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Copywork
About This Passage
This is how the book opens. Paulsen names his character, places him in a specific kind of plane (a Cessna 406 bush-plane), and uses the word ‘loud’ three times in a row to fill the reader's ears with engine noise, just as Brian's ears are filled. The passage rewards careful attention to repetition and to the way a specific name can make a setting feel real.
Brian Robeson stared out the window of the small plane at the endless green northern wilderness below. It was a small plane, a Cessna 406—a bush-plane—and the engine was so loud, so roaring and consum...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In three or four sentences, retell the main events of Chapter 1: who Brian Robeson is, why he is on the plane, what his mother gave him before the flight, and what happens to the pilot.
Discussion Questions
- Brian keeps thinking about ‘Divorce’ and ‘the Secret’ while he looks out the window. How does the author show these thoughts are painful for Brian? Look for the moments where the author puts one word alone on a line, and explain what in the story tells you that word hurts.
- How do you know Brian's mother is trying hard to reach him, even though he will not speak to her in the car? What in the story — her questions, her tone, the gift — tells you this? Give at least two pieces of evidence from the chapter.
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
A large area of wild land where few people live and nature is untouched
Item 2
So strong that it seems to take up all of something, like attention or space
Item 3
Making a deep, loud, continuous sound, like a lion or an engine
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Critical Thinking
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