Skyhawks weave together art, science and language with a cultural lesson that takes flight

October 31, 2025

Schoo Middle School students embarked on a learning journey when they linked the migration of monarch butterflies with a major Mexican holiday in late October.
 
Eighth graders in Jillian Schernikau’s Spanish I class weaved together science, art, history and culture with Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL) words in their lesson. They practiced the names of animals in ASL, wrote sentences about monarch butterflies in Spanish and created their own origami versions of the colorful insects.
 
Millie and Ryan smiled as the wings of their origami butterflies began to take shape in the classroom. They said the interactive lesson would help them remember words and phrases like mariposa (butterfly), naranja (orange) and puede volar (can fly).
 
“At least for me, it makes it easier to understand,” Millie said. “It was fun.”
 
“I think it’s more exciting,” Ryan said. “We get to do something hands-on.”

 
Schernikau said one of her top teaching goals is to help students gain a worldwide view on how culture and language impact one another. She felt tying ‘la migracion de la mariposa’ (butterfly migration) to the Day of the Dead holiday was a good way to do that. She added the origami and ASL components into the lesson two years ago to create even more educational benefits for the Skyhawks.
 
“For this lesson, we introduce Day of the Dead through the Great Monarch Migration and allow students to make connections to the holiday and their personal current level of understanding of the holiday and Hispanic culture,” Schernikau said. “We connect science, art, history, culture, Spanish and American Sign Language in this lesson to engage students of varied preferences and learning styles.”

Students began their lesson by watching a four-minute video that explained the history of Day of the Dead, known as Día de los Muertos in Mexico. The holiday combines the ancient Aztec custom of honoring the spirits of ancestors with the All Souls Day tradition that Spanish soldiers introduced in the 1500s. It takes place from Oct. 31-Nov. 2 each year.
 
Families welcome back the spirits of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes many celebratory dances and feasts. They believe monarch butterflies represent the souls of the dead who have come to visit with them. Festivities often include songs that reference the monarch butterfly in their lyrics and dances that mimic their delicate flight patterns.
 
This belief is bolstered by the fact that the monarchs always return to the highland forests of central Mexico when the holiday happens. Their migration from their summer homes in the United States and Canada acts as a cultural symbol of linking the living with the dead.
 
After reciting names of animals like tiger, hamster, shark and crocodile in Spanish, students added ASL signs to each of the words. They displayed movements with their hands as they listed more than a dozen mammals, fish and insects.
 
Schernikau said she has enjoyed watching the Skyhawks increase their vocabulary in a pair of languages.
 
“Going step by step with them really makes a difference,” Schernikau said after class. “They do a great job with it.”
 
Students continued the lesson by writing Spanish sentences about the physical traits and actions of butterflies. They then used origami to create a visual connection with the Day of the Dead. Schernikau guided them as they carefully folded the edges of their paper into the shapes of winged butterflies. They added orange and black colors with markers to complete their artistic projects.
 
After they were finished at their tables, the Skyhawks produced a Schoo-themed butterfly migration outside Schernikau’s classroom. They taped the origami on the wall with their wings pointed in the same direction.

 
Millie said the origami project made ‘la migracion de la mariposa’ come alive even more for her.
 
“It gave us a visual representation of what we were learning,” Millie said.
 
Ryan and Millie said they have enjoyed taking Spanish I with Schernikau this year. They said these types of activities were helping them discover the joy of becoming bilingual.
 
“I like it,” Ryan said. “I enjoy learning new things, so learning another language is really cool.”
 
World language teachers like Jillian Schernikau are helping LPS students expand their global knowledge in class every day. Visit home.lps.org/worldlanguage to learn more about the world language curriculum, grading guidance and world language competency-based credits.
 
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