Lesson Plan: Reading/Writing and Practical Application

Objective: to have the students respond to Gary Paulson's Hatchet by allowing them to participate in various activities.

Background: a class of 25 students, upper level secondary learners with a good background of grammar. They are in a literature class, and have been studying short stories thus far in the class. This is their first "novel." They have been reading it as a class for a few weeks, and responding to it. It is now finished. They have been introduced to the terms "plot," and "theme," and have been asked to apply those terms to the book. Also, they have made a vocabulary list from the novel - words that they did not know at all, and could not derive from the context of the story. Each chapter they have had a quiz on vocab; this is essential because the end test will include some of the vocabulary.

Opening: I will open the class with a selection from the movie, Pocahontas, entitled "Colors of the Wind." I chose this song because it deals with becoming one with nature in order to appreciate it, as Brian has to learn in the course of the story. The class will discuss the song with regard to the theme. (@ 10 minutes).

• Reader Response sheet
• Situations
• Tape of Pocahontas song/words to the song

Activity 1: Reader Response Sheets. I will already have made these up (they're included in the lesson plan), from the example typified in chapter seven of Peregoy/Boyle. This activity will be the writing portion of the lesson. They will include it in a response journal that they have been keeping for the class so far. (10 minutes)

Activity 2: They will share what they have written with their learner groups that have been preselected by me. The groups have five people each. These groups are standard for a section of the class, then they switch. For this story, they have been the same. (2 min. to separate into groups, 10 minutes to discuss with group)

Activity 3: Theme study. Taken from the group discussions, every group will have a representative come to the front of the class to write a theme. Since there are several in the novel, (including the one discussed at the beginning), each group should be able to write a theme. (10 min)

Activity 4: This will take the rest of the class. I will have several different group activities that I will assign to different groups dealing with the novel. They will draw the activities from a hat (to make the selection more fair). Since there are only five groups for this segment of class, these presentations will be presented to the class over the next two days. (15 min.)

Closing: I will have them come back together to make a study sheet for the test. For homework, each student will be able to make one question for the final, due at the beginning of the next class. Also, each student will be completing their activities as homework so they can present to the class. Half of the next class period will be devoted to working on the projects, and the next half will be for presentations.

1. This lesson is based on reader-response, so I'll start there. Reader response helps the students to analyze a work of literature from their own perspective, and strengthens their comprehension of English. They are able to work out the vocabulary for themselves, and are able to individually work on their language skills. In the writing responses, they will have the opportunity to not only work on reading skills, but on the writing skills as well.

2. Many of the activities dealt with group work. This will help the students to contextualize their learning with others' learning. Also, this will help the students work on their social skills, and their conversational skills as well.

3. The students writing up of their own questions will help them prepare for the assessment part, and will allow them to participate in their own class. I will not hold strictly to their questions, and will create my own, but they will then be able to better see what the test will be on.

4. Each group will have the opportunity to combine reading, writing, oral and listening skills in the situational exercises. They will have to explain what their situation is, and will have to produce an understandable situation. The class will have to participate in each presentation. As we have already discovered, no aspect of language learning can stand alone, and any case in which all four basic aspects are combined is invaluable to an ESL classroom.

5. There are many practice exercises. This will allow their creative juices to flow, as well as to help solidify their knowledge of the basic concepts they have learned (i.e. the concepts of theme and plot. Every activity deals with one of these two, if not both).

6. There is variety in the activities which will keep their attention.

1) If you did (or didn't) like the book, was there one event, ore aspect of the book that caused this reaction? What? Why?

2) If you were faced with the same problems as Brian, would you have responded in a similar manner as the character, or differently? Why?

3) What was Brian like in the beginning of the book? How was he feeling when we first met him? Have you ever felt like that?

4) Did he remind you of anyone you have known? Yourself?

5) What was the author trying to teach us from Brian's experiences?

6) Did your feelings change toward Brian as the story progressed? What made your feelings change?

7) What things would be different in this story if it took place in a different period of time or a different place?

8) Name at least two themes from the novel to share with your response groups.

9) Do your response group members share a common reaction to the book? What reactions are the same? What are different?

Situation 1: You have been asked by Gary Paulson to change the end of the story. Tell what happens to Brian if the pilot didn't come to his rescue at the end. How does he get through more time on his own?

Situation 2: Make a "Missing" poster of Brian that his parents might have put out. Describe what you think he looks like, his age, his weight, and give a good description of him. Also, draw a picture of Brian that looks like what you think he might have looked like. If you need a model, there are several on the walls of every post office. Go there as a group.

Situation 3: Make a recipe that you think Brian could have used with the berries or the animals. You could even make some samples for the class. (For example, cookies, or soup)

Write what Brian could use the recipe for, and explain a situation in which he could use it.

Situation 4: Make a news brief of Brian coming home from his two-months in the wilderness. Have a reporter, an "anchor," Brian's parents, and Brian himself. If you need help, watch a news brief and take the same format.

Situation 5: Act out one of the scenes from the story. Either make a puppet show showing what you think the scene looks like, or just act the scene out yourselves. Have a narrator read what happens, and have the others make the scene.