Looking back on history it is hard to decide which time period was truly the best. Recently in my Social Studies class we tried to determine this by having a living museum. There were groups that represented the 1900's, the 1920's, the 1940's, the 1950's, the 1960's, and the 1970's. Each group wore costumes that represented the fashion and people of their decade. Groups also had props, pictures, music, and information that reflected their assigned time period. It was then the job of each group to "sell" their decade and convince voters why this decade was truly the best and deserved their vote. This was a fun activity for my classmates and me. We did not just report on history but acted it out. My partner, Jillian, and I had the 1940's and we fully embraced it. Jillian dressed up as the classic feminine of the 1940's while I portrayed the iconic woman in the workplace, Rosie the Riveter. We informed voters about what was important about our decade, such as the war, rationing, and major inventions. This project allowed everyone to escape the stuffiness of writing a
paper and explore the information in a more engaging way. The project is something that I will remember because I was not simply spouting out facts but had an active role in portraying the time period and why it was important. Simply put the activity was meaningful to me and it will stay with me far longer than I had I written a stuffy paper. This activity would be incredible in an elementary classroom because it would allow the students to research, create, and present all while being engaged in the act of learning. Students need to be engaged in learning and that is done by making activities meaningful and trust me this activity was definitely meaningful.
Looking back on history it is hard to decide which time period was truly the best. Recently in my Social Studies class we tried to determine this by having a living museum. There were groups that represented the 1900's, the 1920's, the 1940's, the 1950's, the 1960's, and the 1970's. Each group wore costumes that represented the fashion and people of their decade. Groups also had props, pictures, music, and information that reflected their assigned time period. It was then the job of each group to "sell" their decade and convince voters why this decade was truly the best and deserved their vote. This was a fun activity for my classmates and me. We did not just report on history but acted it out. My partner, Jillian, and I had the 1940's and we fully embraced it. Jillian dressed up as the classic feminine of the 1940's while I portrayed the iconic woman in the workplace, Rosie the Riveter. We informed voters about what was important about our decade, such as the war, rationing, and major inventions. This project allowed everyone to escape the stuffiness of writing a 
paper and explore the information in a more engaging way. The project is something that I will remember because I was not simply spouting out facts but had an active role in portraying the time period and why it was important. Simply put the activity was meaningful to me and it will stay with me far longer than I had I written a stuffy paper. This activity would be incredible in an elementary classroom because it would allow the students to research, create, and present all while being engaged in the act of learning. Students need to be engaged in learning and that is done by making activities meaningful and trust me this activity was definitely meaningful. 
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