Charter Oak Elementary Third Graders Bring History to Life
On Thursday morning in the Charter Oak Elementary cafeteria, Charlotte DeVoss was no longer just a third grade student. She was Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks.
“I think she’s a very remarkable woman,” Charlotte said, dressed as the iconic figure best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. “She had a statue in her honor after she died, which I think is really cool. Maybe I’ll be like her someday.”
Third grade teacher Lorrin Steinke was thrilled as she looked around the room filled with pint-sized historical figures, celebrities, inventors and athletes. It’s exactly what she envisioned when planning a “wax museum” as the culmination of her students’ study of biographies.
“It helps them take ownership of their learning,” Steinke said of the project. “It’s a very hands-on approach. They learned why people are famous, what makes them different from other people, what makes them unique, and I really feel like since the kids were a part of this and they were able to become this person, it makes a big difference from just studying it in class.”
Rosa Parks was joined by Taylor Swift, Henry Ford, Steve Irwin, Helen Keller, Nikola Tesla and George Washington — among others.
“Our whole school is participating today,” Steinke said. “When students from other grade levels step on their ‘button,’ the historical figure comes to life and says their speech as if they are that person.”
To prepare to be on exhibit, the third graders did extensive research, Steinke said, digging into their person’s life as a child, adulthood and accomplishments to discover what made the person important or how they changed the world.
“I think they did an awesome job,” she said. “They worked really hard. I am so proud of them.”
While this was the first time Charter Oak hosted a wax museum, Charlotte said she would recommend Mrs. Steinke assign the project again next year.
“I think it was an 11 out of 10,” she said with a smile.
See more pictures at http://bit.ly/3biXtgp.