Hugo and Wheeler, both presenters with California Weekly Explorer, a Tustin-based business that specializes in social studies presentations for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders, brought the company's "Walk Through" presentations to Ben Hulse this week.
Wheeler is finishing his "Walk Through the Ancient World," presentation today but Hugo won't wrap up her "Walk Through California" lesson until Friday.
During the two-and-a-half hour programs, students role-play, learn vocabulary words and play the parts of experts on certain subjects.
Wheeler and Hugo call the student or "expert" to the front of the room and ask him or her questions. The student begins the spiel saying the historical figure's name and "I'm an expert in …"
Most students had their answers memorized to the last word, as their teachers had prepared them in advance.
But to make sure the students were soaking in any new knowledge, Wheeler and Hugo would throw out questions at random.
Often, the students had answers. Even more impressive, they were right — at least most of the time.
To make the lesson even more interactive the company pits students against students.
In the ancient room, teams were given history-appropriate names such as the Romans, the Greeks and the Egyptians. In the California room students were called things such as "Orange County," and "Goldrushers."
Teams were awarded points based on the students' "expert" presentations, enthusiasm and costumes.
The students don't dress up for the California lesson.
In the ancient room, students learned about the mummification process by wrapping each other in toilet paper.
Wheeler told the sixth-graders that we borrowed many things from the Greeks such as trial by jury, basic democracy and philosophy. He told the students that the Greeks invented the Olympics.
Of course when he mentioned that in the beginning the athletes competed in the nude, the kids, and the parents watching, laughed.
Over in the California room, Hugo engaged the kids with a geography lesson.
Tyler Swarthout, a zealous 10-year-old who kindly told every student "good job" after he or she played the "expert," could hardly stay in his seat. He was that excited.
After making his "expert" presentation, Tyler proudly bowed and smiled.
Apparently, Tyler wasn't the only kid thoroughly entertained on Monday.
"Did everybody have fun today?" Hugo asked at the end of the day.
"Yeah," the students yelled.
"Did anybody learn anything today?"
"Yeah," the students yelled with equal enthusiasm.
How about that? History and fun, all wrapped into one little package.
>>Staff Writer Heather Bremner can be reached at hbremner@ivpressonline.com
