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Risk Takers and Pizza Makers

Guided tour — Kansas Museum of History, Topeka

Grades — 4th

Piza HutWho wants pizza? Everybody! That's what made Pizza Hut such a success.

This tour shares the contributions of famous Kansas entrepreneurs highlighted in the museum gallery, including Joseph McCoy, Fred Harvey, Walter Anderson, and the Carney brothers of Pizza Hut fame.

At the end of the tour students will make a personal-size pizza using the "standardized" techniques learned on tour. While the pizza is baking, students will be challenged to "piece" together the stories of other Kansas entrepreneurs: Clyde Cessna, Gordon Parks, Walter Chrysler, Takeru Higuchi, and Olive Ann Beech.

This tour addresses grade specific standards and provides pre- and post-visit material to help teachers meet those standards. Included within these materials is Read Kansas! "Famous Kansans" lesson.

Standards Addressed:

Fred Harvey of Harvey House FameHistory: Benchmark 1, Indicator 1: The student researches the contributions made by notable Kansans in history (e.g., Dwight David Eisenhower, Alf Landon, Amelia Earhart, George Washington Carver, Robert Dole, William Allen White, Langston Hughes, Carry A. Nation, Black Bear Bosin, Gordon Parks, Clyde Cessna, Charles Curtis, Walter Chrysler, Wyatt Earp).

Economics: Benchmark 2, Indicator 1: The student defines the characteristics of an entrepreneur and gives an example of someone who shows those characteristics (e.g., risk taker, innovator, gets together all resources needed to produce a product).

Common Core Reading: RF 4.4.a: The student will read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension and read on-level text with purpose and understanding.

Core Curriculum Writing: W 4.1: The student will write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

Download PDF with tour information

Risk Takers and Pizza MakersCost per student including museum admission: $4. One adult enters free for every 10 students.  Additional adults pay the student rate.

Length of tour: approximately 90 minutes, with a maximum of one tour per hour.

Number of students in a group: for the best experience, we recommend no more than 25 students per tour.

Registration and scheduling: Submit an online tour request or contact Education, Kansas Museum of History, 785-272-8681, ext. 414; email education@kshs.org.