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SFA/NISD Charter School students bring history to life
Emily Taravella - May 8, 2007
James Madison (played by Charter School fifth grader Matthew Samford) tells a group of young students about his life, at the "wax museum" set up in the Twilight Ballroom at SFA.
Robert E. Lee (played by Charter School fifth grader Reid Watson) tells a group of young students about his life, at the "wax museum" set up in the Twilight Ballroom at SFA.
Martin Luther King Jr., (played by Charter School fifth grader Jayla Baysinger, tells a group of young students about MLK's life, at the "wax museum" set up in the Twilight Ballroom.
Kneeling (Left to Right): Kyle Smith, Lane McMurtrey, Paul Ramos, Reed Watson, Lyle Nelson, John Ramos, Thomas Sowards
Middle Row (Left to Right): Holli Zawlocki (5th grade teacher), Lauren Griffith, Mita Coker, Amy Martin, Kayla King, Victoria Hetrick, Matthew Samford, Emily Kuhns, Aubrey Fuller, Elizabeth Turner
Back Row: Jayla Baysinger, Charles Mize, Raven Acrey, Chelsea Garrette, Jacob Herzog
History came to life Tuesday in the Twilight Ballroom at Stephen F. Austin State University, where fifth graders dressed as famous people from the past for a "wax museum" that was visited by their peers from the SFA/ NISD Charter School.
Students have been working on the project since February, according to fifth grade teacher Holli Zawlocki.
They started by each picking a famous person from history to study. The unit was part of their social studies curriculum correlated with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, Zawlocki said.
"Students did their research at Steen Library with the help of librarian Tina Oswald, and they also did research at the public library and on the Internet," Zawlocki said. "They were required to write a two-page paper, to memorize a three to five minute speech and to come up with a costume."
The fifth graders placed visual displays on table tops in the Twilight Ballroom, and those who toured the museum were prompted to push a button or perform some other action that would "activate" the students to perform their speeches.
"History doesn't have to be boring," Zawlocki said. "This project brings it to life for them."
The students learned about the people they researched both independently and as a group, she said.
The Pre-K 2 group from the Early Childhood Lab toured the wax museum and watched the older students in awe.
Pre-K teacher Brenda Bowline said her younger students will attempt to follow the example set by the fifth graders in a couple of weeks.
But the characters in their wax museum will not be historical figures -- they will be characters from nursery rhymes, Bowline said.
"We did it last year, and they had a lot of fun," she said.
Zawlocki said the groups who toured the wax museum enjoyed it as much as her students.
"I'm proud of all of them," she said.