American Revolution Heroes and Heroines

Every year, the 5th graders do a Wax Museum on The Revolutionary War. Everybody chooses a Revolutionary War hero or heroine to research.  With their notes, the students will write a script explaining how they (as the hero or heroine) affected events during The Revolutionary War. The students will become wax figures with a button which viewers can “push” to activate them and they will share information about their hero or heroine. This experience teaches kids of all ages at our school about the Revolutionary War and how ordinary people did extraordinary things.

In order for the fifth graders to prepare for writing their skit, they had an opportunity to get a sneak peak at the Wax Museum Rubric, which will be used to grade them. This helps fifth graders because the rubric addresses 3 main subjects, Content, Dialogue, and Performance. The rubric rating scale is from 1-4, 4 being the best. Below are the descriptions of the rating scale of 4 for each of the criteria.

Content – Demonstrates a great deal of knowledge and understanding of the topic and the person studied

Dialogue – Realistic, lively, appropriate, and engaging; focused on the essential questions

Performance – Convincing and self assured

Once they finish writing their script they have to memorize it and create a costume for their hero or heroine. Next they practice, practice, practice . . . .

On the day of the Wax museum, the students get dressed, pick up their “activation” button, and head down to the library which is now a wax museum. They then pick their spot and position themselves in their pose. Visitors to the museum travel from exhibit to exhibit listening to how these men and women did extraordinary things during the American Revolutionary War.

 

 

Here are a few heroes or heroines depicted at the wax museum

Some of the heroes

  • George Washington – Commander of the Colonial Army: First President of the United States of America
  • Benjamin Franklin – Patriot statesman; scientist; philosopher
  • Thomas Jefferson – Delegate to Continental Congress; drafted Declaration of Independence and more
  • John Adams – Delegate to Continental Congress; lawyer and more
  • Major General Henry Knox – Continental officer; hero; artillery expert
  • Paul Revere – American patriot; silversmith and engraver
  • Major General Nathanael Greene – Second in command to George Washington
  • Ethan Allen – Colonial of the Green Mountain Boys; Continental Army
  • Major John Andre – British solider: contact for Benedict Arnold

Some of the Heroines

  • Abigail Adams – Wife of John Adams; correspondent
  • Martha Washington – Wife of George Washington; First Lady
  • Lydia Darragh – American spy
  • Patience Wright – American spy

We hope you enjoy watching several hero’s of the Revolutionary War shown below.

Benjamin Franklin (a.k.a. Jude)

King George III (a.k.a. Jay)

Major General Henry Knox (a.k.a. Matt S.)

Reported by Jay, Matthew S., and Jude

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