A “living wax museum” was a big hit at Hambright Elementary School Friday as fifth-graders dressed up as famous people and delivered presentations on their subjects, each of whom has had a major impact on American history.
Visitors walked from station to station to learn about Amelia Earhart, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin, Anne Frank, Milton Hershey, Steve Jobs and other famous figures.
The idea came about when teacher Jennifer Fisher discovered her students enjoyed reading biographies in class. When Fisher asked them if they wanted to learn more about a famous person of their choosing, the students said “yes.” Each of them read a “Who Am I” chapter book on their subject, created a poster containing facts about him or her and wrote an oral report to be read at the “museum” Friday.
Fisher said she wanted to try the activity with her students so they could learn more about biographies, practice writing a report and try their hands at doing research.
On Friday, the students’ parents and other Hambright pupils and staff members circulated through the museum, set up in the school’s academic commons, to hear what the students had learned.
“I am so proud of my students. Every single one of them showed true leader qualities on Friday,” Fisher said. “The event helped to improve their reading fluency, increased their self-confidence by allowing them to teach other students and added a fun twist to our learning.”
From left, Brianna Fenton (Martin Luther King Jr.), Nicholas Bossert (Ben Franklin), Andy Ngo (Leonardo da Vinci), Conner Wiggins (Thomas Jefferson) and Dakota Janesky (Amelia Earhart).
Dakota Janesky talks about the person he is depicting, Amelia Earhart, during the “living wax museum” at Hambright Elementary School.