Island of the Blue Dolphins Novel Study Activities
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Feb 20, 2024
Island of the Blue Dolphins has long been a favorite novel of mine. I have happy memories of sharing the story with my older sister, who read aloud bits of the novel to me when we were supposed to be asleep in bed. As a teacher, I have loved reading aloud the story while working through a variety of different Island of the Blue Dolphins novel study activities with my middle school and upper elementary students.
Looking for some no prep resources for this engaging novel that you can print and use with your learners right away? Click on the image or button below to see the COMPLETE novel study!
In this post I share some information about this engaging novel. I also share some fun Island of the Blue Dolphins novel study activities to work through while sharing the story with your learners. I hope you are able to take some ideas away to help save you some planning time while also inspiring a true love of reading in your classroom.
For more strategies for planning your next novel study, you won’t want to miss these tips (and snag our free step by step guide!)
Island of the Blue Dolphins Novel Study Activities
The story is based on the true story of a young girl who was stranded for 18 years on an island off the coast of California during the 19th century. Scott O’Dell turned the story of the courageous Karana into a popular young adult novel in 1960.
Island of the Blue Dolphins is a story of strength and survival. Students who are fans of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet or Jean Craighead George’s My Side of the Mountain will be instantly hooked on the adventures of Karana. I think this novel is extra special, however, because it centers around a female protagonist in a survival situation.
Below I include some of the resources and activities I use to work through this engaging novel of courage and perseverance with my students.
Comprehension Questions and Vocabulary Activities
To make sure my students have a solid grasp of the key details going on in the novel, we work through chapter questions and vocabulary activities while we read.
I really like the format of these questions. They allow students to demonstrate their understanding without bogging them down with too many questions.
Sometimes I have students work through the answers independently. Then, I have them share their answers with the class. At other times, I place the students in small groups and let them work through the answers together. I thoroughly enjoy circulating the room and listening to their discussions and debates.
Message in a bottle Activity
This is a fun summary activity that asks students to take on the perspective of Karana. They are required to write a letter home from the island, discussing her adventures. It is a great way to have students focus in on key events, and retell the story from Karana’s point of view.
Timeline Summary
Building upon the idea of summarizing, this timeline events summary graphic organizer is another fun way to have students reflect on key story events. I particularly like this organizer because it can be used alongside any chapter in the book.
To complete the activity, students first choose a key event from the story. Next, they break the event down into steps and place the steps in sequential order. Finally, they illustrate and describe each step. Completed timelines make great interactive notebook additions or hallway displays.
Reading Comprehension Strategy Practice
No novel study is complete without some targeted reading strategy practice. When it comes to ELA instruction, teaching students to apply reading comprehension strategies is crucially important. These strategies are necessary for our students to grow to become self-monitoring and independent readers. Through active modeling and practice, reading comprehension strategies can have a huge learning impact for both our avid and reluctant readers.
Reading comprehension strategies need to be taught explicitly. Exposure to multiple strategies helps students to actively understand the text they are reading.
These reading comprehension strategy practice pages are great ways to practice these important strategies explicitly. I really like that they focus on one strategy at a time. Also, I love that they can be used with any text. As an added bonus, I really like that they can be used at any point during the novel study. It is great to have some resources on hand to pull out when I want to add to a lesson. They are also great for early finishers or homework activities.
For more information on teaching reading comprehension, you won’t want to miss our complete reading strategy guide!
Looking for a COMPLETE Island of the Blue Dolphins Novel Study?
Grab my COMPLETE Island of the Blue Dolphins novel study from my TPT shop by clicking here or on the image below. It contains over 120 pages of comprehension questions, graphic organizers, projects, and activities!
Interested in a FREE Island of the Blue Dolphins Novel Study Activity to use in your classroom?
Click here or on the image below to grab a copy of these FREE group discussion cards! The resource contains a variety of different question cards that can be used independently or in small groups!
On the hunt for some engaging graphic organizers that you can use with ANY novel study? Check out this post – and grab an exclusive free resource!
If you are struggling with choosing the perfect book for your next novel study, you won’t want to miss our lists of favorite middle school and upper elementary novels!
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