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Hats Off to William Allen White

Guided tour—Red Rocks State Historic Site, Emporia

Grades—Fourth

Who was William Allen White, and why is he a famous Kansan?

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.

William Allen White editor of Emporia Gazette

This tour provides pre-and post-visit material to help teachers provide students with supplemental learning. 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 lesson prior to a visit to the house.  The post assessment piece is writing a descriptive paragraph based on a prompt.

Download PDF with tour information

Cost per student: $6. One adult enters free for every 10 students.  Additional adults pay $5.

Length of tour: Approximately 2 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; or email Red Rocks at kshs.redrocks@ks.gov. 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