Hatchet

In "Do People Really Change?" Jessica McBirney explores how people's personalities and brains can change over time. 

Introduce this text before students begin reading Hatchet and ask them to discuss whether they believe people change over time. If people do change, are those changes gradual, or can a major life event cause a person to change quickly? Ask students to take note of all of the times throughout the novel when Brian describes changes that he has either noticed in himself or that he is consciously trying to create in himself. Post reading: At the end of the novel, ask students to use the three traits which usually change most in mature adults, as referenced in McBirney’s article, to discuss whether Brian has changed. If so, what do these changes suggest about the impact of Brian’s fifty-four days in the wilderness?

In Julia Alvarez's "Aha Moment," a woman describes a frightening moment when her plane has to make an emergency landing.

Introduce this text after students have read Hatchet through chapter 3. Over the course of the first three chapters, Brian must perform a crash landing. Compare and contrast Brian’s experience of an emergency landing with that of the author in “Aha Moment.” What resources does Brian lack that the passengers in “Aha Moment” have? Are there any skills or past experiences that Brian and the passengers have in common to draw upon? How might Brian’s experience have been different if he had not been alone on the plane?

In Bradford H. Robie's "Into the Rapids," a boy falls into the river during a rafting trip.

Introduce this short story after students have read Hatchet through chapter 5. Both Brian and Wyatt have unexpected accidents, they are unprepared for the dangerous natural environments they find themselves in, and both realize that they are unlikely to be rescued. What effect does realizing that they cannot rely on others to rescue them have on each character? What strategies do they each use? Are there any similarities? As students continue to read the novel, remind them to look for key moments when Brian realizes that he must be self-reliant. Explain how those moments contribute to the development of his character.

In the informational text "Lessons from failure: Why we try, try again," Bethany Brookshire discusses a study that explores how people react to failure and their mindset when they decide to try again.

Introduce this text after students have read Hatchet through chapter 12, when Brian is at his lowest point after the rescue plane does not see him. Ask students to compare Brian’s situation to the study discussed in the article. Based on the scientists’ findings, why is Brian having such a hard time carrying on at the end of chapter 12? Ask students to make predictions about what changes Brian will make to restore his own hope and energy based on both Brian’s previous actions and what they have read in the article. Re-visit the discussion at the end of chapter 13 and ask students to explain how Brian regains control of himself, and to discuss whether that aligns with what they read in the article.

In Carl Sandburg's "Wilderness," the speaker explains how he carries parts of the wilderness inside of himself.

Introduce this poem after students have read Hatchet through chapter 13, during which time Brian has undergone a major change: “He was not the same now — the Brian that stood and watched the wolves move away and nodded to them was completely changed” (page 115). Ask students to compare Brian’s interactions with and feelings about animals in the wilderness with the speaker’s relationship to animals in the poem. Ask students to describe the tone of both chapter 13 and the poem using two adjectives each. With which parts of the poem do you think Brian might agree or disagree? Why?

In "A Quick Note on Getting better at Difficult Things," Ta-Nehisi Coates shares his own experiences struggling with a new skill and why it's important to do so.

Introduce this text after students have read Hatchet through chapter 15, during which Brian savors the victory of hunting and cooking his “first meat.” Ask students to consider paragraph 6 in which Coates says, “But right now, I feel high. And one must savor those moments of feeling high, because they are not the norm. The lows are the norm.” Do you think that Brian would agree with this statement? Why, or why not? Are there other moments from the novel where Coates’ ideas are relevant?

In "Joint Custody," the speaker reflects on their experience growing up in two households.

Have students read this poem after they have finished reading the epilogue of Hatchet, where the final paragraph brings the reader back to Brian’s initial focus on his parents’ divorce and the “secret” of his mother’s infidelity. Ask students to discuss whether they think that Brian’s feelings about his parents’ divorce have changed in any way after his own survival experience. Ask students to contrast the speaker’s attitude about her parents’ divorce in “Joint Custody” with Brian’s feelings throughout the novel. Why do students think that their attitudes about the topic are so different? Do students think that Brian will ever grow to feel similarly about his parents’ divorce to how the speaker in the poem feels?

In this poem, a speaker encourages one to face any challenge and "see it through."

Have students read this poem after they have finished reading Hatchet, and ask them to reflect on how Brian’s attitude has changed over the course of the novel. Ask students to cite evidence from the text that demonstrates how Brian’s attitude has changed to more closely resemble that of the speaker in “See It Through.”

In Mary Oliver's poem "This World," a speaker describes the natural world that surrounds them.

Introduce this poem after students have finished reading Hatchet and ask them to analyze how Brian’s attitude toward nature evolves over the course of the novel. Ask students to find one or two quotes in the text where Brian’s attitude toward nature is similar to that of the speaker in the poem. Students should describe how both Brian and the speaker feel about nature by the end of the novel, and explain key events that led Brian to perceiving nature in this new way.