In Supporting Question 2 activities, students examined some significant adaptations of Abenaki lifeways in response to physical and social environmental factors in their world—with a focus on food, clothing, shelter, and art-making.
Supporting Question 3 focuses students’ discussions and writing on what they have learned and are learning about American Abenaki cultural preservation and cultural identity. Resilience, adaptation, and cultural values are some of the many ways local Abenaki people have maintained their cultural identity from colonial times to today.
| Supporting Question 3 |
|---|
| How have the American Abenaki people demonstrated resilience and resourcefulness in maintaining their culture from colonial times to today? |
Supporting Question 1 presented material about Abenaki relationships with the environment, natural resources, and their neighbors.
Assessment Objective
Students can ask and answer informed questions and write about how the American Abenaki people have maintained their cultural identity.
Standards Alignment
The following C3 standard aligns with all activities for Supporting Question 3 (SQ3). See “ Standards Alignment” for further details.
Click +to view Standards Alignment guidance. Click – to close the box when done.
Standards Alignment
The following C3 standard aligns with the activities for Supporting Question 3 (SQ3). See “Section 4: Standards Alignment” for further details.
C3 Framework for Social Studies
Standard Assessed for Grades 3–5
D2.His.3.3-5. Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped significant historical changes and continuities.
| Beginning | Progressing | Proficient | Proficient with Distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| I can create and ask an informed question about the American Abenaki people. | I can create and ask an informed question about how the American Abenaki have maintained their cultural identity over time. | I can create and ask an informed question about how the American Abenaki have maintained their cultural identity over time. I can accurately answer a question about how the American Abenaki have maintained their culture over time. | I can create and ask informed questions about how the American Abenaki have maintained their cultural identity over time. I can accurately answer questions about how the American Abenaki have maintained their culture over time. |
Supporting Question 3 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 SQ3.
Potential C3 Standards for Other Grade Bands
Grades K–2
D2.His.3.K-2. Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped a significant historical change.
Grades 6–8
D2.His.3.6-8. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to analyze why they, and the developments they shaped, are seen as historically significant.
Grades 9–12
D2.His.3.9-12.Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.
Potential Alignment: American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards
Learners
I.D.1. Enacting new understanding through real-world connections.
V.A.3. Engaging in inquiry-based processes for personal growth.
VI.B.2. Acknowledging authorship and demonstrating respect for the intellectual property of others.
School Librarians
VI.D.3. School librarians support learners’ engagement with information to extend personal learning by: Championing and modeling safe, responsible, ethical, and legal information behaviors.
School Libraries
VI.A.1. The school serves as a context in which the school librarian ensures that the school community is aware of the guidelines for safe, ethical, and legal use of information by: Educating the school community on the ethical use of information and the intellectual property of others.
Potential Alignment: International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards
Students
1.3.b. Evaluate the accuracy, validity, bias, origin, and relevance of digital content.
1.6.a. Choose the appropriate platforms and digital tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
Educators
2.3.a. Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and build inclusive communities online.
2.5.c. Apply evidence-based instructional design principles to create innovative and equitable digital learning environments that support learning.
2.6.a. Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.
Educational Leaders
3.1.c. Model the use of technology in inclusive, healthy ways to solve problems and strengthen community.
3.2.c. Evaluate progress on the strategic plan, make course corrections, measure impact and scale effective approaches for using technology to transform learning.
3.2.e. Share lessons learned, best practices, challenges and the impact of learning with technology with other education leaders who want to learn from this work.
Historical Context: Supporting Question 3
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 needed to successfully complete the activities that follow.
State-Recognition Sheds Light on Cultural Preservation
“We arrived at this point because of so many people that frankly persevered in light of defeat time and time again.” — Gov. Peter Shumlin, upon signing the Vermont State-Recognition
(Related word: recognized): An acknowledgment by a state government when a Native American tribe presents proof that it has existed as a distinct community in that state. bills for the Elnu and Nulhegan 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) Tribes. April 22, 2011 Abenaki State-Recognition Day for Koasek and Missisquoi, May 7th, 2012. (Left to right—Elnu Chief…
Continue Reading State-Recognition Sheds Light on Cultural Preservation
Cultural Values as a Means of Cultural Preservation
Abena Songbird Mural Event Unveiling. “Nd’ôlemôwzibna” (“We Continue to Live”) presents a timeless seasonal cycle of traditional activities, including maple sugaring, gardening, canoeing, basketmaking, snow snake game, and in the center, a drumming circle. (Gould, 2023) “The center of the 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) experience is not ourselves, it is each other…” For the Abenaki, the Seven Generations…
Continue Reading Cultural Values as a Means of Cultural Preservation
Formative Performance Tasks
Students will address Supporting Question 3 in two parts. In Part 1 they will practice asking informed questions about the American Abenaki people. Students may need scaffolds or support to generate informed questions. In Part 2, they will use what they have learned to answer questions about how the American Abenaki have maintained their culture. To do so, they may need to conduct additional research or they can rely on previously recorded notes compiled on their research tracker worksheets, worksheets from the “Writing Informational Text” activity, “Give One, Get One!” worksheets, graphic organizers, and feedback from their Peer Review Partners.
Part 1: Generate Questions
SQ3 Asking Informed Questions
This is the only activity in Part 1 and it is required for successful completion of the Inquiry Design ModelThe Inquiry Design Model (IDM) (Swan et al, n.d.) is a distinctive approach to creating instructional materials that honors teachers’ knowledge and expertise, avoids over-prescription, and focuses on the key elements envisioned in the C3 Inquiry Arc. . Overview Students will use what they have learned from Supporting Questions 1 and 2 to craft informed questions about how 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. have maintained their culture. An informed question is based on factual evidence…
SQ3 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…
SQ3 Technology Extension
Older students can use PowerPoint or Google Slides to create a visual presentation that addresses the answer to the prompt they are answering. You can also upload the documents to a digital collaboration platform so your students can work together.
Part 2: Using Evidence to Construct Answers
The goal of Part 2 is to have students answer questions about how Abenaki people have maintained their culture over time. Choose at least one of the following activities, all designed to contribute to assessing Supporting Question 3:
- Using Sentence Stems and Sentence Frames
- Using Peer Review Partners
- Class Debrief and Record
SQ3 Using Sentence Stems and Frames
Overview Sentence stems are the beginning parts of sentences for students to complete. Sentence frames are complete sentences with words and terms missing that a student will fill in. Both can serve as a structured starting point for thoughtful student discussions, reflections, and responses and are especially helpful to ENL students who are in the…
SQ3 Using Peer Review Partners
Overview The goal of Peer Review Partners is to create a feedbackWhat an educator or someone with knowledge provides a learner in response to their demonstrated learning. Feedback helps the learner understand what they have done well and how to improve. loop in which students offer each other advice, revise their written materials, and overcome obstacles. This approach can be especially helpful for writing assignments requiring students to create several drafts. Take into consideration that allowing students to work with partners will require several…
SQ3 Class Debrief and Record
Overview Throughout this curriculum, students have conducted research and recorded evidence about their findings on either the My Research or the Track My Research and Notes worksheets. For this activity, they will prepare for the discussion by gathering and reviewing their evidence and tracking their citations. Then the teacher will facilitate a whole-class debriefing and…