WAX MUSEUM—BIOGRAPHY REPORT
Rather than doing our usual book talk and presentation, you will be presenting your books in a wax museum style for this report. There is no final written report turned in for this book report. The due date is the 5th of June. On the 5th, the official date of the Wax Museum, students will be making presentations. Please come to school dressed to perform and present a speech that you have prepared. Your parents are welcome to come and see you, and we will invite other classes, as well. Be prepared! We will check that you are prepared for this presentation on Tuesday, June 2nd, so you’ll need to have a rough draft of what you plan to say for me to preview. It is incredibly fun if you dress up as your character. So, do some planning and don’t wait until the last minute. Read your biography now and get a costume together for our special Wax Museum! Directions: Put together a costume so that you may dress in character—be sure to look the part. Gather props that would be used by your character. Set the scene. Provide one special prop as the “ON” item for your speech. Prepare a 1-2 minute speech during which you will speak in first person and tell the audience highlights about your life (you are the character). Organize your thoughts and be sure to include important points about your character’s life. On Wax Museum Day: Dress in your costume. You will have a chair and some personal space to set up your props. Place your “ON” item in a very visible place for your audience. Provide a sign that lets the audience member(s) know to touch the item for you to speak. You remain frozen until someone presses your “ON” item, and then you begin your 1-2 minute speech. It is best to memorize your speech, but you may have note cards as a back up. Have fun!!!
WAX MUSEUM—BIOGRAPHY REPORT Tips on Writing and Presenting a Fantastic Speech 1. Pick someone new! Don’t pick a person that you have already learned a lot about or written a report on. 2. Don’t wait until the last minute! Start to look for a costume, collect pictures, and locate other props that you can use to help “set the scene.” 3. Begin by introducing yourself. “Hello, my name is Thomas Jefferson and I was born in …” Remember; you are the character, so you should be speaking in the first person. 4. Move through your speech in chronological order: Start with where and when the person was born. Discuss their early life and then move on to the later years. Discuss why they are important or famous. Be specific. This is the part of the speech that you should spend the most time on. If they are still alive, say what they are doing now. If they are no longer living, say when and where they passed away. Thank your audience for listening. 5. The speech should be between one and two minutes. You must speak for at least one minute (teachers will be timing you) or your grade will be lowered. Although that doesn’t sound like a very long time, you do need a page or more of writing to fill up this space. Time yourself at home! 6. Practice! Practice! Practice! When people are nervous they often speak faster, so concentrate on slowing down. The more you practice giving your speech in front of people, the more comfortable you will be. Have fun!