Curating a Classroom Exhibit: Giving Old Objects New Life
Creating a museum-style exhibit in your classroom is an engaging way to demonstrate how everyday items can be rescued from the trash bin and given a second life. When an object breaks or outlives its original design, people often discard it without thinking. However, with thoughtful mending or creative repurposing, a worn-out flannel shirt can become a durable tote bag, and a collection of mismatched glass jars can transform into an organized seed-starting station. By curating a display of these items, your class can share practical sustainability practices with the rest of the school.
To build an informative, professional, and visually compelling display, follow this step-by-step guide from project selection to public presentation.
Step 1: Selecting and Inspecting the Artifacts
Before setting up any tables, each participant must choose an object that has been meaningfully repaired or repurposed. Look for artifacts that tell a clear story of transformation.
- curating:
- Selecting, organizing, and looking after items in a collection or exhibition.
- repurposing:
- Adapting an item for use in a different way than originally intended.
- sustainability:
- Practices that avoid depleting natural resources and minimize waste.
- hazardous:
- Risky, dangerous, or likely to cause harm.
- cured:
- Completely hardened, dried, or set through a chemical or physical process.
- narrative:
- A spoken or written account of connected events or a step-by-step story.
- audit:
- A systematic review, inspection, or examination to evaluate conditions.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the overarching purpose of organizing a repurposed object exhibit in a school setting?
- 2Why does the author specifically advise against displaying items repaired with chemical adhesives or frayed electrical cords?
Where this passage belongs
About this how-to / procedural passage for 7th Grade
“Curating a Classroom Exhibit: Giving Old Objects New Life” is a how-to / procedural reading passage about upcycling and repurposed object exhibits, written for 7th Grade. It takes about 6 minutes to read (922 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.