Living+Museum

You will never forget this experience. Yes, it is hard work, and yes, it is worth it!

You will pick a significant time period in American history to teach. You will teach it through the eyes of an important person during that time period. For example, you might teach the American Civil War through the eyes of General Sherman or the Industrial Revolution through the eyes of Henry Ford or J.P. Morgan.

First students will choose a time period and then they will find a suitable character to portray:


 * 1630-1763 The Colonial Period Original Inhabitants**

King Philip's War. Bacon's Rebellion. Mayflower Compact. First Thanksgiving, Wampanoags. Marquette and Joliet. Plymouth Colony. Massachusetts Bay Colony. Cotton Mather. Benjamin Franklin. French and Indian War.


 * 1763-1783 Revolutionary America**

Stamp Act. Boston Massacre. Sons of Liberty. Boston Tea Party. Taxation and Representation. Phillis Wheatley. 1st Continental Congress. Common Sense. American Revolution. 2nd Continnental Congress. Paul Revere's Ride. War of Independence. Yorktown. Treaty of Paris.


 * 1783-1815 The Young Republic**

Articles of Confederation. Constitutional Convention. Washington. Hamilton and Federalists. Shays' Rebellion. Jefferson and Republicans. Eli Whitney. Samuel Slater. Whiskey Rebellion. Battle of Fallen Timbers. Alien and Sedition Acts. Revolution of 1800. Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark. Battle of Tippecanoe. War of 1812. Treaty of Ghent. Battle of New Orleans.

1**815-1860 Expansion, Political Reform, and Turmoil**

Era of Good Feelings. First Industrial Revolution. Henry Clay's Missouri Compromise. Monroe Doctrine. Jackson and the Revolution of 1828. Nat Turner Rebellion. Panic of 1837. Emerson. Longfellow. Whitman. Manifest Destiny. The Alamo. Frederick Douglass. California Gold Rush. Compromise of 1850. Dred Scott. Lincoln-Douglas Debates.


 * 1830-1876 Sectional Controversy, War, and Reconstruction**

Slavery. Underground Railroad. Bleeding Kansas. Lincoln. Civil War. Gettysburg. 13th Amendment. Radical Republicans. Reconstruction. Disputed Election of 1876. Little Big Horn.


 * 1871-1914 Political Reform II**

Populist Party. Free Silver. Jim Crow Laws. Harry Houdini. Progressive Party aka the Bull Moose Party. Mark Twain. Theodore Roosevelt. Taft. Wilson.


 * 1914-1933 War, Prosperity, and Depression**

"Big Stick" Diplomacy. Panama Canal. World War I. Versailles. The Negro Leagues. League of Nations. Black Sox Scandal. Harding Scandals. Charles Lindbergh. Stock Market Crash. Babe Ruth. "Satchmo" Armstrong. Amelia Earhart.


 * 1933-1945 The New Deal and World War II**

Franklin D. Roosevelt. First One Hundred Days. Albert Einstein. Manhattan Project. J. Edgar Hoover. War in Europe. Adolph Hitler. The Holocaust. Jesse Owens. Pearl Harbor. World War II. War in the Pacific. Rosie the Riveter. Truman and the Bomb.


 * 1945-1960 The Vietnam Era**

Bay of Pigs. JFK Assassination. Lyndon B. Johnson and Civil Rights. Martin Luther King Jr.. Muhammad Ali. Hank Aaron. Nixon, Kissinger, and Vietnam. Roe v. Wade. Watergate. Oil Embargo. Carter. Iran Hostage Crisis. Reagan and Conservatism.

1**960-1980 The Vietnam Era**

Bay of Pigs. JFK Assassination. Lyndon B. Johnson and Civil Rights. Martin Luther King Jr.. Muhammad Ali. Hank Aaron. Nixon, Kissinger, and Vietnam. Roe v. Wade. Watergate. Oil Embargo. Carter. Iran Hostage Crisis. Reagan and Conservatism.

Here is the criteria for choosing a character.
 * == Is he no longer alive? ==
 * Is she philanthropic?
 * Did his accomplishments benefit the United States? In other words, are they part of U.S. history and the fifth grade standards?
 * Is she famous and not notorious?
 * The individual may not be a president.
 * Characters can't be part of fourth grade history
 * Characters can't be the same one they portrayed in third grade.
 * They can't be an explorers.
 * They shouldn't depict the same character that a sibling portrayed.
 * Students must be able to find books that are about this person.

Are You up to the Challenge?

This is the criteria for choosing your historic figure for the living museum.

 * Come up with three choices that fit the above criteria. (Both the person and the historic theme you will be teaching)
 * Write your choices on a 3x5 index card in the order of your preference.
 * If you think that your choice is going to be the choice of several others, write a paragraph explaining why you should be chosen to portray this individual.
 * Write your name on the card and submit it to your teacher.
 * The fifth grade teachers will wisely select who you will portray.
 * The teachers will work hard to try to give you one of your choices
 * If they are unable to give you one of your first three choices, they will suggest three people for you to choose from. Then your teacher will meet with you to help you make a decision. At this point, you may come up with alternative choices to review with your teacher, also.
 * Everything will be done to help secure a person that you feel honored to portray and comfortable impersonating.
 * Once you know who you will portray, you need to start collecting and making props.


 * Here is a list you might want to consider:**

**Objectives:** Language Arts The student will be able to: Social Studies The student will be able to
 * Deliver an informative presentation about an important historical time period and the characters part in it.
 * Use appropriate verbal and nonverbal techniques to maintain audience interest.
 * Listen critically to interpret a speakers message.
 * Ask questions to seek information not already discussed.
 * Write an expository report (script) using multiple sources that includes a main idea, supporting topics and details about the subject.
 * Discuss significant individuals who have been responsible for bringing about political and social change in the United States.
 * Discuss the causes and effects of various conflicts throughout American history
 * List ways the land has been changed by people and technology
 * Read and interpret materials that include more than one point of view.

Responsibilities: We are embarking on the biggest project of the fifth grade year. This is known as the Living Museum. You are responsible for an exhibit in the “Museum”. This is a museum which specializes in people who have contributed to society in positive ways. You are responsible for everything in your exhibit: Your script will follow this expository format:
 * ** You will become the person and thus will need to be an expert on his/her life. **
 * You will create a first person, interactive narrative. (Script)
 * You will need to come up with a full costume so that you will look as much like this person as possible.
 * You will create your setting and bring it the morning of the museum.
 * You will also create at least two props that you can use during the narrative.
 * You will need a large banner or poster with your person’s name on it and the subject or era that they are famous for.
 * You will memorize your script.
 * You will need a map of the theme.

Thesis Statement: (A short summary of what you are going to talk about) The following criterion is what you should be taking notes on as you read and will be in the body of your expository interactive narrative: = ***You will need to weave in significant facts about the time period or theme through your piece where they are appropriate.** =
 * 1) Who you are and what you are famous for (Big Idea)
 * 2) How you describe yourself-a character trait and evidence to support this trait.
 * 3) Hook
 * Birth and Early Childhood
 * Education and Childhood Family Life
 * Pre-Milestone Career
 * Significant Milestone (What your person is most famous for) What is it that you will be teaching: The theme.
 * Post Milestone

Concluding Statement: (summary statement-wrap it up by restating the thesis in a unique way) You may want to add:
 * 1) A quote from your famous person
 * 2) How your person impacted society.
 * 3) How your person was significant to the time period or theme.
 * 4) A description of your props
 * 5) Interactive questions with your audience.

=A few pictures from the past:=

2011



2012



Here is a PowerPoint of a lot more pictures from 2012:

Here are recent pictures from 2016 that have themes.

Here is the parent presentation:

=Things you might find useful:= You will never forget this experience. Yes, it is hard work, and yes, it is worth it!