Living Museum

by Angie Fino and Bill Golden
Stearly Heights Elementary

Where can you find Alexander G. Bell, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, Shirley Temple, Jackie Robinson, Oprah Winfrey and many other influential people in one same room?  At the Living Museum at Stearley Heights Elementary School, of course!!!

Third grade students in Mr. Golden’s class were given a project to select an influential person who had or has made a positive impact on America.  Students picked one person whom they admired or wanted to learn more about. After their selections were made, students spent the next few weeks researching their choices and learning about their lives and how they have impacted America.  Students had to answer eight questions about their person ranging from their childhood to the advice they would give to help others succeed.   Students then had to look and act like that individual and share the information with others in the form of a Living Museum.

This project addressed many standards to include discerning between fact and opinion, writing standards, and oral and visual presentations.   Third grade student Brielle Bailey, also known as Sacagawea, stated that learning about Sacagawea was “fascinating.”  Ameerah Abner did her research on Rosa Parks because she sees Rosa Parks as being brave.  Ameerah said that Rosa Parks taught her that, “It doesn’t matter your color; learn to be yourself.”  Richard Horner did his research project on Tony Hawk, a famous skateboarder who currently resides in San Diego.  Because Richard likes skateboarding, he wanted to find a famous and influential person who shares something in common: skateboarding!  Richard learned that Tony began skateboarding when he was 9 years old and received more than 70 awards.  Since then, Tony Hawk has built his own company named Bird House to make skateboards and video games.  Third grade student Richard Horner said, “I would make Tony Hawk very proud.”

One of the greatest impacts that this project had was that spectators who visited the Living Museum also learned about influential people who have impacted America.  As they toured the Living Museum, spectators were given the opportunity to move freely and ask questions to the “Living Museum Individual.”  Second grade student Teagan in Ms. Lathem’s class said, “This was fun and I learned a lot about different people.”

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