Adapting to Survive: Short Stories and Poems

Lesson 11
icon/ela/white

ELA

Unit 6

5th Grade

Lesson 11 of 18

Objective


Analyze how Brian’s “figuring out food” contributes to the structure of the story. 

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (pp. 113–120, 161–170)  pp. 113 – 120

Fishtank Plus

Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.

Target Task


Writing Prompt

How does Brian’s “figuring out food” contribute to the sequence of events?

Sample Response

Upgrade to Fishtank Plus to view Sample Response.

Key Questions


  • How do the stories about the bear and the wolf contribute to the overall structure of the story? 
  • What is the purpose of the phrase “gone down and down” on p. 116? What does it reveal about Brian? 
  • How does the scene on p. 116 contribute to the overall understanding of the story? 
  • On pp. 118–119 the author uses short sentences. Identify the short sentences and explain why the author chose to include them. 
  • On p. 119, Brian states that “He had done food.” What does this mean? Why was this important? 
  • At the end of the chapter, Brian says that he is full of “tough hope.” What is the difference between tough hope and hope? What does it reveal about Brian? 
  • Summarize the excerpt. In your summary, be sure to describe how the characters in the story respond to the main challenges. Also, be sure to determine a main theme of the excerpt. 

Vocabulary


infuriating

adj.

describes something that makes you very angry

exulted

v.

to feel or show great happiness

Notes


  • Background information: Brian is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Read about how Brian learns how to survive in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a hatchet.

Homework


Read pages 121-138. What mistakes did Brian make? What did he learn from his mistakes? What can we learn about wilderness survival from Brian's mistakes? 

Enhanced Lesson Plan

Fishtank Plus Content

Bring your most engaging lessons to life with comprehensive instructional guidance, detailed pacing, supports to meet every student's needs, and resources to strengthen your lesson planning and delivery.

Common Core Standards


  • RL.5.2 — Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
  • RL.5.5 — Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

Supporting Standards

L.5.4
RF.5.3
RF.5.4
RL.5.1
RL.5.4
RL.5.10
SL.5.1
W.5.10

Next

Analyze how the author builds suspense and how it contributes to the structure of the story. 

Lesson 12
icon/arrow/right/large

Lesson Map

A7CB09C2-D12F-4F55-80DB-37298FF0A765

Request a Demo

See all of the features of Fishtank in action and begin the conversation about adoption.

Learn more about Fishtank Learning School Adoption.

Contact Information

School Information

What courses are you interested in?

ELA

Math

Are you interested in onboarding professional learning for your teachers and instructional leaders?

Yes

No

Any other information you would like to provide about your school?

We Handle Materials So You Can Focus on Students

We Handle Materials So You Can Focus on Students

We've got you covered with rigorous, relevant, and adaptable ELA lesson plans for free