Colonial Williamsburg

• Review good questioning techniques with your students before the visit.
  


• Remind students that character interpreters are playing specific roles of people of the past. Other costumed interpreters will answer more general questions and have different levels of information.
Also, remind students that Colonial Williamsburg is set in the pre-Revolutionary period. (Character interpreters will answer questions and discuss ONLY this time period.)


• If possible, allow students to brainstorm questions before their visit, because questions that have been planned in advance are often more in-depth.
  


• Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no.
  


• Encourage higher-level questions that lend themselves to the application of information. For example, instead of asking, "Who was George Wythe's cook?" ask, "What were the duties the cook performed in a typical day?"
  


• Encourage the students to ask progressive questions, based on the questions of their classmates. For example, if one student asks what the stocks were, another student could ask who would have been punished there, or about the length of punishment. This progression of questions, of course, depends upon the amount of information the guide or interpreter gives as an answer. These questions encourage listening and higher-order thinking.
  


• Allow the students to think imaginatively; encourage them to put themselves in the town and ask questions such as "Where would a child like me live?" "Who would my friends be?" or "What would I do during a day?"
  


• Ask questions that allow for interdisciplinary thinking such as "What kind of energy would be needed for working with the mortar and pestle?" or "Why were leeches used to reduce swelling?"
  


• Ask questions that utilize the students' senses. For example, when looking at the hoe used in the tobacco field, ask "Why is this tool heavy?" and "Why would your hands be rough?" Another example question is "How and why would the saddle and harness maker shop smell different than the Geddy foundry?"
  


• Ask compare and contrast questions. For example, "Compare the amount of work required to get a drink of water today as compared to the eighteenth century," and "How would a dentist pull a tooth then, and how does a dentist pull a tooth now?"
  


• Allow time for debriefing, so students can share the information they learned.

Helpful Guidelines for Touring the Historic Area

• Remember to contact school officials and cafeteria staff, send out permission slips, and leave an itinerary with your school principal. Request study-visit interpreters from Ticket Sales staff; they will follow Overview Objectives to meet National Standards of Learning for your visit.
  


• We recommend that students, teachers, and chaperones wear name tags, including information such as assigned tour group, allergies, school name, phone numbers, etc.



• Ask for a restroom break during the guided tour, because the restroom facilities are limited in number and small in size.
  


• Encourage students to bring a water bottle and a camera in a small fanny-pack; large backpacks are discouraged because they create hazards in small museum spaces.



• If possible, please go to Group Arrivals to pick up your tickets between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. the day before your scheduled tour.



• Arrive one-half hour before your tour time to count and distribute tickets to students.



• For large groups, consider bringing a second person to help count tickets and divide students into study visit groups, arranged by bus, to ease congestion at drop-off points in the Historic Area.



• For special needs/physical challenges, please contact Group Ticket Sales at 1-800-228-8878.



• Limited free bus parking is available. When private vehicles accompany school groups on buses, parking areas are separate, and fees are charged in some locations.