Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is a tale of survival and inner strength. This cloze activity brings a light-hearted twist to Brian's story by imagining he discovers Hershey's Kisses buried in one of his pockets. Use this activity to enhance descriptive writing skills while reading the amazing novel Hatchet.
Imagine that, along with the money and nail clippers, Brian had a small package of Hershey Chocolate Kisses. Fill in the blanks below with vivid words describing the candy to complete the paragraph.
Once you fill in the blanks, click "Create My Story." Your completed story will open in a new window ready to print. If you need to make changes, close that window, edit your answers here, and click the button again.
This activity brings a fun twist to teaching Gary Paulsen's Hatchet. Students practice descriptive writing while connecting with the story in a unique way.
Introduce the activity after reading the portion of the story on page 50 where Brian empties out his pockets to see if he has anything useful to help him in the wilderness.
"Brian changed position so he was sitting on his knees. He reached into his pockets and took out everything he had and laid it on the grass in front of him."
What is a cloze activity?
A cloze activity is a fill-in-the-blank exercise that encourages students to use context and creativity to complete a passage.
Do I need to read Hatchet to use this activity?
Not necessarily! While the activity connects to the book, it also works as a standalone descriptive writing exercise for any class.
Encourage students to share their generated stories with the class as part of a discussion on sensory language.
Use this as a warm-up before a lesson on figurative language or creative writing. You can also challenge students to transform their completed story into a poem focusing on candy's taste, smell, and texture.
Looking for additional resources to add to your Hatchet unit? Check out these links to find novel study samples and teaching activities including printable organizers.
