Place-Based Education - Detroit River Story Lab

Place-Based Education

The Story Lab works with public schools, youth organizations, and community heritage groups to develop river-themed curricular and extra-curricular programming opportunities that incorporate hands-on learning experiences to help local students reconnect with their river, recognize in the river the source of their own communities’ heritage, and find inspiration in the river and its stories for their own future educational and career pursuits. Ongoing projects include summer boatbuilding and school-ship programs, a middle school curriculum on the local history of the Underground Railroad, and high school teaching resources on climate change and the carbon economy in the Detroit River corridor. See the sidebar below for a dedicated collection of teacher resources.

Youth Leadership Council

Through a series of workshops, field trips, and meetings, youth participants of the Youth Leadership Council develop their leadership skills, learn about the river’s relationship to local communities, and explore a wide variety of attractive educational and career pathways in STEM, public humanities, and the skilled trades.

River Opportunity Pathway Profiles

Detroit River Scholars is a free, week-long day camp that explores connections, past and present, between the Detroit River and adjoining communities. Daily field trips to riverside parks, museums, and historical sites provide engaging, hands-on learning opportunities focused on the river’s rich environmental and cultural heritage.

Detroit River Education Coalition

The Detroit River Education Coalition, motivated by the vision of an historic waterway transformed into a living classroom, develops high-impact, experiential learning opportunities for students of all ages from the communities along its shores. Since 2021, Coalition partners have expanded the number and reach of place-based educational programs and laid the groundwork for continued growth and community engagement.

Detroit River Scholars

Detroit River Scholars is a free, week-long day camp that explores connections, past and present, between the Detroit River and adjoining communities. Daily field trips to riverside parks, museums, and historical sites provide engaging, hands-on learning opportunities focused on the river’s rich environmental and cultural heritage.

Communicating the Impacts of Climate Change

The goal of this case is to help students communicate about their observations, solutions, and the impacts of CO2 emissions on one neighborhood in Detroit. As a final project, they use sources of data and local stories to write an open letter or produce a digital project addressed to members of one of these neighborhoods. Teachers may also use this case to communicate the impacts of CO2 emissions in students’ own neighborhoods and communities beyond the scope of this Gala case.

The House that Changed Lives

A lesson plan based on the life and community building work of Sarah E Ray, an activist known as the Rosa Parks of the Boblo Boat. Consisting of a comprehensive, multi-media discussion guide and a curated collection of archival materials for classroom use, this adaptable curricular module will support social science classes at the middle and high school level throughout the Detroit River region.

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