Hatchet is a wonderful story about a thirteen year old boy named Brian who is the sole survivor when his plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness. He has only the clothes he is wearing and a hatchet that his mother gave him before he left. The author, Gary Paulsen takes his readers step by painful step through Brian's struggles to find enough food to survive in the harsh wilderness.
Paulsen's book "Hatchet" it a great story to use when demonstrating how to use "what if" questions and progressive plotlines to help create a story. The main character, Brian, finds himself in a frightening situation that he never even imagined could happen. Gradually he learns how to fend for himself in the wild through a series of trials and errors.
After the students have read the story "Hatchet", I would demonstrate how to ask "what if" questions to develop ideas for stories. Then I would introduce a progressive plotline to them and explain how this is a great way to map out a story before starting the writing process.
Minilesson:
1. Students ask "what if" questions that can be posted in the classroom to help provide ideas for stories.
2. Create progressive plotline of "Hatchet" and post in classroom.
3. Students write a series of their own "what if" questions in their journals.
4. Students choose one "what if" as the theme for their own stories.
5. Students create a progressive plotline for their stories.
Ohio writing processes benchmark C: This lesson uses a graphic organizer to clarify ideas for a writing assignment.
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