Due Dates for Hatchet Short Essay

Monday, November 12: We will work on outlines in class
Tuesday, November 13: Rough Draft due
Thursday, November 15: Final Draft due

The essay should be at least one page long. I will give feedback during class on Monday while we are working up outlines, and on Tuesday I will respond to the rough drafts in writing before the school day is over. Students will then have two nights (plus in-class writing time on Wednesday) to make revisions. Students may type the essay.

The key thing, and the most difficult thing for students to grasp, is that I am interested in their insights. This is not a book report or summary; it is also not "what might've happened" or "what should've happened." It is an opportunity for the students to begin learning how to analyze the way the story works through focusing on a specific idea (Brian's complementary relationship to fire, Brian's symbolic death and rebirth [s], the symbol of the Hatchet, or even the symbolic nature of barfing in Hatchet--to name a few but not all--that we have discussed at length in class over the last few weeks).

I know this may sound somewhat advanced, but I would like to see what the students bring to this. I have emphasized that an essay is like a conversation with yourself. I have also emphasized that students need to use specific, quoted examples from the book itself. Many of the students are off to a promising start already. Some have explored multiple interesting topics in the short in-class and homework writing assignments this week.

The key is a focused topic and scope.