Worksheets, Resources, and Sample Student Responses
Worksheet: WS 16. Architectural Styles
Prompt:
Analyze the architectural styles of AbenakiHistorically, this name was used by the French to refer to many different Indigenous communities in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. During the colonial wars, some New England Indians moved to southern Canada as war refugees. They were joined by refugees from other tribes and together became known as Abenaki. (Calloway, 1994) shelters. How did these structures accommodate their builders’ lifestyles while providing essential protection and comfort?
Resources
- Abenaki Homes and Structures [Poster] (Abenaki Arts & Education Center, 2025c)
- Building a Traditional IndigenousThe first people living in any region, distinct from later arrivals. Peoples’ Wigwam at Strawbery Banke [Video—7:30 min.] (Strawbery Banke Museum, 2021)
- Daily Life of the Koasek Abenaki from A Brief History: From Koasek Meadows to You Today [Booklet—see pages 7-10] (Koasek Traditional BandA small group of Native American people with its leaders, usually part of a larger tribe. of the Koas Abenaki NationPeople living in the same region under its independent government and having a shared history, language, and culture. , n.d.-a)
Sample Student Responses
- A wigwam or conical wigwam is a great mobile home for when you need to follow the seasons.
- A longhouse means that you can still be warm and protected from the elements due to the bark outside. However, it is not mobile and is good for more permanent settlements.
- Wigwam and longhouse outsides protect you and keep you warm.
- Smoke can go up the top and out through the smokehole of the wigwam or longhouse.
See Historical Context essay and Resources for possible additional responses.
Standards Alignment
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Potential Alignment: English Language Arts Standards
The Writing Informational TextWritten nonfiction materials that are intended to inform the reader about a specific topic. Informational text includes biographies, speeches, opinion or argument essays, and history or science explanations. activities can support the following sampling of standards and serve as a starting point for integrating the American AbenakiAbenaki tribes, families, and people who live in the United States. Vermont has four recognized Abenaki tribes; for more information visit Abenaki Alliance. Curriculum with language arts instruction and assessmentA tool to measure what a student knows and can do..
Grades 3–5
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2.b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2.d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2.c. Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).
Grade 6–8
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.a. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1.b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1.c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Grade 9–12
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1.d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.