Study Guide Questions For Hatchet
Hatchet Themes There are two main 'Hatchet' themes: Physical survival and Emotional/Mental survival Physical survival: After the plane crashes and Brian is alone in the wilderness with only his hatchet, he must survive until he can be rescued. This means he needs to fulfill his basic needs: hunger, thirst, and warmth (shelter). When you are reading 'Hatchet', ask yourself: What does Brian eat? How does he get food?
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What does Brian drink? Where does Brian find shelter? The answers to these questions will help you understand how Gary Paulsen writes about the theme of physical survival.
Brian also must protect himself from physical danger. For example, when a porcupine comes into the cave, he throws his hatchet at it to scare it away. What does he do when he comes up against larger animals?
How does he survive? What about his injuries? During this 'Hatchet' review, don't forget about the chapters when Brian learns to make fire.
This is a huge development in the novel to aid his physical survival. Why is it important for Brian to make fire?
How does he learn to do it with his hatchet and things he finds in the wilderness? Emotional/Mental survival: Brian's parents are divorced, and his mom is seeing someone else. Brian struggles with whether or not he should tell his dad.
With this struggle comes feelings of anger, sadness, and confusion. Even in the end of the story, after all he went through in the wilderness, he is still thinking about his parents' situation and what he should do about it. He sees his parents come together in their love for him, but he realizes that they will not get back together. 'Hatchet' by Gary Paulsen is about Brian's inner struggle over a life-changing event out of his control and his outer struggle to survive in the wilderness with only his hatchet. When you are doing a 'Hatchet' review, you also may want to consider these minor themes:.
Study Guide Questions For Hatchet
Man vs. Nature. Coming of age. Perseverance, determination, and positive thinking. Author's Purpose in Hatchet With this 'Hatchet' study guide, besides themes, you'll also want to consider the author's purpose when writing the book. Why did Gary Paulsen write this story? Remember, authors write for several reasons.
To entertain: Authors write to entertain their readers. They have a story that they feel will move their readers in some way. The story may be funny, sad, thrilling, scary, or mysterious. Most fiction books are written to entertain readers. This does not mean the writer doesn't have an important point to get across. To persuade: Writers often write persuasive pieces.
These can often be found in editorial sections of magazines and newspapers. With persuasive articles or stories, there may be a call to action.
The author is trying to persuade the reader to do something. To inform: Many non-fiction writers have this purpose in mind when they are writing. They want to inform their readers about a subject. With this 'Hatchet' study guide, it is probably easy for you to see what Gary Paulsen's purpose was. He wrot e this book to entertain middle-grade readers. He had an idea of a boy surviving in the wilderness with a hatchet and struggling with his parents' divorce. He thought this would make an entertaining novel, especially for boys.
Study Guide For Hatchet
Some people might argue that he also wrote this book to inform people how to survive in the wilderness. Although parts of 'Hatchet' do explain survival techniques, he did not write a survival guide.
If Paulsen's main purpose was to inform, then he would have written a non-fiction book about surviving in the wilderness. When you are trying to figure out author's purpose, it will help to see if the book is fiction or non-fiction. Most of the time, fiction books are written to entertain readers, and non-fiction books are written to inform people. Use this 'Hatchet' study guide to help you discuss themes and author's purpose during class while you are reading this great Gary Paulsen novel!
About the Book Hatchet appeals to most students and is exemplary in demonstrating how sensory details improve writing. The scene of the plane crash draws students in. Many of them have limited knowledge of what to do when someone has a heart attack, and the scene is purposely written in a confusing way to match the chaos of the moment. The drama can be magnified if the teacher reads this part of the novel aloud. Objectives Students will:. Preview the text and make predictions based on the cover of the book and the title.
Develop comprehension skills by visualizing the story while reading. Sequence events from the novel. Discuss the effects of the events from the story on the novel's hero, Brian. Read independently Materials. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, class set. Student journals. Writing paper.
Pencils Lesson Directions Step 1: Show students the cover of Hatchet. Depending on your level of learners, you may want to lead a think aloud about the cover or ask the students to consider it quietly. Step 2: Read the first few paragraphs of the story aloud to the class. Step 3: Have students write a paragraph or two of a predicted summary of the novel. Optional: A neat extension of this activity would be to have the students also write a statement of theme, as predicted from the exposure to the novel so far.
Step 4: Collect this writing to share with the students once the novel has been completely read. Step 5: As students read Hatchet, individually or in small groups, invite students to journal about what is read. Have them put themselves in Brian's shoes and evaluate how they would have handled each situation described in the story.
Step 6: Once all students have finished reading the book, hand back their predicted summaries from Step 3. Have students evaluate their predictions in small groups. After-Reading Activities.
The best thing teachers do at the end of a novel study is encourage students to read another book. Collect a stack of Gary Paulsen books, including Brian's Winter, another story with our hero. Have students preview these books. When I teach this novel, we use the additional books to go on a scavenger hunt for sensory details.
It's amazing how quickly students can find passages with sensory details in books they have never read. This is also a great small group activity. Invite survival experts to come speak to the class.
Find someone who can teach the students how to pitch a tent or create another type of shelter. Search for someone in the community that can show the students what is edible on their own playground or another green space. Lead a research activity on the signs that someone is having a heart attack and what to do about it. In other words, teach the students some of the skills Brian had to teach himself in the novel.