Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Lesson plans and other teaching resources
Lesson includes reading a story, identifying elements of fiction, creating a project about survival, and making a PowerPoint presentation to demonstrate student comprehension. It was designed for special education students using a block schedule; it includes suggestions for adapting it to other situations.
Students will visualize how Brian feels when he crash lands on the deserted island at the beginning of the novel, Hatchet. This whole class period will be spent using prior knowledge of survival skills.
Students listen to passages from Hatchet, draw one of the images from the passage, and identify which details Paulsen uses to create these images.
Students will visualize how Brian Robeson will feel when he crash lands on the deserted island at the beginning of the novel, Hatchet. This whole class period will be spent using prior knowledge of survival skills. Designed for 6th grade.
How might students use storyboards to demonstrate and to extend their learning? Check the resources here. Includes essential questions, character maps, vocabulary, sequencing, literary devices, more. Note: Storyboard That helps sponsor this site.
Students add words to make a description more vivid.
After looking at the book's cover and listening to the opening scene, students predict what the book will be about.
Informational text on airplane safety and a followup quiz to check student learning.
Author biography, pre-reading activities, vocabulary, printable active reading guides, questions for analysis, extension activities. Organized by sections of the novel. 17 pages of resources for Hatchet, additional pages address related titles. Adobe Reader required.
This article by Cynthia G. Unwin and Brian Palmer offers chapter-by-chapter discussion questions and interdisciplinary activities.
Students will read excerpts from memoirs written by Paulsen as examples of how to write a narrative piece. Includes presentation rubric, printable for sensory details.
The writer will respond to the following questions: If you were stranded in a remote place, what important items would you want to have? How would you survive? What sort of plan would you come up with? The writer will then create an organized piece of writing that explains their survival plan. This lesson focuses on organization and word choice.
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Gary Paulsen
Links to lesson plans and teaching resources for other books by Paulsen.