The Noah Webster House &
West Hartford Historical Society

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SCHOOL PROGRAMS 2007 - 2008
How can a Noah Webster House program fit your needs?

(Teachers take note, the information on this web page may be downloaded as a pdf brochure.)

Welcome to the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, a nonprofit museum dedicated to a hands-on approach to learning. Centered in Noah Webster’s birthplace and inspired by his spirit of discovery, we help students create meaning from the past through participatory experiences and access to historical materials. Our dynamic programs, offered both on-site and in the classroom, meet many of the K-12 Connecticut Education Standards in social studies and other disciplines. Click here to learn more.

On-Site Museum Programs

Elementary School

Jr. Sampler of Early American Life - What was it like to be a child in the 1700s?
Students find out by exploring our historic house, attending a “dame” school, and trying out different types of children’s work. Program led by costumed museum teachers. Grades Pre-K–2. Program length: 1 hour Fee: $5/student Minimum: 18 students Maximum: 50 students

ADD ON! Colonial Amusements - What did children do for fun? Further your students’ experience by playing the games children enjoyed over 200 years ago. Add 1 hour to program, $2/student. Maximum: 60 students.

 

 

ADD ON! Hearth Cooking - What types of food did colonial people eat?
T he ultimate colonial experience! Students will help make
“Flatjacks” over an open fire when you add this element to
any of our Sampler programs. Add $2/student.

How the Natives Lived - Who lived here before the colonists? Through sensory experiences, students actively learn about the native peoples of Connecticut, including their housing, clothing, tools, and games. Taking place in our colonial house, students will
compare and contrast Native American life to that of the colonists, thinking about the ways the two groups would have interacted. Students will hear a traditional Native American story and each make their own clay pinch pot to take home. Grades Pre-K–3. Program length: 1 hour Fee: $5/student Minimum: 18 students Maximum: 60 students

ADD ON! Native Cooking - What types of food did Native Americans eat?
Further your students’ experience by cooking corn cakes over an open fire! Add 1/2 hour to program, $2/student. Maximum: 60 students

Sampler of Early American Life - What was it like to live in the 1700s? Students explore our historic house to learn about colonial clothing, foods, and medicines, while also trying their hand at 18th century “women’s” and “men’s” work. Program led by costumed museum teachers. Grade 3 and up. Program length: 1 ½ hours Fee: $6/student Minimum: 18 students Maximum: 50 students

ADD ON! Colonial Amusements - What did colonial children do for fun? Further your students’ experience by playing the games children enjoyed over 200 years ago. Add 1 hour to program, $2/student. Maximum: 60 students

ADD ON! Colonial Schoolhouse - What was colonial school like?
Further your students’ experience by attending a colonial school,
using primers, slates, and quill pens. Add 1 hour to program,
$2/student. Maximum: 60 students.

A Day of Living History - How did colonial families live, work and play? A day in the life of a colonial character! Students research and play the roles of families who lived in Noah Webster’s neighborhood in 1774. Led by our costumed museum teachers, students move through our house while doing chores, attending school, dancing, playing games, and cooking their own lunch on an open hearth! Use of our pre-visit materials is required. Grade 4 and up. Program length: 4 hours Fee: $16/student Minimum: 20 students Maximum: 60 students

Town Meeting - What issues led to the American Revolution? At a 1774 town meeting, Hartford colonists voted to stop trade with England in response to policies that they thought were unfair. Role-playing Patriots versus Loyalists, the students move through our historic house while discussing the issues of the day with our costumed museum teachers. Then they have a chance to vote during their own 1774 town meeting. Use of our pre-visit materials is required. Grade 5 and up. Program length: 1 ½ hours Fee: $8/student Minimum: 20 students Maximum: 60 students

Middle and High School

Human Rights Role-Play - How did your race, sex, and status affect the way you
were treated in the 1700s? In this role-play, students use the historic house as a stage to
explore what life might have been like in 1775 Connecticut if they were white, black, free or slave. Students are assigned characters that span race, sex, and status and, led by costumed museum teachers, must complete a series of related tasks. A follow-up allows students to share experiences and make connections to today. Use of our pre-visit materials is required. Grade 6 and up. Program length: 1 ½ hours Fee: $8/student Minimum: 20 students Maximum: 60 students

We Will Be Heard : Abolition in CT - What role did Connecticut play in the abolishment
of slavery ? The year is 1835 and Connecticut, like most of the country, is divided on the topic of slavery. Students will meet costumed museum teachers to learn about the various viewpoints regarding slavery: abolition, colonization, and anti-abolition. Students then become characters present at Hartford’s “Great Meeting in the Park” to discuss what people such as William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass had to say about slavery. Grade 6 and up. Program length: 1 ½ hours Fee: $8/student Minimum: 20 students Maximum: 60 students

Outreach Programs

Let us come to you!

Our Outreach Programs provide students with interactive experiences right in the classroom. Each presentation or “session” is delivered by a costumed museum teacher and is designed for up to 30 students. Fees: For the first session, within a 20-mile radius $100, 40-mile radius $125, 60-mile radius $150, plus roundtrip mileage. $50 for each additional session.

Reading Artifacts - What can objects tell us about 18th-century life? By seeing and touching reproduction 18th-cetnury items related to food, school, clothing, and amusements, students will discover how colonists met their basic needs and also had fun. For all grades. Session length: 1 hour

Colonial Amusements - How did colonists make their work more enjoyable
and find time for fun? Children learn about colonial life by playing colonial games
such as Morrice and Lucy Lockett and with toys such as a Jacob’s Ladder, ball and cup, button buzzer, and top. For all grades. Session length: 1 hour

Native American Games - What types of games did Native Americans play? Students learn about Native American culture by playing Native American skill-teaching games such as Moccasin, Hubbub, Firewood, the Rock Game, and others. For all grades. Session length: 1 hour

Reading , Writing and Ciphering - What were colonial schools like? Our costumed museum teacher uses colonial educational methods such as spelling bees, copies of colonial primers, slates and quill pens to teach your students what colonial school was like. For grade 3 and up. Session length: 1 hour

Colonial Dance - What was a colonial dance class like? 18th-century dance masters traveled throughout Connecticut teaching new dance steps and deportment. Today’s students learn the basic dance steps, manners, attitudes and culture surrounding dance from one of our own “dance mistresses.” For grade 3 and up. Session length: 1 hour

Resource Rentals

Colonial Games and Toys - A box of colonial games and toys is always a fun follow-up to any of our programs. Fee: 2-week rental, $40 plus postage

A Course in Colonial Life - This kit provides historical information, lesson plans, slide shows, two videos, and reproduction objects to help you teach your students about colonial life, including food, textile production, education and games. A great alternative if unable to visit the museum! Fee: 4-week rental, $80 plus postage

Noah Webster Videos - Choose from two videos about Noah Webster. Fee: 2-week rental, $10

Primary Resources - What are primary sources and how do historians use them? In this participatory workshop, students learn about the past by examining reproduction 18th- century primary sources including wills, inventories, letters and newspaper ads. For grade 4 and up. Session length: 1 hour

African-American Primary Resources - What do we know about the lives of African-Americans in 18th-century Connecticut? Using Bristow (the only African-American to be buried in West Hartford’s Old Center Burying Yard) as an example, students investigate primary sources to explore what life might have been like for African-Americans in colonial Connecticut. For grade 4 and up. Session length: 1 hour

Reservation Information

Schedule A Program - We recommend scheduling your program at least four weeks in
advance. Please have ready: program name, requested date (with alternates), requested start time, number of students, grade level, teachers’ names, and any special needs. Contact (860) 521- 5362, ext. 14, or e-mail education(at symbol)noahwebsterhouse.org.

Deposits and Payment - A $50 deposit per program guarantees your reservation and is due by the first day of the month preceding your program. When we receive your deposit, we will send you a written confirmation and pre - and post-visit materials. The deposit will be deducted from your final balance. Payment is due on the day of
the program. Please adjust to reflect any absences or additions. We accept checks and credit cards.

Lunch Space - Bringing a bagged lunch? We can accommodate about 60 children
on our gallery floor. Advance reservation is required for this space.

Chaperones - We require 1 adult chaperone for every 10 students (free of charge). The price for additional chaperones is $4.00 per person.

Call (860) 521-5362, ext. 14 to schedule a program

Directions

From I-84 (E or W), take Exit 41, S. Main St. At the end of the ramp, follow signs for the Noah Webster House, which is located 7/10 mile on the west side of S. Main St., West Hartford. Buses should park on S. Main St., in front of the building. Cars may park in our lot, on S. Main St., or on a side street.

Visit Our Museum Shop! - What field trip is complete without a trip to the gift shop?
Our museum shop carries books, toys and reproduction artifacts. If you would like your students to use the shop, please let us know when making your reservation. For your convenience, we can also provide shop lists prior to your visit.

A Check List: