3rd Grade Crew // Making Learning Global and Local
One of the joys of teaching at Detroit Achievement Academy is being able to engage our community resources to help students stretch their learning beyond the generalized vision of the curriculum. This year in 3rd Grade, we’ve taken our lens from a global view to a local, place-based view in more ways than one.
The great thing about starting with a strong curriculum like EL Education as a base is that it can be reinvented to fit the cultural, social, and emotional needs of students year after year.
Over the course of the school year, 3rd graders have dug deep into the following questions (among many others). They were exposed to global issues in a broad sense before grounding their learning in events, stories, and topics close to us here in the US, in Michigan, and in Detroit.
3rd Grade Guiding Questions:
Why is reading so important?
What issues do people in other countries face with accessing school and books?
What issues do Detroiters face with accessing school and books?
How can I teach others about my personal reading challenges and goals?
What issues do people around the world face with accessing fresh water?
What issues do people in my country, my state, and my city face with accessing fresh water?
How can I take action, teach others, and make people care about this issue?
What’s unique about place-based learning is that students can experience what they learn by experiencing their home. All three of our Field Studies this year introduced students to real Detroiters doing the work of pouring right back into the communities students belong to. We visited our local Detroit Public Library branch, the Outdoor Adventure Center, and the Belle Isle Nature Center. For most students, these expeditions were their first time ever visiting these locations. Students engaged in experiential learning, met community leaders who represent their identities, and were able to bring what they learned back to their families.
For one of our favorite final products, students presented their knowledge in an essay AND led with place-based passion to create protest signs highlighting a local issue. We were inspired by folks from Detroit, Flint, and Standing Rock who worked hard to bring awareness to the challenges in their communities. Check out some of their expeditiously awesome work!
