Lucreaty Clark, White Oak Basket Maker

White Oak Basket Making: From Tree to Basket
Teacher’s Guide

Background Information

Lucreaty Clark was born in 1904 in Jefferson County, Florida. She learned to make white oak baskets from her parents, who had learned from their parents. Originally, these sturdy baskets were used to hold cotton and carry vegetables from the plantation fields in north Florida. Through interviews and photographs, Clark shares the unique folklore and heritage of her life as she demonstrates the complete process of her basket making.

The interviews were conducted by the Florida Folklife Program in 1979 and 1980. The photographs were taken at the same time.

Some Useful Questions to Ask:

• How did Lucreaty Clark learn to make baskets?
• Why did she make the baskets?
• What year (approximately) did Clark learn to make these baskets?
• What did you learn about this time period?

Use to Illustrate:

• How white oak basket making conveys culture.

Next Generation Sunshine State Standards

Visual Arts

• VA.K.H.1.1:  Describe art from selected cultures and places.
• VA.1.H.1.1:  Discuss how different works of art communicate information about a particular culture.
• VA.2.H.1.1:  Identify examples in which artists have created works based on cultural and life experiences.
• VA.4.H.1.1:  Identify historical and cultural influences that have inspired artists to produce works of art.
• VA.4.H.1.3:  Describe artworks that honor and are reflective of particular individuals, groups, events, and/or cultures.
• VA.68.H.1.1:  Describe social, ecological, economic, religious, and/or political conditions reflected in works of art.
• VA.68.H.1.3:  Analyze and describe the significance of artwork from a selected group or culture to explain its importance to the population.
• VA.68.H.2.2:  Explain the impact artwork and utilitarian objects have on the human experience.
• VA.912.H.1.1:  Analyze the impact of social, ecological, economic, religious, and/or political issues on the function or meaning of the artwork.
• VA.912.H.1.10: Describe and analyze the characteristics of a culture and its people to create personal art reflecting daily life and/or the specified environment.

Economics

• SS.4.E.1.1: Identify entrepreneurs from various social and ethnic backgrounds who have influenced Florida and local economy.
• SS.5.E.1.2: Describe a market economy, and give examples of how the colonial and early American economy exhibited these characteristics.
• SS.7.E.1.5: Assess how profits, incentives, and competition motivate individuals, households, and businesses in a free market economy.

American History

• SS.4.A.1.1: Analyze primary and secondary resources to identify significant individuals and events throughout Florida history.
• SS.8.A.1.7: View historic events through the eyes of those who were there as shown in their art, writings, music, and artifacts.
• SS.912.A.6.15: Examine key events and peoples in Florida history as they relate to United States history.
• SS.912.A.7.17: Examine key events and key people in Florida history as they relate to United States history.

Florida Standards

• LAFS.K12.SL.1.2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
• LAFS.2.SL.1.2: Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
• LAFS.3.SL.1.2: Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
• LAFS.4.RI.3.7: Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
• LAFS.4.RL.3.7: Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.
• LAFS.4.RI.1.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• LAFS.4.RI.1.2: Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
• LAFS.4.RI.1.3: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
• LAFS.4.RI.1.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• LAFS.68.RH.1.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
• LAFS.68.RH.1.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
• LAFS.68.RH.2.6: Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
• LAFS.68.RH.3.7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
• LAFS.910.RH.1.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
• LAFS.910.RH.1.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
• LAFS.1112.RH.1.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
• LAFS.1112.RH.1.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.