Jack-The Hatchet - Response Activity 1

Responses to The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. Chapters 1 - 5

.WALT: Analyse underlying ideas in texts

.Success Criteria: Recall information from the text and class discussions to make evaluations Brian’s behaviour and feelings.

Personal Response

1. How did you react to Brian’s thoughts and actions? Do you think he is sensible or unreasonable? I think that Brain is sensible because he hasn't killed himself yet.

Analysing Literature - Recall and Interpret

2. Why is Brian visiting his father in Canada? How does Brian feel about his mother? Brain is visiting his father because his mother had an affair with another man so they got a divorce`  

3. What is Brian’s plan for landing the plane? What conclusions can you draw about Brian from the actions he takes before the crash? His plan is to go straight until the fuel runs out and crash land the plane .But he could of parachuted out of the plane as it was going down.

4. What lesson does Brian recall from Mr Pepich, his English teacher? How does that lesson help Brian as he sits beside the lake? Mr Pepich would always be positive and would think of the best.  

Evaluate and Connect

5. Sometimes Brian’s thoughts go back to an earlier time, when he was with his mother. What effect do these “breaks” have on the story. It was making him sad and and annoyed.  

6. Are Brian’s reactions to the pilot’s death and the crash realistic? Does Brian seem like a real thirteen-year-old boy? I think that he seems like a normal 13 year old but it just took him a while to get over the shock.

Extending your response

In the story, the author often relates events or mentions details that become important later on. For example, the pilot allows Brian to steer the plane. At first, this seems like a minor event. Later, it helps Brian survive. What other parts of the story later become important. I think that his mother getting him a hatchet was a little part of the story that turned into a big bit of his survival.