Lesson 19: Braiding Sweetgrass, “Old-Growth Children” and “Windigo Footprints”

Think-Pair-Share

Students discuss their annotations for Chapters “Old-Growth Children” and “Windigo Footprints” in Braiding Sweetgrass (pp. 235–256).

Instruct students to take out their Homework Journals and copies of Braiding Sweetgrass. Remind students of the Lesson 18 homework in which students were instructed to read Chapters “Old-Growth Children” and “Windigo Footprints” in Braiding Sweetgrass (pp. 235–256) and annotate one or two moments where Kimmerer describes a challenge or problem in the relationship between humans and nature.

Instruct students to do a Think-Pair-Share with a partner on the annotations they made for homework.

• Say these Directions: Share a moment(s) you marked in “Old-Growth Children” and “Windigo Footprints” in Braiding Sweetgrass. Turn to your partner and discuss:

  • What challenge or problem in the human-nature relationship did you mark in these chapters? What does Kimmerer suggest about it?

    • I marked the problem of clear-cutting old-growth forests and ruining the local ecosystem. Kimmerer suggests replanting old-growth forests to help the land recover, as her friend Franz Dolp did in the Northwest.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, we are going to revisit these two chapters and discuss the key concepts, connections, and the author’s point of view that they convey.

Introduce New Words Using Morphology

Target Words: prosperity, stability

• Say these Directions: We’re learning about the words prosperity and stability today. They show up in Braiding Sweetgrass to describe old-growth forests and the benefits they can have for people if taken care of properly. Let’s explore these words more deeply.

Introduce the Word: Present the word prosperity to students and pronounce it.

• Ask: Have you seen the word prosperity before? Where?

Identify the Root: Underline the root sper in prosperity. Explain that sper comes from Latin root spere, meaning “hope.”

Identify Affixes: Circle pro- in prosperity. Explain that pro- is a Latin prefix meaning “for.”

• Ask: Do you know any other words that use the prefix pro- to mean “for”?

  • program, progress, proceed

• Language Connection: The Spanish word prospero is a cognate of prosperous and shares the same Latin root and prefix.

Identify Affixes: Circle -ity in prosperity. Explain that -ity is a Latin suffix meaning “the state or condition of.”

• Ask: Do you know any other words that use the suffix -ity to mean “the state or condition of”?

  • ability, charity, clarity

Determine Meaning:

• Ask: Using what we know about pro-, sper, and -ity, what do you think prosperity means?

  • Prosperous means “doing well materially” because pro- is “for” and sper is “hope,” so it means “going the way you would hope.” Then prosperity means “the state or condition of being prosperous” because -ity means “the state or condition of.”)

Build Word Relationships: Write prosperous next to prosperity.

• Ask: What is the relationship between prosperous and prosperity?

  • Prosperous is an adjective meaning “doing well materially,” and prosperity is a noun for the state or condition of being prosperous.

Repeat the routine with stability:

Introduce the Word: Write stability on the board and pronounce it.

• Ask: Have you seen the word stability before? Where?

Identify the Root: Underline the base word sta in stability. Explain that sta is a Latin root meaning “to stand or be firm.”

• Ask: What are some words you know use the root sta?

  • stand, standard

Identify Affixes: Circle -bility in stability. Explain that this is a combination of two suffixes: -able, which means “able to,” “fit to,” or “likely to,” and -ity, the same suffix as prosperity, meaning “the state or condition of.”

• Ask: What other words use the suffix -able?

  • capable, acceptable, laughable

• Language Connection: The Spanish word estabilidad is a cognate of stability. It uses the same Latin root and -idad, which is the Spanish version of the suffix -ity).

Determine Meaning:

• Ask: Using what we know about sta-, -able, and -ity, what do you think stability means?

  • the state or condition of being able to stand firm

Build Word Relationships: Write prosperity next to stability.

• Ask: What is the relationship between prosperity and stability? (They both use the suffix -ity to describe a state or condition. Both states are desirable in most cases: we want our communities and our environment to have prosperity, with plenty of resources for everyone, and to have stability, to be able to stay strong and firm for a long time.)

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: These words both appear in the two chapters of Braiding Sweetgrass that we will reread and discuss today. Understanding their meanings will help you to understand how Kimmerer views challenges to the human-nature relationship and potential solutions.

Part A: Close-Read and Annotation “Old-Growth Children” and “Windigo Footprints” (RI.8.3, RI.8.5, RI.8.6) (15 minutes)

Close Read & Annotation Protocol

Students reread key excerpts from “Old-Growth Children” and “Windigo Footprints” (pp. 235–256) and explore how the texts make connections among ideas and how the author uses text structure to develop key concepts. Additionally, they will consider the author’s point of view and purpose for writing.

Say these Directions: You will reread excerpts of one chapter and annotate them to analyze how Kimmerer connects ideas, uses structure, and conveys her point of view.

Transition students into small groups. Assign the excerpts from “Old-Growth Children” to half of the small groups and the “Windigo Footprints” excerpts to the other half of the small groups. Have the small groups independently close-read the excerpts from their assigned chapter of Braiding Sweetgrass.

“Old-Growth Children”:

• Excerpt A: Beginning with “Just as old-growth forests are richly complex . . .” through the paragraph ending “They said in those days . . .” (pp. 238–241)

• Excerpt B: Beginning with “After completing the final plantings, Franz wrote . . .” through “. . . brambles to old-growth children.” (p. 247)

“Windigo Footprints”:

• Excerpt C: Beginning with “Windigo is more than just a mythic monster . . .” through “. . . but do not feed it.” (p. 253)

• Excerpt D: Read the “Windigo Footprints” and “Windigo Thinking” sections until the paragraph that ends with “We have unleashed a monster.” (pp. 254–255)

Say these Directions: As you reread, focus on how ideas are connected, how the text is organized, and what the details suggest about the author’s point of view. As you reread, follow these steps:

1. Identify a key sentence or phrase.

2. Label it with one of the annotation tags (C, S, or P).

3. Write a short note explaining why you chose that tag.

Display the following annotation tags.

• C (connections): a phrase or detail that shows how ideas or events are connected

• S (structure): sentences, a paragraph, a transition word that shows how ideas are organized (e.g., cause–effect, main idea–supporting details, sequence of events)

• P (purpose or point of view): details that suggest the author’s point of view or perspective

• Connections: “Windigo footprints are everywhere you look.” Kimmerer connects the traditional story of the Windigo to modern examples of environmental destruction and overconsumption, showing that the same pattern exists today. (p. 254)

• Structure: “To plant trees is an act of faith.” This sentence emphasizes Franz’s long-term commitment and helps develop the idea that restoration happens gradually over time through repeated effort (“studied and planted”). (p. 246)

• Point of View: “We are all part of the problem.” Kimmerer’s point of view is that we are all the “Windigo economics to rule over us and our decisions to consume.” (p. 254)

When students finish their annotations, invite volunteers from each small group to share one annotated passage and explain their thinking. Repeat for small groups who annotated the “Windigo Footprints” excerpts.

• Say: In the next part of the lesson, you will use your annotations to support your ideas during a Socratic Seminar.

Part B: Socratic Seminar (RI.8.3, RI.8.5, RI.8.6, SL.8.1.a-b) (15 minutes)

Socratic Seminar

Organize students into two groups based on the assigned chapter they close-read and annotated in Learning in Action Part A. The “Old-Growth Children” group will begin in the inner circle to engage in academic discussion. The “Windigo Footprints” group members will begin in the outer circle as observers.

Say these Directions: You will participate in an academic discussion based on your annotations. One group member will share an annotation and explanation, and others will respond by building on the idea, asking questions, or offering a different perspective.

Display the following sentence stems for students to access and use during the Socratic Seminar.

Sentence Stems:

• Building on ___’s ideas, I think ____.

• I marked the sentence ___ in Excerpt __ with a ___ because ___.

• I agree with ___ and would like to add ___.

• I understand what ___ means, but I think ___ instead.

Say: I’ll model how to begin the discussion. I marked the sentence “Some people equate sustainability with a diminished standard of living, but the Indigenous people of the coastal old-growth forests were among the wealthiest in the world” with a P because it shows the author’s perspective that sustainability leads to abundance, not scarcity (p. 238).

Invite one student to respond to the model or share their own annotation to begin the discussion. Allow students to discuss for 5–6 minutes. Then switch roles so the outer circle becomes the inner circle.

Use the following questions as needed to guide discussion. Prioritize 1–2 questions per text and the final synthesis question. Encourage students to use the words prosperity and stability.

“Old-Growth Children” Questions:

• Ask: What connection does Kimmerer establish in the first paragraph of Excerpt A? How does she structure the paragraph to develop that connection? What point of view is implied?

  • She connects the health and prosperity of the old-growth forest with the cultures that lived within that forest. She uses a comparison-and-contrast structure, with transitional words and phrases: “Just as . . . , so . . .” She also uses cause and effect when she writes “With use and care . . . flowered in their midst.” Kimmerer clearly respects the forest and the “old-growth” cultures that lived there and depended on it. She uses words like wise use and care and describes their wealth as “A direct reflection of the generosity of the land to the people.” She notes that the forest taught them a lesson about sharing and “the people learned.” (pp. 238–239) This relationship resulted in the culture’s stability.

• Ask: How does Kimmerer convey her perspective in Excerpt B? Is she hopeful?

  • Kimmerer shares a quote from Franz that states, “An element of reciprocity is the rule here,” which is a key concept that Kimmerer develops across the book. In the second paragraph of the excerpt, she connects the land and the culture by explaining that reciprocity between the two leads to a “world, whole and healed.” She begins with the key concept, presented in Franz’s words, and then shares her own reflections on the relationship between land and people. She is hopeful and expresses it by explaining that Franz was “right” (p. 247).

“Windigo Footprints” Questions:

• Ask: What values does the Windigo represent, and what connection does Kimmerer establish in these paragraphs?

  • The Windigo represents the fears of the people. The values of community, sharing, and consideration for others can be inferred based on their contrast to the Windigo’s qualities. Kimmerer shows this by explaining that Windigo is “born of our fears and our failings.” She notes that Windigo names “that within us that cares more for its own survival than for anything else.” Kimmerer establishes the connection between the dark side of human nature and Windigo. She uses this connection to develop the idea that we all have a darkness and greed inside us that we need to acknowledge. (p. 253) The Windigo represents human greed and overconsumption. Kimmerer connects the story to modern environmental destruction, showing that this “hunger” still exists in society (p. 253).

• Ask: What point of view does Kimmerer express in Excerpt D, and how does she develop it?

  • Kimmerer expresses her dislike of and dismay at the Windigo Footprints that appear everywhere. She connects pollution (“industrial sludge of Onondaga Lake”), clear-cutting, mining, and drilling for oil to the Windigo. She directly states her point of view when she writes, “They are the tracks of insatiable consumption.” She uses multiple examples to support her main idea and chooses her words carefully (e.g., savagely, insatiable, problem, fake, compulsive overconsumption, wasteful lifestyles) to express her repulsion at the current state of “Windigo economics” that creates our “consumption-driven mindset” (pp. 254–255). Kimmerer criticizes overconsumption and “Windigo economics.” She uses vivid examples (pollution, mining, waste) and strong word choices like “insatiable” to show her concern about environmental harm (pp. 254–255).

After the second group completes their part of the discussion, pose the following question to help the class analyze the connections between the key concepts in the two chapters.

• Ask: How do these two chapters work together to develop a shared message about human responsibility to the natural world?

  • “Old-Growth Children” shows how reciprocity with the land leads to prosperity and stability, while “Windigo Footprints” shows how greed destroys that balance. Together, they show that human choices determine whether ecosystems thrive or collapse. In “Old-Growth Children,” Kimmerer describes how precious old-growth forests are and how they provided so much prosperity and stability to people when they were managed well. The chapter also includes a story about how a single man was able to heal himself and the earth by “restoring the land” (p. 247). “In Windigo Footprints,” Kimmerer uses the Windigo story as a symbol for the greed that destroys old-growth forests, other ecosystems, and the human spirit. Kimmerer shows her hope for land restoration in “Old-Growth Children” by exploring how “wise use” of resources and reciprocity with the land can lead to a hopeful outcome for the human race and for Mother Earth. In contrast, “Windigo Footprints” shows the greed or “insatiable consumption” that has taken over our society and damaged the human spirit and, in turn, Mother Earth (p. 254). Both chapters convey the key concept that reciprocity, respect, and community are to be valued and practiced. Without those, we will be isolated, and Mother Earth will be forever damaged.

Transition students into reflecting on their learning from the lesson by completing a Quick Write response.

Quick Write

• Say these Directions: Identify one example of balance or imbalance in nature from this lesson’s reading and analysis. In two or three sentences, explain what the example is. How does it show balance or imbalance?

  • Kimmerer shows an imbalance when she describes how clear-cutting forests disrupts ecosystems. She explains that “after land is clear-cut, everything changes” (p. 241), showing how removing trees damages the balance of the environment. In contrast, earlier practices of using resources with care reflect a more balanced relationship between people and the land.

Instruct students to read “People of Corn, People of Light” and “Shkitagen: The People of the Seventh Fire” (pp. 257–282) in Braiding Sweetgrass and to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• Annotate two or three moments where you see examples of prosperity and stability or their absence in human relationships with nature.