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Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother has given him as a present -- and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart ever since his parents' divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self-pity, or despair -- it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive. |
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The first reading book of the year will be Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. The students will be trained in the analysis of literature and will examine the structure of the story with a special focus on characterization. There will also be an emphasis on analyzing the author's style of writing. A set of comprehension sheets will accompany the story which will have the students practicing the skills of evaluating, summarizing, monitoring, self-questioning, thinking about words and predicting/inferring. Additionally, the skill of recognizing cause and effect will be threaded through the story. Vocabulary will be built on a weekly basis and a list of the vocabulary words can be found on this webpage. Also found on this webpage are guiding questions which will be used in regular discussion sessions.
And now, links to enhance the reading of Hatchet!
Animals in the book:
Birds~
 Kingfisher |
Nature Guide for Ruffed Grouse
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 Robin |
Mammals~
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The Striped Skunk with printout
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From the Water~
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The Snapping Turtle-with more photos!
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Plants in the book:
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Choke Cherries from The Tree Book
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The Airplane:
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| Chapter 1: | What will Brian do? |
| Chapter 2: | What emotions does Brian have throughout the chapter? |
| Chapter 3: | What's happened to Brian as the chapter ends? |
| Chapter 4: | Describe the setting that Brian is in and name the resources he has available to him. |
| Chapter 5: | Make a plan for what Brian should do. |
| Chapter 6: | Was Brian smart in what he did? |
| Chapter 7: | What dangers does Brian face? |
| Chapter 8: | How did the meeting with the porcupine turn out well? |
| Chapter 9: | How is fire Brian's friend? |
| Chapter 10: | What skills do you think Brian still needs to learn? |
| Chapter 11: | How is fire Brian's friend? |
| Chapter 12 | How is fire Brian's friend? |
| Chapter 13: | Brian is gaining confidence. Is there danger in gaining too much confidence? |
| Chapter 14: | How is fire Brian's friend? |
| Chapter 15: | Which of Brian's survival skills are the most important? |
| Chapter 16: | What does Brian think of his chance of survival? |
| Chapter 17: | Should Brian try to go into the airplane or not? |
| Chapter 18: | Can Brian survive here forever? |
| Chapter 19: | What do you think of the ending? |
Vocabulary will be chosen from the following words. It is not likely that all words will be used in the study of the book, but approximately 30 of them will.
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Chapter 1: drone, slewed, stout, gratitude |
Chapter 7: welled, receded, wuffling, rivulets |
Chapter 13: infuriating, exulted |
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Chapter 2: turbulence, cowling, altimeter, vague |
Chapter 8: none~ |
Chapter 14: rectify, corrosive |
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Chapter 3: wallow, wrenching |
Chapter 9: tinder, tendrils, smoldered, flue |
Chapter 15: none~ |
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Chapter 4: abated, remnants, hummocks, wincing |
Chapter 10: convulse |
Chapter 16: pitch |
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Chapter 5: murky, amphibious, asset |
Chapter 11: none~ |
Chapter 17: incessant, chipper, stymied |
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Chapter 6: pulverized, ruefully |
Chapter 12: tapered, hefted |
Chapter 18: eeled |
