Fourth-grade students at Southwestern Elementary School have a new understanding of New York state historical figures after emulating them Thursday.
The school held its eighth annual fourth-grade wax museum, featuring students in Shannon Buttafarro, Traci Fagerstrom, Bruce Moore, Natalie Manno, Linda Perry and Carolynn Wesp's classes.
According to Mrs. Wesp, the project fits nicely into the social studies curriculum, which focuses on New York state.
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"It's a good culmination of all of the ELA lessons and a little bit of science and social studies," Mrs. Wesp said. "They chose their characters about two-and-a-half months ago, right before Easter break."
Each student is asked to research a famous New Yorker, create a presentation and essay, and provide ways that the character influenced New York state.
"Students were given a list to choose from. If they wanted to add to the list, they had to come up with rationale. Most of them came from our social studies book," Mrs. Wesp said.
The students were provided with step-by-step directions and a timeline for completing the project.
"It gives them a sense of responsibility. This is the first big project that they have had to do in fourth grade that requires months of planning and organization," Mrs. Wesp said.
Because they are posing for long periods of time, students were permitted wiggle breaks, where the room was cleared out and students were able to break their stance. However, Mrs. Wesp said that the skill was practiced at home with parents, although they also held a practice Wednesday.