Hatchet  By:  Gary  Paulsen  

 Created  by:  Danielle  Mueller  

 About  the  Author-­‐  Gary  Paulsen  is  an  American  writer  of  young  adult  literature,  best  known  for  his  stories  about  the  wilderness  and  coming  of  age.  Paulsen  ran  away  from  home  at  the  age  of  14,  and  had  a  difficult  childhood.  His  stories  are  woven  from  his  personal  experiences.  Hatchet,  now  regarded  as  a  modern-­‐day  classic,  won  him  the  Newbery  Honor  Award.    Summary-­‐  13-­‐year-­‐old  Brian  Robeson  is  on  his  way  to  

visit  his  father  when  the  tiny  bush  plane  he  is  on  crashes  in  the  Canadian  wilderness.  With  nothing  but  the  clothes  on  his  back  and  the    hatchet  his  mother  had  given  him  as  a  present,  Brian  not  only  has  to  learn  how  to  make  it  alone  in  the  wilderness,  but  he  must  also  learn  how  to  tame  his  inner  fear  and  despair  in  order  to  survive.    Major  Themes:  

• Survival  • Coming  of  Age  /  Maturation  • Man  vs.  Nature  • Man  vs.  Self  • Independence    • Perseverance    

 Table  of  Contents:    PAGE  #   ACTIVITY  2-­‐5   Charts  for  taking  notes  while  reading  6   Chart  for  new  vocabulary  words  7-­‐8   Discussion  questions  9   Important  quotes  10   Themes  11   Journal  activity  12   Connecting  to  my  life  activity  13   Comparing  Brian  and  myself  activity  14   Connections  to  outside  literature  and  authors  activity  15   Crossword  puzzle  activity  16   Crossword  clues  17   Answer  key  (for  teachers)  

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TAKING  NOTES  WHILE  READING…  One  of  the  most  important  aspects  to  being  a  close  reader  is  to  annotate!    As  you  read  through  the  chapters  take  notes  about  the  important  plot  

events  that  occur  during  Brian’s  journey.    

Ch.  1                

Ch.  2                

Ch.  3                

Ch.  4                  

Ch.  5            

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Ch.  6                

Ch.  7                

Ch.  8                

Ch.  9                

Ch.  10                    

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Ch.  11                

Ch.  12                

Ch.  13                  

Ch.  14                

Ch.  15                      

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Ch.  16                

Ch.  17                

Ch.  18                  

Ch.  19                  

Epilogue                    

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Vocabulary  While  reading,  it  is  important  to  keep  track  of  vocab  words  that  are  not  familiar  to  you.  If  you  come  across  a  word  you  don’t  know  while  reading,  write  it  in  the  table  below,  and  then  use  a  dictionary  to  define  the  word.  Next  time  you  run  into  that  

word,  you’ll  know  exactly  what  it  means!    

Vocab  Word   Definition      

   

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

   

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Discussion  Questions    

Chapters  1-­‐3:  • What  is  happening  between  Brian’s  parent’s?  Where  is  Brian  going  for  the  

summer?  • What  do  you  think  “the  secret”  could  be  about?  • Seeing  that  the  title  of  this  book  is  Hatchet,  and  a  hatchet  has  already  been  

introduced  to  us  in  the  story,  what  do  you  think  this  says  about  the  important  of  this  object,  and  why?  

• What  happens  to  the  plane  Brian  is  traveling  in  and  why?      Chapters  4-­‐6:  

• What  is  “the  secret”  that  Brian  is  carrying  around  with  him?  • What  does  Brian  use/  remember  in  order  to  motivate  himself  against  the  

hopelessness  and  sadness  he  feels?  • What  does  Brian  decide  he  will  do  with  “the  secret”  as  soon  as  he  gets  back  to  

civilization?  • Do  you  think  it  was  smart  of  Brian  to  eat  those  unfamiliar  berries?  Why?  Why  

not?    Chapters  7-­‐9:  

• Why  does  Brian  allow  himself  to  cry  when  he  sees  his  reflection  in  the  lake?  Why  do  you  think  Paulsen  described  these  as  “wasted  tears”  (68)?  

• What  found  its  way  into  Brian’s  tent  in  the  beginning  of  chapter  8?  • What  does  Brian  realize  he  can  use  his  hatchet  for  that  was  inspired  by  his  

dream  including  Terry  and  his  father?  • How  would  you  explain  Brian’s  feelings  after  he  has  successfully  made  his  

first  fire?    Chapters  10-­‐12:  

• What  new  source  of  food  does  Brian  come  across  near  the  lake?  • What  activities  keep  Brian  busy?  • What  physical  and  mental  transformations  has  Brian  gone  through  since  the  

plane  crash?  Explain.  • How  is  Brian’s  mood/  emotions  different  at  the  end  of  chapter  12  compared  

to  how  he  was  feeling  at  the  end  of  chapter  11?  Why  has  this  change  occurred?  What  sparked  it?  

 Chapters  13-­‐15:  

• What  is  meant  when  Brian  refers  to  himself  as  the  “new  Brian”?  • After  Brian  seems  to  hit  a  new  low  of  depression,  what  makes  him  begin  to  

feel  optimistic?  How  is  Brian’s  hope  different  now  from  the  kind  of  hope  he  had  before?  

• What  are  some  lessons  that  Brain  learns  from  the  skunk  incident?  

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• How  does  Brian  keep  track  of  time?  How  is  this  different  from  how  time  is  kept  in  the  civilized  world?  

• What  does  Brian  finally  get  to  enjoy  at  the  end  of  chapter  15?      Chapters  16-­‐18:  

• What  new  animal  did  Brian  come  in  contact  with?  What  was  the  result  of  this  interaction?  Push  a  little  further,  do  you  think  this  could  have  served  as  a  reminder  of  any  sorts  for  Brian?  Explain.  

• What  does  Brian  realize  is  still  underwater?  Why  is  this  so  important  to  Brian  at  this  time?  

• Talk  a  little  about  the  process  Brian  had  to  go  through  in  order  to  get  the  survival  pack.  Do  you  think  you  could’ve  done  all  of  that?  Do  you  think  it  will  be  worth  the  effort?  

 Chapters  19  +  Epilogue:  

• What  were  some  of  the  things  that  Brian  found  in  the  survival  pack?  Why  did  the  gun  make  him  so  uncomfortable?  

• Discuss  some  of  the  positives  and  negatives  of  the  survival  pack.  • What  feelings  did  you  experience  at  the  end  of  the  novel?  How  do  you  feel  

about  the  ending?  • Why  do  you  think  Brian  didn’t  tell  his  father  about  “the  secret”?  Do  you  think  

that  he  should’ve?            

     

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Important  Quotes  Below  are  a  list  of  important  quotes  from  the  book.  Keep  an  eye  out  for  them  as  you  

read.  Think  about  why  these  quotes  are  important.    

• "All  of  flying  is  easy.  Just  takes  learning.  Like  everything  else.  Like  everything  else  (5)".  

• “For  the  first  time  since  the  crash  he  was  not  thinking  of  himself,  or  his  own  life.  Brian  was  wondering  if  the  bear  was  as  surprised  as  he  to  find  another  being  in  the  berries”  (75).  

• “Later  he  looked  back  on  the  time  of  crying  in  the  corner  of  the  dark  cave  and  thought  of  it  as  when  he  learned  the  most  important  rule  of  survival,  which  was  that  feeling  sorry  for  yourself  didn’t  work”  (79).  

• “And  he  had  to  keep  hoping.  He  had  to  keep  hoping”  (99).  • “I  am  not  the  same,  he  thought.  I  see,  I  hear  differently”  (101-­‐102).  • “None  of  that  used  to  be  in  Brian  and  now  it  was  a  part  of  him,  a  changed  part  of  him,  and  the  two  things,  his  mind  and  his  body,  had  come  together  as  well,  had  made  a  connection  with  each  other  that  he  didn’t  quite  understand”  (102).  

• “I  am  full  of  tough  hope”  (123).  • “Small  mistakes  could  turn  into  disasters,  funny  little  mistakes  could  snowball  so  that  while  you  were  still  smiling  at  the  humor  you  could  find  yourself  looking  at  death”  (124).  

• “So  much  of  this  was  patience—waiting  and  thinking  and  doing  things  right.  So  much  of  all  this,  so  much  of  all  living  was  patience  and  thinking”  (141).  

• “I  might  be  hit  but  I’m  not  done.  When  the  light  comes  I’ll  start  to  rebuild.  I  still  have  the  hatchet  and  that’s  all  I  had  in  the  first  place”  (152).  

• “Without  the  hatchet  he  had  nothing—no  fire,  no  tools,  no  weapons—he  was  nothing.  The  hatchet  was,  had  been  him”  (168).  

• “Incredible  wealth.  It  was  like  all  the  holidays  in  the  world,  all  the  birthdays  there  were.  He  sat  in  the  sun  by  the  doorway  where  he  had  dropped  the  night  before  and  pulled  the  presents—as  he  thought  of  them—out  one  at  a  time  to  examine  them,  turn  them  in  the  light,  touch  them  and  feel  them  with  his  hands  and  eyes”  (179).  

• “Many  of  the  changes  would  prove  to  be  permanent”  (186).  

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Themes  Below,  in  the  picture  of  the  plane  are  some  words  that  can  be  used  to  describe  the  overall  theme  of  this  book.  Search  for  the  different  words  in  the  picture  below  and  then  write  them  over  in  the  space  provided  with  explanations  as  to  why  you  think  

this  is  a  theme  of  Hatchet.      

   

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You  are  Here…  In  Hatchet,  13  year  old  Brian  has  no  choice  in  deciding  to  live  in  the  wilderness.  You  have  a  choice.  If  you  were  to  pick  one  place  in  the  world  to  be  dropped  randomly  for  a  week,  alone,  without  anything  but  the  clothes  on  your  back  where  would  you  go?  Why?  What  would  you  do  there?  What  would  you  see  there?  What/  how  would  you  

eat?  Be  creative!    

   

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Connections  to  Me  After  you  read  the  book,  use  these  questions  to  connect  some  of  the  concepts  from  this  book  to  your  own  life  and  compare  yourself  to  Brian  and  what  he  went  through.  

You’ll  be  surprised  at  both  the  similarities  and  differences!    

• Brian’s  hatchet  was  key  to  his  survival  in  the  wilderness.  Think  about  some  things  that  you  could  absolutely  not  live  without.  Would  this  thing(s)/object(s)  help  you  found  yourself  in  a  situation  similar  to  Brian’s?  How  are  your  thing(s)/object(s)  similar  and  different  to  Brian’s  hatchet?  

 • Mistakes.  We  all  make  them,  and  we  shouldn’t  be  afraid  to  make  them,  however  some  mistakes  have  much  more  severe  outcomes  compared  to  other  kinds  of  mistakes.  What  are  some  mistakes  that  you  have  made?  Think  about  the  consequences  those  mistakes  have  had  on  you.    

 • One  of  the  most  useful  things  to  Brian  when  he  was  in  the  wilderness  was  patience.  Think  about  time  in  which  being  patience,  for  you,  has  paid  off.  

 • After  the  moose  attacks  Brian  and  then  a  tornado  destroys  his  shelter  it  says  a  lot  about  Brian  that  he  can  persevere  through  the  situation  and  push  on.  Has  anything  ever  happened  to  you  in  which  it  would  have  been  easy  to  give  up,  however  you  were  able  to  push  on?  How  were  you  able  to  do  this?  Was  it  worth  it?    

         

  13  

Comparing  to  Me  Use  the  space  below  to  compare  and  contrast  yourself  to  Brian  from  Hatchet.  

   

 

Brian   Me  

Brian   Similarities   Name:______________________                                                    

   

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Connections  to  Outside  Topics  Read  the  quotes  below  that  have  been  pulled  from  other  sources  of  literature  and  authors.  Underneath,  write  about  how  you  think  the  quote  relates  to  Brian  and  the  

adventure  he  found  himself  experiencing  during  Hatchet.    

Henry  David  Thoreau,  among  many  other  things,  was  an  American  author  and  poet  who  died  in  1862.  “What  you  get  by  achieving  your  goals  is  not  as  important  as  what  you  become  by  achieving  your  goals”.      “Not  until  we  are  lost  do  we  begin  to  understand  ourselves”.    “What  lies  behind  us  and  what  lies  ahead  of  us  are  tiny  matters    

      compared  to  what  lives  within  us”.  http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/henry_david_thoreau.html#ESo1kotdZYZT3bkd.99      

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Jon  Krakauer  is  an  American  writer  and  author  of  the  popular  book,  Into  the  Wild.      “The  very  basic  core  of  a  man's  living  spirit  is  his  passion  for  adventure.  The  joy  of  life  comes  from  our  encounters  with  new  experiences,  and  hence  there  is  no  greater  joy  than  to  have  an  endlessly  changing  horizon,  for  each  day  to  have  a  new  and  different  sun”.     “You  are  wrong  if  you  think  Joy  emanates  only  or  principally  from  human  relationships…  It  is  in  everything  and  anything  we  might  experience.  We  just  have  to  have  the  courage  to  turn  against  our  habitual  lifestyle  and  engage  in  unconventional  living”.    “The  core  of  mans'  spirit  comes  from  new  experiences.”      http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3284484-­‐into-­‐the-­‐wild    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Crossword  Complete  the  crossword  below  using  the  clues  given  on  the  next  page.  Write  each  answer  in  pencil  and  in  capital  letters.  Some  answers  are  two  words,  however,  there  

will  be  no  space  in  between  two-­‐word  answers.        

  16  

Crossword  Clues    

Across:  

3.  What  did  Brian  name  the  berries  that  upset  his  stomach?    

6.  Man  vs.  _________  would  be  considered  another  major  theme  to  this  novel.    

10.  What  wild  creature  attacked  Brian  during  the  night  while  he  was  sleeping?    

11.  After  Brian  has  a  dream  about  his  father  and  his  best  friend  Terry,  what  did  

Brian  figure  out  that  he  could  use  his  hatchet  for?    

 

Down:    

1.  What  did  Brian's  mother  give  him  before  he  left  on  the  plane  to  visit  his  dad?    

2.  What  is  the  main  theme  of  this  book?    

4.  How  does  Brian  refer  to  the  incident  he  observed  regarding  his  mom  and  another  

man?  (What  does  he  call  this)    

5.  What  did  Brian  remember  was  still  in  the  plane  toward  the  end  of  the  book?    

7.  What  animal  attacked  Brian  by  the  lake,  badly  hurting  his  ribs?    

8.  What  object  in  the  survival  kit  made  Brian  uncomfortable?    

9.  What  kind  of  animal  did  Brian  run  into  while  picking  berries?    

11.  What  did  Brian  name  the  birds  that  he  often  captured  for  food?    

 

   

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Answer  Key  This  page  contains  some  information  to  help  out  teachers.  

 Vocab:  Here  are  some  words  that  may  be  challenging  for  students:  

• Tundra  (7)  • Audible  (10)  • Turbulence  (14)  • Hummocks  (37)  • Amphibious  (45)  • Pulverized  (55)  

 Crossword  Puzzle:  

• Across:          3.  GUTCHERRIES          6.  NATURE          10.  PORCUPINE            11.  FIRE    

• Down:          1.  HATCHET          2.  SURVIVAL          4.  THESECRET          5.  SURVIVALKIT          7.  MOOSE          8.  RIFLE          9.  BEAR          11.  FOOLBIRD