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Lesson 10: Braiding Sweetgrass, “Wisgaak Gokpenagen: A Black Ash Basket”

50 min

California CCSS: Focus Standards

California CCSS: Supporting Standards

ELD Standards

Student Lesson

Lesson 10: Braiding Sweetgrass, “Wisgaak Gokpenagen: A Black Ash Basket”

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Student Learning Objectives

Content

Students will read and analyze the chapter “Wisgaak Gokpenagen: A Black Ash Basket” and discuss how Kimmerer’s description of the basket-making process further develops central ideas in her text.

Language

Students will paraphrase Kimmerer’s ideas and use those details to clearly explain, in discussion, how she connects the physical process of basket making to deeper spiritual and ethical meanings.

Foundational Skills

Students will use morpheme analysis to determine the meaning of the target vocabulary word vigorous.

Essential Question

What does it mean to live responsibly within natural systems?

Connections to

Knowledge-Building:

Students explore ash trees and the relationships that Indigenous basket makers have with them as an example of how living systems model reciprocity and balance.

Enduring Understanding:

Students analyze the author’s central ideas, told and explained through the process of basket making, to explore the idea that reciprocity is not only an ecological principle but an ethical one.

Future Lessons:

Students will continue to discuss the idea of reciprocity in Lesson 11. Students will examine spoken arguments in Lesson 12.

Unit Performance Task:

Students examine more examples of the concept of reciprocity and gratitude, which they will use to fuel their research during the performance task.

Lesson Pacing

Lesson Flow	Purpose of Learning Experience
Launch5 Minutes	Students will engage in a Retell & Paraphrase Partner Check, sharing annotations they made for homework and comparing each other’s paraphrases to their own understanding of the chapter.
Literacy Lab10 Minutes	Students will use morphology to find the meaning of the target vocabulary word vigorous.
Learning in Action30 Minutes	Part A: Partner Discussion: “Wisgaak Gokpenagen: A Black Ash Basket” (RI.8.3, L.8.5.a) Students will analyze the chapter by discussing text-dependent questions. Part B: Analyzing a Central Idea (RI.8.2, RI.8.3, RI.8.4) Students will analyze the central ideas that Kimmerer further develops in this chapter of the text.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary Addressed in Lesson

vigorous: full of life

Vocabulary for Additional Support

symbiosis: the living together of two dissimilar organisms

Material List

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer, adapted by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
Unit 3 Lesson 10 Student Edition
Flowchart graphic organizer

Routines

Retell & Paraphrase Partner Check
Introduce New Words Using Morphology
Turn-and-Talk
Collaborative Idea Board
Quick Write

Lesson Sequence

Introduce New Words Using Morphology

Target Word: vigorous

Say these Directions: We’re learning about the word vigorous today. It shows up in Braiding Sweetgrass to describe the type of trees used to make baskets. Let’s explore this word more deeply.

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

Ask: Have you seen this word before? Where?

Identify the Root: Underline the root vig in vigorous, and let students know that the root is also written as veg. Explain that veg comes from Latin and means “alive” or “active.”

Ask: Do you know any other words with this root? (vigor, vegetable)

Address Possible Misconception: The word vegetable comes from the same Latin root meaning “full of life.” Confusingly, sometimes words like vegetate or vegetable are used in English to describe someone who is extremely inactive, which is the opposite of the root word’s meaning.

Identify the Affix: Circle -ous in vigorous. Explain that -ous means “full of.”

Ask: What are some other words that use the suffix -ous to mean “full of”?
- curious, nervous, famous

Determine Meaning:

Ask: Using what we know about the root and suffix vig and -ous, what do you think the word vigorous means?
- full of life or activity

Build Word Relationships: Write vigor next to vigorous.

Ask: What is the relationship between vigor and vigorous?
- Someone or something is vigorous if they are filled with vigor, which means they have a lot of life, activity, or energy.
Ask: Why does Kimmerer describe the ash tree as vigorous rather than just healthy or

strong? What does vigorous suggest about the tree that a simpler word would not?

Vigorous implies the tree is full of active, abundant life, not just alive, but thriving. This word choice personifies the tree as a being with energy and vitality, which makes harvesting it feel more significant. If she just said “healthy tree,” you wouldn’t feel the weight of what is being taken.
Say: Notice how Kimmerer’s word choice shapes how we see the tree. This is something we’ll pay attention to throughout today’s reading: Where does her language shift from describing a process to describing a relationship with a living being?

Check for Understanding
Add the word vigorous to your Personal Dictionary, underline the root, and circle the suffix. Then write the definition of the word and each focus morpheme.

Connection to Today’s Learning

Say: Understanding vocabulary like vigorous will help you read today’s reading with fluency and precision. The author uses the word to describe plant life in a way that supports her themes of gratitude and reciprocity toward nature.

Part A: Partner Discussion: “Wisgaak Gokpenagen: A Black Ash Basket” (RI.8.3, L.8.5.a) (15 minutes)

Transition students into pairs to analyze key sections of the Braiding Sweetgrass chapter “Wisgaak Gokpenagen: A Black Ash Basket.”

Instruct students to take out their copies of Braiding Sweetgrass and display the questions shown below. Explain to students that they will do a paired discussion with their partner by skimming the chapter and using their annotations to discuss the questions.

Turn-and-Talk

Say these Directions: Skim the Braiding Sweetgrass chapter “Wisgaak Gokpenagen: A Black Ash Basket” with your partner to discuss the answers to the questions below. Reread excerpts of the chapter as needed, discuss the questions, and be prepared to share your thoughts in a whole-class discussion.

What are the specific steps Kimmerer describes in harvesting and preparing the black ash for basket making?
- She describes identifying a good, vigorous tree, asking the tree for “permission for harvest,” harvesting it, scaling away the bark, pounding the log, and cutting it apart using the “splitter” in order to prepare the “splints” (pp. 120–124).
How does Kimmerer shift from describing the physical process to reflecting on its spiritual meaning?
- She describes how the teacher, John Pigeon, integrates the spiritual meaning of the basket making as he leads the physical process with his fellow basket makers. He talks about the tree as having had a life, similar to human existence. For example, he says, “A splint fallen on the ground is a whole year of that tree’s life and you’re about to step on it, bend it, grind it into the dirt?” (p. 125). Also, while laying out the first two strips of wood to form a cross, John Pigeon relates the cross to “the four directions” and the balance humans are trying to find. He says that is “what we build on” as humans, and “that’s why we start like that” with the basket making (p. 125).
Where does Kimmerer use personification to describe the trees or the basket-making materials? What does this personification suggest about how she views the relationship between the basket maker and the tree?
- Kimmerer personifies the tree when she writes about John saying the tree “gave its life for this basket” (p. 126). This personification suggests that the tree is not just a material but almost humanlike and that its existence matters. It is a being that made a sacrifice. By describing the tree this way, Kimmerer argues that the basket maker has an ethical responsibility to honor that sacrifice by “mak[ing] something beautiful” (p. 126), as John suggests.
How does Kimmerer use “the lessons of the three rows” (p. 126) to further develop a central idea about reciprocity?
- She suggests that the basket maker needs to understand and respect the resources and effort that go into making the basket, which is “ecological well-being,” as well as understand that they have to honor the “materials as if they were a gift” and then reciprocate that gift by using the basket for a “worthy” purpose. She is saying that “human needs” are only one row in the basket and that to make “a whole basket,” we need an equal relationship between living creatures, which is the basis of reciprocity (pp. 126–127).

Circulate through the room as students work, asking pairs to briefly share their answers.

PURPOSE

Support students in using oral discussion to explain how Kimmerer connects the physical process of basket making to spiritual and ethical meaning.

SAY / ASK

Encourage students to begin by naming the text section or moment they are discussing before giving their explanation.

Prompt students to move from retelling the process to analyzing what Kimmerer’s language suggests about reciprocity, respect, and personification.

Remind students to use the word vigorous when it helps clarify how Kimmerer presents the ash tree as a living being.

“She tells the steps.” → “Kimmerer first describes the basket making steps and then connects them to a deeper ethical meaning.”

“The tree is like a person.” → “Kimmerer uses personification to present the tree as a living being whose life deserves respect.”

In the part where Kimmerer describes ___, she shows ___.

Kimmerer shifts from the physical process to spiritual meaning when ___.

This example of personification suggests that ___.

The word vigorous helps develop the idea that ___.

Invite partners to rehearse their responses quietly before sharing with the class so they can refine vocabulary and ideas.

Value students’ experiences with making, building, or caring for objects as a bridge to understanding why Kimmerer connects process with responsibility.

WATCH FOR / SUPPORT IF NEEDED

If students only summarize events → Prompt: “What does this step in the process make Kimmerer realize or argue?”

If students struggle to identify personification → Prompt: “Where does the tree seem to be treated like more than a material?”

If students give evidence without explanation → Prompt: “What does that detail suggest about the relationship between the basket maker and the tree?”

Students refer to a specific moment from the chapter during discussion.

Students explain a connection between basket-making steps and a larger idea such as reciprocity or gratitude.

Students use academic language such as personification, vigorous, relationship, or reciprocity to clarify thinking.

Situation	Try this
Struggling with: Skimming and rereading	Model how to skim for a key word or idea and then reread the surrounding paragraph closely. Ex. “I’m looking for where she connects basket making to a relationship, so I’m going to skim until I find a phrase about reciprocity or relations. Here on p. 127, she says the third layer is ‘All Our Relations,’ so now I’m going to reread a few paragraphs before and after that section.” Direct students to mark one step in the process and one sentence about meaning so they can see the shift from process to reflection more clearly.
Struggling with: Participating in partner discussions	Give students sentence frames they can use to share ideas or build on the ideas of others. Ex. “In the part where Kimmerer describes ___, I noticed ___.” “This detail suggests ___ because ___.” “I agree with [name] because ___, and I want to add ___.” Allow students to first rehearse their answer orally with the teacher or record a brief oral response before sharing with a partner if writing or processing language in the moment is challenging.
Ready for extension: Analyzing Kimmerer’s shift in meaning	Ask: At what point does the chapter begin to feel less like instructions and more like an ethical lesson? What language creates that shift? The shift happens when John Pigeon starts talking about the tree as if it has given part of its life, and when the lesson moves to the “three rows” (p. 126). That language changes the chapter from just explaining how to make a basket to explaining how to respect what the basket comes from.

Part B: Analyzing a Central Idea (RI.8.2, RI.8.4) (15 minutes)

Display a partially filled copy of the Flowchart graphic organizer that is large enough for the whole class to see. The parts of the flowchart that should be completed are what have been discussed previously, including the following sections of the chapter: the introduction, “Black Ash,” and “Basket-Making Class.” Students will now analyze the last two sections of the chapter, “Revitalization of Land and Basket Making” and “Heightened Awareness,” on pp. 128–131 to complete the last part of the flowchart.

Say these Directions: Now we’ll discuss how Kimmerer uses the process of basket making to further develop a central idea in the text. I’ve started our flowchart based on the first three sections of the chapter we previously analyzed. Let’s review those notes together and then focus on the last two sections of the chapter and the central ideas that Kimmerer develops.

Collaborative Idea Board

Transition students into small groups.

Say these Directions: Work with your group to complete the last section of the flowchart by summarizing Kimmerer’s ideas in the chapter sections “Revitalization of Land and Basket Making” and “Heightened Awareness” (pp. 128–131).

After you have summarized the last two sections of the chapter, discuss the central ideas that Kimmerer is developing in this chapter and record them at the bottom of the flowchart.

Remind students that they should paraphrase Kimmerer’s ideas in their own words and be sure to summarize instead of writing every single detail.

Use the following questions to guide your discussion.

What central ideas does Kimmerer further develop in this chapter?
- One central idea that she further develops is that there is reciprocity between the tree and basket maker. She points out that there is “a symbiosis between harvesters and harvested,” meaning there is a reciprocal relationship between the tree and the basket maker (p. 128). She also develops the central idea of reciprocity when she describes how the teacher emphasizes the importance of choosing “the right tree,” not taking more than you need, and understanding the value of what is given (p. 120). Her description shows that understanding where the wood for the baskets comes from, respecting what you take from the forest to make the baskets, and feeling gratitude for it inspires you to reciprocate by making a “beautiful” basket (p. 126). She also develops the central idea of gratitude when she talks about the objects in her home and she remembers John Pigeon saying, “Slow down—it’s thirty years of a tree’s life you’ve got in your hands there. Don’t you owe it a few minutes to think about what you’ll do with it?” (p. 131), demonstrating that we need to be grateful for what the earth provides us.
Recall the word vigorous from your work during the Literacy Lab. Where does Kimmerer use it, and how does that word choice help her further develop a central idea?
- She uses the word to describe a healthy ash tree that is perfect for making baskets: “the crown full and vigorous, a healthy tree” (p. 120). The word choice further develops her central ideas about gratitude and reciprocity because it shows that you’re taking a life when you cut down a tree to make a basket, and that means you have to show it respect and gratitude and try to reciprocate the life it gave you by making something beautiful.

Situation	Try this
Struggling with: Summarizing section ideas on the flowchart	Model how to turn a longer passage into a short paraphrase by asking, “What is the main idea Kimmerer explains here? What detail proves it?” Have students write one short note per box first and then revise it into a fuller summary sentence with a partner.
Struggling with: Determining central ideas	Prompt students to use the frame: “Kimmerer shows that ___ by describing ___.” This helps students move from a topic like “trees” or “basket making” to a central idea about reciprocity, gratitude, or ethical responsibility. Point students back to earlier boxes in the flowchart, and ask which idea keeps repeating across the chapter.

PURPOSE

Support students in paraphrasing Kimmerer’s ideas from the final sections of the chapter and using those details to state central ideas clearly.

SAY / ASK

Prompt students to summarize each section in their own words before naming a central idea.

Encourage students to connect section details across the flowchart so they see how Kimmerer develops ideas over the whole chapter, not just in one paragraph.

Remind students to use precise terms such as reciprocity, gratitude, symbiosis, and vigorous as they discuss and record their thinking.

“It’s about respecting trees.” → “A central idea is that harvesting from nature creates an ethical responsibility to show respect and gratitude.”

“She talks about baskets and trees working together.” → “Kimmerer develops the idea of reciprocity by describing a symbiotic relationship between basket makers and ash trees.”

In this section, Kimmerer explains that ___.

This detail helps develop the central idea that ___.

Across the chapter, Kimmerer shows ___ by describing ___.

The word vigorous matters because it suggests ___.

Encourage groups to discuss the meaning of a section together before writing so students can test ideas orally first.

Validate students’ background knowledge about making, using, or valuing handmade objects as a resource for understanding Kimmerer’s reflections on gratitude and purpose.

WATCH FOR / SUPPORT IF NEEDED

If students copy details without paraphrasing → Prompt: “How can you say that same idea in fewer words of your own?”

If students name a topic instead of a central idea → Prompt: “What is Kimmerer saying about that topic?”

If students mention one detail only → Prompt: “What earlier section of the flowchart connects to this idea too?”

Students paraphrase section ideas rather than copying directly from the text.

Students state a central idea as a full thought about what Kimmerer is saying.

Students connect a detail from the final sections to an earlier part of the chapter.

Pulse Check (RI.8.2, RI.8.4)
Which statement best explains how Kimmerer develops a central idea in this chapter? By listing the steps of basket making, she shows that basket making is mainly a skill people can master with enough practice. Incorrect: This choice focuses only on the physical process and misses how Kimmerer connects that process to gratitude, reciprocity, and ethical responsibility. By describing the ash tree as vigorous and the basket as a gift, she shows that taking from nature creates a responsibility to respond with respect and reciprocity. Correct: This answer captures both Kimmerer’s word choice and her larger central idea that harvesting from nature should lead to gratitude, care, and reciprocal action. By comparing handmade baskets to store-bought objects, she argues that handmade objects are always more useful than objects from a store. Incorrect: This distractor confuses value with usefulness. Kimmerer’s comparison emphasizes awareness, gratitude, and relationship, not simple usefulness. By explaining threats to ash trees, she proves that environmental damage can only be solved by experts. Incorrect: This choice overgeneralizes the section about threats and ignores the chapter’s emphasis on shared ethical responsibility and reciprocal relationships.

Pulse Check (RI.8.2, RI.8.4)

Which statement best explains how Kimmerer develops a central idea in this chapter?

By listing the steps of basket making, she shows that basket making is mainly a skill people can master with enough practice.
- Incorrect: This choice focuses only on the physical process and misses how Kimmerer connects that process to gratitude, reciprocity, and ethical responsibility.
By describing the ash tree as vigorous and the basket as a gift, she shows that taking from nature creates a responsibility to respond with respect and reciprocity.
- Correct: This answer captures both Kimmerer’s word choice and her larger central idea that harvesting from nature should lead to gratitude, care, and reciprocal action.
By comparing handmade baskets to store-bought objects, she argues that handmade objects are always more useful than objects from a store.
- Incorrect: This distractor confuses value with usefulness. Kimmerer’s comparison emphasizes awareness, gratitude, and relationship, not simple usefulness.
By explaining threats to ash trees, she proves that environmental damage can only be solved by experts.
- Incorrect: This choice overgeneralizes the section about threats and ignores the chapter’s emphasis on shared ethical responsibility and reciprocal relationships.

Check For Understanding

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Reflection
Reflect on your understanding of the central ideas that Kimmerer develops in this chapter using the Reflection routine. How confident are you in your ability to determine the central ideas that Kimmerer develops in this chapter?

Reflection

Reflect on your understanding of the central ideas that Kimmerer develops in this chapter using the Reflection routine.

How confident are you in your ability to determine the central ideas that Kimmerer develops in this chapter?

Lesson Materials

(1 total)

Flowchart244 KB

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Status updates

California CCSS: Focus Standards

California CCSS: Supporting Standards

ELD Standards

Student Learning Objectives

Essential Question

Connections to

Lesson Pacing

Vocabulary

Vocabulary Addressed in Lesson

Vocabulary for Additional Support

Lesson Sequence

Retell & Paraphrase Partner Check

Connection to Today’s Learning

Introduce New Words Using Morphology

🎯PURPOSE

🗣️SAY / ASK

👁️WATCH FOR / SUPPORT IF NEEDED

Check for Understanding

Part A: Partner Discussion: “Wisgaak Gokpenagen: A Black Ash Basket” (RI.8.3, L.8.5.a) (15 minutes)

Turn-and-Talk

🎯PURPOSE

🗣️SAY / ASK

👁️WATCH FOR / SUPPORT IF NEEDED

Part B: Analyzing a Central Idea (RI.8.2, RI.8.4) (15 minutes)

Collaborative Idea Board

🎯PURPOSE

🗣️SAY / ASK

👁️WATCH FOR / SUPPORT IF NEEDED

Pulse Check (RI.8.2, RI.8.4)

Reflection

Quick Write

Lesson Materials

PURPOSE

SAY / ASK

WATCH FOR / SUPPORT IF NEEDED

PURPOSE

SAY / ASK

WATCH FOR / SUPPORT IF NEEDED

PURPOSE

SAY / ASK

WATCH FOR / SUPPORT IF NEEDED