A. Grade
level: 9th grade
B. Purpose: For students to understand how literary
characters can change over the course of a work. For students to relate their own personal life to a work of
literature. For students to recognize
that certain situations require special “survival skills.”
Arkansas Frameworks:
W.1.2 Build a store of ideas for writing through appropriate classroom
activities relating past or present experiences, literature, the opinions of
others, etc. W.1.5 Write in response to
new learning in a variety of written forms.
W.1.5 Write in class for uninterrupted periods of time. W.1.17 Revise writing for clarity,
coherence, economy, syntax, and style.
W.1.8 Share writing through peer/teacher feedback sessions, exhibitions,
classroom displays.
C. Materials:
Novel, paper, pen or pencil, various old magazines, construction paper,
glue, scissors,
video, National Geographic, vol. 157, no. 6 (June 1980).
D. Procedures:
Day
One: Pre-reading activities Read chapter one in class. Homework will be
to finish reading the chapter.
Day
Two: Journal Question: Flying Have
students read chapters two and three.
Homework will be to finish any unread portion.
Day
Three: Journal Question: Secrets
Students will read chapters four and five.
Day
Four: Journal Question: Hunger Read
chapters six and seven.
Day
Five: Writing Assignment: Brian Read
chapters eight and nine.
Day
Six: Journal Question: Bad food Read
chapters ten and eleven.
Day
Seven: Journal Question: Mistakes Read chapters twelve, thirteen, and
fourteen.
Day
Eight: Journal Question: Good food Read chapters fifteen and sixteen.
Day
Nine: Journal Question: Survival
Read Chapter seventeen through the epilogue.
Day
Ten: Discuss how experience can
change a person. Discuss what Brian is
like at the end of the book as compared to the first of the novel. Organizer for Contrast. Have the students use the list from day five
to write an essay in class. Instructions for the essay. Students may finish it at home.
Day
Eleven: Pass out peer review sheets.
Have students break into small groups and read each other’s papers.
Allow the students to use the last half of the period to revise their
papers. Homework is to finish the essay.
Day
Twelve: Take up the student’s
papers for assessment. Explain that they will now be doing a book report. They are going
to make a survival kit. The list should include items they would need for
survival in an unfamiliar, hostile environment. The environment may be the wilderness, but does not have to be.
Have students make a list of what items they would need. The list should have six to ten items. Have them write a sentence explaining why
each item would be desired. Briefly
discuss symbolism. Ask what item could be
symbolic for important events in the story. Have the students begin to match
events in the book that stood out to them with the symbolic items they have
chosen. They are to write a description
of the event on 3x5 cards.
Day
Thirteen: Have students work on
their lists for the first half of the class period. Break into small
groups. Allow students to share their
ideas concerning the symbolic objects.
Homework will be to finish the list.
Day
Fourteen: Pass out magazines,
scissors, construction paper, markers, and glue. The students are given the
assignment to make or cut out pictures of the symbolic objects and glue them to
sheets of construction paper. They are
to glue the 3x5 description cards to the pages. The pages may be stapled together to make a survival kit
book. Instructions for the report. Example
Report.
Day
Fifteen: Students should put any
last minute finishing touches on their survival kits. Students will break into groups
to share their work. Works will be
published by putting the survival kits on the author’s table. Rubric for book
report.
E. Sources:
Moize, Elizabeth A. “Heart of the Canadian Rockies.” National Geographic 157.6 (June
1980): 757-779.
Paulsen,
Gary. Hatchet (NY: Aladdin). 1987.