Purpose: Enjoy the study of historical figures and how they positively contributed to society by sharing research in an enticing and fun way.

Objectives:
The learner will:

• Read and research a specific famous person.
• Write a biographical summary, in the “first person,” and memorize it.
• Discuss, share, and understand how the person contributed to society in a positive way.
• Memorize a script and exhibit communication skills in front of a large and diverse audience.
• Creatively design or find a costume including props to prepare for an all school assembly.
   

Service Experience:
The students will service the entire school community including faculty, staff, students, and parents by presenting this “traveling” Wax Museum of Famous people during an all school assembly time. The sharing time allows everyone some reflection on how he or she personally can contribute and appreciate the philanthropic drive of others.

Instructional Procedure:

• Read some mini biographies of famous people to the class. (See examples at the end of this lesson.)
• Have students identify the person’s positive contribution to society. 
• Allow students to browse through or research biographies of people who made a positive contribution, and choose a person to research and portray.
• Tell the students: Think about or research inventors, presidents, first ladies, scientists, musicians, artists, sports figures, authors, etc.  You may choose any person of interest to you.  You will research, write a biography (approximately 1 page), and write how/what this person contributed to society. The biography need to be written in the first person – as if you are that person. You will be responsible for memorizing your biography (should be at least a 1 minute oral presentation), and you will be responsible for finding or creating your own costume.
• Work on research, writing, and editing process in class.
• Work on memorizing script and creating costume and props at home.
• Rehearse during class time.

Assessment:
The assessment of lesson objectives will be accomplished through teacher observation of the research, writing, and rehearsing process.  It will also be from observance of student participation and live performance at the school assembly demonstrating the ability to share knowledge and answer questions. 

School/Home Connection:
Interactive Parent / Student Homework: It is essential that students have interaction at home in order to rehearse the memorization of the biography.  Students also need support in finding or creating a costume.  Homework consists of memorizing the script and finding a costume.  All other research, writing, and creating props will be completed in the classroom.
 
Experiential Component: 
The students will present at an all school assembly his or her memorized biographies in costume by portraying a wax museum figure.

Bibliographical References:
Vary depending on historical person of choice. 

Standards: 
Soc:  Biographies/historical figures/events
LA:  Writing process/oral presentation
Art:  Creating costumes/props
Phil:  Caring, Sharing, Helping, Kindness, positive contributions made to community and world
Social Studies:  Identify important historical events, places, and persons from the past and make connections with their present community; historic role-playing; explain the ways in which people of different racial and ethnic groups help to make the community a better place to live.

Indiana Academic Standards:       
Reading:  3.1.3; 3.1.5; 3.2.5; 3.2.7; 3.3.1; 3.3.3; 3.3.4
Writing:    3.4.1; 3.4.3; 3.4.4; 3.4.5; 3.4.6; 3.4.7; 3.4.8; 3.5.2; 3.5.4; 3.5.5; 3.6.2; 3.6.3; 3.6.4; 3.6.5; 3.6.6; 3.6.7; 3.6.8
Listening and Speaking:  3.7.2; 3.7.5; 3.7.6; 3.7.7; 3.7.8; 3.7.12



SUGGESTED NAMES FOR WAX MUSEUM ASSEMBLY OF FAMOUS PEOPLE:
Betsy Ross                    
Christopher Columbus
Shirley Chisholm           
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Helen Keller                   
Albert Einstein
Charlayne Hunter-Gault           
Walt Disney
Queen Isabella         
Babe Ruth
Judith Jamison               
Wilbur Wright
Cleopatra               
Bill Cosby
Ruth Simmons               
Arthur Ashe
Sacagawea               
Benjamin Banneker
Madam C.J. Walker           
George Washington Carver
Rosa Parks               
Alvin Ailey
Joan of Arc               
Frederick Douglass
Jackie Joyner-Kersee           
Richard Allen
Mary Cassat               
W.E.B. DuBois
Marian Anderson               
Marcus Garvey
Laura Ingalls Wilder           
Booker T. Washington
Maya Angelou               
Jackie Robinson
Mae Jemison               
Matthew Henson
Oprah Winfrey               
Paul Robeson
Mary McLeod Bethune           
Satchel Paige
Sojourner Truth               
Joe Louis
Harriet Tubman               
Jacob Lawrence
Bessie Coleman               
Dizzy Gillespie
Pauli Murray               
Ben Carson
Gwendolyn Brooks           
Louis Armstrong
Shirley Chisholm           
Muhammad Ali
Paul Revere               
Clara Barton




SUGGESTED WAX MUSEUM SCRIPTS

Princess Diana

Hello!  My name is Princess Diana.  I was born July 1, 1961 in Norfolk.  I was the youngest of my two sisters, and I also had a younger brother.  My parents were married at West Minster Abbey, but later divorced.  I did not go to college, was not a very good student, and so I went to a boarding school.  Rumors spread that I had a friendship with the Prince of Wales.  The press would not stop following me everywhere.  Finally, on February 24, 1981, our engagement became official, and I was married to the prince at St. Paul’s Cathedral at the age of 20.  We then had 2 sons.  The saddest day of my life was when I got divorced because it was very hard on my boys.  One day while leaving Paris I got in a limo that traveled through a tunnel and crashed.  After I died, people sold my dresses, and my family was very sad.  I am well known for my charity work.  I visited hospitals and comforted kids that had the disease known as aids and people having surgeries.  I always took my boys with me everywhere I went.


Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace

Hello!  My name is Ada Byron Countess of Lovelace.  I was born in London on December 10, 1815.  My family life was working on and studying mathematics.  My mom urged me not to be poet like my father.  I didn’t go to school.  I had tutors at my house.  I didn’t go to college either.  I was best known for helping build the Morden computer, but to make it known, they replaced my name with Barbbage.  He got all the credit so I never got any awards or medals.  I made other designs for a flying machine and made up the designs for a computer machine.  My mother married Lord Byron and had me, and then my mother left my father.  I later married William King, and we had 3 kids.  I died of cancer in 1852 at the age of 37.  I was buried next to my father who died Greece.  I contributed to society by making the modern computer.  Without my designs, you wouldn’t have a computer.


Tiger Woods

I, Tiger Woods, was born on December 30, 1975 in southern California.  My real name is Eldrick Woods.  At the age of 16 months,  I saw my dad hitting golf balls into a net, and I began to imitate him.  Age age five, I was in Golf Digest magazine and on ABC’s “That’s Incredible!” I also won 6 Optimist International Junior Championships.  My wife and I just had a baby girl named Sam Woods.  I am mostly known for my golf.  I went to Western High School in Anaheim.  Then I went to Stanford University.  I weigh 180 pounds.  My height is 6 foot 2 inches tall.  I have won four Masters.  I have also won 64 PGA tour tournaments and 13 Majors.  I think that golf is very cool.  I just wish my father was here today to see me.  My father died two years ago.  But maybe he is watching me from Heaven.  I have donated millions of dollars over the years, and there’s also a place called “The Tiger Woods Foundation”. The foundation is like a school.  What I have done for the world is I made the foundation where kids can learn.  The foundation also teaches children to follow their dreams.


George Washington

Hi!  My name is George Washington.  I was born in Virginia in 1732.  Virginia was one of the thirteen original colonies that belonged to England.  I lived on a farm, and my favorite activities were horseback riding, fishing, and hunting.  My older brother was Lawrence, and he was a soldier.  I did not go to school.  When I was 11, my father died.  When I was 16, I went to live with my brother, Lawrence.  I was happy there.  In 1753 I became a soldier.  At that time, England and France were fighting over America.  Both of the countries wanted to own this new land.  England won.  In 1759 I married Martha Custis.  I spent 16 years working as a farmer.  In 1775 I was called to war.  I would fight against England.  After the war, I was elected for president.  I was president for 8 years.  Two years later, I died.


Florence Nightingale

How do you do?  I’m Florence Nightingale.  I was born on May 12, 1820 in a city called Florence.  After I was born, my family and I traveled to Naples.  There my mother had a child named Parthenope.  Two years later we went to England.  When I was 16, God spoke to me and told me to come to his service.  Then my family and I had a battle over whether I could be a nurse or not.  My family didn’t want me to be a nurse because hospitals were filthy and had rats.  I won the battle and became a nurse in London at a nursing home.  Then I was chosen to lead 38 nurses during the Crimean War.  The nurses and I went to Turkey.  There we went to a British military hospital.  The military hospital was gross. The nurses and I improved the conditions of the hospitals.  I lived to be 90 years old.


Jane Goodall

I, Jane Goodall, was born on April 3, 1934.  I grew up in Old England.  My favorite books were the story of Dr. Dolittle, The Jungle Book, and the Tarzan story.  When I was only 1 year old, my dad gave me a toy chimpanzee named Jubilee, and I still have it.  When I was 11, I wanted to go to Africa because of the animals,  but I was too young to go alone.  I left England when I was 26.  My mother Venne went with me, but then left.  I began to study chimpanzees in Gombe, Africa National Park.  I think I am unique because of my choice of a career.  I completely lived with the chimps.  What I learned helped people figure out how smart they were.  I have earned many awards for my work.  Now I travel world wide giving speeches and raising money for chimpanzee refuges.  My mother said, “Jane, if you work hard and never give up, you will always find a way.”


Elvis

Thank you.  Thank you very much. 

I’m Elvis Aaron Presley.  I was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi.  I had an identical twin, Jesse Garon that died at birth.  I had not other siblings and grew up as an only child.  When I was ten, I was in a singing contest at a fair, and I got 5th prize which was $5.00, and I got to ride all the rides for free.  I was 11 when my parents bought my first guitar.  I went to Humes High School and did well too.  Later, on March 26, 1955, I made my first television show appearance on “Louisiana Hayride”.

I was well known for being a rock star.  I wrote “Hound Dog” and sung it to a hound dog.  I wrote “Heartbreak Hotel” and it was a number one hit.  People thought I was their idol.  I made 36 movies in my life.  I sold over one billion records worldwide.  I like to eat fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

I gave money to people because I know how it feels growing up without money.  I gave a concert in Hawaii once and gave all the money for a Pearl Harbor memorial.  For people that needed help I paid hospital bills, bought homes, and supported families- I liked to help lots of regular people.

I died August 16, 1977.  Even today people recognize me and like to dress up like me.  So once again, thank you, thank you, very much. 


Madam C.J. Walker

I, Madam C.J. Walker, was born on December 23, 1867, near Delta, Louisiana.  My real name was Sarah Breedlove.  I was orphaned at the age of seven and raised by my older sister.  In 1801 I married a man by the name of Moses McWilliams, but he died leaving me with our one daughter.  I used to be a washer woman and worked in St. Louis, Missouri.  I developed and started selling a line of hair care products.  In 1905 I moved to Denver, Colorado where I met and married Charles J. Walker, a newspaperman.  That’s how I got the name Madam C.J. Walker.  I was always interested in hair, but did not like to buy hair care products in the stores.  The reason for this is because the products did not work on my hair very well.  I sold my products to other African American women.  Women liked the way my products made their hair look.  I opened a factory in Indianapolis, Indiana to make my products.  I am generally regarded as the first African American woman to become a millionaire.  I operated a successful cosmetology company, the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company.


Peyton Manning

Hello!  I am Peyton Manning.  I was born on March 24, 1976, in New Orleans.  I play football for the Indianapolis Colts.  I have played in the N.F.L. for nine football seasons.  My dad’s name is Archie Manning.  He played for the New Orleans Saints.  My brother Eli Manning plays for the New York Giants.  I won the SuperBowl in 2007 when we beat the Chicago Bears.    I was also the MVP of the SuperBowl game.   A lot of people think 2006 was my best season, but I think my best is yet to come.  I have a charity called the Peyback Foundation.  We donate millions of dollars to children’s charities.  The biggest one is St. Vincent’s Hospital. 


Mary Cassatt

Hello!  I’m Mary Cassatt.  I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 22, 1844.  I’m the daughter of a wealthy American merchant.  When I was seven, my parents and I went to Paris, France and lived there for five years.  Then we went back to Pennsylvania.  I was tutored privately in art in Philadelphia and went to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1861, but I left in 1865 because I liked learning on my own.  In 1874 I went to Paris, France and made my studio there.  I made a painting called Woman Bathing. I was very good at drawing.  Soon after 1900, my eyesight began to fail, and by 1914 I had stopped working.  I urged my American friends and family to buy Impressionist paintings.  I died near Paris, France, in Chateaude Beaufieshe, on June 14, 1926.  I let people know that women can be artists too.
 

T.C. Steele

I was born in Gosport, Indiana on September 11, 1847.  I grew up on several farms with my four brothers in western Indiana.  My father died when I was 14.  While I took on more work on the farm, my mom and my teacher always encouraged me to draw.  I did well in school.  While I was only 13, I taught an art class.  Later in my life I went to the Royal Academy in Munich, Europe.  When I’m not painting I’m usually reading or singing.  I’m well known for my portrait and landscape paintings.  I won awards at the Royal Academy and at exhibits.  Some people consider me to be one of the best painters from the west.  My friends and I painted pictures for Wishard Hospital to make the sick feel better.

Queen Jadwiga

I, Queen Jadwiga, was crowned on 1384 at the age of eleven.  I was the first lady to rule Poland.  I was destined to become the greatest queen in Polish history.  I was the Grand niece of Casimir the Great, the youngest daughter of Louis the Great, King of Hungary, and I had three sisters.  I gave away my jewelry and expensive clothes to make schools in Poland. I am very religious, and I love speaking other languages.  I was born on February 18, 1374, in Buda.  I did not go to college.  I had teachers come to my castle and teach me.  People say that I was a very good queen.  I was very tall at 5 feet 10 inches.  That was very very tall for that time period.

Jennie Finch

Hello.  My name is Jennie Finch.  I was born on September 3, 1980, in LaMirada, California.  My first softball team was called Lill Miss T-ball, and I joined it after my fifth birthday.  Within just a few years, my dad built a batting cage in my backyard, and I had my own pitching coach.  I was an excellent student in school while still working on my softball skills in all my spare time.  When it was time for me to go to college, I decided on the University of Arizona after being heavily recruited by their coach, Mike Candrea. In 1999, as a freshman at Arizona, I was voted NCAA Region 2 Most Outstanding Player, and received the same award the following year.  After I graduated, I did an internship at the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind, and was offered a job as assistant coach with the Arizona team.  The 2004 Olympics were quickly approaching which was my top priority.  In the summer of 2002 I met a minor league pitcher by the name of Casey Daigle,  who I later married in 2005, after the 2004 Olympics where we won the gold medal on sacrificing one run.  Just over a year later, Casey and I had our first child named Ace.  I was back on the field in less than a month.  With the 2008 Olympics approaching, I am looking forward to using my five pitches, some over 70 miles per hour, to win another gold medal for the U.S.A.  In my spare time I spend time at the Boys and Girls Club of America and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation where we work to create baseball and softball programs and facilities that positively impact disadvantaged youth.  See you in Beijing in August!!!!


Amelia Earhart

Hello!  I’m Amelia Earhart.  I was born in Atchison, Kansas on July 24, 1897.  I had one sister and one brother.  I lived with my mom and granparents.  I loved to play!  At ten years old, I learned to ride a horse.  I have never lived more than four years in one spot.  I grew skilled at adapting to new situations.  I went to Hyde Park High School when I was 17.  I am known for trying to fly around the world, but I disappeared in the Pacific Ocean.  Some people think it’s strange that they did not find my plane.  I think it’s unique that my name is Earhart, and that I love being up in the air flying.  Some people don’t know that I was a teacher a Purdue.  I contributed to society by…………………………


Jackie Robinson

My name is Jackie Robinson.  I was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia.  My family was poor.  My father left when I was 16 months old, and my mother moved our family to California.  My hobbies were playing sports, I ran track, and I played football and basketball in college.  I also joined the Army.  I didn’t graduate from college, but I did get married and had three children.  Their names were Sharon, David, and Jackie Jr.  I was famous for being the first African American to join the major leagues in 1947.  Blacks and whites didn’t have the same rights back then so this was a big deal.  I was given the Rookie of the Year Award and the Dodgers became league champions in 1947, my first year on the team.  I was the first baseball player to have my picture on a US stamp.  I was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1962 and died a hero in 1972.


Frida Kahlo

Hola!  I’m Frida Kahlo, and I’m a Mexican artist.  I was born in 1907 and died in 1954 at the age of 47.  I grew up during the Mexican Revolutionary War.  I wanted to a doctor, but I was in a very bad train accident when I was 18.  I got married to Diego Rivera when I was 22.  We had some problems and got divorced.  Then we got married again, and we never stopped loving each other.  Diego and I were both famous artists, but he painted murals, and I painted individual paintings.  I use my art to tell my feelings.  To me art is a way of telling stories.  I told about my pain and way of life in my art.  I always wanted to have children, but I never could because of the train accident.  I was born in Mexico.  I moved to the United States, and I traveled to Paris, France.  Some of my paintings are surreal, and most have to do with my feelings.


Rosa Parks

Some people know me as Rosa Parks.  I was born in Tuskegee, Alabama.  My family was poor, and we lived on a farm with my grandparents.  As a child, one important thing that I did was help work in the fields to pick cotton to support the family.  I did well in school.  I attended the all black Booker T. Washington Junior High, the Alabama State Teachers’ College for Negroes, and at the age of 16 I had to leave school to take care of my sick grandmother.  I was involved in the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).  I was well known for not giving up my seat on the bus to a white man.  Cleveland Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama was renamed Rosa Parks Boulevard. In 1996 President Bill Clinton rewarded me the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  In 1999 I was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest recognition a United States civilian can receive.  One man said about me, “She stood up for the American ideals of equality and justice.” I joined the Montgomery Voters League, a group of motivated black people to register to vote.  The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development was founded in February 1987.  Today I wouldn’t say I’m legend, nor would I say such a title is important.  I merely want all people to be free and to live by the Golden Rule:  to act toward others the way you want them to act toward you.


Neil Armstrong

Hello!  I am Neil Armstrong.  I was born on August 5, 1930 in Ohio.  I was the oldest of three children.  I had a younger brother and sister.  When I was a kid, I loved airplanes.  I paid 10 cents for a model airplane kit.  When I was 11, I asked my mom and dad if I could take flying lessons for $9.00 an hour.  My parents said yes, but I would have to work 25 hours a week for the money.  I was an Eagle Scout.  At age 16 I got my airplane license.  In college I was in the U.S. Navy as a flying pilot.  On July 16, 1969 at age 32, NASA launched the Apollo 11 to the Moon.  I was the commander.  I had a famous speech and I said, “That’s one small step for man, but one giant leap for mankind.”  After being an astronaut, I taught aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati.


Virginia Apgar

Hello!  My name is Virginia Apgar, but my friends call me Ginny.  I was born June 7th, 1090, in Westfield, New Jersey.  When I was little, I liked to play the cello and violin, and I continued playing and even building stringed instruments in my adulthood.   In high school I decided to be a doctor because of my eldest brother’s early death from tuberculosis.  With many scholarships, I attended Mount Holyoke College, performed in the orchestra, and graduated with a degree in zoology.  Just before the Wall Street crash that marked the beginning of the Great Depression, I entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, graduating 4th in my class.  I decided to specialize in anesthesia.  I became very interested in newborn babies’ health because many newborn babies were dying at this time. I came up with a simple test called the Apgar score, named after me.  I made many contributions to society.  I focused on public health and preventing birth defects.  I became a senior executive with the National Foundation of the March of Dimes.  I educated the public about what causes brith defects, and I raised money for more medical research.  Because of my extensive research with newborns, I am considered the founder of neonatology.  This has had a lasting benefit and led to a dramatic decrease in newborn deaths.  I died August 7, 1974, at the age of only 65.