For the past few years living wax museums have become more popular as educators seek ways to make history come alive. A living wax museum takes inspiration from the wax museums around the world which feature lifelike representations of famous people. Instead of wax, though, this museum will be a collection of historical figures represented by students who will research and dress up like the person they choose.
Planning the Living Wax Museum
The first step is to give students a list or set of criteria they will use to determine which historical figure they want to represent. Their social studies curriculum and a few questions should serve as a guide. Should they focus on a particular time period or geography? Should students pick someone famous or obscure? Should the person be alive or not? The teacher may also want to make an approved list for students to pick from.
Once the teacher decides the criteria for choosing historical figures, it's time to design the project itself. A basic living wax museum has three components:
- Research
- Written Speech
- Costume and Display
Students should conduct research on their historical person before they do anything else. They can use any note taking method but note cards or an outline format work best. Give students a few key points to focus on in order to guide them. These should include:
- Dates and location of birth and death
- Description of the location where they lived
- Three significant events or contributions
Once the research is finished, students should write a 30-second speech containing the above information. Encourage students to make the speech fun and exciting by adding humor, surprise or even sound effects to their speech. This is a good time to teach good speaking techniques and to talk about what makes an engaging presentation.
Students need to prepare a museum display. This will be a visual addition to the student's presentation so it should be eye-appealing and instructive by showcasing a few items from the person's life. Students should also write their person's name clearly and in big letters so visitors will know who they are. Pass out four foot sections of white butcher paper, the kind used to cover bulletin boards, and provide poster paint for students to use to cover large sections. From there, students can use any other art supplies to complete their displays. Students can also make small, round "push" buttons so visitors can "activate" their display.
Last, students need to create a costume. Encourage them to raid closets, visit thrift stores, and make props for their display. Students usually enjoy dressing up, especially for school, so the teacher's main roles here are to cheer students on, encourage creativity, and (most importantly) remind students of the deadline.
Opening Day for the Living Wax Museum
The living wax museum will need a large space like a multipurpose room, gymnasium, or school hallway. Students should be spread out as much as is possible and reasonable. They will need space to set up their butcher paper display. Also, if students are too crowded, visitors will have trouble hearing individual presentations.
Wax museum displays should be set up the night before if possible and the class should get there early so everyone can take their places before opening the doors. If students made "push" buttons, a sign should be posted explaining how they work so incoming guests will know to push them to activate the displays. Then sit back and watch as parents and schoolmates are amazed at all the hard work!
Bringing History to Life
This multi-dimensional project gets kids researching history, writing about history, and creating a display showcasing history. On opening day, a teacher's hard work to prepare and implement students' living wax museum will pay off when students embrace the historical roles they take on.
Jason O'Hare - Jason O'Hare is a veteran educator and Suite 101 contributor interested in all aspects of teaching in elementary schools but especially ...
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