Hatchet Worksheets
About Our Hatchet Worksheets
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is a powerful story of survival, self-discovery, and resilience. It tells the tale of Brian Robeson, a young boy who finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash. With only a hatchet and his instincts, Brian must learn how to survive-and in the process, grows stronger in body and spirit.
Our Hatchet worksheet collection brings this gripping novel to life with student-friendly activities designed for upper elementary and middle grade readers. These worksheets include reading comprehension questions, vocabulary-in-context, character exploration, and theme-based prompts that support deeper thinking. Students can engage with multiple formats like short answer, creative responses, and text-based analysis.
Each worksheet encourages students to actively reflect on Brian's journey and the lessons he learns from nature, hardship, and himself. Whether used in the classroom or at home, these printable PDFs turn the story into an interactive learning experience that builds both skills and confidence.
The Value of These Worksheets
Our Hatchet worksheets are crafted to strengthen key literacy skills while sparking thoughtful discussion and personal reflection. Through a range of engaging questions and structured prompts, students build their reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, critical thinking, and literary analysis.
Perfect for classroom lessons, homework assignments, or independent reading projects, these resources help learners dig beneath the surface of the story. They support writing fluency, test readiness, and even essay preparation by encouraging students to cite evidence, explain ideas, and connect themes to real-life situations.
Perhaps most importantly, these worksheets guide students in developing a deeper appreciation for literature. By asking purposeful questions and highlighting Brian's emotional growth and problem-solving journey, learners explore not just what happens in the story-but why it matters.
How the Worksheets Connect to the Novel
Each worksheet in this collection is thoughtfully aligned to key elements in Hatchet, guiding students through Brian's most important challenges and moments of transformation. Activities explore literary devices such as symbolism (the hatchet as a tool and metaphor), setting as character, and plot development from crisis to resolution.
Students analyze character changes, especially how Brian evolves from a scared boy into a resilient survivor. They explore the author's use of descriptive language to build mood and atmosphere and are prompted to reflect on central themes like independence, perseverance, and the power of nature.
Summary of Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Brian Robeson is a 13-year-old boy who is flying in a small airplane to visit his dad in the Canadian wilderness. It's supposed to be a short trip, but something terrible happens-the pilot has a heart attack while flying, and Brian is left all alone in the plane! He doesn't know how to fly it, but he tries his best. Eventually, the plane crashes in a big lake in the middle of a forest. Amazingly, Brian survives the crash, but now he's stuck in the wild with no one else around. All he has is a small tool called a hatchet, which his mom gave him before he left.
At first, Brian is scared and doesn't know what to do. He's hungry, cold, and bitten by bugs. He doesn't even know how to make a fire. But as the days go by, Brian starts learning how to take care of himself. He figures out how to find berries, catch fish, and make a fire using his hatchet. He builds a shelter to protect himself from animals and the weather. He even learns how to listen to the sounds of nature and understand what they mean. Every day is a challenge, but Brian becomes stronger and smarter.
One day, a moose attacks Brian, and later a tornado destroys his shelter. Things get really hard, and Brian feels like giving up. But he remembers how far he's come and decides to keep trying. He's not the same scared boy he was when the plane first crashed. Now he is brave, clever, and knows how to survive.
After the storm, Brian sees the tail of the crashed plane sticking out of the lake. He builds a raft and paddles out to it. Inside the plane, he finds a survival pack with food, a radio, and other helpful tools. Using the radio, he tries to send a message, and someone hears him! A man comes in a small plane and rescues Brian. After 54 days alone in the wilderness, Brian is finally going home.
When he gets back, Brian is different. He's proud of what he's done and knows he can face hard things. He's learned how to survive, how to think clearly, and how to stay calm even when he's afraid. He's not just a regular kid anymore-he's someone who knows how to take care of himself in the wild.
Hatchet is a story about courage, growing up, and never giving up. Even when things seem scary or impossible, Brian shows that you can learn and grow if you keep trying. The hatchet may seem like just a small tool, but it becomes the key to Brian's survival. This book teaches kids that they are stronger and braver than they think-and that nature has a lot to teach us if we're willing to listen.
This adventure story is exciting and full of amazing moments that will make you cheer for Brian. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to live in the wild, Hatchet will take you on a journey you'll never forget!