Learn from the success story of The DBQ Project and Wayne RESA’s professional development at River Raisin Battlefield National Park, where place-based inquiry connected national history to local events. This session offers practical steps and dedicated time to help you apply inquiry-driven learning to your own community’s history.
John Farris is the K-12 Social Studies Consultant for the Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency (Wayne RESA). John joined Wayne RESA after three years as a Social Studies Training and Support Coordinator for the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Before DPSCD, John... Read More →
Wednesday August 13, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT Room 2
Asian Americans have been an important part of America’s growth and development since the mid-1800s. This course will explore the immigration history of Asian countries into America. Through a closer investigation, we will learn how America shaped these newcomers as well as how the nation was in turn shaped by these immigrants from Asia. While many students are familiar with the Chinese railroad workers and Japanese American internment during WWII, the story of Asians in America offers a deeper introspective into America’s social, political, and economic development. Since the 1965 Immigration Act, immigration from Asia has seen tremendous growth. This increase in immigration has raised new opportunities as well as new challenges for American society. No where is this more evident than in the Metro Detroit area. According to the latest census estimates, the Asian American population is approximately 221,000 which is a 106% increase since the 2000 census. This significant number necessitates a deeper understanding of the Asian American story for both Asian and non-Asian alike. As immigration from Asia continues to expand, we will explore the themes of culture, identity, and other pertinent issues to what it means to be an American.
Richard attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he received his B.A. in History. Richard continued his education at Wayne State University where he earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree. Since college, Richard has worked with numerous community organizations in... Read More →
Wednesday August 13, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT Room 4
A Brooklyn, New York native, Dr. Jeffries earned his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College, where he was initiated into the Pi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in American history, specializing in African American history, from Duke University.Dr... Read More →
Wednesday August 13, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT Auditorium
In this session, we will explore resources available to Michigan teachers through the Michigan Learning Channel and local PBS stations. PBS has tutorials, lesson plans, and curricula to support media-rich learning and digital storytelling across grade levels and in every possible subject area. The Michigan Learning Channel provides statewide access to local resources and opportunities for publication and celebration, inaddition to coaching and in-person support for teachers who are new to digital content creation with students. We will share what we do and offer some hands-on exploration tiem where attendees can play with equipment and co-design learning experiences with the goal of uplifting student voice and telling local community stories.
Matt is the Program Director for the Michigan Learning Channel, a statewide PBS station partnership that brings educational media and resources to schools, homes, and communities across Michigan.
Wednesday August 13, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT Room 1
In this session, teachers will explore a place-based inquiry designed to connect the historical impact of redlining in Detroit with its lasting effects today. Through mapping and data analysis, participants will examine how geography shapes access, opportunity, and civic voice. Educators will gain strategies to adapt this lesson for their classrooms, fostering critical discussions on equity, history, and community impact. This session focuses on an inquiry developed using the C3 framework and supports students application of Disciplinary Literacy Essentials, equipping teachers to create their own culturally-responsive inquiries center in the power of place.
One of Michigan's indigenous languages, Ojibwe, offers a unique perspective on this place, its beauty, and our connections to the world and one another. Language shapes identity and teaches us our place in the world. This session will explore the challenges of Ojibwe language disruption and endangerment while highlighting efforts in resistance, revitalization, and survivance.
Stacie Sheldon is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. She is passionate about revitalizing the Ojibwe language and leads a language nest and women’s drum group, Asiginaak-Negamojig. She is a co-founder and manager of Ojibwe.net, an independently... Read More →
Wednesday August 13, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT Room 3
African Americans have been living in Detroit since the French arrived in 1701. Black people have never accepted slavery, and by the 1800s, the leadership and foundation of the abolitionist movement - the fight against slavery - were Black men and women in Detroit. These men and women formed alliances, founded churches and organizations that not only helped to obtain freedom for thousands of freedom seekers, but also built the foundations of the Black community to this day. The Black leaders of Detroit's abolitionist movement in the 1800s are the foundation for Detroit's African American community in the present-day. They built the foundation for faith institutions, businesses, music, recreation and civic life.
Rich place-based learning experiences that allow youth to see themselves directly as an interdependent part of a local community with important histories. And, using available technologies for storytelling, including recording, preserving, archiving, and/or sharing local stories to share with public audiences (i.e.., oral history projects, databases, podcasts, video field trips).
