Thrasher Elementary fifth-graders portray Union soldiers for their living museum project in 2016. This year's class is presenting a Civil War living museum Friday, Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to noon. The public is welcome. (Contributed photo)Thrasher Elementary fifth-graders will go back in time at McCoy Farm and Gardens Friday, Nov. 3, when the students will present a Civil War-era living history museum open to the community from 10 a.m. to noon.
In the museum's 16 different exhibits, the students will portray key figures from the Civil War, from antebellum times up through Reconstruction. Each student will take a minute to tell observers about the person whose identity they've assumed, while acting and dressing as that person would have done, said fifth-grade teacher Amy Garvich.
"It's a great way to see what's going on in our school this year, and it's a great way to see the McCoy Farm," said Garvich, as to why the community should come check out the museum, which begins and ends with exhibits on the history of the property and how it's being utilized today.
This is the second year Thrasher fifth-graders have done the project, the idea for which came from Heidi Mies, the school's project-based learning coordinator. The fourth grade class had recently been to a living museum while on a field trip to Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, and Mies thought having the fifth-graders create something similar for their unit on the Civil War would make a great project-based learning experience.
Along with learning about history, students learn how to research a topic and practice their speech writing and oration skills through the living museum project, Garvich said.
McCoy Farm and Gardens is at 1715 Anderson Pike.