Easter in Spanish-speaking countries and Semana Santa are more than just spring holidays. They’re deeply meaningful times filled with art, food, faith, and centuries-old traditions. In your classroom, they offer the perfect opportunity to blend cultural exploration with essential literacy skills.
Whether you’re introducing Semana Santa traditions or looking for meaningful spring reading activities, this is one topic your students won’t forget.
What Is Semana Santa?
Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is the week leading up to Easter Sunday. In many Spanish-speaking countries, this time is marked by community celebrations, religious processions, and unique cultural traditions that vary from one country to another.
In Guatemala, streets are lined with intricate alfombras made from colorful sawdust. In Spain, participants wear traditional robes and carry ancient statues through the streets in solemn processions. From Mexico’s emotional reenactments of the Passion of Christ to the quiet family reflections in Paraguay, each country offers a different lens on this shared celebration.
These events offer rich content for cross-curricular lessons that bring together reading, culture, geography, and social studies.
Why Bring Semana Santa into Your Classroom?
If you’re looking for a way to integrate cultural learning with reading practice this spring, this topic is a natural fit. Here’s why:
- Your students get to see the world through a new lens, deepening their understanding of how others celebrate faith and family.
- They’re exposed to nonfiction texts that are relevant, engaging, and packed with real-world connections.
- They build comprehension skills through multiple-choice and written-response questions that go beyond surface-level facts.
And the best part? You don’t have to plan a thing.
A No-Prep Way to Explore Easter in Spanish-Speaking Countries
This set of Semana Santa reading passages makes it simple to bring global culture into your spring lessons.
You’ll get six nonfiction passages that explore Easter in Spanish-speaking countries—specifically in Guatemala, Spain, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and Paraguay. Each passage focuses on the unique ways people in that country celebrate Semana Santa, from traditional foods to local customs and religious practices.
Every passage includes:
- 4 multiple-choice questions and 1 open-ended response
- An answer key for easy grading
- Both printable and digital versions (in Google Slides)
Whether your students are learning in class or remotely, you can assign these with zero prep.
Available in English, Spanish, or a Bilingual Bundle
You can choose the version that works best for your students:
- English only
- Spanish only
- A bilingual bundle with both versions included
If you’re teaching in a bilingual classroom or supporting Spanish-speaking students, the bilingual bundle offers built-in flexibility for scaffolding and differentiation.
Make Spring Lessons Meaningful
You don’t need to reinvent your spring lesson plans to bring meaningful culture and comprehension together. These passages will help your students develop a deeper understanding of global traditions while practicing essential reading skills in an authentic, relevant way.
➡️ Grab the Easter in Spanish-Speaking Countries Reading Passages here.
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