Michelangelo painted one of the largest works of art ever created -- the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. For nearly five years, he lay on his back and painted scenes from the Bible on the ceiling of the Roman chapel.  His paintings told a story.  But instead of using words to tell the story, he used pictures.  
    In the tradition of Michelangelo, the students of Room 34 sought to do the same thing -- tell stories using only pictures.  Since Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel on his back, students drew their scenes while lying on their backs, too!  By taping their "ceiling tile" papers onto the bottoms of their desks and coloring them with markers, the class was able to get an idea of how difficult it must have been for Michelangelo.  
    Below are scenes from two stories we have learned about in Social Studies -- the stories of Christopher Columbus and Hernando Cortes.  Enjoy!  If you'd like to see our version of the Sistine Chapel in person, stop by the classroom and check out the ceiling!  Teachers, here's the lesson plan for this project.

The Story of Christopher Columbus

The Story of Hernando Cortes and the Aztec

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