Partnered Literature Circles, Hatchet By Gary Paulsen

Some of the benefits of working with a partner are: it is easier to accomplish an assignment because the work is divided among the group members. A second reason is, if a group member did not complete his or her reading assignment the other group member can fill him or her in on what they missed. The final reason  that it is good to have a partnership is more creative problem solving. What I mean by that is, because no two people see the same problem the same way, approaching a problem with a partner can lead to a broader array of possible solutions or answers.

Some challenges and obstacles I had to overcome during literature circles are: arranging time periods between homework and rest and relaxation, making sure that I have read the amount I had to read and going to school with the assignment in-hand. Obviously, if a group member did not do their part in the project, and the other group member did but was not around to see his partners, then that group member is in big trouble.

Finally, some new understandings that I have gained about the novel. One new understanding is that the flow of the book is not linear, in other words the story shifts between the present and past, but topics can change fluidly, even on the same page. Another new understanding that  has changed my perspective on the book is that the main character is a normal teenage boy named Brian who was forced to forage in the woods of Canada in order to survive after a plain crash. This book is adventurous and also kind of sad because Brian's parents were divorced because his mother, two months earlier, cheated on Brian's Dad. I personally find this novel very interesting because a good (bad) problem leads to a very good story.

Literature Circles Review

1. How your groups discussion helped you better understand the novel. Write about of some of the key ideas from the novel that your group discussed and how these were important to the plot of the story.


Our group discussion helped me better understand the novel because by discussing it, I revisited the story and saw it through some one else's view. Each of us thinks differently, so each of us explains the passages we chose in a different way. This helped me better understand what we read, for example two of my literature circle buddies accidentally chose the same passage and when we talked about them they came up with two completely different ideas about the passage.


One key idea from the novel that we discussed was the idea of survival in the wilderness. We talked about what we ourselves would do if we happened to be in the same situation. survival is the key element in the plot of the novel.

2. Describe some of the connections that you made during your discussion.

One of the connections I made during our discussion was remembering being attacked by mosquitos and leeches, and spending the night in agony, just like Brian did. I remember how frustrated I felt because the itching would not go away. I thought I was going mad.

3. What predictions do you have for the rest of the novel.

I think that Brian will have to go another three or four days before he is rescued also there is a strong possibility he will meet the bear again. If he is rescued, he might be reunited with his Dad. If he is reunited with his Mom he might see more unfortunate scenes that might upset him.

Lines Of Symmetry

I took this photo of a few lego pieces. There are exactly two lines of symmetry.One line is vertical (top to bottom) and the other is straight across the middle of the "square". There are no more lines of symmetry because if you look, there are two black 2x1 unit rectangles facing parallel each other from left to right.