Instead of the traditional end-of-the-year English and social studies exams taken by most 11th graders in the Capital District, students in the 11X course at Guilderland High School were given the opportunity to act out what they’ve learned.
There were no bubble sheets, pens or pencils in the gym for this final; instead, a living museum was set up Thursday, May 31, with more than 45 exhibits featuring students dressed up and portraying historical figures they had researched for months.
The 11X living museum, which is in its second year, was held last year in the classroom after school, but it was so successful that Erin McNamara, who teaches the English portion of the course, decided to showcase the one-day event in the gym during two separate sessions, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, that both students and parents can attend.
`What the kids were doing was so elaborate and wonderful, we felt it should be shared with others,` said McNamara.
The 11X course combines English and U.S. history studies, and only a select number of students can participate each year. The course centers on the cooperative discovery of significant historical figures through reading historical literature. Toward the end of the class, students are asked to choose a person, research him or her extensively, and embody that person in front of a live audience.
`This is a unique way for them to research that person and really get into character and express the views of the people that they’re studying,` said Michael Kinnally, who teaches 11X history.
Sam Trimboli, an 11X student who portrayed Martin Luther King Jr., said he agrees with Kinnally.
`I was nervous at first, but once I got going, I actually felt like I was him,` Trimboli said. `We all learn about these people throughout the years, but we pretty much just skim the surface. I thought I knew a lot about Martin Luther King Jr. before I started this, but I found out so much more.`
Andrew Sheehan, who is equally fascinated by Walt Disney, said, `I just thought it was a cool idea because I could research somebody like Walt Disney, who is so successful, did so many things, and I could actually be him for a short amount of time.`
Molly Clancy, an 11X student with acting experience, chose Judy Garland as her person to research. She said she never got to be Dorothy from `The Wizard of Oz` in any of her school plays, but that portraying Dorothy for the living museum was even more challenging then her acting roles. `You’re interacting so much more with your audience, and they’re able to ask you questions and nit-pick you,` she said. `You can’t mess up a date or something, especially if they know the person you’re being.`
Alex Dickson, who portrayed `The Great Gatsby` author F. Scott Fitzgerald, also spent a lot of time making sure his facts were straight.
`There were a lot of nights of looking up obscure facts, but it really paid off,` he said.
Dixon attributes his overall enjoyment and success in the course to his teachers.
`They’re really supportive. They don’t just take your ideas, they add their own ideas so there’s interplay between us,` he said. `It’s a really constructive class.`
Dixon wasn’t alone in his opinions of the 11X class. Almost every student spoke highly of it and their teachers.
`It’s so much more fun than other classes, and the teachers are so nice,` said Alex Martin, who teamed up with Jacquelyn Howland to portray Wilbur and Orville Wright.
`They’re the coolest teachers I’ve ever had. They connect with you more on a personal level,` said Martin.
McNamara said she believes that students enjoy her class so much because they have fun doing the projects and attending field trips together. This fall, the class made a trip to Salem, Mass., after reading `The Scarlet Letter.` They have also made a trip to Washington, D.C.
`They become like family by the end of the year because we meet every day,` she said. `The family environment that it creates is what a lot of the kids come for because there’s such a camaraderie.`
A mother, who asked not to be named, attended the 11X museum, said her daughter was so excited to portray her historical figure that she couldn’t sleep the night before. Since students were graded on their knowledge of the person they portrayed, the organization they put into their speech, and the creativity of the set and the props, she said she believes her daughter learned more from the assessment than she would have from studying for a final exam.
`There’s no way a test question could measure what she knows about this, and also what she’s learned from the other students,` she said.
For information about the 11X class, e-mail Erin McNamara at [email protected].“