Museum Theater Comes Alive for Fourth Grade Students

Fourth-grade students traveled back to 1876 through an interactive role-playing lesson to learn about immigration and the importance of family heritage. The program is part of the school’s partnership with Mystic Seaport.

 

Seated in their classroom on the lower level of Whitson, students were greeted by Mrs. Belova, a young Russian woman who had come to share her immigration story. She began her presentation detailing her early life in Sitka, Alaska, which at the time was colonized by Russia. Throughout the story, she explained her family’s decision to migrate by way of ship to different parts of the United States including San Francisco, Calif., all the way to her current residence in New London, Conn.

 

Through these countless travels, she revealed more stories about growing up, getting married, and having children. At the end of the presentation, Mrs. Belova asked the class to close their eyes as she turned around, took off her hat, and revealed her true self: a woman named Natasha Przybylski.

 

“I told the students nothing other than a very special visitor was coming to class to tell us her immigration story, said Grade 4 teacher Emily Schimelman 2002. “Mrs. Belova walked into the classroom and the students were shocked to see a woman, in full 19th century costume. At the end of her presentation, some students remained stunned and confused that Mrs. Belova was not really a Russian woman born in 1848.”

 

Following the reveal, Natasha explained to students who she is, what she does, and how her character came to be. As a historical role-player at Mystic Seaport Museum, she said she created her composite character as an homage to her family.

 

Growing up with a Russian grandmother, she noted that “there was no one else I could be.”

 

Along with incorporating her own family stories into the character background, she researched and compiled stories from real Russian immigrants to make the character well-rounded. Natasha said she wanted to share her passion for history with students and make “a past that could be dry, rich, because history is not just dates, but people.”

 

Immigration and Family Heritage has always been part of the fourth-grade curriculum. Mrs. Schimelman noted the unit has become fully immersive and interdisciplinary as part of the cross-curricular instruction. The curriculum theme “One Class, Many Cultures” allows students to explore their family history through personal heritage projects and understand the diverse cultures of their fellow classmates.

 

“The kids are excited and proud to share information relating to their family history,” she maintained.