Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'DellIsland of the Blue Dolphins is a multicultural novel that won the Newbery Medal and is intended for grades 4-7. This book tells the story of Karana, a young girl who lives on an island with her family, including her father, the chief of her tribe. When the Aleuts come and try to take food without payment, a fight ensues and many men die, including Karana's father. When the rest of the tribe leaves the island for a new life, Karana and her brother miss the ship and thus live alone on the island. Karana experiences many other hardships, such as her brother dying and her being captured by the Aleuts. In the end, however, she is taken to California to embark on a completely new life. This book speaks not only about courage and adventure but also about family and invasion and its effect on groups of people. An interdisciplinary activity could be created for this book in the subject of history and heritage. In order to focus on the book's multicultural theme, students would conduct research on one of the countries in their heritage. After conducting their research, they would be asked to create a Glogster, containing atleast five facts and two pictures pertaining to that country. The students would then share their Glogsters with the class on the projector screen, and will be given five minutes in order to share part of their culture and heritage with the class. They would also be asked to give one way that their heritage has affected their life, or why they are proud of their heritage. This would create a great link to the book, as Karana remains proud of her heritage and her family, despite being separated from them for many years.
|