How to Make a Pop-Up Ofrenda


Día de Muertos is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and many other communities.
Many families make an ofrenda, a display to honor and remember people who have died.
Traditions differ by family. This project is a classroom art model.
You can make your own paper model to remember a made-up character or a famous person from history.
Materials Needed:
- 2 sheets of sturdy cardstock
- Child-safe scissors
- 1 glue stick
- Crayons
Steps to Follow:
-
Fold one sheet of cardstock in half like a card. Press the fold firmly with your fingers.
-
Ask an adult to help you cut two short slits inward from the folded edge. Keep the cuts parallel to create a small paper tab.
-
Open your card gently. Push the tab inward and crease its base and top. Open the card halfway so the tab stands out as a small platform.
-
On your second paper, draw a small table front. Cut it out and use your glue stick to paste it onto the front of the pop-up tab.
-
Draw and cut out a small picture of your chosen person or character. Draw flowers and favorite foods on the table front. Glue the picture above them.
-
Use crayons to color bright patterns on the background wall. Stand your finished card open on a flat desk to show your work.
- sturdy:
- Strong and thick enough not to break or bend easily.
- cardstock:
- Heavy paper that is thicker than normal printer paper.
- slits:
- Straight, narrow cuts made in a piece of paper.
- parallel:
- Side by side and moving in the exact same direction without touching.
- platform:
- A raised, flat surface that can hold objects.
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
- 1What is Día de Muertos?
- 2What is an ofrenda?
You Might Also Like
About this how-to / procedural passage for Lower Elementary
“How to Make a Pop-Up Ofrenda” is a how-to / procedural reading passage about Holiday Art, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (229 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.


