Hats Off to William Allen White
Guided tour—Red Rocks State Historic Site, Emporia
Grades—Fourth
This tour offers the opportunity for students to teach their peers about White and his family. After a short introduction to White in the visitor's center, the students are divided into small groups and assigned to various rooms in the house. By reviewing material that is provided them and observing the artifacts in the room, the "experts" develop their portion of the tour. Gathered together as a whole class, each group of "experts" teaches the rest of the class about White as they progress from room to room.
This tour addresses grade specific standards and provides pre-and post-visit material to help teachers meet those standards. Among the pre-visit materials is information about Mr. White and his family. Also in the packet is a Read Kansas! lesson, I-3 "Famous Kansans". We recommend that the teacher introduce the "Famous Kansans" lesson prior to a visit to the house. The post assessment piece is writing a descriptive paragraph based on a prompt.
Kansas History standards
- History: Benchmark 1, Indicator 1: The student researches the contributions made by notable Kansans in history (e.g., William Allen White).
- History: Benchmark 4, Indicator 4: The student identifies and compares information from primary and secondary sources (e.g., photographs, diaries/journals, newspapers, historical maps).
- History: Benchmark 4, Indicator 5: The student uses research skills to interpret an historical person or event in history and notes the source(s) of information (e.g., discusses ideas; formulates broad and specific questions; determines a variety of sources; locates, evaluates, organizes, records and shares relevant information in both oral and written form).
Common Core ELA standards
- RI.4.1: The student will refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
- W.4.1: The student will write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
- Speaking and Listening SL.4.4: The student will report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Download PDF with tour information
Cost per student: $2. One adult enters free for every 10 students. Additional adults pay the student rate.
Admission Scholarships: School groups from Lyon, Osage, and Coffey counties receive free admission for this tour courtesy of the W.S. & E.C. Jones Trust grant. For more information see tour scholarships for Red Rocks, Emporia.
Length of tour: Approximately two hours.
Number of students in a group: For the best experience, we recommend no more than 30 students per tour.
Registration and scheduling: Contact the site administrator, 620-342-2800; Red Rocks. A minimum of two weeks advance registration is needed.
Other guided tours available at Red Rocks:
William Allen White and the Reform Era - William Allen White House
Taking a Stand - Writings of William Allen White
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