Hatchet has sequels?!

I read Hatchet for the first time around fifth grade.  

I loved the book, so I was excited to read this timeless classic with my own fifth graders.

(The covers have changed over time, which was interesting to discuss with my students.  You can read about it here!)

When I was first starting out, I used donorschoose to write a grant for copies of Hatchet.  In doing so, I realized something:

Hatchet has sequels. 

Not just one, but several sequels.  How did I not discover this until I was an adult??

So naturally I requested six of each and through the amazing generosity of friends and strangers, this grant was funded and I received the novels.  (I have another project expiring soon...)

The Sequels:

Brian's Winter: 

In this novel, Paulsen responds to reader's notes about the ending of Hatchet by posing an alternative ending.  Essentially, millions of readers watched Brian struggle for months and were a tad disappointed where he seemingly effortlessly flips a switch and is rescued within a few hours.  This novel looks at Brian's struggles through fall and winter.

The River:

Like Hatchet, I'm lucky enough to have several covers in my classroom which allows for great conversation about the illustrator's intent.  In this novel, Brian is asked to go back into the woods with a psychologist (Derek) so that the government can learn his survival techniques.  Naturally, things don't go according to plan and Brian must deal with the consequences of nature.

Brian's Return:

Brian returns (duh) to the Canadian wilderness he's grown to call home.  He works with his therapist, Caleb, and struggles to find where he truly belongs.

Brian's Hunt:

This is the final adventure with Brian.  Brian meets a wounded dog, worries for his Cree friends...and lots of tears are involved.  Consider yourself warned.

Just for fun, Guts

I've never done this novel with a small group but it's awesome to get an informational text from Paulsen.  I learned a lot about his life and how it truly is reflected in his books.  

I have teacher guides for all of the novels and am in the process of revising them to improve the rigor of the questions.  They'll be available individually and as a bundle pack on TpT soon!  

Happy reading :)

Catching Fire and Hunger Games

With November's movie date fast approaching, I am one of many eagerly re-reading Suzanne Collin's Catching Fire.  While I liked the movie adaptation of Hunger Games, it pales in comparison to my love of the books...but isn't that always the case?

I am also preparing for reading these novels with a new group of fifth graders in a few months an preparing for the inevitable comments from a few stinkers about "can't I just watch the movie instead?".  No, you can't.  Movie fans lack the development of Katniss and Peeta's relationship.  More importantly, they can' tell me who Madge is...so no, the movie doesn't replace the book.

To prepare for these literature circles, I've made sorts where students must put the events back into chronological order.  This requires them to pay attention to key details, re-read the parts of the book and think critically about how the chapters and events build upon one another.

They are available on my TPT store now :)

(Mockingjay should be up within the week but Hunger Games and Catching Fire are available now!)

My students enjoyed this sort and would have some great literature discussions.  They'd often independently start talking about which characters they liked best and which events were the most meaningful to them, which is always exciting as a teacher :)

Sorts

While chronological order and sequence may seem like easy concepts for fifth graders, I assure you my latest sort is deceivingly simple!  Students will have to recreate Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by putting the 34 events into chronological order!  By analyzing the events and discussing which came first, they are secretly reviewing the importance of text structure and analyzing how events come together to make a story (RL 5.5).  Mwhahaha! I love when they secretly learn and don't even realize it!

The first sequence sort for Harry Potter can be downloaded here, for free.  That's right, for free :)  You are welcome.  If you like it, consider grabbing the second.

I'm hoping that you'll like the sort enough to download the rest of the series (once they're up later this week...okay, summer. Let's not get too crazy ambitious here!). Maybe you'll even tell all your friends about them...but that's only if you really like it.  I'm also hoping you'll leave feedback on how I can make these activities even better :)

My munchkins liked them and here's hoping yours will too!

Ms. Vice

PS: final teaching tip:
Print each book on a different color of paper and color-code the baggies.  It makes cleaning up less stressful :)