What's included
4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
1-2 hours per week. Students will read between 40-50 pages a week on their own time. Each lesson, students will have access to the new video and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. Each lesson, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions. There are also activities like vocabulary words and an optional Kahoot! review quiz to test their comprehension from the weekly chapters.Assessment
The more questions, comments, and posts that students share in the classroom, the more I can understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.Grading
Please let me know if you would like a grade for this course.Class Experience
US Grade 6 - 9
Students will read between 40-50 pages a week on their own time. Each lesson, a new video will discuss the pages that the students have previously read. This class does not meet live. The prerecorded sessions will emphasize characters, their motivations, theme, story plausibility, and inferences about what might come next. We will also refer to the mythology surrounding the Greek gods as it relates to our weekly reading. Each lesson, students will have access to a video that covers the important elements of the reading and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. The worksheets will also address/remind the students of some of the important topics from each chapter. Each lesson, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions. I also ask students to submit any vocabulary words the students didn't recognize or passages the students did not understand. The more questions the students ask, the more "discussion" we can have in the classroom after each chapter. Weekly breakdown: Students will receive a worksheet and discussion questions for each weekly video. There is one weekly writing assignment to complete after the weekly readings. I will also post a vocabulary word for the students to use in a sentence that showcases their understanding of the definition. Finally, I will post a link to a Hatchet-themed, optional Kahoot! review quiz to further immerse the students in this world.
Learning Goals
Week One Chapters 1-4
Week Two Chapters 5-9
Week Three Chapters 10-14
Week Four Chapters 15-19 (and Epilogue)
Syllabus
4 Lessons
over 4 WeeksLesson 1:
Chapters 1-4
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Lesson 2:
Chapters 5-9
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Lesson 3:
Chapters 10-14
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Lesson 4:
Chapters 15-19 (and Epilogue)
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Other Details
Parental Guidance
According to commonsensemedia.org: Parents need to know that Gary Paulsen's Hatchet is an intense, fast, exciting read. The main character is a 13-year-old boy whose parents are divorced. He survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness en route to visit his father and must use the hatchet his mother once gave him to stay alive. Many kids report that this is the first school-assigned book they fell in love with. Students say this story is appropriate for age 10 while parents lean toward age 12.
Supply List
The students will need a copy of Hatchet to read on their own. It can be borrowed from the library or even listened to as an audio book. The students will not need a physical copy of the story in class, although they may find it helpful to have while filling out their worksheets or working on their writing assignment.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Spalding University
I have an Master's Degree in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults. I was a substitute teacher for three years before teaching on Outschool for multiple years. I also teach English Composition at a local nursing college. Students love to bring up this story! It is especially engaging for reluctant readers or those interested in the outdoors. It is an action packed, fast-paced story that keeps readers' interest, even students who have a harder time focusing on books. The setting includes beautiful wilderness descriptions that make you want to take a hike outdoors! The story opens up a lot of conversations about safety, responsibility, and the emotional impact of being alone and trying to survive by oneself. I am very excited to read this with your student and see what feelings and emotions Hatchet brings up for them as we journey through this story together!
Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$9
weekly or $33 for all content4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 6 learners
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Ages: 11-15