Sixth graders from Pod 3 at Eyer Middle School brought history to life March 4 when they presented "A living museum of Chasing Lincoln's Killer."

Divided into teams of four, the students researched characters from the nonfiction account of the Lincoln assassination conspiracy by author James L. Swanson (Amazon). Each team presented a one-page research report, dressed as the character they represented and fashioned a visual aid to support their research.

The research included the childhood of each character, their formative years and their involvement in the Civil War or the events surrounding the assassination conspiracy. The characters included the conspirators, the Union Army doctor who first reached the stricken Lincoln's side, the soldier who shot and killed John Wilkes Booth, the soldier and his fiancé who shared the Presidential Box at Ford's Theater that fateful night and several others.

The visuals were also creative, depicting, among others, the burning barn where Booth was shot and killed, the gallows on which the convicted conspirators were executed, and flags from the country's where conspirator John Harrison Surrat fled to avoid capture.

The presentations were graded on creativity, research content, mechanics, organization, costume, speaking skills and teamwork according to sixth grade teacher Denise Brosky.