Tours and Activities
Elementary Schools
Pre-Visit Ideas
- Lesson Plan
- Multiple Choice Questions with Readings
- Word Games/Artifact Worksheets
- Historic Photos
Pre-Visit Ideas
- Lesson Plan:
- Anytime Writing Activities (also useful for ELA classes)
Elementary School Tours and Activities
Educational Programs at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial
We offer onsite programs for elementary and middle school students. The onsite visit can be adapted to multiple ages and grade levels, and is designed to complement the pre-visit and post-visit activities on this page.
“Thomas Wolfe and Progress, Progress, Progress”
This program explores life in the Old Kentucky Home boardinghouse during the years covered by Thomas Wolfe’s first book, Look Homeward, Angel. Students will explore how our homes have changed since then. The guided program includes three 20–minute sections: a tour of the first floor of the Old Kentucky Home, a walk through our exhibit hall and/or an exhibit hall scavenger hunt, and hands-on activities demonstrating household tools and chores from the boardinghouse.
At the conclusion of this program, students will be able to…
- Name Thomas Wolfe as the author from Asheville who wrote Look Homeward, Angel.
- Identify a “memorial” as an object or structure established to honor an individual or group or preserve memory of an event.
- Recognize Thomas Wolfe as an author who used his real life to create fiction.
- Identify a boardinghouse as a house in which lodgers rent rooms for one or more nights.
- List three chores done in a boardinghouse.
- Describe what tourists found appealing about Asheville.
- List objects from the household and the effect it had on everyday life.
- Recognize advancements and changes in household technology.
- Our programs complement multiple sections of the NCDPI Standard Course of Study in both ELA and Social Studies.
Middle & High Schools
Pre-Visit Ideas
- Lesson Plan: Thomas Wolfe’s Family, Friends, and Folklore
- Lesson Plan: What I Came To Tell You
- This lesson plan combines an informational text about Thomas Wolfe and his family and a new youth novel, What I Came to Tell You, by Tommy Hays. Consider visiting the Wolfe Memorial either before or after this lesson in order to truly make this exciting novel for young readers come alive in your classroom!
Post-Visit Ideas
- Lesson Plan: Thomas Wolfe, His Family and Look Homeward, Angel
Middle & High School Tours and Activities
Educational Programs at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial
We offer onsite programs for elementary and middle school students. The onsite visit can be adapted to multiple ages and grade levels, and is designed to complement the pre-visit and post-visit activities on this page.
“Thomas Wolfe’s Family, Friends, and Folklore”
This program examines life in the Old Kentucky Home during the years covered by Look Homeward, Angel. There are two main sections: A video overview of Thomas Wolfe’s life and career and a 25-minute tour of the Old Kentucky Home.
At the conclusion of this program, students will be able to:
- Name Thomas Wolfe as the author from Asheville who wrote Look Homeward, Angel.
- Recognize Thomas Wolfe as an author who used his real life to create fiction.
- Describe the relationship between Thomas Wolfe and his brother Ben.
- Recall Thomas Wolfe’s father as a person with a drinking problem that impacted the family.
- Identify Thomas Wolfe’s mother’s focus on business as a detriment to his childhood.
- Define the differences between hotels/motels and boardinghouses.
- List household chores required to run a boardinghouse.
- Our programs are designed to complement multiple sections of the NCDPI Standard Course of Study in both ELA and Social Studies.
Thomas Wolfe Goes to School
A Historical Interpreter from the Thomas Wolfe Memorial will come to your classroom and give a short presentation about Thomas Wolfe and Asheville in the early 20th century. The presentation includes an interactive PowerPoint, hands-on activities, and plenty of time for experiential learning and questions. This program is offered to area schools only. If you are interested in setting up an in-class presentation, please contact Education Specialist Bonnie Showfety at Bonnie.Showfety@dncr.nc.gov or (828) 253-8304.