Worksheet, Resources, and Sample Student Responses
Worksheet Prompt:
How would living near mountains, valleys, woodlands or water affect 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) family life? Draw and describe some landforms and natural resourcesParts of the environment that people use, such as sunlight, air, water, soil, rocks, fossil fuels, and living organisms. they would look for.
Resources
- Abenaki Cultural Practices, Lifeways, and Natural Resources Card Game [Deck of Cards] (Abenaki Arts & Education Center, 2025b). [Teachers: Email Abenaki Arts & Education Center for purchase details at: abenaki.edu@gmail.com]
- Abenaki Animals Coloring Book [Book] (Chenevert & Jones, n.d.). [Teachers: Email Nicole St.Onge for purchase details at nicolestonge@myfairpoint.net or Title VI Indian Education Coordinator Lucy Cannon-Neel at Nulhegannecc@gmail.com.]
- Abenaki Lifeways Mural [Digital Image—muralscenesVHS.jpg] (Sylvester, 2004)
- Abenaki Uses of Natural Resources [Table—PDF] (Abenaki Arts & Education Center, 2025d)
- Azban’s Great Journey [Book—58 pages] (Chenevert, 2014)
- New England Landforms [Poster] (Abenaki Arts & Education Center, 2024)
- Vermont Topography [Road atlas of USA and Canada] (Vermont Topography Terrain Map Topographic State Large Scale Free Detailed Landscape, 2025)
Sample Student Responses
- Woodlands are where people find wood and bark to build homes for their families.
- If people have woodlands where people hunt animals for food, they don’t have to leave their families for long.
- Valleys and meadows are where families can live and grow food together.
- Mountains make traveling to visit friends and family harder.
- Living near water makes cooking and bathing easier for all members of the family.
- Rivers and lakes are where people go to catch fish to feed their families.
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. activity 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.b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
Grades 6–8
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.a. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2.d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
Grades 9–12
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2.e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2.b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.