Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: “Survival Diaries”

Although the novel is not written from a first-person point of view, the reader often gets to see what Brian is thinking and feeling in a personal way, almost as if he is sharing his experiences firsthand.

In both fiction and nonfiction) the use the use of a diary format with the writer’s or character’s first-hand accounts can be powerful. Read a few of these excerpts from a real-life diary written by a girl named Anne Frank who lived in hiding in Amsterdam during the Holocaust. Notice how Anne’s use of dialogue, descriptions, and exact details allows the reader to get to know her in a personal way and see what her life is like.

Write your own diary as if you are surviving on your own in the wilderness, just like Brian. Each day, you will receive a description of your situation and some questions to consider. Do your best to incorporate responses to the questions in each entry. Use your imagination to expand your entries to add more details about what is happening and how you respond to different situations.

Day 1: You find yourself alone, stranded on a lifeboat, in the middle of the ocean. The plane you were taking to visit your cousins in Hawaii had a mechanical failure and crashed into the sea. You are the only survivor. All you have are the clothes you were wearing when the plane crashed (jeans, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, and sneakers) and the five items you brought with you in your carry-on backpack (you get to choose!) Describe your first day alone at sea. What are you thinking and feeling? What can you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch? Do you see any wildlife? Do you have any hope of rescue?

Day 2: You wake in the morning and see a dot of land on the horizon—an island! When you arrive, the island is uninhabited. What is the landscape like—flat, mountains, volcanoes? What kinds of plants and animals do you see? Where do you find water? What kinds of food sources do you look for? After a few hours on the island, a tropical storm comes, and lightning and rain last for two hours. What do you do? Describe where you decide to spend the night, and how you are feeling at the end of the day.

Day 3: You wake to find yourself face-to-face with a wild pig. How do you react? Remember, you only have access to the natural materials on the island and the five things you brought with you on the plane. After the pig incident, how do you spend the rest of your day? Do you make any discoveries? Complete any tasks?

Day 4: You are starting to feel more settled on the island and decide to use your day to explore. What parts of the island do you explore? What do you find? Have you found any additional food or water sources? Does anything scary happen? What are your plans for attracting attention if a ship passes by?

Day 5: You’ve been rescued! A ship happens to pass by your island. How were they able to spot you? What were you doing when they found you? What is the first thing you will do when you return to civilization? What did you learn about yourself during your survival experience? Did you change in any way?

Teaching Suggestion: Have students work on their journals one entry at a time, responding to a different prompt each day. If students struggle to come up with things to write, encourage them to, like Brian, use their knowledge from books and movies to help them imagine different scenarios, discoveries, and ways of dealing with problems.

ACTIVITY 2: “Noticing Nature”

The more time Brian spends in the woods, the more his senses change to become in tune with the sounds, sights, and smells around him. He also starts to appreciate nature more.

Part A: For this activity, head outside to a green area like a park, grassy spot, or backyard. Bring a notebook, pencil, basket, or bag for collecting items, and a camera if you have one. Spend some time simply looking around and making observations. Then:

• Write down what you see with as much detail as possible. Include colors, shapes, and descriptions of movement and stillness. Don’t forget to include descriptions of the sky and the ground!
• Next, close your eyes and listen. What do you hear? Try to listen beyond the manmade sounds like people and traffic. Describe the sounds. Are there any sounds that seem out of place or that catch your attention? Do some sounds stop suddenly and then start again? Be specific in your written descriptions.
• Collect some natural items that you see such as rocks, leaves, wildflowers, a blade of grass, a feather, acorns, etc. Be careful not to damage any plants or trees, and ask for permission before removing an item if you are not in a public park or your own backyard. If you see an item that can’t or shouldn’t be taken (such as a tree, bush, flower, bird, or bug), take a photo instead.

Part B: Head back inside with your collected items and photos. Spread them out in front of you. Choose one that includes lots of detail or draws your attention in some way. Using art supplies of any kind (colored pencils, paint, pastels, crayons, markers) create a detailed drawing of the object. For example, if you choose a leaf, draw the leaf’s individual veins, its delicate shape, and its stem.

Part C: Share your written observations, photos, and collected items with a partner or group. Explain what sights and sounds stood out to you, and if there was anything you noticed that would have been easy for someone to miss if they hadn’t been listening and looking. Show your drawing and describe the details that you discovered when you looked closely at the object. If you’d like to share about another time when you’ve appreciated the details and beauty of nature, tell your partner/group about that too.

Teaching Suggestion: If you’re able to take your class outdoors for Part A, do so! If not, assign Part A as homework that students can do in their neighborhood or yard. Photos may or may not be included as part of the activity. The drawing portion can be adapted to a variety of mediums, or students could use a digital drawing app on a tablet or other device. For Part C, students may present their findings to a partner, a small group, or to the entire class. Class discussion and sharing time can connect to Hatchet’s theme of changes in perspective.