island of the blue dolphins - literary discussion guide

island of the blue dolphins

by scott o'dell
literary discussion guide
1. characters

karana
ramo
chief chowing
ulapecaptain orlov
the aleuts
kimki
matasaipnanko
rontu
tutok
rontu-aru

2. conflict

person vs. self (inner conflicts of feelings & thoughts)

person vs. person (protagonist vs. antagonist)

person vs. society (larger organizations/belief systems of society)

person vs. nature (battling the elements of nature)

3. themes/symbols

analyze themes such as: friendship, acceptance, loneliness, courage,

death, believing in yourself, coming of age, mythology & culture,
women's roles, racism, etc.

do symbols foreshadow the plot, affect tone and/or meaning?

4. pre-reading/post-reading activities

science: islands, wolves, fishing, survival skills, etc.

social studies: ancient mythologies, native american indian culture,

women's roles, etc.
classroom projects: art, vocabulary, writing, fieldtrip to channel
islands, etc.