Fifth-graders at Cottage Lane Elementary School hosted their own tour of the “Museum of the Western Hemisphere” for their families this week!
Throughout the school year, the fifth-grade social studies curriculum covered units including Ancient Western Civilizations, the U.S. Government, and Economics. For their last unit, students chose the unit that they were most interested in and created projects based on the topic.
Students created informative posters as well as 3-dimensional displays that explained their topic of choice. Topics included the Declaration of Independence, women’s suffrage, the three branches of government, and the food and clothing commonly associated with the Aztec, Mayan, and Inca civilizations. These projects were then grouped together based on the unit and sorted into galleries to create a museum.
Families were invited to CLE to take a tour of the projects that were displayed in galleries throughout the school on Monday. “The hands-on nature of the unit increased student engagement and fostered student independence,” explained Instructional Literacy Coach (K-5) Kristy Nadler. “The museum allows for students to show off their beautiful work to their families and for families to see the breadth of the fifth-grade social studies curriculum.”
