If you were stranded on a desert island, what items would be the most important to have with you? Decide whether you'd want a five gallon can of water, a radio, shark repellent, or any other item with an activity designed to prepare kids to read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.

Concepts

hatchet, role playing, reading comprehension

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Create a version of the worksheet with no expert answers, giving kids the opportunity to have confidence in their own answers
• Have learners write a short narrative essay about their fictional experience, including the top three items on their list
• Assign a secretary to each group to keep track of how the discussion goes, noting who changed their mind or who had a different perspective

Classroom Considerations

• Includes the answer key but no worksheet with a blank organizer
• Suggests expert answers that are certainly up for debate, since the resource does not include citations or links to discuss why these answers are more correct than class answers
• Assessment is vague; have kids write a reflection of the activity to assess their participation

Pros

• A fun and creative way to get kids engaged in the text
• Good way for kids to get to know each other in the beginning of the year

Cons

• None