Each year third graders at Hinckley Big Rock Elementary participate in a biography research project called The Wax Museum. This is one of my FAVORITE learning experiences during the entire school year for many reasons. It is an important opportunity for us to learn about the life stories of various people from inventors to activists, performers, scientists, athletes, and many more! Students choose who they want to study and then participate in an eight-week-long research project where they gather as much knowledge as possible about their person of interest by reading books and viewing videos with a culmination celebration of reciting a speech from memory about their famous person’s life.
What I have learned from this project is that everyone has a story to tell and there is something to be learned from every experience. I have always loved sharing my personal stories and the stories of others with my students. It’s so important that students hear and learn from other people’s life experiences. The most amazing thing I learned through storytelling is that we do not necessarily need to share our entire story, sometimes sharing just one small detail can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Every time we shed a layer of our story, bravely uncovering our vulnerability, it allows us to build deeper connections with others, and sharing our story can make an impact in ways we may never know. Storytelling also helps us to realize we are not alone in our adversities, and that there is always a way to persevere through them.
Despite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. being arrested twenty-nine times he never gave up on the fight for equality. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Steve Harvey waited 29 years for his dream to be on TV to come true. All of these people had overcome hardships through persistent grit, and displaying an unwavering amount of courage and determination in their own way. If they can do it, then so can I and so can the students of HBRES.
When students read biographies it allows them to empathize with the struggles of others and celebrate their accomplishments. By listening to other people’s experiences they can learn from their mistakes and apply that knowledge themselves in hopes for better outcomes in their lives. This is why I am so passionate about our third graders participating in our annual Wax Museum project.
If you like to meet Muhammad Ali one of the greatest boxers of all time or one of the leading chimpanzee experts in the world Jane Goodall, then we encourage you to attend this year’s Wax Museum event on Thursday, March 7th, 6:00-7:00 PM in the HBRES gym!
“The choices you make today will be your biography tomorrow.”
By Katie Claypool, Third Grade Elementary School Teacher
