Chapter 7

Hatchet

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

The bear made no move to hurt you, to threaten you. It stood to see you better, study you, then went on its way eating berries.

Read the passage aloud. Why might Brian's thoughts talk to him as "you"?

Discussion

Narration Tell the chapter back in order: the night of sickness, the morning at the lake, the walk to the raspberries, the bear, the rain, and the hatchet by his head.

1. In the worst of the pain, Brian cries out "Mother, mother, mother..." Why might that be the word he reaches for?Character

2. Brian's legs run before his mind has decided anything. What does that show about fear?Theme

3. Brian feels "rich with food" just before the bear appears. Why might Paulsen put those two moments side by side?Author's choice

4. After the bear leaves, Brian's brain says it "did not want you." What in the scene backs that up?Inference

5. The chapter opens with Brian screaming for his mother and ends with him wondering about the bear. What has shifted in him?Plot structure

Make a Connection Tell about a time you were frightened of something and then decided it was nothing to fear.

Vocabulary

Crossword

1	2

	3


			4


5		6






7

Across

Across 1. To show you may cause harm.
Across 3. Careful watchfulness to avoid danger.
Across 4. Feeling sorry for yourself.
Across 5. Showed or pointed to without words.
Across 7. To eat far too much.

Down

Down 1. Hard to handle without trouble.
Down 2. Went back; grew less.
Down 4. To look at closely and carefully.
Down 6. Made someone believe or decide.

The words in the chapter

threaten The bear made no move to hurt you, to threaten you.
study It stood to see you better, study you, then went on its way eating berries.
self-pity And he was, at that moment, almost overcome with self-pity.
receded he stood and held his abdomen until the hunger cramps receded
gorge now he had some sense and he did not gorge or cram more down

tricky Gut cherries were food, but tricky to eat.
indicated And the bear had almost indicated that it didn't mind sharing—had just walked from him.
caution continued picking for the entire morning, although with great caution
convinced That convinced him and he walked slowly back to the raspberry patch

Critical thinking

1. The morning after he is sick, Brian sorts the berries. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what he has learned.

2. Brian decides to leave the gut cherries and look for other berries. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what drives that choice.

3. Brian looks at his reflection and then cries. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what he is feeling.