Brian's Winter

Brian’s Winter

• Genre: Fiction; middle-grade realistic
• Originally Published: 1996
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1140L; grades 6-10
• Structure/Length: 16 chapters; approx. 176 pages; approx. 3 hours, 11 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Brian, a 13-year-old stranded in the woods by a plane crash, works to survive the winter cold, dangerous animals, and loneliness in his makeshift shelter until he finally finds clues that lead to a cabin and rescue.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Danger, fear, death of animals

Gary Paulsen, Author

• Bio: 1939-2021; born in Minnesota; as a child, struggled in school but grew to love reading; on the path to become a successful writer, worked in hunting and trapping and took up dogsled racing; after serving in the US Army, became a corporate aerospace field engineer; became a writer of adult fiction, nonfiction, and plays, but most well-known for his young adult stories of survival, nature, and coming of age; awarded Newbery Medal Honor citations for Dogsong (1985), Hatchet (1986), and The Winter Room (1989)
• Other Works: The River (1991); Winterdance (1994); The Transall Saga (1998); Woods Runner (2010)
• Awards: ALA Quick Pick for Young Adult Reluctant Readers (1997); Arkansas Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (1998); Iowa Teen Book Award (1998); Massachusetts Children's Book Award Finalist (1998); New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award (1999); Tennessee Volunteer State Award (1999); Wisconsin Golden Archer Award (1999); Parenting Magazine Best Book of the Year (2000)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Nature’s Beauty Versus Nature’s Severity
• The Role of Intellect in Survival
• Awareness of One’s Surroundings Brings Emotional Rewards

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Explore background information on the dangers of the wilderness in winter and how to survive in winter to increase their engagement with and understanding of Brian’s Winter.
• Read/study paired texts and other brief resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to Nature’s Beauty Versus Nature’s Severity, The Role of Intellect in Survival, and Awareness of One’s Surroundings Brings Emotional Rewards.
• Demonstrate their understanding of Brian’s perspective and of the importance of setting in Brian’s Winter by creating social-media-style posts from Brian’s perspective.
• Analyze the significance of various elements of the novel, such as plot detail, conflict, pace, structure, syntax, and characterization, and construct essay responses tying these to the novel’s meaning.