Professional Learning for Educators
You don’t have to book a field trip to engage your students in the James River! We’re working to support Virginia educators with tools, training, and materials to help their students develop knowledge and awareness of environmental issues and build skills and ideas about actions they can take to protect our environment.
Explore our virtual classroom resources, case studies, and professional learning opportunities for Virginia educators.
Professional Learning Opportunities
Join JRA for a 2-day workshop focused on “Learning Through Play” this July! This training is for Richmond-area elementary and middle school teachers. Hosted at the James A Buzzard River Center in Richmond, participants will spend two days learning to decipher and translate education standards into fun games to help their students learn. Participants also get the opportunity to paddle the river with a trained guide! Each participant will walk away with a completed game to teach their own content to their students in the 2025-2026 school year.
2025 Session Dates:
Elementary School Program: July 14-15, 2025
Middle School Program: July 16-17, 2025
Virtual Classroom Resources
Bring the wonders of the James River directly into your classroom! Explore the virtual resources and lesson plans compiled by JRA’s education team in 2020. This webpage offers a wealth of engaging and ready-to-use resources for elementary, middle, and high school students. Empower your students to connect with nature and become the next generation of river stewards!
STEM Gizmos Cases
JRA has partnered with Explore Learning to develop two Gizmo STEM Cases that help students dive into current, pressing challenges for the James River
River Detective: The Case of the Missing Shad
Engage your middle school students with the living laboratory of the James River! Our “River Detective: The Case of the Missing Shad” STEM Case, developed with ExploreLearning, transforms middle schoolers into citizen scientists. They’ll actively monitor river health and explore watershed ecosystems, making complex concepts tangible. This interactive tool is perfect for complementing Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences and fostering future river stewards!
Microbiologist Mission: Reducing River Runoff and Pollution
Bring the James River to life in your classroom! Our new online STEM interactive, “Microbiologist Mission,” lets middle schoolers become real microbiologists, investigating river contamination and wastewater management. Developed in partnership with ExploreLearning, this tool makes learning about water quality hands-on and engaging. It’s a fantastic resource for inspiring the next generation of environmental scientists!
Join Our Educator Newsletter
We’re currently working to broaden our offerings, including more professional learning opportunities. We encourage you to join our email list to stay in the loop about upcoming workshops, webinars, and more!
