MEET the AUTHOR

Born in 1939, Gary Paulsen is one of

America's most popular writers for both
children and adults. Although he was never
a dedicated student, Paulsen developed a
passion for reading at an early age. After a
librarian gave him a book to read - along
with his own library card - he was hooked!
He began spending hours alone in the
basement of his apartment, reading one
book after another.

At 14 years old, Paulsen ran away from

home to travel with a carnival. Here, he
acquired a taste for adventure. During the
summer, he worked on a farm and had
other jobs, including an engineer,
construction worker, ranch hand, truck
driver, and sailor.

Eventually, Paulsen moved to Minnesota and began work with trapping animals.
During this time, he worked closely with sled dogs, which led him to compete in the
famous Iditarod race, a 1,180-mile Alaskan dogsled race, twice. This exciting
experience in his life inspired many of his later publications.

Other books of Paulsen’s were inspired by the experiences that he had in his
childhood. As a young boy, his father was an officer in the U.S. army, and his mother
worked in a factory during World War II. Paulsen spent a lot of time with his
grandmother and aunts. When he turned seven years old, Paulsen and his parents
moved to the Philippines. They returned to the United States three years later, but
they moved often. Paulsen never spent more than five months in any one school.

In the early 1960s, Gary Paulsen began his writing career. Paulsen published more
than one hundred seventy-five books and about two hundred short stories and
magazine articles. His genres include both fiction and nonfiction works, and his
publications were written for both children and adults in as many as eleven other
languages

Paulsen, a Newberry book medal winner, currently lives in New Mexico with his
wife, artist Ruth Wright Paulsen, who has illustrated several of his books.

5
 Before Reading …
Have you ever flown in an airplane before? If you have, write about your
experience. If you have not, write about what you think it would be like.
*Y o u r r e s p o n s e s h o u ld t a k e u p a ll o f t h e lin e s .

_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Read the back cover of the book.

What genre do you think Hatchet is? _____________________________________________
How do you know? _______________________________________________________________________

Next to each statement, write an ”A” if you agree or a “D” if you Disagree…
If y o u r p a r e n t s d o s o m e t h in g t o m a k e y o u a n g r y , y o u s h o u ld t a lk t o t h e m a b o u t it .

S e c r e t s s h o u ld n o t b e t o ld .

A w ild a n im a l w ill n o t b o t h e r y o u u n le s s y o u b o t h e r it .

F e e lin g s o r r y f o r y o u r s e lf d o e s n ’t h e lp a n y t h in g .

T h e b e s t w a y t o le a r n is f r o m y o u r m is t a k e s .

It is b e t t e r t o w a it a n d h a v e p a t ie n c e t h a n t o r u s h in t o t h in g s .

T o k e e p o n t o p o f t h in g s , s t a y p o s it iv e .

W e c o n t r o l w h a t h a p p e n s in o u r liv e s b a s e d o n o u r a c t io n s .

O n ly t h e s t r o n g s u r v iv e , n o t t h e w e a k .

C r y in g o r r e le a s in g y o u r e m o t io n s m a k e s y o u a s t r o n g e r p e r s o n .

13
 Vocabulary Ch. 1 - 5
Part of In a Dictionary, it’s between
Word Speech Definition these two guide words…

am phibious

audible

hum m ocks

turbulen ce

w in ce

15
 Chapter 1
1. “Visitation rights” probably means
a. Brian’s right to visit his friends c. Brian’s mother’s rights to visit Brian
b. Brian’s right to travel alone d. Brian’s right to visit his parents
2. The mood of the first chapter is
a. comical c. sad
b. scary d. joyful

From what point of view is the story being told? _____________________________

How do you know? ________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Constructed Response : Brian thinks about “the secret,” but he doesn’t tell us
what the secret is. What do you think it might be?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Sketch a picture of a scene described in Chapter 1. Include and label details from the text.

16
 DIGGING DEEPER …
Extended Constructed Response:
Read the following question based on Chapters 1-5 of Hatchet. Write your
answer on the lines provided and support your thinking with evidence from
the text and your own thoughts. Hint: There are 2 parts to this question…Your
answer should be in paragraphs and take up most of the lines!

v How did you react to Brian’s thoughts and actions after

the plane crash? Do you think that he is being reasonable
or unreasonable and why?

_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

21
 DIGGING DEEPER …
Extended Constructed Response:
Read the following question based on Chapters 6-10 of Hatchet. Write your
answer on the lines provided and support your thinking with evidence from
the text and your own thoughts. Hint: There are 2 parts to this question…Your
answer should be in paragraphs and take up most of the lines!

v What caused Brian to cry until he was all cried out? Have
you ever felt this way? Tell about it.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
28
 Chapter 12
Brian’s eating habits have changed.
What did he notice about himself? Draw a sketch of Brian’s fish spear
using details from the text.
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________

_______________________________________

H What was the “explosion” that happened under Brian’s feet?

Explain.
Constructed Response : The mood at the end of this chapter was pessimistic
and hopeless. Why? Be sure to back up your answer with evidence from the
text and your own thinking!
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

31
 DIGGING DEEPER …
Extended Constructed Response:
Read the following question based on Chapters 11-15 of Hatchet. Write your
answer on the lines provided and support your thinking with evidence from
the text and your own thoughts. Hint: There are 2 parts to this question…Your
answer should be in paragraphs and take up most of the lines!

v How do you think it was possible for Brian to do these

things that he had never done before without anyone
teaching him? Have you ever done something without
being taught? Explain.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

35
 Chapter 19
Rank the “unbelievable riches” of the survival pack. List the items in order of
importance.

_______________________ ________________________ ______________________

_______________________ ________________________ ______________________

_______________________ ________________________ ______________________

_______________________ ________________________ ______________________

k the items
id Brian thin hanged
How d rvival bag c
su
in the
him?

Why did Brian decide to feast and be

careful with the food later?

H
_______________________________
_______________________________

_______________________________
_______________________________
What was the first thing
Brian said to the pilot? 40

Compare/contrast Brian after he rescued from Brian before the accident.
What changes did Brian undergo
that were permanent?
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Epilogue
Predict…
Cause: Brian’s experience being
stranded in the Canadian wilderness.
Effect on Brian’s Adult life:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
41
 DIGGING DEEPER …
Extended Constructed Response:
Read the following question based on the end of Hatchet. Write your answer
on the lines provided and support your thinking with evidence from the text
and your own thoughts. Hint: There are 2 parts to this question…Your answer
should be in paragraphs and take up most of the lines!

v Looking back, in what part of the story would you have

wanted to be Brian? Explain the part. Then, discuss your
reasoning why.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
42