmosphere very sad? No, no. The atmosphere 
was not sad. 
The atmosphere was like a party. The atmosphere was very happy. Was the atmosphere sad or 
happy? The atmosphere was happy. The atmosphere was like a party. 
What was like a party? The atmosphere. The atmosphere in the cemetery was like a party. Where 
was the atmosphere like a party? In the cemetery – the cemetery. The atmosphere was like a party 
in the cemetery. 
Was the atmosphere like a party at my house? No, no. Not at my house. The atmosphere was like 
a party at the cemetery. The atmosphere was not like a party in my house. So the atmosphere was 
like a party. There were people everywhere. 
Families were sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors. Where were the families sitting? 
Around the graves. They were sitting around the graves. Who was sitting around the graves? The 
families. The families were sitting around the graves. 
Were they sitting around the trees? No. They weren’t sitting around the trees. They were sitting 
around the graves. So where were they sitting? Around the graves. Families were sitting around 
the graves of

3. Day Of The Dead (Vocab)