Essential Questions
- How do we react in times of great stress?
- Are our personalities fixed or can they change over time?
Literature Connection
- Novel: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Standards Correlations
R.1, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, W.3, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.5, L.6
Learning Objective:
Students will analyze characters and make inferences about events in a fiction story.
Key Skills
inference, text features, vocabulary, character, figurative language, critical thinking, making connections, narrative writing
Complexity Factors
Levels of Meaning: The story explores themes of leadership, personal growth, and the relationship between humans and nature.
Structure: The story is written in three parts and is chronological. It takes place over the span of several hours.
Language: The language is simple and conversational. The sound effect clang, clang, clang is used as a recurring sensory detail.
Knowledge Demands: The story mentions a pickax and a coyote skull.
Levels
Guided Reading Level: T
DRA Level: 50
Lesson Plan: Climbing Skulll Mountain
Essential Questions
Literature Connection
1. Preparing to Read
Preview Text Features (15 minutes)
Guide students to locate the story. Then help them preview the text features by asking the following questions:
Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)
Set a Purpose for Reading
2. Reading and Unpacking the Text
Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)
Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)
3. Skill Building and Writing
Learn Anywhere Activity
An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom
Urban Legends
In this story, you learn of a fictional mountain that takes revenge on anyone who tries to take anything from it. This type of story is an urban legend, or a story that’s told as if it’s true and that’s often scary or spooky. To study urban legends, pick one of the two choices below.
ELL Springboard
Teach onomatopoeia to foster appreciation for literary devices.
After reading the story, tell students that onomatopoeia means words that sound like the thing they stand for. Ask:.
Next, ask students to think of other sound words. Challenge them to make the sound represented by each word, using their bodies or items they have nearby. (Some sound words they may use include: bang, buzz, click, crack, crunch, hiss, hoot, hum, rumble, and snap.)
Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.