Unit Plan Hatchet – 4^th grade

1. Preparation
• Introduce book - Hatchet
• Survival Concept (mini-lesson)
• Cartography (mini-lesson)
• Vocabulary – word wall
2. Reading
• Expedition Team will read book as a group
• Buddy-read by role

ü Historian (2)

ü Cartographer (2)

ü Environmental Specialist (botanist – 1, wildlife – 1)

ü Guide (2)

3. Responding
• Expedition (reading) log – each team member will keep a log

ü Keep notes related to your area of expertise from these sources: novel, research online & offline

ü Keep a word wall

ü Record reflections of your journey (this should be a visceral, personal response)

ü Record questions that arise and how you answered them.

ü Response journal should be done with a word processing program – Microsoft Word, AppleWorks, etc.

4. Exploring
• Management:

ü Elect a leader for your expeditionary force

ü Meet regularly – try to solve problems as a group.

ü Each individual will be evaluated by team members

• Task: investigate & document

ü Keep in mind the central questions: Was it possible for Brian to survive in the Canadian Wilderness? How did Brian survive?

ü Approach this from your area of expertise (for example, botany)

ü Save mementos of your journey to support your conclusions.

• Distress Signals: e-mail the Nevada bureau chief (teacher)
4. Extending
• Product: Produce a documentary report with pictures and mementos of your expedition. Include a map of the area Brian crashed in and explored – show cave dwelling, lake, choke cherries, woods, indicate direction, etc.) Include a map showing the airline route Brian took – show home, destination, crash site, countries (borders) traveled across, etc.
• Group presentation to the Nevada Explorers Society (classmates, parents and staff)
• Final Reflection:

ü What did you learn from your expedition?

ü What would you do differently?

ü What other novel-based expeditions would you like to go on, if any?

ü Was there an alternative approach to the expedition?

ü Were your preparations for the expedition adequate?

6. Assessment
• Invite students into the assessment process & use neutral rankings.[1]
• Cooperative Rubric (Fair, Good, Very Good, Great)

ü Attitude

ü Helpfulness

ü Attentiveness

ü Team Spirit

• Individual Product Rubric (Fair, Good, Very Good, Great)

ü Report

ü Design

ü Participation

ü Research

Content Areas

ü Reading: Contemporary teen literature – novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. Non-fiction research including online & offline materials. This incorporates individual, buddy and group reading. Themes: survival, disaster, learning new skills, self-confidence, loneliness, personal change, etc.

ü Vocabulary: Building a word wall from words encountered in the novel and in the course of research. Word origins – native, immigrant, scientific, etc.

ü Writing: The expedition log is an individual response activity. The final product is a documentary activity done according to each role (historian, cartographer, environmental specialist and guide). This is a paired writing process. The entire group must integrate the parts into a sequential, logical and cohesive product.

ü Math: Required in the cartography process. Exploring the area of the crash site involves developing spatial and distance concepts.

ü Science: Required in exploring the native vegetation and wildlife. First aid care for the pilot’s heart attack, Brian’s problems with mosquito infestation, wild animal attacks, hypothermia, need for food and shelter, etc.

ü Social Studies: Exploring Canada, understanding concepts of city and wilderness, inhabitants - nomad and settler, learning the difference between densely and sparsely populated.

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[1] Stix, A., (1996). Empowering Students through Negotiable Contracting to Draft Rubrics for Authentic Assessment. US Department of Education: ERIC, #TM027247, pp 1-8.