Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

What changes in Western society would Kimmerer like to see happen? How would each change improve human life? Would there be drawbacks to these changes, and if so, does Kimmerer acknowledge these? How realistic is the argument for change that Kimmerer advances in Braiding Sweetgrass?

Teaching Suggestion: Students will probably be quick to suggest some of the larger and more abstract ideas that Kimmerer has about needed changes in Western society. You might challenge them to also find more concrete and detailed suggestions that Kimmerer offers before allowing them to move on to a discussion of how these changes would improve people’s lives. If they object that these changes would not improve people’s lives, remind them that at this point, they are still trying to express their understanding of Kimmerer’s ideas—later in the prompt, they will have the opportunity to critique Kimmerer’s ideas. During the final section of the prompt, students who share Kimmerer’s perspective may resist critiquing her argument. You can remind them that they can share Kimmerer’s worldview and still think critically about how well she constructs her argument.

Differentiation Suggestion: The prompt is deliberately broad so that it functions as a general overview of the text—but this may present issues for English language learners, students with dyslexia, and those with attentional and executive function issues.