Tours and Programs for Languages Other Than English

 

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Languages Other Than English

The Genesee Country has been home to people from many cultures and backgrounds for hundreds of years, and finding ways for people to live together peaceably and respectfully has always presented challenges. The museum’s resources are well suited for programs that address cultural understanding.

In addition, the paintings and sculptures of the John L. Wehle Art Gallery are global in their origins and subject matter, ranging from Southwest Native American art to wildlife art from around the world.

NYS Learning Standards:

LOTE1: Communication Skills
LOTE2: Cultural Understanding

Self-Guided Tours
Self Guided Tours of the Historic Village
Visit the historic village and take an exciting journey of discovery into the past. History comes alive as students spend time at homes, trades, businesses and public buildings that are most relevant to your curriculum plans and their interests. Use your Educator’s Preview Pass for a free advance visit, and then design a tour on which your students investigate, compare and contrast lives of 200 years ago with their own.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Mid-May through mid-October, Tuesdays – Fridays
   
Enrichment Options:  
Long May It Wave (Grades 4-8)
In this educator-led tour of our exhibit, Long May It Wave: The Story of Our Star-Spangled Banner, students learn about the history and surprising global connections of the ultimate symbol of American pride – our country’s flag. Students also design and produce their own banners using guidelines similar to those provided by Congress in 1777.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Fall and Spring
   
19th-Century Games (Grades 3-12)
Fun and leisure were important parts of children’s lives in the 19th century, just as they are today. However, the toys and games were often made at home and operated under child power instead of batteries. A session of structured kinesthetic activities invites students to try their skill at skittles, stilts, graces, rolling a hoop, cup-and-ball, the whimmy-diddle, buzz saw and much more.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Fall and Spring

 

Museum Educator-Guided Tours of the Historic Village
Take a specially designed tour of the 19h century with a museum educator. Each guided tour is approximately two hours long, and content is adaptable for your specific grade level. Students will be divided into grops of about 20 each, and groups will rotate among the historic structures.
 
Early 19th-Century Lifeways
Students will travel through a century of American life. Compare homes and children's lives from the beginning to the end of the century. Visit with a tradesman who will demonstrate the latest developments in 19th century technology. Find out how early residents relied upon local business to provide commerce and communication.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Early May and late October, Tuesdays-Fridays
   
Theme Tours
Do you and your students have a particular interest? We can design a tour around a theme, such as architecture, horticulture, kitchens, textiles and trades. Please call us at (585) 538-6822 x216 to discuss your particular needs and interests.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Early May and late October, Tuesdays-Fridays

 

Focused Field Study
Teacher-developed and student-tested, Genesee Country Village & Museum Focused Field Studies provide immersive experiences for your students and allow you to direct attention to specific topics that coordinate with your curriculum plan.

Your students will work in small groups with museum staff in settings especially created to facilitate understanding and skill development. Field experiences vary but may include doing chores, cooking, interviewing specialists, drawing and sketching, collecting and analyzing samples, or performing.

When you choose a themed Focused Field Study, you’ll receive a study guide especially developed for that topic. Each includes pre-visit activities to prepare your students for their field experience as well as post-visit activities for use as follow-throughs or extensions. A historic context helps set the stage, and a topical bibliography of books, magazines, videos, and websites facilitates further exploration. Each guide also includes a vocabulary list, sample organizers and worksheets for copying as needed.
Crafts and Trades in 19th-Century America (Grades 4-8)
This unit facilitates students’ exploration of how 19th century Americans met their communities’ needs and wants and how this changed through time in concert with advances in communication, transportation and technology. Students in small groups visit trades or crafts to determine the resources and process required to produce an item, the basic needs the item met, and the modes of its distribution. In each case, students have opportunities to perform at least one step in the production process they observe. Later, students visit village buildings to identify examples of the trades and crafts they documented in the morning and to determine how they were used, by whom and how regularly.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Fall and Spring
   
Switchel, Cole Cannon and Pudding: Food in 19th-Century America (Grades 4-8)
This interdisciplinary unit uses food as a way to examine 19th-century American life. By participating in food-related activities at a series of homes from different times in the 1800s, students collect information that enables them to consider change through time and to compare and contrast the 19th century with the one in which they live today. Students will participate in a hands-on cooking activity and visit other kitchens to learn about ingredients and their sources, cooking and food-preservation technology, resource utilization, and relationships between food and culture.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Fall and Spring
   
Life in the Burned-Over District: Church and Community in 19th-Century America (Grades 7-12)
This unit will explore some of the various religious groups that made the Genesee Country their home. Students will explore places of worship and learn about what each faith believed, how they were involved in the community, who belonged to the group, and what major forces were shaping the group at the time. Students will participate in an activity or demonstration that illustrates each group’s identity and beliefs. Throughout this experience, students will focus on similarities and differences and how diversity created a vibrant community.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Fall and Spring

 

Seasonal Programs

Home for the Holidays (Grades K-12)
This one-of-a-kind interdisciplinary program traces the evolution of winter holiday celebrations in America through the 19th century, with special emphases on the contributions of various cultural groups. Historic buildings decorated to period are staffed by museum educators who help students understand the cumulative and changing nature of holiday observances. Students are invited to join in holiday activities during their visit. You may opt to have students make a tin ornament of their own by working alongside the village tinsmith for an extra charge.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2; SS1, 3, 4
Dates Offered: Fridays TBD in December

 

Movable Museum

Can't make it to the museum? Let us bring our “Moveable Museum” programs to you. These in-classroom learning experiences are excellent on their own or as a pre- or post-visit experience to enhance the lessons of your field trip.

Museum educators bring touchable, usable objects to your classroom in connection with standards-relevant themed programs specially designed to fit with your curriculum. Programs are designed for small class-sized groups and last 45-60 minutes.
 

19th-Century Music (Grades 2-12)
All music in the 19th century was live and unplugged. With the guidance of a museum educator, your students will learn about musical instruments available in the 19th century, including the American reed organ, autoharp and pennywhistle, and they will discover the social and historical contexts of familiar patriotic songs and folk songs from America and abroad.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Year Round
   

19th-Century Dance (Grades 3-12)
In the 19th century, dancing was a great form of physical exercise as well as a good opportunity for social interaction. Your students will learn some dance steps and then try them out to 19th-century music.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Year Round
 

The Language of Flowers (Grades 7-12)
Learn about one of the most enchanting customs of the 19th century–communicating through flowers instead of words. From the four-leaf clover to the red rose, each was used to communicate a specific thought or feeling. Our museum educator brings examples of flowers and engages your students in making 19th-century-style tussie mussies (bouquets).
NYS Standards Met: LOTE1, 2
Dates Offered: Year Round
 

Victorian Yuletide (Grades 7-12)
Festive seasonal decorating flourished in Victorian America, and preparations began months in advance. Using historical documentation reflecting the cultural origins of various Victorian holiday traditions, a museum educator facilitates your students’ recreation of the spirit and charm of 19th-century yuletide celebrations.
NYS Standards Met: LOTE2
Dates Offered: Year Round

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