Worksheet, Prompt, Resources, and Sample Student Responses
Worksheet: WS 15. 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) Art
Prompt:
What are three types of art made by Abenaki people and how do they connect the artists to the environmentAll the physical surroundings on Earth, including everything living and nonliving. in their homeland?
Resources
- 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. [Deck of Cards] (Abenaki Arts & Education Center, 2025b). [Teachers:Email Abenaki Arts & Education Center for purchase details at: abenaki.edu@gmail.com]
- Abenaki Pottery Featuring Vicki Blanchard [Video—2:19 min.] (Abenaki Arts & Education, 2021)
- IndigenousThe first people living in any region, distinct from later arrivals. Expressions Film Series: Ash to Baskets [Video—7 min.] (ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, 2017a)
- Exploring Abenaki Baskets [Online article] (Sheehan, 2024)
Sample Student Responses
- Basketmaking: Trees from the forests become baskets which are both useful and decorative. Bonus: naming the specific type of tree! (Brown Ash)
- Pottery: Abenaki people used clay from riverbanks to make pottery bowls for cooking and food storage before European contact. Artists still make pottery today for use and decoration.
- Beadwork: Beads made of stone, shell, wood, and copper were being made from local materials before European contact. French and English people brought glass beads of many types which led Abenaki people to develop new designs and styles.
- Today Abenaki artists still work in these media.
See Historical Context essay and Resources for additional potential 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.