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Thursday February 23, 2012

History takes center stage at JWP

Submitted by Zach Hacker on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 17:31
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By MARIANNE CARLSON, mcarlson@wasecacountynews.com

Submitted Photo Jacob Ratcliff The Building of the Great Wall of China” as his “Important Event in History.” He used a variety of materials to create the moutainous terrain of China and he used styrofoam to create the large stone bricks of the Great Wall.

JANESVILLE — There are certain things that happen throughout history that people will talk about forever — things that people will never forget.
This was the premise behind the recent fifth grade social studies project at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP) School titled “Important Events in History.”
Teacher Jeff Adams and Merle Sveen asked their students to select a special event in history and type a report describing the event by answering all the important questions of who, where, when, what, why, how. They also had to explain why they chose the event and the impact this event has had on the world.
Students had to provide a map of the area and its surroundings of where the event took place as well as pictures of the event. All of these items had to be placed on poster board for display purposes. The last requirement of the project was a diorama which depicted a scene from the event in history. Students used a variety of materials to create their dioramas including: styrofoam, cardboard, plastic, sand, rocks, paper, construction paper, paint, markers, toy people, toothpicks and molding clay.
“We had many parents, JWP staff members, and other JWP students come through our classrooms,” Adams said. “Many of them commented about the new things they learned from the student presenters. I gave each guest a set of 10 questions to ask the student presenters about their projects. The guests were impressed with their answers and knowledge about their event.

Marianne Carlson covers education and public safety for the Waseca County News. Reach her at 837-5451.