The Noah Webster House &
West Hartford Historical Society

To Noah Webster
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2009-2010 School Programs

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. See the back cover of our PDF brochure for further details.
 

On-Site Museum Programs

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 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,
$3/student. Maximum: 60 students

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 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, $3/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 life, 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,
$3/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,    
$3/student. Maximum: 60 students.

ADD ON!  Hearth Cooking - What types of food did colonial people eat? The ultimate colonial  experience! Students will help make “Flatjacks” over an open fire when you add this element to any of our Sampler programs.  
Add $3/student.

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: $17/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
 
Noah Webster: Language, Literacy & Legacy - How does Noah’s legacy continue to affect us today?
This interdisciplinary program combines language arts and history to look at how Noah Webster contributed to American language and the way we learn. Students explore how language has changed over time through group activities, discover Noah’s contributions to American education in a 19th-century schoolhouse, visit our brand new exhibit: Noah Webster: Defining American, and investigate historical objects in Noah’s childhood home. No pre-visit materials required.
Grade 5 and up.   Program length: 1 ½ hours   
Fee: $8/student
Minimum: 20 students  Maximum: 50 students
 
ADD ON!  Meet Mr. Webster - Why is Noah Webster so important? Let him tell you—in his own words!  In an informal setting, students meet our new costumed character, Noah, to hear about his accomplishments and to ask him questions about his life. Can be added to any program.
Grade 3 and up.   Program length:   ½ hour  
Fee: $3/student

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 CT 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 one of our museum teachers 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. $50 for each additional session. Roundtrip mileage charged for each museum teacher sent.

Native American Life - Who lived here before the colonists? - Through object exploration and sensory experiences, students actively learn about the native peoples of Connecticut, including their housing, clothing, tools, food, and games.
For grades Pre-K-3.  Session length: 1 hour
 
Colonial Amusements - What did the colonists do 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 grade 1 and up.  
Session length: 1 hour

Reading Artifacts - What can objects tell us about 18th-century life? By seeing and touching reproduction 18th-century items related to food, school, clothing, and amusements, students will discover how colonists met their basic needs and also had fun.
For grade 1 and up.  
Session length: 1 hour
 
Meet Mr. Webster - Why is Noah Webster so important? Let him tell you—in his own words! Students have a dialogue with Noah when our new costumed character visits your classroom to share his accomplishments and to field students’ questions about his life.
For grades 3 and up.  
Session length: 45 minutes
 
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

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

Resource Rentals - Colonial games and toys, Colonial life course kit and Noah Webster videos available for rent. Please contact us for more information and rental fees.
 

Reservation Information

Schedule A Program
We recommend scheduling your program at least 4 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@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 confirmation and pre-/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 (made out to the Noah Webster House) and credit cards.
 
Lunch Space
Bringing a bagged lunch? We can accommodate about 60 children on our gallery floor. Lawn space also available, weather permitting. Advance reservation is required for lunch space.
 
Chaperones
We require 1 adult chaperone for every 10 students (free of charge). The price for additional chaperones is $4.00 per person.
 
 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.                                                                                                    
 
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.