Baking Pan de Muerto
Narrator: It is a sunny day in the kitchen. Leo and Mia wash their hands.
Leo: Today we get to make pan de muerto! It is my favorite sweet bread.
Mia: It is for Day of the Dead. It smells like sweet oranges.
Narrator: A big bowl sits on the clean counter. Flour, butter, and eggs are ready.
Leo: I will pour the flour into the bowl. Be careful not to make a cloud of dust!
Mia: (giggles) Too late! A little flour got on your nose.
Narrator: Leo rubs his nose. Now he has white powder on his face.
Leo: That is okay. Bakers get messy! Next, we add the orange peel and sugar.
Mia: Now comes the best part. We get to stir the dough.
Narrator: Mia and Leo take turns stirring with a big wooden spoon. The dough becomes sticky and warm.
Leo: Push and fold! Push and fold! That is how we knead it.
Mia: Look, it is a smooth, round ball now. Does it go in the oven yet?
Leo: Not yet. We have to make the special shapes for the top.
Narrator: Leo rolls four small strips of dough. He rolls them with his fingers.
Mia: They look like bones! We cross them over the round loaf.
- dough:
- A thick mix of flour and liquid that is baked into bread.
- knead:
- To press, fold, and stretch dough with your hands.
- oven:
- A hot box used for baking food.
- sprinkle:
- To drop tiny pieces of something lightly over food.
- peel:
- The outer skin of a fruit.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Vocabulary
Practice words from the passage with a printable worksheet.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Where are Leo and Mia at the beginning of the play?
- 2What special holiday is the bread made for?
Where this passage belongs
You Might Also Like
About this reader's theater passage for Lower Elementary
“Baking Pan de Muerto” is a reader's theater reading passage about Making Pan de Muerto, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (287 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.