Hatchet Discussion Questions by Chapter

Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions cover all nineteen chapters and the epilogue of Gary Paulsen's novel Hatchet.
Year levels
Years 5–7
File type
PDF
Preparation
Print ready

Updated Dec 03, 2021

Subject
Literature, Reading Comprehension, Reading, English
Topic
Novel Study, Book Companion
Resource types
Novel Studies
Preparation
Print ready
Australian Curriculum content descriptions
AC9E7LE05 — identify

From the author

About this resource

A great way for the students to recap their knowledge and understanding of the Novel, HATCHET by Gary Paulsen.

After reading each chapter, independently or as a read aloud, students will have the opportunity to complete questions to ensure understanding of the text.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Recall key plot events and character decisions from each chapter of Hatchet.

  • Make inferences about Brian's physical, intellectual, and emotional changes over the course of the novel.

  • Summarise and describe pivotal scenes, such as the feast day and the tornado, in their own words.

Teaching tips

  • Assign the question set for each chapter as a reading check right after that chapter is read in class.

  • Since no answer key is provided, review responses through class discussion or prepare a key from the novel in advance.

  • Use the paragraph-response prompts, like the forest-versus-city comparison, as short constructed-response writing practice.

  • Pair Chapter 1's vocabulary question about the meaning of "divorce" with a brief pre-reading discussion of the word.

Skills covered

  • Reading comprehension — students recall specific plot details from each chapter of Hatchet through short-answer questions.

  • Inferential reasoning — students explain character motivations and realisations, such as why Brian decides his earlier "good luck" was a mistaken idea.

  • Constructed-response writing — select questions ask for a full paragraph describing or comparing a scene rather than a short answer.

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Australian Curriculum (Version 9.0)

Australian Curriculum content descriptions

Australian Curriculum content descriptions

  • AC9E7LE05 — identify and explain the ways that characters, settings and events combine to create meaning in narratives

Core concepts

  • Novel study

  • Reading comprehension

  • Survival fiction

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