Every year the fifth grade’s annual project is called the Heroes and Heroines of the American Revolution Wax Museum. In order to learn more about this project we talked to our teacher, Mr. Wadness. Following the podcast you will find 4 examples from our classes Wax Museum. We hope you enjoy learning and seeing examples of this project.
In fifth grade, we do a project called the Wax Museum. We choose a hero or heroine, British or Colonist, from the American Revolutionary War time. We research our person and prepare a speech. Each student becomes an animatronic. People press a red button to activate us. We talk about our hero or heroine, and what they did during the war, and how they affected it. Near the end of school, in June, each class will have their own Wax Museum in the Library. Parents, relatives, and students are encouraged to visit and learn about some important heros and heroines.
Here are our heroes and heroine and hope you enjoy learning about who they are and their impact on the American Revolution.
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.