MOORPARK : Students Learn About History by Acting It Out

With a fake leopard skin draped across his chest, Brandon Thrakulchavee, 12, explained to his fellow sixth-graders at Moorpark’s Chaparral Middle School all about Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal fashion.

“First, these were all Homo sapien persons,” Brandon said, standing in front of an illustration of some of the skins worn by ancient people. “Many dressed in much the same way as the Plains Indians.”

That seemed to impress his fellow students, even eliciting a “Cool!” from some youngsters.

Brandon was one of about 65 sixth-graders at the school who took part in Ancient History Days, organized by Diane Davenport’s history class over the past six weeks.

Students dressed in ancient garb and stood among displays of fake artifacts from places like ancient Greece, Rome, China, India and Egypt. As students toured the displays, Davenport’s sixth-graders offered a running commentary on the history of each ancient culture.

“The students designed this all themselves,” Davenport said. “This has to be one of the most beneficial history lessons they’ve ever had. They learned more than if they had just read it in a history book.”

Sonya Fulani, 11, whose parents came from India, said she was able draw on them as a resource to explain the caste system and aspects of the various religions in that country.

Dressed in a sari, Sonya said that some of the books she has read have offered little insight into the accomplishments of ancient India.

“I’ve learned India was no different than Egypt or Greece,” she said proudly. “It’s just that the archeologists didn’t understand anything.

“They didn’t have anything like the Rosetta Stone to figure out the language.”

Parents will be invited to tour the displays this evening from 7 to 9 p.m.