Betsy Ross, Thomas Jefferson, Harriet Tubman, Sacagawea, and Benjamin Franklin came to life in early May in our 3rd grade classrooms as students gave presentations on these and other important figures in American history, including decorating and stylizing large posters to look like the historic persons they had selected. The posters are now on display on the walls outside their classrooms.
The creative history project got underway in late March with students reading a biography of their choice about a founding father, another famous American, or a notable African American. They then had to complete a fact sheet that included listing four unusual facts about their person and reflecting on what they learned from studying them. They also had to create a large poster that contained information about their historic person and was decorated to look like them. The project concluded during the second week of May with each student giving an oral presentation on their famous person in front of their classmates while “wearing” their poster.
“This was a fun project that students completed at home and some students got very creative with designing the clothing, hair, and other details on their posters that really made their historic person come to life,” said Mrs. Myers, who was one of three 3rd grade teachers who assigned the project to their students. Myers said the idea for the project originated with 3rd grade teacher Laura McCarthy, who has been assigning the project to her students since the 2017-2018 school year.
