Walking in the Fictional Footsteps of Novel Characters

Fifth-grade students learn about Elmwood history during guided tour of cemetery.

Walking in the fictional FOOTSTEPS

of Novel Characters During Field Trip to Elmwood Cemetery

In conjunction with their classroom novel, Graveyard Girl, students across fifth grade had the opportunity to tour Elmwood Cemetery, one of the oldest and most famous historical sites in the Mid-South.

The history-filled expedition allowed students to follow the fictional footsteps of the characters from the book and learn more about the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1897.

With a guided tour from Elmwood staff members, students explored the dramatic Entry Bridge, the Carpenter-Gothic Office Cottage and resting grounds scattered across 80 acres, all of which are sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Elmwood is also home to an official Bird Sanctuary and Arboretum.

The field trip wrapped up with a scenic drive around downtown Memphis to see other historical sites noted in the book and a quick stop at Martyrs Park for lunch before heading back to campus.

In addition to their Elmwood field trip, students shared virtual reality settings they created in class. The fifth-graders used their lessons on point of view and setting to create their own virtual reality of the Graveyard Girl novel.

“Using Oculus VR sets, the students went into their peers’ projects firsthand and were immersed in scenes from the book,” Fifth Grade teacher Cass Fernandez shared. “The Virtual Reality Summative gave them a chance to be creative and engaged in a project like never before.”

Bottom left: A group of fifth graders take a closer look at a tombstone.

Bottom middle: Emma Adams ’30 engages in a virtual tour designed by one of her classmates.

Bottom right: Michael Okhiria ‘30, Sofia Marbut ‘30 and Lucas Massey ‘30 read more about a gravesite’s history on one of the cemetery displays.

Liam Berry ’30 navigates through a spooky virtual tour while his classmates watch.