The Hatchet

THE Hatchet by Gary Paulsen 

What we will do – step by step

SB

We read Hatchet from the beginning to the end of chapter 2.  Do not read ahead! All the way through, you think-write: you write to find out what you think. When you use the book, always write the page number.

Step 1

Alone, then groups of 3

Sheet 1

The Survival Challenge

• Read the situation. Choose your top five things and write because for each one.
• In your group: agree on one shared top five. Keep the sheet – you need it later.

Step 2

Groups of 3

Sheet 2

Let's talk! – before we read

• Pick a card, read it aloud and start the talk. Everybody talks. Listen, ask follow-up questions and give examples.
• Speak English all the time. Use the useful phrases. Act as if it is the National Exams.

Step 3

Alone

Sheets 3 and 4

Think-write while we read

• We read chapters 1 and 2. Sometimes I read aloud, sometimes you read in your group.
• At every STOP, write for 3–5 minutes without stopping. Then tell a partner what you wrote.

Step 4

Pairs

Sheet 5

Write together

• Two voices in the cockpit: one of you is the pilot, the other is Brian.
• Mayday! Write the radio call. Then act it out – back to back.

Step 5

Groups of 3

Sheets 6 and 7

Brian and the people around him

• It is okay to help each other, but write individually.
• Sheet 6 – Meet Brian: find proof for each box, use a trait word, then write Claim – Evidence – Explanation.
• Sheet 7 – the pilot, Mum, Dad and the hatchet: answer the questions on each card, with page numbers.

Step 6

Whole class

Sheet 8

ACR questions (author - centric- reading)

• Think alone. Talk to a partner. Share with the class. Then write your answer.
• There is no single right answer but you must show proof from the book.

Step 7

Alone

Sheets 9–12

Final task – Wanted: Chapter 3

• Chapter 3 is missing. You write it with Paulsen's own tools. Then write an author's note: why you wrote it like that, and what you would have done.
• A partner edits your text. You improve it and read your opening to your group. Then I read the real chapter 3 aloud.

What is think-writing?

Writing to find out what you think – not to show what you know. Keep your pen moving. Don't erase, don't worry about spelling. If you get stuck, write I wonder… and keep going.

Before you hand in

☐ Name on every sheet

☐ Page numbers
☐ Full sentences 

☐ I explained why, not only what

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · Instructions

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Before reading · Alone, then groups of 3

The Survival Challenge

Name ____________ Class ____

You are 13 years old. You are completely alone somewhere in the Canadian wilderness. There are no roads, no houses and no phone signal. Nobody knows exactly where you are. You can keep five of these things.

Think first

Choose alone. Then talk in your group and agree on one list.

a hatcheta mobile phone (no signal)a box of matchesa sleeping bagfishing line and hooksa Big Mac & co a map of Swedena first aid kitten chocolate barsa plastic tarpan empty water bottlea pocket mirror, 20 metres of ropeyour favourite book

1My top five

#	I choose…	…because
1
2
3
4
5

2Our group's top five

I think we should take… / I see your point, but… / … is more useful than … because…

Think-write · 5 minutes

Which thing would you never leave behind? Did you change your mind about anything in the group – why?

Agree or disagree?

Tick now. We come back to this after chapter 2.

	A	D
A 13-year-old could survive alone in the wild for weeks.
In an emergency you should stay calm before you do anything.
Keeping a secret can hurt more than telling the truth.
Adults always know what to do in a crisis.

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 1

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Before reading · Speaking · Groups of 3

Let's talk!

Group ___________

1Start: tell each other your top five from Sheet 1. What did you choose first  and why?

2Take turns to pick a card and read it aloud. Remember linking words and give reasons.

3The reader starts. The others respond and ask follow-up questions.

4Give examples from real life, films, games or books you know.

1

Survival

Could a 13-year-old survive alone in the wild for weeks? What would matter most – things, knowledge or a strong mind?

Follow-up: What do you know how to do that could keep you alive?

2

Secrets

Can keeping a secret hurt more than telling the truth? Is it ever right to keep a secret about someone in your own family?

Follow-up: Who carries the heaviest weight – the one who knows, or the one who doesn't?

3

Panic

Is it really possible to stay calm in an emergency? What helps people think clearly when everything goes wrong?

Follow-up: Have you ever had to stay calm when you were scared?

4

Tools

Can one tool be more important than a lot of things? Our book is called Hatchet. Why might an author name a whole book after a tool?

Follow-up: What one thing would you want with you – and why?

5

Adults & children

Do adults always know what to do in a crisis? What happens when a child suddenly has to take an adult's place?

Follow-up: When did you last have to act more grown-up than you felt?

Useful phrases

Give your opinion: I think… / In my opinion… / I'm not sure, but…

Give an example: For example… / This reminds me of…

Agree / disagree: I agree, because… / I see what you mean, but…

Bring others in: What do you think, …? / Why do you say that?

Predict: I think the book will be about… because…

★ After the talk – think-write · 3 minutes

Which card started the best discussion in your group? What do you now think the book will be about?

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 2

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Chapter 1 · Think-write · Alone

Think-write: chapter 1

Name ____________ Class ____

At every STOP, close the book and write for 3–5 minutes. Keep your pen moving. Then tell a partner one thing you wrote. Start like this: I think… / I feel… because… / If I were Brian, I would… / I wonder why…

På svenska

bush plane – litet propellerplan
hatchet – handyxa
divorce – skilsmässa
heart attack – hjärtinfarkt
rudder pedals – roderpedaler

STOP 1The pilot lets Brian fly the plane. Would you want to try? How does Brian feel and how do you know?

STOP 2Brian thinks about the Secret. Have you ever had to keep something to yourself? How did it feel? (You don't have to say what it was.)

STOP 3Describe the hatchet. Why do you think Brian's mother chose that present and why does Brian think it is a bit silly?

STOP 4The pilot is in pain. Write Brian's thoughts the second he understands he is alone. Start: I can't…

★ Go further

Read your four think-writes again. Underline the sentence that surprised you the most. Why do you think you wrote it?

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 3

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Chapter 2 · Think-write · Alone

Think-write: chapter 2

Name ____________ Class ____

Brian is alone in the sky. We read until the fuel runs out and Brian steers towards the lake then we STOP. Close the book. Don't read on – not even one page. What happens next is your job.

På svenska

fuel – bränsle
altitude – flyghöjd
transmitter – sändare
to panic – få panik
wilderness – vildmark

STOP 5Brian tries the radio. You have ten seconds. What would you say? Who could hear you?

STOP 6The voice disappears and the plane flies on. Three words that describe Brian now  and one sentence about each.

1

2

3

I wonder…

One question you have about the story.

I predict…

When the plane hits the lake, I think… because…

Before and now

Look at Agree or disagree? on Sheet 1. Did you change your mind about anything?

Before I thought… but now I think… because…

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 4

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Writing · Pairs

Write together

Names _____________________

Write together on one sheet. Take turns writing. Talk before you write: What if we write…? Does that sound right? Maybe Brian would say… instead. Both of you must be able to read the text aloud.

Read it aloud

Read A to another pair. Act out B back to back – like a real radio call.

ATwo voices in the cockpit

Start when the pilot lets Brian fly. Stop when the pilot first feels ill. One line each – at least eight lines.

PILOT

BRIAN

PILOT

BRIAN

PILOT

BRIAN

PILOT

BRIAN

BMayday!

Brian doesn't know where he is or how to fly. What must he say? What does the person on the ground ask?

BRIAN

RADIO

BRIAN

RADIO

BRIAN

RADIO

BRIAN

RADIO

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 5

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Characters · Groups of 3

Meet Brian

Name ____________ Class ____

Brian Robeson is 13. His parents have just divorced, and he is flying to his father in northern Canada. The story follows his thoughts. What kind of person is he? Use only chapters 1–2 – no spoilers!

Use your think-writes
Sheets 3 and 4 are full of ideas. Look there first.

1Five ways the author helps us get to know Brian

How?	Evidence from the text (page)	This shows that Brian is…
Says What does he say to the pilot – or on the radio?
Does What does he do when he is alone in the plane?
Thinks & feels What does he remember, fear and hope?
Carries What does he have with him – and what does he carry inside?
Others react How do the pilot and his mother treat him?

Trait words = words that describe what a person is like: angrybraveconfusedlonelystubbornquietdesperatecleverscaredhurtdeterminedloyal

2Describe Brian in a C-E-E paragraph

Choose the trait you think matters most. Claim – Evidence (page) – Explanation.

★ Go further

Is Brian brave, lucky or just desperate? Choose one and argue for it on the back.

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 6

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Characters · Groups of 3

The people around Brian

Name ____________ Class ____

Remember: we only know what Brian sees, remembers and feels. Fill in each card with evidence from chapters 1–2.

P

The pilot

First met on page ____

What is he like? What does he let Brian do?

What signs show something is wrong – before it happens?

Why do you think we learn so little about him?

M

Brian's mother

First mentioned on page ____

What happens at the airport?

How does Brian feel about her – and why?

Three trait words + page

F

Brian's father

First mentioned on page ____

Where is he, and why is Brian going there?

Should Brian tell him the Secret? Why or why not?

H

The hatchet

First described on page ____

What does it look like, and where does Brian wear it?

The book is named after it. What does that tell you?

★ Go further: the Secret

Brian carries a secret that nobody else knows. Is it fair that he carries it alone? How does it change the way he sees his mother? Motivate your opinions.

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 7

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Whole class

ACR questions

Name ____________ Class ____

Author Centric Reading means asking why the author made a choice. There is no single right answer, but every answer needs evidence from chapters 1–2 – write the page number in brackets.

Whole class
1 Think alone  2 Talk to a partner
3 Share with the class  4 Write

1

ACR · Foreshadowing

Why does the author make sure we notice the hatchet in chapter 1 – long before anything dangerous happens? What does he want us to expect?

Start like this: I think the author shows us the hatchet early because… On page __ Brian thinks… This makes me expect that…

2

ACR · Structure

Why does Paulsen give Brian a moment of hope on the radio – and then take it away? How does that change the way we read the rest of chapter 2?

Start like this: When the voice on the radio answers, I feel… When it disappears… I think the author does this because…

3

ACR · Narrator

We hear about the Secret in small pieces, never all at once. Why do you think the author lets Brian's memories come back in fragments while he is in the plane?

Start like this: The Secret comes back to Brian when… (p. __). By giving it to us in pieces, the author…

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 8

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Final task · Your mission

Wanted: Chapter 3

Name ____________ Class ____

Bad news from the publisher: chapter 3 of Hatchet has disappeared. The plane is about to hit the lake and the story just stops. You are going to write the missing chapter. When everyone is done, I read Paulsen's real chapter 3 aloud. Whose chapter comes closest? Whose is more exciting?

The deal

Chapter 3: 300–500 words
Author's note: about 100 words
Plan on Sheet 10 – write on Sheets 11 and 12.

1The editor's rules

	Your chapter must…
☐	start the second the plane hits the water. No warm-up. Throw the reader straight in.
☐	leave Brian alone. Nobody comes to save him – not in your chapter.
☐	use the hatchet. It is in the title. It has to matter – or be lost in a way that hurts.
☐	use at least three moves from the toolkit below. Mark them in the margin: S, M, 5, I, ↺.
☐	end on a hook. The reader must be desperate to read chapter 4.

2Steal like a writer – Paulsen's toolkit

S · Short. Sharp. Sentences.

When panic hits, cut the sentence. Water. Everywhere. Cold.

M · Slow motion

Stretch two seconds into a whole paragraph. Every tiny detail – the crack of glass, one bubble.

5 · All five senses

What does the lake taste like? What does the cockpit smell like now? What does Brian hear under water?

I · Thoughts in italics

Brian talks to himself inside his head. Get out. Get out now. Breathe later.

↺ · The Secret comes back

At the worst possible moment, a memory breaks in. Why now? That is what makes the reader feel Brian is real.

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 9

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Final task · Plan

Storyboard your chapter

Name ____________ Class ____

Plan in keywords, not sentences. Think like a film director: where is the camera, and what does Brian see, hear, feel and think in each moment? You can change the order – but every box needs something.

Use what you have
Your think-writes (Sheets 3–4), your top five (Sheet 1) and your notes on Brian (Sheet 6).

Moment	What happens	Sees · hears · feels · thinks	Move
1 Impact The second the plane hits
2 Under water Trapped? Seat belt? Light?
3 Getting out What does it cost him?
4 The shore Where does he end up?
5 The hook The last thing the reader sees

★Your first line

The first line decides if anyone reads on. Choose one of these, change it – or beat it.

• The lake came up to meet him like a wall.
• There was no sound at all – and then there was every sound.
• Afterwards, Brian could never remember the moment the plane hit the water.

Think-write · 3 minutes

You are Brian, in the cold water. What is the one thing you want more than anything? Write fast – this is your chapter's heartbeat.

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 10

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Final task · Write · Hand in

Chapter 3 (DigiExam)

1Start the second the plane hits the water.

2Brian is alone. The hatchet matters.

3Three toolkit moves – mark them in the margin.

4End on a hook. 300–500 words.

Title of my chapter: _____________________________________

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 11

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · Final task · Reflect · Hand in

Author's note

Now you are the author so now we ask the ACR questions about your text. Real writers explain their choices. Write a note to your reader (about 100 words).

Start like this
Dear reader, In my chapter I chose to… because… If I had been Brian, I would have…

1Why did I write it like this?

Explain two choices you made – a toolkit move, the hatchet, the ending… What did you want the reader to feel?

2And me – what would I have done?

From the moment the pilot got ill to your last line. Would you have done the same as Brian? Be honest – and give reasons.

3Editor's notes

Swap texts with a partner. Your partner is your editor and marks your chapter with these symbols. Then you improve your text.

★ I felt it

The line I felt the most:

? I got lost

Here I didn't follow:

⚡ Sharper!

This could hit harder if…

Editor's name: ____________________

The reveal

When everyone has handed in, I read Paulsen's real chapter 3 aloud. Listen for his choices. What did he do that you did too? What did you do that he didn't?

© Sara Bruun · sarabruun.seHatchet · 12

HERE ARE ALL THE WORKSHEETS! Print or Download for free! The Hatchet - worksheets