Tracing Our Roots Student Frameworks
In 2025, PIE had the amazing opportunity to develop student frameworks (a collection of activities and a 2-week curriculum) with Detroit Public Schools Community District, in partnership with ForwardED for Tracing Our Roots (TOR), a project that invites teachers and students to explore through media how history, civics, and geography shape our everyday lives.
There are four versions of the TOR framework, each version is tailored for grade bands (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12). The framework invites students and educators to bring curiosity to the things we see and experience every day and develop questions about where they live, in our hometown of Detroit. Some questions we developed were, “Why are Coney Islands called Coney Island?” Or where does the Eastside start, Woodward? John R? Who is John R anyway?
Our work with TOR was made possible with the support of Liz Triden, Social Studies and History Department Lead, who sparked the idea of this project and allowed us to dream along with her and DPSCD teachers, staff, and students. The frameworks were developed with the support of Dr. David Kirkland of ForwardEd, who was an invaluable thought partner and compass for us as we test, play, and create.
Our contributions to TOR would be impossible without the brilliant DPSCD teachers and staff who worked with us to ignite more learning, ideas, precision, and attention to what the young people in their care are passionate about, what might be fun for them, and what they are already wondering about Detroit. In particular, thank you to the cohort of teachers in the Social Studies Think Tank that allowed us to test some activities and gave us such rich feedback.
