Supporting Question 1 presented material about Abenaki relationships with the environment, natural resources, and their relationships with their neighbors. Supporting Question 2 builds on Supporting Question 1. Now students will examine some significant adaptations of Abenaki lifeways that may have occurred in response to physical and social environmental factors in their world. More specifically, students will learn about food, clothing, shelter, and art-making.
| Supporting Question 2 |
|---|
| What are some examples of significant Abenaki lifeways (food, clothing, shelter, and arts), and how have the Abenaki people adapted these lifeways to their environment? |
Assessment Objective:
Students can explain how Abenaki lifeways are adapted to their environment, can document their learning in a variety of ways, and communicate observations in written or spoken form.
Note: Students may need scaffolds to aid in their research (see Research Tracker sheets)
Standards Alignment
The following C3 standard aligns with all activities for Supporting Question 2 (SQ2). See “Standards Alignment” for further details.
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C3 Framework for Social Studies
Standard Assessed for Grades 3–5
D2.Geo.4.3-5. Explain how culture influences the way people modify and adapt to their environments.
| Beginning | Progressing | Proficient | Proficient with Distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| I can describe Abenaki lifeways (food, shelter, arts, and clothing). | I can explain how Abenaki lifeways (food, shelter, arts, or clothing) show how the Abenaki people have adapted to their environment. | I can explain how Abenaki lifeways (food, shelter, arts, and clothing) show how the Abenaki people have adapted to their environment. | I can explain, with specific examples, how Abenaki lifeways (food, shelter, arts, and clothing) show how the Abenaki people have adapted to their environment. |
Supporting Question 2 (SQ2) can also be aligned to the following sampling of standards and guide educators when integrating the American Abenaki Curriculum with other content areas and grade levels. In addition, you will find Common Core English Languages Arts standards alignment for each activity under SQ2.
Potential C3 Standards for Other Grade Bands
For Grades K–2
D2.Geo.4.K-2. Explain how weather, climate, and other environmental characteristics affect people’s lives in a place or region.
For Grades 6–8
D2.Geo.4.6-8. Explain how cultural patterns and economic decisions influence environments and the daily lives of people in both nearby and distant places.
For Grades 9–12
D2.Geo.4.9-12. Analyze relationships and interactions within and between human and physical systems to explain reciprocal influences that occur among them.
Potential Alignment: International Society for Technology in Education (ITSE) Standards
Students
1.3.d. Build knowledge by actively exploring real world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
Educators
2.2.c. Model for colleagues the identification, experimentation, evaluation, curation and adoption of new digital resources and tools for learning.
Education Leaders
3.1.d. Model the safe, ethical, and legal use of technology and the critical examination of digital content.
Potential Alignment: American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards
Learners
VI.D.2. Learners engage with information to extend personal learning by: Reflecting on the process of ethical generation of knowledge.
School Librarians
IV.D.2. School librarians show learners how to select and organize information for a variety of audiences by: Formulating tasks that help learners to integrate and depict in a conceptual knowledge network learners’ understanding gained from resources.
School Libraries
IV.D.4. The school library engages the learning community in exploring resources by: Using local and external data to inform ongoing adjustments to the scope of the resource collection, and its audiences, formats, and applications.
Historical Context: Supporting Question 2
The following information comes from the “Deep Roots, Strong Branches” traveling exhibition, Vermont Abenaki Artists Association, curated by Vera Longtoe Sheehan (2025e). Share as much or as little with your students as needed to successfully complete the activities that follow.
Climate Change and Foodways
TimelineA graphic representation that shows a chronology of events (in the order they occurred) on a line. showing 13,000 years. Courtesy 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) Arts & Education Center(Abenaki Arts & Education Center, 2023). “The end of the glacial period in North America . . . brought with it momentous changes. . . Many of the animals on which Paleoindians had depended for food, clothing, and shelterA place or structure that protects people from the weather. were no longer available to them.”…
Continuity in the Arts
Stone carved beads by Patrick Lamphere (Missisquoi 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)). Vermont Abenaki Artists Association Collection (Lamphere, n.d.) In Abenaki, there is no word for art, but aesthetic beauty carries almost as much importance as functionality in crafting materials for tools and adornment. This connection is evident in ancient culturalRelating to the beliefs, language, traditions, and other ways of living that a group shares. objects, such as beads, textiles, and ceramics found…
Formative Performance Tasks
Choose at least one of the following activities, all designed to assess Supporting Question 2.
SQ2 Using The Jigsaw Method
Overview This activity is an adaptation of The Jigsaw Classroom (Social Psychology Network, 2025) learning technique described on Dr. Elliot Aronson’s website about his methods http//www.jigsaw.org/. This variation takes a holistic approach to learning about 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) lifewaysThe customary foods, clothing, shelters, and arts of a people. and honors Abenaki culture bearers, their ways of knowing, and their values. If you are familiar with the…
SQ2 Give One, Get One
For this activity, separate Prompts, Resources, and Sample Student Responses have been provided for grade 3, grades 4–5, middle school, and high school. Overview Give One, Get One is a simple collaboration strategy emphasizing the reciprocal nature of learning, where each student both “gives” and “gets” insights about a particular 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) lifeway, recording on a…
SQ2 Writing Informational Text
For this activity, separate Worksheets, Resources, and Sample Student Responses have been provided for grade 3, grades 4–5, middle school, and high school. Overview 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. helps students share what they are learning, reflect on their understanding of a nonfiction topic, and meet the “proficientDescribes when a learner can demonstrate knowledge or skill as described in a grade level standard.” statement for the Assessment ObjectiveThe target or goal that is being measured.. In this activity, students…
SQ2 Visual Arts Integration: Drawing with Color
Overview Hands-on visual arts activities are a good way for students to engage with content about 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) culture while enhancing comprehension and retention of the material. Integrating art into 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 fosters a deeper understanding of complex regional history This activity focuses on drawing Abenaki lifewaysThe customary foods, clothing, shelters, and arts of a people. (food, clothing, and shelterA place or structure that protects people from the weather. ). Students will create…
Continue Reading SQ2 Visual Arts Integration: Drawing with Color
SQ2 Extension Activities
Revisit Students’ Questions Revisit students’ questions from Generating Curiosity under Staging the Compelling QuestionFrom the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) At a Glance: “Compelling questions address issues in and across the academic disciplines that make up social studies. They reflect students’ interests and the curriculum and content with which students might have little experience, Example: Was the American Revolution revolutionary?”(Grant et al., 2014). Have them now try to answer those questions using evidence from the original image of the “Fish-In” and what they have learned in the Supporting QuestionFrom the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) At a Glance: “Supporting questions are intended to contribute knowledge and insights to the inquiry behind a compelling question. Supporting questions focus on descriptions, definitions, and processes about which there is general agreement within the social studies disciplines, which will assist students to construct explanations that advance the inquiry. Typically, there are 3–4 supporting questions that help to scaffold the compelling question. Example: What were the political changes that resulted from the American Revolution?” (Grant et al., 2014) 2 activities to explain their thinking. Use Research Tracker Sheets Throughout this learning journey, students…