Literature Focus Unit on Island of the Blue Dolphins
5th Grade
Janaye Gerrelts
December 2, 2010
Synopsis:
Island of the Blue Dolphins is the story of Karana, who lives alone on a fish-shaped island for
years. When the other Indians leave for the east, she is left behind. She waits for a ship to come and
take her away, but while she waits, she has to keep herself alive by building shelter, making weapons,
finding food, and fighting the wild dogs. (Reading Level: 5.4)
Thematic Statement:
Island of the Blue Dolphins is an important book to read because students need to be aware of
other places and cultures in the world and how day-to-day life is different for different people. Since one
of the main themes of the novel is survival, we will discuss reliance on self, or on things other than God.
Do we tend to rely on ourselves in tough situations? Why do we do that? (sin) Should we? How do we
react when other people succeed at something difficult or survive a tough situation? Do we praise their
abilities, or do we thank God? We don’t really live in a survive-each-day kind of world, but some people
do. What are some different ways people deal with, or should deal with, that kind of lifestyle? Another
theme is forgiving enemies. Students will discuss the role of forgiveness in the story, why forgiveness is
necessary, and whether Karana forgives well.
Objectives:
1. Students will increase their word knowledge by studying words from the book, including Aleuts,
skimming, shrouded, brackish, leeches, reproach, and smelt. (NCTE/IRA: 4)
2. Students will practice connecting cause and affect by using examples from the book. (NCTE/IRA:
3)
3. Students will participate in various comprehension activities, such as discussion, writing, drama,
research, and artistic activities. (NCTE/IRA: 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12)
4. Students will read aloud for a second or third reading to practice fluency. (NCTE/IRA: 4)
5. Students will engage in a variety of writing activities, including personal writing and research.
(NCTE/IRA: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12)
6. Students will use readers’ theater and drama activities to enhance their reading comprehension
and fluency. (NCTE/IRA: 3, 4, 6, 12)
7. Students, together with the class, will research and write a report about Scott O’Dell, utilizing
libraries, computer databases, and internet resources. (NCTE/IRA: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12)
8. Students will use the internet to complete a webquest. (NCTE/IRA: 1, 7, 8)
9. Students will discuss biblical norms for forgiveness and survival and will be able to articulate
their own beliefs on these subjects. (NCTE/IRA: 1, 2)
Pre-Reading Activities:
Small groups will go around the classroom to visit various stations and write answers on a pad of
paper (one person will be the secretary). After they have written their answer, they will flip to a blank
page so the next group doesn’t see their answer. Prompts will be taken from the following:
Look at the title and the picture on the front of the book. What do you think the book might be about?
Has anyone in your group ever been to an island before, or know someone who has? What was it like?
Have you read books about islands before? What were they like? If no one has been to an island or read
a book about an island, imagine and write what you think it would be like.
Have you ever heard of people called the Aleuts? Who are they?
What makes a person strong and courageous?
Would you ever trust a proven enemy of your family? Be able to survive alone in the wilderness? Learn
to live exclusively off of the sea? Learn to occupy yourself if you were alone for a number of years?
Reading:
A variety of strategies will be employed for actually reading the novel. The teacher will read
aloud, especially to begin the book. Students will also read to each other, maybe to a tape recorder, at
home, or silently at school. Struggling readers will possibly have the resource teacher or their parents
read a day ahead with them. Audio recordings of the book will also be available. To practice fluency,
small groups of struggling readers will read passages chorally.
Responding:
Students will respond to the reading in a variety of ways. One main way is to answer chapter
questions (see below). Chapter questions may be answered individually, together as a class, or in small
groups. Journaling will also be an important part of response, as it will give students a chance to explore
aspects of character. Journal prompts will be from some character’s (or object’s) perspective about a
certain event or scene. Another possible set of assignments is to have a quote from the book on the
board that students must explain.
Chapter Questions for Chapter 9:
1. In chapter 9, how is Karana trying to change her surroundings? Why is she doing that? Will it
accomplish what she wants?
2. How is Karana changing so far in the story? Compare the past with the present. Especially look at the
last paragraph of the chapter.
3. This is the first chapter in which Karana is completely alone on the island with no other humans. How
do you think this will affect the plot for the rest of the book?
4. What conflicts have we seen so far in the book? List them and classify them as person-other(s),
person-self, or person-world conflicts.
5. Do you have any ideas about what messages or themes the author is trying to convey from what
we’ve read so far?
6. How has Karana been faced with a need to forgive? Has she been a good model for Christians in this
regard? How or how not?
Exploring:
Vocabulary: Before reading a chapter (or set of chapters), students will be given a list of words (in the
chapter questions) to look for. When they find them (if teacher is reading, they’ll raise hands), they
should write down the word and the page number in the first column of a three-columned word list they
will keep throughout the book. In the second column, they will write what they think it means from the
context. After the reading is done, we will discuss the actual meaning, or they will look it up in the
dictionary. Review for vocabulary will be done with vocabulary charades, vocabulary concentration
(memory game), and writing paragraphs with several vocabulary words in them.
Fluency: To practice fluency, students will participate in readers’ theatres (Tompkins, p. 494) with
passages that include dialogue. Other ideas are partner reading and small group or large group choral
reading. All of these should be done with passages that have already been read at least once.
Word Study/Mini-lesson: Students will do a worksheet on cause and effect. First we will read the
directions together and do the first question together. Then they will have time to complete the
worksheet individually. Finally, they will each think of a cause in the book and have a neighbor tell the
effect that goes with it (there could be many effects).
Comprehension: A variety of activities will be employed as follows:
Drama: Groups choose a topic to act out (each group has to have a different topic from the following:
most important part of book, most frightening, most humorous, most saddening, most exciting, most
liked)
Writing: Students will each write their own survival story: Imagine you are left alone someplace. It could
be any isolated spot. Write about any of the following: What happened? Why were you left alone? What
do you do now? (Figure out food, water, shelter, clothing) What skills and objects do you have that will
help you survive? What are you missing that you wish you had? What dangers do you face? How will you
protect yourself? How will you be rescued? What will you do to make a rescue possible?
Writing: Together as a class, we will write a report about Scott O’Dell. Students will each research a
different aspect about O’Dell individually, although some may be doing the same aspect as others in the
class. They will use libraries, computer databases, and internet resources. As a class, we will put the
information together to make a whole written report.
Art: By using only O’Dell’s descriptions of the island, groups of students will work together to create a
drawing of the island.
Webquest: found by searching google for “Island of the Blue Dolphins webquest”. Pick the one from
Shoreline Public Schools. Questions 6, 8, the first half of 9, 16, and 20 will be eliminated because the
links do not work. There are also supplementary activities at the bottom if students are done early. This
will be done in small groups.
Movie: At the end of our unit, the class will watch the movie of Island of the Blue Dolphins and discuss
differences from the book.
Applying:
Students will have book groups for this unit that they will know they need to go to. Discussion
sharing will be informal. When engaged in whole class discussion, the think-pair-share strategy will be
used often. Readers’ theatres and dramas will be presented to the rest of the class. Visuals or art
projects will be displayed around the room or in the hallway. Depending on which project it is, writing
will be shared or compared within the book groups. Writing projects from the final group will either be
presented to the class (if time allows), or they will be available for other students to read during extra
time.
Continuing activities include reading other survival books or books by Scott O’Dell.
Assessment:
Informal assessment will be done throughout the unit by using chapter questions, discussions,
journal responses, and exploration projects. A few quizzes will be given, just to assess how well they
have read, but the final assessment will be a project of the student’s choice.
Final Project: Individual students will choose one of the following projects to complete:
1. Research what other people thought or said about Island of the Blue Dolphins.
2. Make a poster of the wildlife from the book.
3. Illustrate your favorite scene from the book and write about why you liked it.
4. Karana’s tribe gave everyone two names. Think of a new secret name for yourself and 5 other
people you know. The names should describe something positive about the people. Also write a
couple sentences explaining why you chose the name you did.
5. Use only natural objects, like Karana did, to make something either useful or beautiful—
something that could help you survive or make your life more comfortable.
6. Given the themes of the story, pick one and write about examples from the story that show that
theme.
7. Write a report about the arts, customs, food, wildlife, etc. of the area that really exists today,
which O’Dell used as inspiration for his story. Or, find out about and write about the real “Lost
Woman of San Nicholas Island.”
8. Create a new book cover for Island of the Blue Dolphins.
9. Read another survival book or book by Scott O’Dell and give a book talk to the rest of the class.
Classroom Management Plan:
Managing assignments: There will be a file folder for students to turn in assignments, and they will know
where this is. Each student will have a folder just for this unit. In it will be an assignment checklist (see
appendix). One side will contain ongoing projects, and the other side will contain things that they need
to finish the next day. At the end of the reading period, we will remind students what their folder should
be looking like currently.
Meeting students’ needs: As stated in the “reading” section, struggling students will have
accommodations for the reading, but if possible, they will also have accommodations for the
assignments. For example, assignments can often be done in groups. Also, they will be able to pick a
final project that appeals to them.
Keeping Order: At the beginning of the unit, we will establish groups, and students will know where to
go for group work. Their assignment folders and checklist will also help keep things organized. If
students finish their work early, there will be centers in the back that include vocabulary concentration,
sequencing activities (events from the book), books about the historical time period, and other survival
or Scott O’Dell books.
Bibliography:
Other Survival Stories
Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen (5.9)
The Cay by Theodore Taylor (5.3)
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (5.7)
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (5.8)
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (5.2)
Nory Ryan’s Song by Patricia Reilly Giff (4.3)
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (4.9)
Toughboy and Sister by Kirkpatrick Hill (4.8)
Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry(6.2)
Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer (5.1)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins(5.3)
Zia by Scott O’Dell (5.1)
Black Star, Bright Dawn by Scott O’Dell (4.3)
Teacher Resources
Denny, Philip. (1992). Literature Unit: Island of the Blue Dolphins. Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
Scholastic Book Files: A Reading Guide to Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. (2003). Scholastic.
Tillman, Claudia Dutcher. (1984). Portals to Learning Series: Island of the Blue Dolphins. The Perfection
Form Company.
Tompkins, Gail E. (2006). Literacy for the 21st Century. Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Assignment Checklist for Island of the Blue Dolphins Unit
(for assignments not done completely during class)

Circle the chapter number for each set of chapter questions you completed (only circle them if
you’ve done the vocab list for each of them too):
1
2
17

3
18
4
5
19
6
7
20
21
9
22 23
10
11
24
12
25
13
26
27
14
15
28
Circle the numbers of the journal prompts when you’ve done them:
#1

8
#2
#3
#4
Circle the assignments you have completed:
Cause and Effect Worksheet
Survival Story
Your portion of research for the class report about Scott O’Dell
Your choice of final project
29
16
A Sample Reading Quiz (Chapters 6-10)
1. What is the first problem the villagers have to worry about after their first winter without Kimki?
2. In chapter 7, Karana writes that her sister was “vainer” than she was. What evidence supports
this?
3. “I kept thinking over and over as I swam how I would punish Ramo when I reached the shore.
Instead I fell to my knees and put my arms around him.” Explain what this quote means and
what it has to do with the forgiveness we have been discussing.
4. Why is Karana so determined to kill all of the dogs on the island?