Post-Visit Activity: The Living Museum
(for more information contact Mark Zucker at Manzanita Seed Elementary, OUSD)
Objectives:
 Students will conduct research and take notes on a historical figure and then draft,
revise, and rewrite or type a six-paragraph biography.
 Students will create a Living Museum exhibit, with biography, timeline, map, and
other appropriate decorative and informative materials.
 Students will write a first-person narrative from their figure's perspective and then
act it out in character as visitors activate their Living Museum exhibit.
Sequence:
Students choose a figure from the “Remember Them” Monument and complete a notetaking guide with these components:
1. Introduction (name, birth, death, reason for fame)
2. Childhood (family, education)
3. Struggles (when they lived, issues of their time, hardships they overcame)
4. Accomplishments (years of work, what they did that was significant)
5. Significance (why it matters, who was affected, what changed)
6. Conclusion (why they're remembered, what you learned)
Components:
 Students work in pairs to share their notes and add to them before drafting.

Students draft 6 paragraphs, revise in pairs, type or rewrite, proofread in pairs,
and publish.

Students pick 5 - 10 events from their person's life and make a timeline. Discuss
whole class the important events in USA and world history that correlated to their
lives (end slavery, end segregation, get right to vote, etc).

Students draw a map showing where in the world their person lived, labeling key
places.

Students draw a portrait of their person in proportion, make other informative
materials, and decorate their exhibit, including map, timeline, portrait, biography,
title, and name.

Students write first-person narratives, using the attached rubric to ensure inclusion
of key elements (3 struggles with statements of empathy, 3 accomplishments with
statements of significance).

Students perform the Living Museum for classes and the community, delivering
their first-person narratives in character from the perspective of their historical
figure while the audience uses the rubric to give the performers feedback on their
presentation.
OUSD “Remember Them” Instructional Materials / “Living Museum / page #1
Biography Note-Taking Guide Supplement: Context and Significance
Name _____________________
Name of Historical Person:
________________________________________
Historical Context – Fill in blanks
came from____________________________________,
a place where
.
He/she lived during ___________________________________________, a
time when
.
Main Accomplishments (list at least three of the most important):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Significance (respond to at least four of the following ideas)
1) Inspired others to ____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
2) Was a symbol of _____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
3) Had struggles, like ___________________________________________
4) Helped change_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
5) Because of this person________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
OUSD “Remember Them” Instructional Materials / “Living Museum / page #2
6) Set a good example by________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
7) Is remembered for____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
8) Represented or stood up for ____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
10) Personal (add any interesting details about the person's life)
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

OUSD “Remember Them” Instructional Materials / “Living Museum / page #3
Living Museum Presentation Rubric
Speaker _______________
Please rate the speaker on how well they demonstrate mastery of the
learning targets below using the following 1 - 4 scale. Then write one good
thing you noticed and one thing the speaker should work on at the bottom:
4 = Meets learning target completely
3 = Mostly meets learning target, or meets most parts of it
2 = Somewhat meets learning target, or meets small part of it
1 = No evidence of meeting the learning target
Description of Learning Target
Skills
Voice (speaks at a good pace, in a loud, natural, and clear voice)
Eyes (looks at audience directly, makes eye contact but doesn't stare)
Body (shows self-control, stands up straight, acts expressively)
Knowledge
Accomplishments (states main work, reason for fame)
Context (explains time in history, mentions specific struggles in their lives)
Significance (describes person's importance, what they changed, who they
affected)
Character
Point of View (stays in character, keeps the mood serious and proud)
Traits (names characteristics of person, what they did to show traits)
Empathy (shows how it felt to be them, what it would be like to go through their
struggles)
One thing I noticed that you did well was: _____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
One thing you could work on to improve your presentation was: ____________________
________________________________________________________________________
OUSD “Remember Them” Instructional Materials / “Living Museum / page #4