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Hatchet
Trailblazers · 4th–6th
They didn't waste time that way. It had come up from the water for a reason, a good reason, and he must try to understand the reason, he must change to fully understand the reason himself or he would not make it.
Read the passage aloud. What happens to the word "reason" as the long sentence goes on?
Narration Tell the chapter back in order: staying by the fire, the woodpile, the night, the tracks, the eggs, and Brian's last thoughts.
1. Brian smiles at himself as a "city boy" trying to read the tracks. What is he really laughing at?Character
2. Brian turns away from the eggs so he cannot see them. Was that wise, or just hard on himself?Moral reasoning
3. Paulsen shows the turtle only through a noise in the night and strange tracks. Why might he keep the animal out of sight?Author's choice
4. Brian forgets to think about the searchers while he works. What makes them so easy to forget?Inference
5. The fire cuts the night chill, drives off mosquitoes and can make a signal. Which gift matters most to Brian, do you think?Theme
Make a Connection Tell about a time you got so busy with something that you forgot what you were waiting for.
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They didn't waste time that way.
he must change to fully understand the reason himself
It was so precious to him
the fire was banked with new wood
had been somewhat controlled and dormant
His whole body craved food
When he had them heaped on the sand in a pyramid
he became less and less fussy
1. Brian stacks a huge pile of wood before dark. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how he plans ahead.
2. Brian has never eaten a raw egg. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how he gets the first one down.
3. In the night the fire almost goes out. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what Brian does about it.