Hatchet

Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen

Add your inferences to the table. Just like in a Word table, hitting the tab key adds a row.
Nugent || Hatchet, p. 33 //He sat up--or he tried to. The first time he fell back. but on the second attempt, grunting with the effort, he managed to come to a sitting position and scrunched sideways...// || The reader must infer that Brian is in pain from the crash. He has to move more slowly and with much more effort than he would if he was unharmed. || The reader must remember that the plane crash just happened and that injuries don't just heal over night. The reader must understand the significance of each of the words in the phrase. For example, it says "on the second attempt," which implies that it took Brian more than one attempt to get up/move. Also the phrase "grunting with the effort" and the word "managed" shows he was really struggling to do the simple act of just sitting up-right. The language does help paint the picture, and an inference does need to be made. Given the circumstances Brian finds himself in, it may be an easier inference. || Nugent || Hatchet, p. 57 //He didn't want to be anywhere in the woods when it came to be dark. And he didn't want to get lost--which was a real problem.// || The reader must infer that Brian doesn't want to be in the woods when it was dark because it can be dangerous in the dark. The reader must also infer that it might be dangerous at night because different animals might come out at night, or it might just be dangerous because Brian can't see his surroundings as well in the dark. || The reader must understand the fear Brian has of being in the woods when it is dark out. The reader must also remember that Brian is from NYC with bright lights all the time so being in darkness is completely out of his element. The reader must also understand that the only safety Brian feels is in the shelter he made for himself. If he cannot find his way back to the shelter because it is dark and he is lost, he as potentially put himself in harms way. I think the fear/dark is fairly easy. But, you bring up a good point that the reader should connect Brian's past (NYC) to his current to realize how significant this might be for Brian. || “Dad, he thought. Not ‘my father.’ My dad. ‘Thanks. It’s really nice.’ But the words sounded hollow, even to Brian.” || The reader must infer that he is still mad at his mother and although he is acting nice to her he can’t truthfully mean it. || The reader must remember back to page three when Brian is thinking about the secret. Brian stated that his mothers secret had been the cause of the divorce. Therefore it is only natural that Brian feels resentment towards her for splitting up his family. Okay, this helps set the tone for who Brian is right now, which becomes critical later on to understand his change. || “He could not at first leave the fire. It was so precious to him, so close and sweet a thing, the yellow and red flames brightening the dark interior of the shelter, the happy crackle of the dry wood as it burned, the he could not leave.” || The reader must infer why Brian is so attached to the fire. || The reader must remember back to when Brian did not have a fire and he was always attacked by the mosquitoes at night. Brian had tried many times to start a fire but never had much success. The reader understands why the fire is so important to Brian because they remember the difficulties Brian went through to finally get a fire. And the reader has to pick up on words that might not be used in ways they know--the fire was 'precious.' || "Brian pushed the nose of the plane down and threw up." || The Reader must infer that the jolting movements of the plane has made Brian's stomach upset which makes him throw up. || The Reader must connect the ideas that if Brian threw up, then he must have had an upset stomach. The Reader also has to remember that the plane is jolting up and down as Brian struggles to control it and that this has caused Brian's stomach to be upset. Okay, this is a relatively easy inference. || Seeram || Hatchet, p. 31 "Brian raised himself and crawled out of the water, grunting with the pain of movement. His legs were on fire..." || The reader must infer that the Brian is out of the plane yet still in the water and that he is hurt. The reader also has to infer that Brian's leg is not literally on fire but that he must have badly hurt himself during the crash. || The reader has to key into the word "water" to realize that even though Brian got out of the plane he is still in the lake where it crashed.The reader also to connect the idea that if Brian is in the water then his leg cannot literally be on fire. The reader does need to infer, but given the circumstances, the inference is straightforward. || "In moments his eyes were swollen shut and his face puffy and round to match his battered forehead." || The reader must infer that Brian's eyes and face have become swollen by the bites from the flies and mosquitoes and not from the crash. || The Reader has to key into the word "battered" and remember that this word only refers to Brian's swollen forehead. They have to remember that Brian had hurt his forehead in the crash and that it was already swollen before the insects had started to bite him. The Reader must connect these two ideas and come to the conclusion that it is the insect bites that causes Brian's eyes and face to become swollen. || //"The burning eyes did not come back but memories did, came flooding in. The words. Always the words."// || The reader must infer that Brian couldn't cry anymore but what he heard his mother and father say about divorce, split. fight, the secret (the words) all came rushing back into his mind making him upset and angry. || The reader must be able to understand that Brian was crying before and the "burning eyes" is just another way to put it. When the author mentions "the words" the reader has to understand that Brian is thinking of what is happening between his parents with the divorce and some kind of "secret" which makes Brian angry and think of unpleasant memories. Paulsen does such a great job with those short sentence. "The words. Always the words." If kids aren't accustomed to that kind of language, it's tricky. Not only does the reader need to infer, but s/he needs create a representation of Brian as a character--his struggles are more than just with the forest. || //"He was stopped. Inside he was stopped. He could not think past what he saw, what he felt. All was stopped. The very core of him, the very center of Brian Robeson was stopped and stricken with a white - flash of horror, a terror so intense that his breathing, his thinking, and nearly his heart had stopped."// || The reader must infer that once the pilot had a heart attack and was down on the ground, not responding to anything, Brian realized he was alone in a plane thousands of feet in the air. He was struck with "terror" because he knew he had to fly this plane to safety if he wanted to save his own life. || The reader has to see and comprehend the word "stopped" being used multiple times through out the quote. It's used to show how shocked Brian is about how he is all alone in a plane so high up in the air. "White - flash of horror" portrays what his face may show at that moment and how terrified he is losing the pilot to a heart attack. Brian is only thirteen and specifically says he has never flown a plane before so we know how scared and terrified he must have been. Again, Paulsen's use of short phrases/sentence to drive home a point. || //"Oh, he thought, remembering a meal now - oh. It was last Thanksgiving, last year, the last Thanksgiving they had as a family before his mother demanded the divorce and his father moved out in the following January."// || The reader must infer that Brian loved Thanksgiving meals with his family before the divorce. He realized everything was so much happier then and so delicious with all the food on the table and what not. He isn't finding any food in the woods. || The reader needs to see the words "remembering" and "before." "Remembering" shows how Brian is flashing back to a happier time in his life, where he was able to eat whatever he likes with the people he loves. "Before" shows that what is happening in his life now isn't great with his parents divorcing. Brian liked holidays with his family. || "//In the morning light and calm water was absolutely, perfectly still. He could see the reflections of the trees at the other end of the lake. Upside down in the water they seemed almost like another forest, and upside down forest to match the real one"// || The reader must infer that the "upside down forest" is just a reflection of the actual forest that Brian is viewing. || The reader needs to visualize a "real forest" beside and lake and then realize that the "upside down forest" is actually just like looking in a mirror and that it is a reflection from the water.The reader must also realize that there in just only one forest. Okay, this is a relatively easy inference to make. || "//The sparks flowed like a golden waterfall. At first they seemed to take, there were several, many sparks that found life and took briefly, but they all died"// || The reader must infer that the golden waterfall means that there are many sparks flying in the air but that they are not turning into a fire. || The reader must be able to understand that in order to make a fire, little sparks must first be made. The reader must remember the information on the previous page about Brian gathering bark and pieces of nest in order to make fuel to start the fire. The reader must also realize that the sparks are not "dying", but rather just not catching fire. This is great imagery. Inference, perhaps, but imagery definitely. || "//It was as if all the berries, all the pits had exploded in the center of him, ripped and tore at him"// || The reader must infer that the berries made Brian's stomach ache and made him feel very sick. || The reader must think about this sentence before reading ahead. The reader can assume that things "exploding in the center of him", "ripping" and "tearing at him" must not be a very good feeling. They must remember that he was screaming in pain in the previous paragraph and that the stomach ache and pain must be the effect from the berries he had eaten earlier. Yes, we need to infer, but this is one of those fairly straightforward inferences. || //"Never anything like this. Never. It was as if all the berries, all the pits had exploded in the center of him, ripped and tore at him."// || The reader must infer that the berries which he had eaten earlier had given him a stomach ache and made him sick. || The reader must remember in the previous chapter when Brian finally found food, the 'pit cherries,' and how even though he wasn't very fond of their taste he ate them to curb his hunger. The also need to understand the context of the words 'exploded' and 'ripped,' in the sentence, and how they describing deep, sudden, and intense pain. || //"Brian made certain the fire was banked with new wood, then went out of the shelter and searched for a good fuel supply."// || The reader must infer that Brian wants to make sure the fire doesn't go out while he searches for more sources of 'fuel' for his fire. The reader must also infer that fuel in this scenario does not mean gasoline fuel but wood, sticks, or bark. || The reader needs to remember back to Brian's struggle to make fire and the reader needs to remember back to the previous chapter when he was able to accomplish a small fire by making sparks and 'fueling' the fire. The reader needs to understand the context in which fuel is being used in the sentence. Yes, we need to infer that B does not want the fire to go out. But you bring up a good point. There are two words that are used here that students might not know, "banked" (as in stoked) and "fuel." || //"Damn. You're him, aren't you? You're that kid? They quite looking, a month, no, almost two months ago. You're him, aren't you? You're that kid...."// || The reader must infer that after Brian's plane never made it to his father in Canada search parties were sent out to find him and gave up when they found no traces of Brian, the pilot, or the plane. || The reader needs to assume that any parent would look for their child of he or she went missing. The reader also needs to understand that since Brian's plane landed in a location off the plane's route, there was no evidence of any accident where search parties were so finding a link to where he may have been would have been nearly impossible if Brian didn't have the emergency transmitter. The reader also needs to imagine the new pilots surprise to find Brian alive and taking care of himself after months of being alone in the wilderness. Yes, that comes up out of nowhere--"You're him." || //" Fire. The hatchet was the key to it all. When he threw the hatchet at the porcupine in the cave and missed and hit the stone wall it had showered sparks, a golden shower of sparks in the dark, as golden as the sun."// || The reader must infer that Brian came up with a way to create fire not that there is a fire from the sparks with the axe. || The reader needs to recall that Brian has been trying to create fire for a long time now. The reader must also realize that if the sparks had caused a fire it would not have taken Brian this long to realize it. Yes, the reader must put two and two together as Brian did. || //"It was not the right kind of fish, not a food fish.// //The food fish stayed close in, in the shallows, and did not roll that way but made quicker movements, food movements. The large fish rolled and stayed deep and could not be taken. But it didn't matter. This day, this morning, he was not looking for fish. Fish was the light meat and he was sick of them."// || The reader must infer that Brian found a way to catch fish and that he caught and ate a lot of them. || The reader needs to recall that Brian in the prior chapter Brian was trying extremely hard to fish and then this chapter he is sick of fish so the reader must put together that the only way he would get sick of fish and know about them is if he ate a lot of them and to eat them you must be able to catch them. Okay, this is a fairly easy inference. || //" And the fish, as good as they still tasted then, were not something he could store. His mother had left some salmon out by mistake one time when they went on an overnight trip ......"// || The reader must infer that Brian is remembering the past when he is taking about his mother leaving out fish. || The reader must notice that the words in the paragraph goes from the present tense to past tense and the reader must recall that there is no way the mother can be with Brian because no one came to rescue him and he is all alone. True, but also we need to understand Brian's thinking. He uses what he knows to tell himself what to do/not to do. In this case, he knows from past experience that fish don't keep. We must infer that he's not going to save the fish up and eat them later--that he knows this will make him sick. ||
 * **Name** || **Text (page # and quote)** || **Inference needed** || **How did you make the inference?/What did you need to make the inference?** ||
 * Terry Deeney || Holes, pg. 41: //A lot of people don't believe in yellow-spotted lizards either, but if one bites you, it doesn't make a difference whether you believe in it or not.// || The reader must infer that the author means that if a YSL bites you, you're dead, so whether you believe it becomes irrelevant. || The reader must remember back to the first page that the yellow-spotted lizard kills you if you are bitten by it. She must use this info, along with the narrator's words on page 41 to realize that if you're dead, it really doesn't matter whether you believe or not. ||
 * Terry Deeney || MTH, p. 14: //"That's weird," said Annie. "I don't hear any birds." She was right. The grove was strangely silent.// || The reader must infer a Annie is nervous--that she thinks something is not quite right. The reader must get a sense of foreboding. || The reader must key into the word "weird" to understand that no birds in the grove is unusual. The reader must put this together with the page before where Jack says, "What's wrong with her." This gives the reader a sense that Annie is noticing something out of the ordinary, which makes her uncomfortable. ||
 * Elissa Hamilton || Hatchet, p. 10-11: ...//one more time he slammed back into the seat and his right leg jerked, pulling the plane to the side in a sudden twist and his head fell forward and spit came.// || The reader must infer that the jerking motion of the pilot's body //caused the plane to change direction// by suddenly and forcefully depressing the //rudder// with his leg. || The reader must remember back to when the pilot was teaching Brian how to fly the plane and Brian was pressing the rudder too hard, causing the plane to significantly change course only by a slight, yet forceful depressing of the rudder. By remembering this information, the reader would put together that the "pulling (of) the plane to the side" would change the course of the plane along with the jerking motion of the leg on the rudder. ||
 * Elissa Hamilton || Hatchet, p. 25-26: //He desperately needed a lake right in front of the plane and all he saw through the windshield were trees, green death trees.// || The reader must infer that a lake is a safe place for Brian to "land" the plane, and that if he lands the plane in the trees, he and the plane will be destroyed. || The reader must key into the word "death" and understand that trees would be a very poor landing strip because the word death by definition indicates dying and not living. The reader must piece together: (1) the term "death trees" and (2) the first part of the sentence that says that "he desperately needed a lake right in front of the plane", to infer that water is safe and trees would be a bad landing place. Elissa, Yes, the "death trees" is language that kids might not pick up on, particularly kids who don't speak English as a first language. Dr. Deeney ||
 * Elissa Hamilton || Hatchet, p. 130: //He had been working farther and farther out for wood, sometimes now going nearly a quarter of a mile away from camp for wood, and he saw many small animals.// || The reader must infer that wood is becoming scarce closer to Brian's shelter, so he must walk a further distance to find good firewood. A second inference could be that Brian is becoming braver at working farther away from his shelter and has the confidence to be able to find his way back again. || The reader must remember back in the book to other references in which Brian talks about his desire to stay close to his shelter so that he does not get lost and so that he is close to where the plane crashed in case rescuers came along. The reader must understand that walking a farther distance, against Brian's usual fear of losing his way back, must mean something more important (good firewood) is at stake and that he cannot get it close to the shelter anymore. The reader is starting to get a sense of Brian's increased security about his shelter and its surrounding. Yes, lots to put together here. One of the signals of brings change as a character. ||
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 * Susan Nugent || Hatchet, p. 128 //Soon, under an hour, there were thirty or forty small fish in the enclosure and Brian made a gate by weaving small willows together into a fine mesh and closed them in. "Fresh fish," he had yelled. "I have fresh fish for sale..."// || The reader must infer that Brian is proud of himself for collecting a number of fish. The reader must also infer that when he is yelling out about fish for sale, he is really just amusing himself. || The reader must connect the fact that since he has fish, he has food and that is why he is proud of himself for collecting so many fish into a contained area is such a short period of time. The reader must also remember that Brian is the only one around so when he says anything out loud he is really just talking to himself. With that, the reader must also understand that since there is no one around there is no one to sell fish to and that he is really just making a joke. If the reader understands that he is making a joke he/she also truly understands how happy he is about his catches because people tend to make jokes when they are in good moods. I tend to think of Tom Hanks in "Cast Away" at this point in the story. When Hanks is yelling "I have fire!" ||
 * Brianna Lennon || ====== Hatchet, p. 46 //Brian had once had an English teacher, a guy named Perpich, who was always talking about being positive, thinking positive, staying on top of things. That's how Peprich had put it-- stay positive and stay on top of things. Brian thought of him now-- wondered how to stay positive and stay on top of this. All Perpich would say is that I have to get motivated.// ====== || The reader must infer that Brian is trying to stay positive and use his teacher's words of wisdom to help him find a solution. The reader may also infer that Brian is going to problem solve and try to find help or tools to make him survive. || The reader must remember that Brian is alone in the wilderness with nothing around him except trees and animals. They must connect his teacher's words of wisdom to what Brian may choose to do next. The reader can also infer that Brian is in a state of panic and is using his previous knowledge to get him through it. All Brian has is what's on his body and in his pockets. The reader can now infer that he is going to take in his surroundings to find a way to survive. Yes, Brian is battling himself and using a voice in his head as a friend, in a sense. ||
 * Brianna Lennon || Hatchet, p. 57 //All he knew in the world was the lake in front of him and the hill at his back and the ridge-- if he lost sight of them there was a really good chance that he would get turned around and not find his way back.// || The reader must infer that Brian is trying to make a decision of where he should set up his shelter. The reader must also infer that when he says this is all he knows, that he is afraid and fears not being rescued. || The reader must connect the fact that there is a lake nearby for him to find food and drink water and maybe even bathe. This will aide his fight to survive. The reader must also remember that he should stay close to the plane which may be easier to see if people are out searching for him. Now, the reader can infer what is to come next. Brian will set up his shelter near the water and stay close to the plane crash. He now has a few things working to his advantage. Too, Brian is realizing how critical it is to keep track of his surroundings--to use his landmarks. "All he knew" is so wonderfully phrased by Paulsen. He knew a LOT before. Now, really all he knows is the lake in front, hill in back. No subway, no cars, no prior knowledge, just his knowledge and he has to hold onto it. ||
 * Brianna Lennon || Hatchet, p. 75 //But the hatchet missed, sailed into the wall where it hit the rocks with a shower of sparks, and his leg was instantly torn with pain as if a hundred needles had been driven into it.// || The reader must infer that something has struck Brian and that he is in danger. || The reader must connect the description of the pain to what may be causing Brian's agony. A hundred needles refers to the quills of a porcupine that had struck his leg. The reader may also make a connection to the description of the hatchet hitting the rock and sparking. This is a clue to how Brian may later obtain a fire. This passage displays how Brian overcomes pain and motivates himself to find a solution. He puts these incidents behind him and works with what he has to help himself survive. So the immediate inference is that Brian got stuck by something. The forehshadowing (forward inference or prediction) is the shower of sparks. That's the more interesting one. ||
 * Amanda Machado || Hatchet, p. 79“He scootched up, wincing a bit when he bent his stiff leg, and crawled to where the hatchet lay. He picked it up and examined it and saw a chip in the top of the head.” || The reader must infer that Brian can’t move his leg because he had been hurt. || The reader must remember back to when Brian was attacked by the porcupine and the quills of the porcupine dug into Brians leg. What helps the reader draw this connection is the fact that Brian has to retrieve his hatchet from where he threw it last night while trying to protect himself from the porcupine. Yes, this would be a relatively easy inference. ||
 * Amanda Machado || Hatchet, p. 8
 * Amanda Machado || Hatchet, p. 89
 * Veronica Seeram || Hatchet, p. 24
 * Veronica
 * Veronica Seeram || Hatchet, p. 34
 * Briana Bielecki || Hatchet, p.5
 * Briana Bielecki || Hatchet, p. 11
 * Briana Bielecki || Hatchet, p. 55
 * Katie Santanello || Hatchet, p. 36
 * Katie Santanello || Hatchet, p. 85
 * Katie Santanello || Hatchet, p. 63
 * Elissa Weinberger || Hatchet pg 63
 * Elissa Weinberger || Hatchet pg 90
 * Elissa Weinberger || Hatchet pg 177
 * Avital Hain || Hatchet pg 80
 * Avital Hain || Hatchet pg 113
 * Avital Hain || Hatchet pg 127
 * Kimberly Saccoia || Hatchet pg. 40 //He was unbelievably, viciously thirsty. His mouth was dry and tasted foul and sticky. His lips were cracked and felt as if they were bleeding and if he did not drink some water soon he felt he would wither up and die.// || The reader must infer that Brian is very thirsty which is causing him pain because he has just spent his first night alone in the woods and does not know where to get water . || The reader has to focus on the words " wither up" to understand how severe Brian's thirst is. Water is a basic need of survival and Brian must find water not only to fulfill his thirst but to ease the pain on his lips. The reader will have to remember where the plane crashed and the surroundings to figure out if there is any water Brian can have. So, you're saying that the reader needs to put together two explicitly stated ideas "viciously thirsty" and "lips cracked," etc. To infer a cause/effect relationship? True, but easy in this instance. ||
 * Kimberly Saccoia || Hatchet pg. 57 //He shook his head. Had to stop that kind of thinking. The sun was still high and that meant he had some time before darkness to find berries.// || The reader must infer that Brian is very hungry and if he wants to find food he has to do so before it gets dark out since he can not see in the woods at night. || The reader needs to remember Brian is alone and has never had to find food for himself so this is a daunting task. The reader has to understand that Brian must go during the daylight since it is not safe to go out at night and he has no light to take with him. This puts extra pressure on Brian to fulfill yet another basic human need on his own. This is relatively easy to put together. ||
 * Kimberly Saccoia || Hatchet pg. 117 //Of course he had made a lot of mistakes. He smiled now, walking up the lake shore after the wolves were gone, thinking of the early mistakes; the mistakes that came before he realized that he had to find a new way to be what he had become.// || The reader must infer that Brian is at a place where he can reflect back on his early mistakes and laugh at how little he knew. || The reader must reflect on all the mistakes Brian made when he was first stranded, like eating too many gut cherries. The reader must connect the skills Brian had when he was first looking for food to the skills he has now. It is also important to focus on "what he had become" and have the reader understand that Brian has grown into a man who has learned to provide for himself. That's probably the heart of the inference here--what "what he had become" means. ||
 * Kristen Gencarelli || Hatchet pg. 2-3: //Divorce. It was an ugly word, he thought. A tearing, ugly word that meant fights and yelling, lawyers--God, he thought, how he hated lawyers who sat with their comfortable smiles and tried to explain to him in legal terms how all that he lived in was coming apart--and the breaking and shattering of all the solid things. His home, this life--all the solid things. Divorce. A breaking word, an ugly breaking word.// || The reader must infer that Brian's parents are getting a divorce. || By the way Brian explains the word divorce you can tell that he hates everything associated with divorce. The reader can tell that this word/action has had a negative effect on Brian's life. When he states that the lawyers explain to him how his life is coming apart, the reader must notice how he is somehow involved in the situation. The reader must remember that Brian is only thirteen, which is why he would not be the one getting the divorce. Due to the fact that it is his life that is coming apart, one can assume that it is his parents who are getting divorced because if his parents are getting a divorce then his life would be changing or "coming apart." Kristen, I agree, but feel both of what you describe are inferences--his parents are getting a divorce (that's fairly easy to figure out), and how much Brian is affected by it. ||
 * Kristen Gencarelli || Hatchet pg. 3: //No, not secrets so much as just the Secret. What he knew and had not told anybody, what he knew about his mother that had caused the divorce, what he knew, what he knew--the Secret.// || The reader can infer that Brian's mother had an affair with another person. || The reader can infer that Brian's mother had an affair with another person for a couple reasons. The first is that an affair is usually secret and Brian refers to what is mother did as the Secret. Another reason is that his mother's actions is what caused the divorce and usually an affair will cause a divorce. These reasons can help the reader to infer that the Secret is an affair but whether our inferrence was right or wrong will not be addressed until later in the novel. We don't know what the Secret is. We could infer that it's an affair, but it could be a number of things. I agree that we're predicting here and need to check back later to see if we're correct. ||
 * Kristen Gencarelli || Hatchet pg. 98: //He had transferred all the eggs from the small beach into the shelter, reburying them near his sleeping area. It took all his will to keep from eating another one as he moved them, but he got it done and when they were out of sight again it was easier.// || The reader can infer that Brian is learning self control and survival techniques. || The reader must remember from eariler in the novel when Brian found the berries and consumed a large amount of them, and when he first found the eggs and ate six of the seventeen eggs. These two moments demonstrate that Brian did not have very good self control. This passage demonstrates that Brian is learning self control because he was able to move the eggs without eating them, even though he was hungry. Brian understands he needs to conserve his food. This self control can be seen as a survival technique as well, because he is convserving his food instead of eating it all at the same time. This way he is able to eat food over a longer period of time which will help him to survive longer. This is such a great passage to show how Brian learns. The reader does need to infer this self-control. It's so critical. ||
 * Bethany Alexander || Hatchet pg. 139 //But on the day of First Meat he decided the best thing to try for would be a foolbird and that morning he had sat out with his bow and spear to get one; to stay with it until he got one and ate some meat.// || The reader can infer Brian's determination and hunger. || The reader can see that Brian is becoming very hungry and has great determination and will power to feed himself. The reader can see that Brian has thought out and planned this, so he must have spent a good amount of time planning his prey. The reader can also infer that Brian has become confident with his hunting skills, because he has set off to find himself a satisfying meal with the tools he has created by hand. Yes, this is fairly easy. ||
 * Bethany Alexander || Hatchet pg. 7 //Except for the smell. Now there was a constant odor, and Brian took another look at the pilot, found him rubbing the shoulder and down the arm now, the left arm, letting go more gas and wincing. Probably something he ate, Brian thought.// || The reader can infer that something is wrong with the pilot. || This paragraph makes a major inference, but some people my not get it. Brian describes all the symptoms of the pilot, to recognize these symptoms, you must be familiar with signs of a heart attack. The way the pilot is acting infer that he is going to have a heart attack. Even if the reader does now know that these are the warning signs of a heart attack, they can easily infer that something is wrong with the pilot and he is possibly sick. There seem to be two different levels here. Very easy is that something's wrong. What that something is could only be gotten by prior knowledge. If I were teaching this book, it would matter more to me that students understood something's about to go horribly wrong. I wouldn't worry whether they knew it was a heart attack. ||
 * Bethany Alexander || Hatchet pg. 7 //His mother had driven him from the city to meet the plane at Hampton where it came to pick up the drilling equipment. A drive in silence, a long drive in silence.// || The reader can infer that Brian has not forgiven his mother. || The reader can infer that because his drive with his mother was in silence that Brian probably has not forgiven his mother for having an affair. It can also infer that the Mother doesn't know how to handle it with Brian, and she could be upset that he has chosen to go live with his Father. ||

Kate Licciardello Hatchet Inferences pg. 79 "At first he thought it was a growl. In the still darkness of the shelter in the middle of the night his eyes came open and he was awake and he thought there was a growl. But it was the wind...." The reader must infer that "it" refers to a noise. Brian heard something suspicious and was scared. I had to make the inference that "it" refers to a frightening noise and that Brian doesn't recognize it; I also gathered by his quick movements that he was afraid to find out what the noise was and that he felt in danger. Okay, an easy inference to make.
 * Alex Xenophontos || (I have a kindle and there are no page #'s but this passage is from ch 1) "More smell now. Brian had turned again to glance at the pilot who had both hands on his stomach and was grimacing in pain, reaching for the left shoulder again as Brian watched" || The reader must infer that the pilot is sick and something is wrong. || The key word here is "more". The reader must think back to when Brian first smelt the bad smell and infer that it is not normal to smell twice in a short period of time. This is the first clue that something is not right. By looking at the pilot and seeing that he was in pain Brian realizes that this behavior is unusual and foreshadows that something might happen. Okay, foreshadowing is a type of inference. ||
 * Alex Xenophontos || (in chapter 15) "It was like turning on a television. Suddenly he could see things that he never saw before" || The reader must infer that Brian just figured out how to see and hunt the birds in order to eat. || The reader has to look back earlier in the page to see the characteristics of the birds and what he has to look for. In addition to reader also has to remember why the birds are so hard to hunt in the first place and the importance of them. The key word here is "suddenly" implying that Brian just figured out in this moment how all the characteristics he knew about the bird fits together in order to hunt. A great simile here. Also another reference to Brian's ability to "see," which threads through the book. ||
 * Alex Xenophontos || (in chapter 16) "It was very nearly the last act of his life. Later he would not know why he started to turn-some smell or sound" || The reader must infer that something very bad happened to Brian but that he survived and that he had a clue that something was going to happen. || The key words here are "nearly" and "later". This implies that the the last act wasn't actually his last act. However the fact that he turned means that something happened (either a smell or a sound) that ticked Brian off that something was going to happen. Again, this is a forward inference--a prediction. The reader needs to sense that something bad is about to happen, but won't happen because Brian senses something--so it was nearly the last act, but he prevented that. ||
 * Julie Chasen || Hatchet pg. 3 "Brian felt his eyes beginning to burn and knew there would be tears. he had cried for a time, but that was gone now. He didn't cry now. Instead his eyes burned and tears came, the seeping tears that burned, but he didn't cry." || The reader must infer that Brian is upset about something, but is trying to not show his emotions. || The reader must think back to the paragraph before and realize that Brian is upset over the secret involving his mother. The reader must connect the divorce of Brian's parents to his wanting to cry. The reader needs to understand that Brian does not want to cry, mainly because he had already cried so much. Okay, or that stopping crying doesn't stop the feelings. ||
 * Julie Chasen || Hatchet pg. 111 "He kneeled again to the flames and blew and added grass and chips and the flames fed and grew and in moments he had a bonfire as high as his head but the sound was gone now." || The reader must infer that Brian is trying to make the fire really big so that the airplane will see it. Also, the reader must infer that the plane did not see the smoke and flew right by without finding Brian. || The reader has to remember back to page 91 when Brian first made the fire, and realized that he could use it to try and signal for help if he saw a plane. By adding more wood to the fire, Brian is trying to make it bigger so that it will be more likely for a plane to see it. Then the reader must understand that the plane passed without seeing Brian since he could no longer hear the sound from the plane. Yes, a fairly easy inference, given the context. ||
 * Julie Chasen || Hatchet pg. 57 "He didn't want to be anywhere in the woods when it came to be dark." || The reader must infer that Brian is afraid of being in the woods alone in the dark. The reader must also infer that he wants to get done everything he needs to before dark so that he can stay close to his shelter. || The reader has to understand that Brian is afraid of being alone in the wilderness, especially at night. The reader must connect the idea of Brain gathering all the supplies that he needs, before it gets too dark. The reader also has to realize all the potential dangers that Brian faces once it gets dark, and why it would be better for him to stay in his shelter. By using background knowledge (afraid of dark), kids would figure this out. ||
 * Jillian Pizzo || Pg 164 " He thought he could see the windows and that made him think of the pilot sitting inside. He forced his thoughts from it" || The reader must infer that the memory of the pilot aroused negative feelings to Brian, which is why he is avoid thinking about the pilot sitting in the plane. || The reader must first remember the horrible event that happened to the pilot in the beginning of the book. Also, they must recognize that this was a traumatizing event to Brian and therefore, thoughts bothered him. Lastly, readers must recognize that a common coping mechanism used to deal with traumatizing events it to avoid thinking about this event. The reader must put all of these elements together in order to come up with the inference that this is what Brian is doing. ||
 * Jillian Pizzo || Pg 4 " Brian reached out and took the wheel in a grip so tight his knuckles were white" || The reader must infer that Brian's tight grip on the wheel signifies that he was nerves to drive the plane. || The reader must use the paragraphs above to understand that Brian has never driven a plane before. They must also correlate the relationship between first time experiences and a feeling of nervousness. Readers must also use outside knowledge of symptoms of nervousness to categorize a tight grip as one of these symptoms. They must use this prior knowledge to conclude that Brian must be nervous because this is his first time flying a plane and he gripping the wheel so tight. Okay, background knowledge would probably fill this in. ||
 * Jillian Pizzo || Pg 27 "Today she would be going to see //him//. Today was thursday and she always went to see him on thursday. Wednesday was exercise class and thursday she went to see him. Hot little jets of hate worked into his thoughts, pushed once, and moved back. If his mother hand't begun to see //him// and forced the divorce, Brian wouldn't be here." || The reader must infer that "his" refers to the man that he saw his mother kiss. They must also infer that the mother hangs out with this man more often than that occasion. Lastly, the reader must also infer that this really bothers Brian and he blames his mother for the divorce as well as being stuck where he is. || The reader must recognize that //his// is italicized for a specific reason, to show emotion towards the man who has no name. The reader must also remember back to the beginning of the book when Brian talks of how much pain “the secret" has inflicted on him. Using this, they must then pick out the key word "hatred" to connect "his" with the man who was involved in the secret. The reader must make the connection that his mother's frequent involvement with "him" caused his parent's to get divorce. They must then have some outside knowledge that people who are divorced often live separately to come to the conclusion that Brian's parents do. The reader must use this conclusion to recognize that Brian was on the plane in order to visit his Dad when the plane crashed. Lastly, the reader must combine Brian's negative emotions towards his mother with the reasoning Brian had to visit his father to conclude that he blames his mother for what has happened to him. Jillian, I agree that "his" is key to helping the reader figure out what Brian is feeling and what's going on. ||
 * Jack Doyle || p. 11 "He was stopped. Inside he was stopped. He could not think past what he saw, what he felt. All was stopped. The very core of him, the very center of Brian Robeson was stopped and stricken with a white--flash of horror, a terror so intense that his breathing, his thinking, and nearly his heart had stopped." || The reader must infer that Brian has never been in any kind of situation like this, and is so afraid that he has no idea how to respond. || The reader must refer back to the descriptions of all of the warning signs regarding the pilot's heart attack. As the symptoms become worse, Brian continues to reassure himself that there is nothing to worry about, partially because he knows how terrified he will be if there is truly something wrong. Brian reveals that he has witnessed a heart attack before, but was not as alone and helpless as he is in this frightening situation. The repetitive use of "stopped" helps us get Brian's panic. ||
 * Jack Doyle || p. 95 "Finally, using the hatchet he sharpened a stick and poked a hole in the egg. He widened the hole with his finger and looked inside. Just an egg. It had a dark yellow yolk and not so much white as he thought there would be. Just an egg. Food. Just an egg he had to eat. Raw." || The reader must infer that, despite his excruciating hunger, Brian is uneasy about having to eat an egg for sustenance. || The reader must pick up on the repetition of "Just an egg." This reveals that he is apprehensive about eating a raw food that repulses him, even though he knows he must. On the preceding page, Brian describes his stomach's behavior, as he palpably feels his hunger and knows it must be satisfied. Also, earlier on p. 95, Brian shares a short anecdote about his unpleasant experience with eggs, and admits that he "almost lost everything he had ever eaten." The reader must gather the extent of his digust, and juxtapose it with the intensity of his hunger. Although it's "just an egg," it's really not. It's a raw egg; its a turtle egg. I agree--he's trying to talk himself into this. ||
 * Jack Doyle || p. 125-126 "Mistakes. He tried to learn from mistakes. He couldn't bury food again, couldn't leave it in the shelter, because something like a bear could get at it right away. It had to be high, somehow, high and safe." || The reader must infer that Brian is finally beginning to cognitively rationalize his survival and is allowing his brain, rather than his body, to make his decisions. || The reader must hearken back to the specific mistakes that Brian has made, such as his poor food choices, his careless use of his weapon, and his negative interactions with various creatures. The reader has to connect the failures to the measures Brian is now taking towards safety, and gather that he plans to use his newfound knowledge to adjust his tendencies and establish a better shelter. ||
 * Stephanie Bassock || Hatchet pg. 63 "'Mother!' He screamed it and he could not be sure if the scream awakened him or the pain in his stomach." || The reader must infer that Brian is scared, his stomach is aching and he wants to be back home with his mother. || The reader must remember that Brian ate a large amount of berries the day before. The berries are cause the pain in his stomach and he becomes very vulnerable. Brian is hurting and longing for comfort, and in this case from his mother. Yes, and he's dreaming. ||
 * Stephanie Bassock || Hatchet pg. 87 "I have a friend, he though- I have a friend now. A hungry friend, but a good one. I have a friend named fire." || The reader must infer that Brian is very happy that he has created a fire and it is going to be around for a while. || The reader must understand that earlier, because it was too dark, Brian could not see a porcupine coming toward him and his leg became covered in quills. The reader needs to connect the fact that brian is afraid of the darkness to why he was so determined to make a fire. Brian now associates the fire with safety and dependency, like a friend. A nice personification. ||
 * Stephanie Bassock || Hatchet pg. 107 "He had to 'invent' the bow and arrow-he almost laughed as he moved out of the water and put his shoes on." || The reader must infer that Brian is making connections to past inventions he must recreate. || The reader must remember that Brian has been recreating inventions and ideas he has learned throughout his life through experience and at school, during the entire time he has spent on the island. By saying "he had to 'invent' the bow and arrow" he is understanding how discoveries happen. And the reader must use the quotes "invent." ||

pg. 32 "Then silence, filled with sobs as he pulled in air, half crying. How could it be so quiet? Moments ago there was nothing but noise, crashing and tearing, screaming, now quiet. Some birds were singing. How could birds be singing?" The reader must infer that Brian is feeling very scattered, alone and low emotionally (how could birds be singing?) and trying to figure out where he is and how this happened to him. I gathered Brian's feelings at this time by the quick contrast of before and after the crash - (How could it be so quiet? Noise, crashing...now quiet) Yes, we have to infer emotions--bewilderment.

pg. 5 "The words. Always the words. Divorce. The Secret. Fights. Split" The reader must infer that these words have some significant meaning to Brian that is forcing him to feel haunted by them, and not want to face these words. I inferred by Brian's repetition and spacing of these words that he was struggling to deal with what was going on in his family life. These racing thoughts seemed to cloud his mind suddenly as he tried to block them out and focus on other things. Yes, Paulsen's deliberate spacing/typesetting helps the reader realize the struggle.

Pg. 47 "He had on a pair of good tennis shoes, now almost dry. And socks. And jeans and underwear and a thin leather belt and a T-shirt with a windbreaker so torn it hung on him in tatters".
 * Kara Hickey**

The reader must infer that Brian really doesn't have a lot with him that will be helpful for survival, but he is trying to look at the things he does have to stay motivated.
 * -** The reader must look at the paragraph before this and realize he hardly has anything with him and becomes upset about it. It is almost sarcastic when he starts naming the things he does have and he pretends that these things may be helpful to him. Okay, that he realizes that these things are not helpful.

Pg 58. "I am Brian Robeson. I have been in a plane crash. I am going to find some food. I am going to find some berries" The reader must infer that in actuality Brian is getting very nervous about being stranded in the woods, but he is trying to not make things complicated or get upset.
 * -** In actuality you know from the chapter earlier that Brian is scared about being alone in the woods. Him saying things over and over are a way for him to remain calm. Okay, it's like his mantra. He's talking to himself to help himself.

pg 25. "He desperatly needed a lake right in front of him and all he saw through the windshield, were trees, green death trees. " The reader must infer that Brian wants a lake in front of him, so that he can land the plane on the lake and not in the middle of the woods. Then you must infer that he wants to land in a lake because it is safer than landing in the trees. On page 23 Brian reveals that if the plane runs out of gas, he wants to land in the water. Brian also claims that the trees are "death trees". This means that landing in the trees would most likely not be a good thing for Brian.

**"No, not secrets so much as just the Secret. What he knew and had not told anybody, what he knew about his mother that had caused the divorce, what he knew, what he knew-the Secret."** || **The reader must infer that Brian knows something about his mother that nobody else does, and it has led to a divorce.** || **Starting on page 2 and then continuing on page 3, the words "secrets" and "divorce" are continuously repeated. That is a sign that Brian's mother did something bad, something he cannot let go of. Brian believes divorce is an ugly word, therefore the reader can get a sense of where Brian is coming from.** Okay, but are you saying in the middle column that Brian's knowledge led to the divorce, or his mother's actions? || **Perpich used to drum that into them-"You are your most valuable asset. Don't forget that. You are the best thing you have." Brian looked around again. I wish you were here, Perpich. I'm hungry and I'd trade everything I have for a hamburger,** || ** The reader must infer that Brian is so hungry, because he has no way to get enough food to satisfy him. He wishes that his teacher was there with him as motivation to stay positive. ** || **On the previous page, it talks about how Brian's teacher, Mr. Perpich, was always talking about staying positive. During this trying time for Brian, the reader can make the connection that it would be helpful if the teacher was in the wildreness with Brian helping him to stay calm and have a positive outlook.** ||
 * **Brooke**
 * Schiffman** || **Hatchet pg 30 "She was sitting in a station wagon, a strange wagon. He saw her and she did not see him. Brian was going to wave or call out, but something stopped him. There was a man in the car."** || **The reader must infer this is not a normal event to occur and is describing Brian seeing his mother with another man that she may have a romantic**
 * relationship with.** || **The reader must remember that Brian is ashamed of seeing this and calls it "the secret". His parents had recently**
 * divorced and his mother and father could potentially be seeing other people. Brian does not want to share with**
 * anyone the fact that he saw his mother with another man.** Yes, we don't know what's up with the man, but it's something. ||
 * **Brooke Schiffman** || **Hatchet pg. 98 "He had gotten depressed thinking about how they hadn't found him yet, and when he was busy and had something to do the depression seemed to leave."** || **The reader must infer that Brian is upset that the searchers haven't found him yet.** || **Brian throughout his time in the woods alone, refers to the searchers as "they" or "them". The reader must remember this as he only mentions who "they" or "them" are once (pg 96). Okay, in this case fairly easy. ** ||
 * **Brooke Schiffman** || **Hatchet pg. 114 "He had been taking the last of the raspberries and something came inside and**
 * stopped him, and when he looked where his ears said to look there was a female bear with cubs."** || **The reader must infer that Brian is not actually inside anywhere but rather "inside" really means in his mind. His ears didn't literally tell him to look but rather he heard something and was able to sense where the sound was coming from.** || **Earlier on the page Brian talks about how his senses have changed. His body automatically did something he didn't understand while hunting the foolbirds, which was to stop and breathe through his mouth to keep silent. These are his natural instincts beginning to adapt to his environment and his body in survival mode.** He's getting so in tuned! ||
 * ** Gina DeLeo ** || **Hatchet pg. 173** **"It was a strange feeling, holding the rifle. It somehow removed him from everything around him. Without the rifle he had to fit in, to be part of it all, to understand it and use it—the woods, all of it. With the rifle, suddenly, he didn't have to know; did not have to get close to a foolbird to kill it—didn't have to know how it would stand if he didn't look at it and moved off to the side."** || **The reader must infer that at one point he feared the wilderness, but has now become one with it.** || **Following that passage, it says that the rifle changed Brian and he didn't know if he liked the change. The reader must remember how Brian prefrerred to used simple tools rather than a more intricate machine such as the rifle. His experience in the woods changed the way he looked at life.** Kids might find this hard. Brian has become so changed that now he feels that having the rifle disturbs the balance of nature--he worked so hard to learn to fit it, to "see," and understand, now he doesn't have to. Depending on the grade, that's a deep concept. ||
 * **Gina DeLeo** || **Hatchet pg. 3**
 * **Gina DeLeo** || **Hatchet pg. 47**

pg. 61 || "Him" is not only vaguely described, but also emphasized by being italicized. The inference necessary is who exactly "him" is, why it forced the divorce and how it got him where he is now. || "Him" is only ever explained as the man Brian's mother was kissing in the car. It is left to the reader to decide what relationship she has with this man. Obviously it was some sort of romantic relationship that his father had found out about and therefore divorced his mother. If they had never gotten divorced there would be no need for Brian to be on the plane he was on to visit his father and would never have crashed in the woods. Yes, "him" is someone Brian hates. ||
 * Andrew Nestler || “If his mother hadn’t begun to see //him// and forced the divorce, Brian wouldn’t be here now.”
 * Andrew Nestler || He had worked on the fish spear until it had become more than just a tool. pg. 106 || The inference is what is meant by being __more than just a tool__. || The reader has just been told how long Brian spent working on the spear. It has not actually become anything physical greater than a tool but symbolically to Brian proved that he is capable of building such a weapon. Paulsen does use a lot of symbolism, which might be hard for younger students. ||
 * Andrew Nestler || He crawled out the doorway and was sick in the sand, then crawled still farther and was sick again, vomiting and with terrible diarrhea for over an hour, for over a year he thought, until at last he was empty. p.63 || Obviously the reader knows he is sick, but why he is sick is the inference the reader needs to make. || Using prior knowledge the reader knows the Brian had been starving and then ate a large meal of questionable berries. The reader can then use their own experiences of similar events and their life and realize that a large meal usually makes you sick. The questionable berries that had been turning his stomach the night before also could make him sick. Okay, probably fairly easy for kids to make. ||
 * Kimberlee Mowbray || "What he knew and had not old anybody, what he knew about his mother that had caused the divorce, what he knew, what he knew - the Secret" (pg 3). || The reader has to infer that Brian's mother cheated on his father with another man. || The reader needs to know that Brian's parents had gotten a divorce and the cause of it was something that his mother had done. To make this inference, the reader has to think of all the possible things that Brian's mother could have done to cause a divorce and to also make Brian so upset, and then narrow down those ideas to Brian's mother cheating. ||
 * Kimberlee Mowbray || "He was alone. In the roaring plane with no pilot he was alone. Alone" (pg 12). || The reader must infer that Brian will have to figure out a way to fly the plane by himself, or else it will crash. || To make this inference, the reader must know that Brian and the pilot are the only two people on board the plane, and that the pilot has died. The reader needs to think of the possible options that are left for Brian: fly the plane or let the plane crash. ||
 * Kimberlee Mowbray || "I'm alive, he thought. I'm alive. It could have been different. There could have been death. I could have been done" (pg 33). || The reader can infer that Brian is happy that he is alive and not dead, and that he will do whatever it takes to survive. || This can be inferred because when Brian says he is alive and there could have been death, the reader can see that he is grateful that he is not dead. Since he is happy about still being alive, the reader can infer that he will do what is necessary to keep living because he quite obviously does not want to cease to exist. ||