Students will use the information they have gathered from their web organizer and write their speeches. Speeches need to be limited to a maximum of 60 seconds. If you have 24 students and each speech is a minute, you are looking at about a half an hour per classroom visitation. Remind them to keep it simple.  Help your students use vocabulary terms they are able to understand and pronounce. They may copy something out of the book that needs to be rewritten in their own words. The students will need to memorize this speech.  A few dates are important, but too many dates are tough to remember.  During this time, I keep a close eye on each students' work progression. Some will get this done quickly, and others will need individual help. The sooner their speech is written, the sooner they can begin memorizing it. If you have the resources to type the speech in large font, this will help your students with their practice and memorization.

Week 5 and 6....MEMORIZE and PRACTICE

Now it is time to begin pulling it all together. During the first four weeks, I have also been having conversations with students and parents about costumes. I have some costumes to share with kids. Halloween sales, a good seamstress, and the Goodwill store have given me a small collection. However, I do not have enough for everyone. I try to limit cost as much as possible. I put out e-mails to staff and parents looking for pieces to borrow. This takes some time, so do not wait until this week to begin the search. I also talk to the students about their backgrounds. These are made from tri-fold science fair boards. I have classroom volunteers who can punch letters and dates for the kids. We can also print photos from the web if needed. Beyond that, the background is definitely a "home" project. Science fair boards run between $5-$7. They can be transported on the bus and are quick to put up and take down. If someone has created a different background (Amelia Earhardt built an airplane from cardboard one year ..... Pocahontas may use a teepee..) then I make arrangements with the parents for them to drop it off and pick it up. As these conversations take place about costumes and backgrounds we are also practicing our speeches. At this point the students should have it memorized. I give them a few days to help each other. Really focus on vocal speed, fluency, and volume. We also work on "beginning position". The students stand with their head down. When someone pushes their "start" button (a paper button on their hand) they slowly raise their head and begin speaking. Then I ask for volunteers to recite their speech in front of the class. This allows the students to hear each other. If that child's background is at school, I will pop the background up and let them recite their speech in front of their "museum space". The children enjoy seeing and hearing each students' work. Eventually, I split the class in half. One half are statues giving their speech, the other half are the audience. I stand them about 2-3 feet a part. The "audience" will push the start buttons and the statues will begin their speeches. The students need to practice reciting speeches at the same time and waiting patiently until the "audience" rotates to the next exhibit.

Week 6....DETAILS...PRACTICE...PERFORM

Here are a few tips to make the last week run smoothly:

1. Costumes should be at school 3 days prior to your performance date. I use a costume rack and label each costume with the "statue" name. Extra pieces go in a grocery sack and hang over the costume hanger.

2. Backgrounds should be at school no later than 3 days prior to your performance date.

3. Each child should bring a water bottle to keep at their museum space. They will need it throughout the day.

4. When creating your schedule, allow a time slot (I allocate the one right before our lunch break) for only family members. Parents will want to take pictures and videos. They will also want to bring grandparents, neighbors and other guests.

5. Work it out with your grade level team, so you do not have lunch or recess duty. Your students need to bring their lunch and eat in the classroom. It would take too long and be too chaotic to change out of costumes in the middle of the day.

6. With a class size of 24 students I use 6 parent volunteers. They are my Wax Museum Guides. As classrooms arrive at our museum, the Guides break them up into groups of 6-8. Do not plan on being a Guide yourself. There are several accidental events throughout the day that require your attention. Wax Museum Guides are crucial to your day being successful.

ENJOY THE DAY! YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT YOUR STUDENTS!