Wax Museum of Famous People
Created byKait Eubanks
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Wax Museum of Famous People

Grade 4English5 days
In this project, fourth-grade students transform into historians to research and embody famous figures, culminating in a Wax Museum exhibit. Students will explore various sources, compare firsthand and secondhand accounts, and develop a presentation that brings their chosen historical figure to life. The project emphasizes understanding the person's impact and connecting with their legacy through accurate verb tense usage and subject/verb agreement.
Famous PeopleWax MuseumHistorical FiguresResearchBiographyPrimary SourcesPresentations
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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we, as historians, bring a famous person's story to life in a wax museum, using various sources to understand their impact and connect with their legacy?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.
  • How does understanding a person's life story help us connect with them and their impact on the world?
  • In what ways can we bring a historical figure to life for others to learn from and be inspired by?
  • How can we use different sources to understand a person's life and achievements?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:
  • Research and understand the life and achievements of a famous person.
  • Develop and deliver a presentation in the form of a wax museum exhibit.
  • Use various sources to gather information and make inferences about the person's life.
  • Compare and contrast different accounts and stories related to the person.
  • Apply correct verb tenses and subject/verb agreement in writing and presentations.

Biography

4.RC.5.RF
Primary
Use background knowledge and details, including illustrations, charts, and graphs, to make inferences about what happens in a text.Reason: This standard aligns with the project as students will use background knowledge and details from various sources to make inferences about the famous person's life and achievements.
4.RC.10.RL
Secondary
Compare and contrast stories with similar central messages and topics.Reason: This standard aligns with the project as students may compare and contrast the stories of different famous people to identify similar central messages and topics.
4.RC.18.RI
Secondary
Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic.Reason: This standard aligns with the project as students may compare and contrast firsthand and secondhand accounts of events in the famous person's life.
4.L.6.S
Primary
Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions.Reason: This standard aligns with the project as students will use verb tense to accurately describe events and achievements in the famous person's life.
4.L.7.S
Supporting
Use progressive verb tenses (i.e., helping verbs).Reason: This standard aligns with the project as students will use progressive verb tenses to describe ongoing actions or events in the famous person's life.
4.L.8.S
Primary
Use subject/verb agreement.Reason: This standard aligns with the project as students will use subject/verb agreement in their writing and presentations about the famous person.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Time Traveler's Dilemma

A mysterious artifact appears in the classroom, claiming to be a time-traveling device. It malfunctions, displaying fragmented images and audio clips of various famous figures throughout history. Students must analyze these clues to identify the individuals and begin researching their lives for the wax museum project.
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Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.
Activity 1

Character Bio Blueprint

Students will begin by selecting a famous person and creating a foundational biography outline. This involves basic research and organizing key life events into a chronological order.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Choose a famous person to research for the Wax Museum project.
2. Conduct initial research using age-appropriate sources (biographies, websites, etc.) to gather basic information about their life.
3. Create a timeline of key life events, including birth, major accomplishments, and death (if applicable).
4. Organize the information into categories: Early Life, Key Achievements, Challenges, and Legacy.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA detailed biography outline with a timeline of key events and organized information.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with 4.RC.5.RF (using background knowledge to make inferences) and Learning Goal 1 (research and understand the life and achievements of a famous person).
Activity 2

Source Investigator

Students will dive deeper into researching primary and secondary sources related to their chosen famous person. They will compare and contrast different accounts to understand the event from multiple viewpoints.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Identify and gather at least one firsthand account (e.g., autobiography excerpt, interview) and one secondhand account (e.g., biography, historical article) related to a specific event in the person's life.
2. Compare and contrast the two accounts, noting similarities and differences in perspectives, details, and interpretations.
3. Analyze how the different accounts contribute to a more complete understanding of the event.
4. Document all sources using a consistent citation format.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA detailed comparison of firsthand and secondhand accounts, with documented sources and analysis of different perspectives.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with 4.RC.18.RI (compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account) and Learning Goal 3 (use various sources to gather information).
Activity 3

Verb Voyage: Tense Travelers

Students will focus on using correct verb tenses to accurately describe events in their famous person's life. They will practice using simple, progressive, and perfect tenses to convey time and sequence.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Review different verb tenses (simple past, simple present, simple future, past progressive, etc.) and their usage.
2. Select key events from the person's life and write sentences describing each event using different verb tenses.
3. Ensure subject/verb agreement in all sentences.
4. Revise and edit the sentences for clarity, accuracy, and correct verb tense usage.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA series of paragraphs describing key events in the person's life, using varied verb tenses correctly and demonstrating subject/verb agreement.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with 4.L.6.S (use verb tense to convey various times), 4.L.7.S (use progressive verb tenses), 4.L.8.S (use subject/verb agreement), and Learning Goal 5 (apply correct verb tenses).
Activity 4

Message in a Wax Figure

Students will synthesize their research and understanding to craft a central message or theme that represents the famous person's life and legacy. They will connect the message to universal themes and compare it with messages from other famous figures.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Identify a central message or theme that encapsulates the famous person's life and legacy (e.g., perseverance, courage, innovation).
2. Write a short paragraph explaining the message and how it is reflected in the person's life and achievements.
3. Compare the central message with those of other famous figures studied in class or through independent reading.
4. Discuss how understanding this person's life story helps connect with them and their impact on the world.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA well-crafted paragraph explaining the central message of the person's life, with comparisons to other figures and reflection on its universal significance.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with 4.RC.10.RL (compare and contrast stories with similar central messages), Learning Goal 2 (develop and deliver a presentation), and Essential Question 1 (understanding a person's life story helps us connect with them).
Activity 5

Wax Museum Curator

Students will create their wax museum presentation. This involves writing a speech and designing visuals.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Write a speech that presents key information about the famous person, highlighting their achievements, challenges, and legacy. The speech must be written in the present tense as if the famous person were speaking.
2. Develop visual aids, such as posters, artifacts, or multimedia elements, to enhance the presentation.
3. Design the wax museum exhibit, including the student's costume, pose, and backdrop.
4. Rehearse the presentation, focusing on clear pronunciation, engaging delivery, and accurate information.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA complete wax museum exhibit, including a speech, visual aids, and a presentation-ready costume and pose.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with Learning Goal 2 (develop and deliver a presentation in the form of a wax museum exhibit) and Essential Question 2 (ways to bring a historical figure to life).
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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Character Bio Blueprint Rubric

Category 1

Research & Information Gathering

Focuses on the quality and depth of research conducted and the relevance of information gathered from age-appropriate sources.
Criterion 1

Source Quality & Relevance

Evaluates the selection of appropriate and reliable sources and the relevance of information to the famous person's life.

Exemplary
4 Points

Consistently uses high-quality, age-appropriate sources, providing relevant and comprehensive information.

Proficient
3 Points

Uses age-appropriate sources and provides relevant information about the famous person's life.

Developing
2 Points

Uses some age-appropriate sources, but information may be incomplete or lack relevance.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to find or use age-appropriate sources; information is limited or irrelevant.

Criterion 2

Information Depth & Accuracy

Assesses the depth and accuracy of the researched information presented in the outline.

Exemplary
4 Points

Provides in-depth, accurate information with insightful details and a clear understanding of the famous person's life.

Proficient
3 Points

Provides accurate information about the famous person's life with sufficient details.

Developing
2 Points

Provides some accurate information, but lacks depth and contains some inaccuracies.

Beginning
1 Points

Provides limited or inaccurate information with minimal details.

Category 2

Organization & Timeline

Focuses on the logical organization of information and the accuracy of the timeline created.
Criterion 1

Timeline Accuracy & Completeness

Evaluates the accuracy and completeness of the timeline, including key life events.

Exemplary
4 Points

Creates a comprehensive and accurate timeline, including all key life events in chronological order.

Proficient
3 Points

Creates an accurate timeline, including most key life events in chronological order.

Developing
2 Points

Creates a timeline with some inaccuracies or missing key events.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to create a timeline with significant inaccuracies or missing events.

Criterion 2

Information Organization & Structure

Assesses how well the information is organized into categories (Early Life, Key Achievements, Challenges, and Legacy).

Exemplary
4 Points

Organizes information logically and effectively into all specified categories, demonstrating a clear understanding of the person's life.

Proficient
3 Points

Organizes information into the specified categories with a good understanding of the person's life.

Developing
2 Points

Attempts to organize information into the specified categories, but some information may be misplaced or unclear.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to organize information into the specified categories; organization is unclear and disorganized.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning
Question 1

What was the most surprising thing you learned about your famous person?

Text
Required
Question 2

How did comparing firsthand and secondhand accounts change your understanding of your famous person's life?

Text
Required
Question 3

What was the most challenging part of creating your wax museum exhibit, and how did you overcome it?

Text
Required
Question 4

How does the central message of your famous person's life connect with your own experiences or values?

Text
Required
Question 5

To what extent do you feel you brought your famous person to life for the audience?

Scale
Required
Question 6

Which aspect of the project (research, writing, presentation) did you enjoy the most?

Multiple choice
Required
Options
Research
Writing
Presentation