Adapting to Survive: Short Stories and Poems

Lesson 11
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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

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

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

Sample Response

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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? 

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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
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Lesson 12

Lesson Map

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