Hatchet
Chapter 9 — Teaching Companion
Gary Paulsen · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Coaching, not a script — and not an answer key: every question here has more than one defensible answer.
This chapter's big question
Brian says fire is his friend and a guard, then wishes he had someone to tell, and ends wondering about his father and mother. What is his fire really giving him?
The tension The fire gives Brian warmth and protection, yet the moment it works, what he feels most is that nobody is there to share it.
Today's focus
Notice what the fire gives Brian, and what he feels the moment it is lit.
Two core ideas
- Brian learns by failing: each failed try tells him what the sparks need, until he finds the right nest and the right breath.
- Success does not fix everything: the same moment that Brian lights the fire, he wishes someone were there to see it.
The shape at a glance
Brian has sparks but no fire. He tries grass, twigs, and the twenty-dollar bill, then finds birch bark and spends two hours making a fine nest. The sparks starve until he asks what makes fire and learns to blow gently. The fire catches. Brian calls it a friend and a guard, wishes he had someone to tell, and ends wondering about his father and his mother.
A way in
Start with the moment the fire catches. Ask what Brian does, and what he wishes right after.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the failed sparks, the twenty-dollar bill, the birch bark, the spark nest, the blowing, the fire, and his last thoughts.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes three sentences in the same pattern: a thing someone has found, one detail about it, and a name for it.
Debate Take sides on the big question: is the fire most a friend, a guard, or something else to Brian? Each side must use at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why Paulsen lets Brian wonder about his father and mother just after the fire catches.
Easier Read the fire scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 5 only.
On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student write one critical-thinking answer with two pieces of evidence from the chapter.
Harder Ask the student to find one more place where a hard job teaches Brian something, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Brian tears up the twenty-dollar bill, calling it "Worthless paper out here." What does that choice show about how his world has changed?Theme
What it asks It asks what the torn-up twenty shows about what matters to Brian now, compared with what mattered before the crash.
One reading
Money has stopped meaning anything; only what keeps him alive counts.
Paper. Worthless paper out here. But if he could get a fire going...
He ripped the twenty into tiny pieces
Another reading
He treats the money as something to use, which shows he is learning to see things for what they can do.
As an afterthought he threw in the remains of the twenty-dollar bill.
Shredded paper would be nice, but he had no paper.
Listen for
- Says what the bill was for and what it is used for now.
- Connects the choice to what Brian needs.
If stuck
- What does Brian need for the sparks?
- What does he call the bill as he tears it?
A strong answer Brian finds a twenty-dollar bill in his wallet, and out here it is only paper. He tears it up because it is something that might catch a spark, so what matters is what things can do. A strong answer says what changed in how Brian sees the bill and gives a line from the chapter for it.
- Brian leaves the birches for "a full half-minute" before they "registered." Why might the answer be in front of him so long without his seeing it?Inference
What it asks It asks why Brian cannot see what is right in front of him, and what that shows about how he is thinking.
One reading
He is so fixed on the problem that he cannot look at anything else.
There had to be something, had to be.
he stood looking at them for a full half-minute before they registered on his mind
Another reading
He had only been looking for paper in the shape he knew, and bark does not look like paper at first.
Shredded paper would be nice, but he had no paper.
They were a beautiful white with bark like clean, slightly speckled paper.
Listen for
- Says what Brian was looking for and what he was looking at.
- Notices the word paper, used twice.
If stuck
- What does Brian think he needs?
- What does the bark look like?
A strong answer Brian is hunting for something fine, soft and like paper, and the birch bark is exactly that, but he stares at it for half a minute before it registers. One reading is that his mind is stuck on the problem. Another is that he expects paper to look like paper and the bark does not at first. A strong answer picks one and gives a reason from the chapter.
- Brian thinks of the sparks as starving, "like me." Why might he see himself in them?Character
What it asks It asks what Brian sees in the sparks that he sees in himself, and what that shows about how he thinks of his own trouble.
One reading
Like him, the sparks have a little life and nothing to feed on.
Starved.
He leaned back. They are like me. They are starving.
Another reading
Seeing them as like him helps him figure out what they need, which is more than a little.
It wasn't quantity, there were plenty of sparks, but they needed more.
I must make a home for the sparks, he thought.
Listen for
- Says what the sparks and Brian have in common.
- Notices how the thought leads to something he does.
If stuck
- What happens to the sparks every time?
- What does Brian decide to do after he calls them starving?
A strong answer Brian has plenty of sparks, but they all die, and he says they are like him: starving. The thought also leads somewhere: soon after it he asks what makes fire, decides the bark is fuel, and decides he needs to add air. A strong answer says what the two share and whether the comparison only comforts him or also helps him.
- Paulsen ends the chapter with three short thoughts about his father and his mother. Why might he end it there?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the last lines do to a chapter that is mostly about success, and why the author turns to Brian's family.
One reading
It reminds us that the fire does not solve what hurts most.
I wonder what my father is doing now.
I wonder what my mother is doing now.
Another reading
It shows that when Brian is a little safer, his thoughts go straight back to the Secret.
I wonder if she is with him.
with the smoke curling up over his head and the smile still half on his face
Listen for
- Compares the happy moment with the last line.
- Says what the reader knows that gives the last line its weight.
If stuck
- How does Brian look just before he starts to wonder?
- Who is the last person he thinks about?
A strong answer The chapter has Brian smiling with the smoke curling over his head, and then it ends on a question about his mother. That turn changes the mood: a moment of success gives way to wondering about his father and mother. It can be read as the fire not reaching what troubles him, or as his thoughts drifting back to the Secret in a quiet moment. A strong answer says what the ending does and gives a reason from the chapter.
- Brian says "I would kill" for a book of matches. What might that show about how he is feeling just then?Tone
What it asks It asks what the burst of wanting shows about where Brian is in the middle of the work, and how the tone shifts around it.
One reading
It shows a worn-down boy at the edge of his patience.
I would kill, he thought suddenly, for a book of matches. Just one book. Just one match.
I do not know this—a cave dweller would have had a fire by now
Another reading
It is a turning point: right after it he stops and thinks through what makes fire.
What makes fire? He thought back to school.
Oxygen—there had to be air.
Listen for
- Says what the outburst shows about Brian's state.
- Notices what he does next.
If stuck
- How many times has he failed by this point?
- What question does he ask himself next?
A strong answer Brian has been at it for hours and each try has died, so the burst of wanting shows how worn down he is. But the chapter does not stay there: right after it he asks what makes fire and works out that he needs air. A strong answer says what the feeling shows and what he does with it.
Critical thinking
- Brian's first tries at fire fail. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what he learns from them.
What it asks It asks what Brian learns from the failed tries before the fire works, and how his thinking changes.
One reading
He learns what the sparks need: something finer than grass or twigs.
He needed something finer, something soft and fine and fluffy to catch the bits of fire.
The material had to be finer.
Another reading
He learns that sparks are not enough, and that fire needs fuel and air.
You have to have fuel, he thought—and he had that.
He needed to add air. He had to fan on it, blow on it.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what Brian changes after each failure.
If stuck
- What does he try first, and what happens?
- What does he ask himself about what makes a fire?
A strong answer Each failure teaches Brian something new. Grass and twigs fail, so he decides the tinder must be finer; the bark ball fails, so he cuts it into hair-like slivers; the sparks still starve, so he asks what makes fire and decides he must add air. A strong answer picks what he learns most and uses two different moments.
- Brian blows on the sparks twice. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what he learns about blowing.
What it asks It asks how Brian's first and second tries with his breath differ, and what he learns from the difference.
One reading
He learns that too much force puts the fire out.
Too hard. There was a bright, almost intense glow, and then it was gone. He had blown it out.
Another reading
He learns to be gentle and aim, and the fire grows.
but gently this time, holding back and aiming the stream of air from his mouth to hit the brightest spot
The sparks grew with his gentle breath.
Listen for
- Compares the first try with the second.
- Says what Brian does differently.
If stuck
- What happens when he blows too hard?
- Where does he aim his breath the second time?
A strong answer The first time Brian blows too hard: there is a bright glow, then nothing, and he has blown it out. The second time he holds back and aims his breath at the brightest spot, and the glow grows into a red coal that bursts into flame. A strong answer says what he does differently and uses two different moments.
- Brian calls the fire "a friend and a guard." Using two pieces of evidence, explain why each word fits.
What it asks It asks the student to find why a fire counts as company and why it counts as protection.
One reading
A friend, because it is there with him and he talks to it.
I have a friend named fire.
"Hello, fire..."
Another reading
A guard, because it will keep animals out of the shelter.
would keep anything like the porcupine from coming through the door again
A friend and a guard, he thought.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, one for each word.
- Says what a friend and a guard each do.
If stuck
- What does Brian say to the fire?
- What does he think the fire will keep out of his shelter?
A strong answer It is a friend because Brian greets it and talks to it, and a guard because he thinks it will keep anything like the porcupine out of the door. A strong answer gives one moment for each word and says which one matters more to Brian right now.