Prompt, Resources, and Sample Student Responses
Prompt:
List materials 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) people used to make clothing for different seasons at different times in history.
Worksheet
Resources
- [ResourceA source of information for student learning, such as a website, video, library book, poster, or map. coming soon]
- Abenaki Clothing [Poster] (Abenaki Arts & Education Center, 2025a) (Under Construction)
- Abenaki CulturalRelating to the beliefs, language, traditions, and other ways of living that a group shares. Practices, LifewaysThe customary foods, clothing, shelters, and arts of a people. , and Natural ResourcesParts of the environment that people use, such as sunlight, air, water, soil, rocks, fossil fuels, and living organisms. Card Game [Deck of Cards] (Abenaki Arts & Education Center, 2025b). [Teachers: Email Abenaki Arts & Education Center for purchase details at: abenaki.edu@gmail.com]
- Alnobak Wearing Our Heritage(Related term: cultural heritage) Something that is inherited from previous generations and passed along to future generations. It includes family identity, cultural practices, values, and traditions. [Study Guide: pages 1, 6, and 8] (Sheehan et al., 2019)
Sample Student Responses
Pre-contact (Before European trade)
- milkweed clothing and bags, all year
- buckskin mantles
- leather or buckskin leggings
- leather or buckskin skirts or breechclouts
- furs in the winter
- fur in moccasins during the winter
- leather bags and moccasins
Today
- jeans, chinos
- t-shirts
- sneakers or dress shoes
- sweaters or coats in cold weather
- Abenaki traditional clothes for special occasions
After Colonial Trade
- linen shirts
- linen chemises
- wool skirts or breechclouts
- wool leggings
- wool blankets
- leather bags and moccasins
See Historical Context essay and Resources for possible additional responses.
Standards Alignment
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Potential Alignment: English Language Arts Standards
The Give One, Get One 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.SL.3.1.c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.1.d. Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1.b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
Grades 6–8
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
Grades 9–12
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.