Lesson 17: Braiding Sweetgrass, “Putting Down Roots,” Explanatory Writing Part 3

Quick Write

Display and briefly review the ACE Strategy introduced in the previous lesson.

Say these Directions: Look at the ACE Strategy introduced in the previous lesson and briefly review it.

• A = Answer: Answer the question, using words from the question.

• C = Cite: Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.

• E = Explain: Explain how your evidence supports your answer and add detail as necessary.

In the last lesson, we practiced using the ACE Strategy to help us organize our writing. Today, you'll write independently again using the same strategy. Think about your annotations of “Putting Down Roots”. Think about which part of ACE you want to improve today, and write a goal that begins: “Today I will improve at...”

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you are going to practice using the ACE Strategy to write a response to a prompt about “Putting Down Roots” in Braiding Sweetgrass. You will also work to revise and improve your writing.

Language Lab: Recognizing and Correcting Inappropriate Shifts in Verb Voice and Mood

Remind students of verb voice from previous lessons.

• Say: Remember, verbs can have an active and passive voice. In the active voice, the subject in the sentence performs the action. In the passive voice, the subject in the sentence receives the action.

Explain to students that, in general, they should aim to use the active voice when possible, especially when speaking and writing about literature or informational text.

Read the following examples:

• Active: Subject performs the action.

  • Example: Kimmer plants roots in the soil.

• Passive: Subject receives the action.

  • Example: The roots are planted in the soil by Kimmerer.

Explain to students the concept of verb mood.

• Say: Verbs also have mood. Mood is the form a verb takes to show the writer’s purpose or attitude. Voice tells us the subject’s relationship to the action, while mood tells us whether the writer is stating, asking, commanding, imagining, or describing a possible condition. When we write an analytical paragraph, we need to choose a mood that matches our purpose and keep that choice consistent unless the meaning truly changes.

Read the moods and the moods' definitions.

Verb Mood

• Indicative Mood: Used to state facts, express opinions, or declare certainty

  • Example: Kimmerer describes how roots connect people to place.

• Imperative Mood: Used to issue commands, give directions, make requests, or provide advice

  • Example: Notice how the chapter connects reciprocity to responsibility

• Interrogative Mood: Used to ask questions or requests for information

  • Example: How does Kimmerer connect land and identity?

• Conditional Mood: Indicates that one action depends on another to happen

  • Example: If people tend the land, it will sustain them.

• Subjunctive Mood: Used to explore imaginary situations, express wishes, doubts, or hypotheticals

  • Example: If Kimmerer were disconnected from the land, she would lose her sense of self.

Explain that analytical writing usually stays in the indicative mood because students are making claims and explaining evidence. Writers may briefly use the conditional or subjunctive mood when they are discussing a possible or hypothetical situation. The imperative and interrogative moods are useful in directions and questions, but they often sound out of place if they suddenly appear inside a finished body paragraph.

Teach: Inappropriate Shift in Mood

• Say: In an analytical paragraph, I am usually stating and explaining ideas, so I expect most of my verbs to be in the indicative mood. If I suddenly give a command like “Notice this” or ask a question like “Why does this matter?”, I have shifted the mood, and that can make the paragraph sound uneven. I also want to check the voice by asking who is doing the action. If the sentence hides the actor for no reason, I can often revise it into active voice to make the idea clearer. Good writing means I do not just change a word because it sounds better; I change it because the verb voice and mood need to match the meaning of the sentence. That is how grammar helps my analysis stay clear and precise.

Display the following sentence containing an inappropriate shift in verb mood and model recognizing and correcting it:

• Incorrect: Kimmerer explains that feeling rooted shapes responsibility. If people were separated from the land, they might lose important relationships. Remember this lesson when you think about reciprocity.

• Say: Watch what happens here. The first sentence is indicative because it states an idea about the text. The second sentence uses the subjunctive and conditional correctly because it describes a hypothetical situation. But the third sentence shifts into the imperative mood because it gives the reader a command. That command does not fit well into this analytical paragraph, so I will revise it back into the indicative mood.

• Correct: Kimmerer explains that feeling rooted shapes responsibility. If people were separated from the land, they might lose important relationships. This lesson shows why reciprocity matters.

Point out to students that all the sentences are in active voice. If students are confused by the verb is in the last sentence, explain that it acts as a linking verb, not in a passive construction, here.

Display a second model to identify more inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.

• Incorrect: Kimmerer shows that belonging to a place shapes identity. Why does this connection matter so much to the Mohawk community?

• Say: The first sentence is analytical and stays in the indicative mood. The second sentence is interrogative because it asks a question. Questions work in class discussion or in a prompt, but in a finished paragraph, I usually need a statement instead.

• Correct: Kimmerer shows that belonging to a place shapes identity. This connection matters to the Mohawk community because it helps preserve language, culture, and responsibility to the land.

Language Study

• Say these Directions: With your partner, read the three sentences below. Identify the inappropriate shift in verb voice or mood, and then rewrite the sentence to correct it.

  • Kimmerer describes belonging to the land. If she would leave, she loses her roots. She knows this instinctively.

    • Shift is from conditional to indicative. It should be “If she would leave, she would lose her roots” or “If she left, she would lose her roots.”

  • Those who tend it are sustained by the earth. If people was more grateful, balance would return.

    • The first sentence is in passive voice. It should be changed to active voice: “The earth sustains those who tend it.” The second sentence should begin with the subjunctive because the idea is hypothetical. It should read, “If people were more grateful, balance would return.”

  • She returns to her land each season. If she was to forget, the relationship would break.

    • This should be conditional because it’s saying that something depends on a condition. If should be “If she forgot, the relationship would break.”

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you’re going to practice using the ACE Strategy again to write a response to a question about Braiding Sweetgrass. You will revise and edit your own work, paying close attention to shifts in verb mood.

Part A: Drafting Using the ACE Strategy (RI.8.1, W.8.4, W.8.9.b) (20 minutes)

Lead a brief (5–7 minutes) whole-class discussion about the annotations students made during their homework reading and analysis of “Putting Down Roots” from Braiding Sweetgrass.

• Say: For homework, you annotated the text “Putting Down Roots” for moments that show how Kimmerer describes connection to land, culture, or identity. We’re going to briefly discuss some of those moments and what they show about being “rooted.”

Invite several students to share the text they annotated. Encourage discussion in response to the annotations and ideas students share.

• I annotated the part where the text explains that Mohawk children were taken to the Carlisle School and “Native languages [were] forbidden” (p. 222). This shows how people were separated from their culture and land. I also annotated where Kanatsiohareke is described as “Carlisle in reverse,” because it shows how people are working to restore what was taken from them (p. 223). Another example is when Kimmerer plants sweetgrass as part of ecological and cultural restoration, which shows how reconnecting to the land is part of rebuilding identity.

Next, transition students to writing a paragraph response using the ACE Strategy based on the chapter “Putting Down Roots.”

Say these Directions: Now you will use your annotations to write a paragraph using the ACE Strategy. Choose details that show how being rooted in a place can shape responsibility, especially after that connection has been broken and restored.

Display the prompt.

• In "Putting Down Roots," which descriptions of home, land, or family show how feeling "rooted" can shape a person's sense of responsibility to a place? Be sure to explain what it means to feel “rooted.” Cite at least two pieces of text evidence, and clearly explain how the evidence supports your answer to the question.

  • Kimmerer shows that feeling “rooted” can shape a person’s sense of responsibility by explaining how reconnecting to land and culture helps restore identity and relationships that were once taken away. Cite: For example, the text explains that at Carlisle, “Native languages were forbidden,” which shows how people were separated from their culture. It also describes Kanatsiohareke as “Carlisle in reverse,” a place that returns language, traditions, and identity to the people (pp. 222-223). Explain: These examples show that being rooted is not just about living in a place, but about restoring connections to land, language, and culture. Because these connections were taken away, rebuilding them creates a sense of responsibility to care for and protect them. This is why Kimmerer shows that restoring the land and culture helps people rebuild their identity and their relationship to place.

Part B: Revising for Verb Voice and Mood (W.8.5, L.8.1.c-d) (10 minutes)

Transition students to revising their response. Explain that when revising a first draft, students need to check for spelling and grammar, as well as content. Display a sample first draft and model recognizing and correcting inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood, using the instruction from the Literacy Lab.

Say these Directions: Read through the draft response and look for incorrect shifts in verb voice and mood.

• Kimmerer shows how feeling “rooted” shapes a person's sense of responsibility by describing how the Mohawk culture is rooted in the land and explaining how their connection to the land makes them want to give back to it. On p. 222, she says, “Pockets of the language survived among those who stayed rooted to place” and “Grateful reciprocity with the world . . . sustained them when all else was stripped away.” The first sentence shows the connection between language and place; the sense of reciprocity from that connection is explained in the second sentence. The people wanted to give back to the land and take care of it. Kimmerer believes if the connection to the land were missing, the culture didn’t survive.

• Say: In the first underlined sentence, I notice a shift in the voice of the verbs. The first verb is in active voice—the first sentence shows. In the second part of the sentence, the verb is in passive voice—the sense of reciprocity is explained. To correct this, I will rewrite the sentence to make both verbs active.

Cross out the sentence and replace it with the following. Display and read aloud the corrected sentence.

Sentence Correction: The first sentence shows the connection between language and place; the second sentence explains how a sense of reciprocity results from the connection to the land.

• Ask: Who can help me identify an inappropriate shift in mood in the sample paragraph? How can you revise it to ensure a consistent mood?

  • The last sentence moves from the subjunctive were missing to the indicative didn’t survive. Fix the sentence by changing didn’t survive to wouldn’t or couldn’t survive.

Instruct students to revise their paragraphs for spelling, grammar, and consistent verb voice and mood.

Say these Directions: Now revise your paragraphs for spelling, grammar, and consistent verb voice and mood.

Lesson 17 Writing Rubric: ACE Paragraph — Applying the Strategy Independently

Quick Write

Instruct students to complete a self-assessment Quick Write to reflect on today’s writing lesson.

• Say these Directions: Revisit your draft and your use of the ACE Strategy—your answer, citations, and explanation. Then, reflect on your writing by completing the Check for Understanding sentence frames.

Display the following sentence frames.

• Compared to yesterday, I improved at ______. Next time I write, I will focus on____.

  • Compared to yesterday, I improved at citing evidence and explaining how it supports the answer. Next time I write, I will focus on adding more detail and using verb moods correctly.

Provide time for students to write. Circulate to identify common strengths and areas for improvement in students’ use of the ACE Strategy and verb voice and mood.

Instruct students to prepare for the following lesson’s academic discussion by outlining claims, evidence, and reasoning from “Burning Cascade Head” and “Putting Down Roots” in Braiding Sweetgrass in their Journal. Display the following prompt:

• Kimmerer follows the Original Instructions in her reflections and actions. Which of the actions that Kimmerer takes has the largest impact? Use evidence from “Burning Cascade Head” and “Putting Down Roots” in Braiding Sweetgrass (pp. 209–234) to support your argument.