More than 160 fifth-grade students at Twin Lakes Academy Elementary transformed themselves into wax figures on October 31 for the second-annual Twin Lakes Wax Museum.
As part of a biography genre study, each fifth-grade student had to research a famous person, such as a president or historical figure, author, artist, athlete or actor, and transform into that person by becoming a “wax figurine.”
In addition to dressing up as the character, students created display boards with important facts and interesting information pertaining to the person, as well as wrote and memorized a 60-second speech to be recited when visitors pressed a button on the display board, making the wax figure come to life. Many students also replicated their characters’ voices, accents and mannerisms.
Students spent weeks preparing for the event. They took a trip to Potter's Wax Museum in St. Augustine to see how a real wax museum operates. They also read a biography about their famous person, as well spent time conducting research in encyclopedias and on the Internet.
"The work our students do for the wax museum allows them to participate in different academic areas and subjects, such English for their reading, writing, speaking and researching skills, and social studies for the historical component," said teacher Shannon Rose-Hamann, one of the organizers of the event.
Other students throughout the school benefitted from the fifth-graders’ hard work. The other grade levels traveled in groups as they took trips through the wax museum, which was organized by categories, such as explorers, scientists and politicians. Many students also had a famous wax figure visit their classroom for a more in-depth biographical analysis.
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