A LitWits activity from the Exposition

What if Karana's island were shaped like a labradoodle? This writing activity is inspired by Scott O'Dell's adept use of similes and metaphors, beginning in the Exposition. It helps kids pick up some excellent writing skills, straight from the author's pen!

DIRECTIONS

Point out that the author often compares one thing to another, starting with a simile in the second sentence (the ship seemed like a small shell afloat on the sea) and a metaphor in the third (the ship was a gull with folded wings.) Ask the kids why he didn't just write “a ship was sailing closer and closer,” and "its sails were triangular." 
 
Explain that a) that would be BORING, and b) Karana had never seen a ship or sails before, so it would have been natural for her to describe them as being similar to things she had  seen. The story's much more interesting and believable because it's told from Karana's point of view, not the author's own modern view.  Scott O'Dell's skill is in choosing comparisons that suit her time and place.

• What if he had compared the ship to “a wooden salad bowl bobbing on the sea,” or said it “looked like a plastic bottle with a red logo on it”?  

• What if the elephant seals were "as big as pyramids"?

• What if the Island of the Blue Dolphins had actually "looked a lot like a Labradoodle lounging on the lawn"?

Have the kids come up with modern, funny alternatives to other comparisons made in this story, and explain, specifically, why those wouldn't work. (Or you can distribute our creative writing worksheet titled "Comparisons.") The kids can do this individually or in pairs, groups, or teams.

A LitWits activity from the Rising Action 

In Chapter 10, Karana sets out in her canoe at night to try and reach the mainland and her people. The sea is so black she can’t tell the difference between it and the sky, and she’s frightened.

But then a green star appears in the east, “in the figure that we call a serpent,” and she feels less afraid. Focusing on that familiar star keeps her from getting lost. This is the night she conquers fear and acquires more wisdom.

This scene so beautifully captures the essence of Karana’s story – both her intense solitude and her indomitable spirit – that we immediately envisioned this textural, black-on-black rendition of sky and sea, lit up by Karana’s “green star” and its constellation. The project is contemplative to do, too, and the finished art inspires contemplation. 

SUPPLIES

• satin and sparkly black pre-cut ribbon (6″ long)

• black 8.5×11 cardstock, one per child

• black 6×9 felt (a half-sheet)

• 1 green and 7 clear crystal rhinestones

• glue

• copies of the constellation (in our printables), one each or to share

DIRECTIONS

 
Begin by reading the powerful Chapter 10 passage aloud before beginning the project. (You may want to type it up and have the kids glue it to the back; we can’t provide it here for copyright reasons). Then give the kids this introduction:

This project draws us closely into that beautiful, important scene in the story. There isn't a lot of color in it; in fact, it's mono-chromatic. Does anyone know what that means? (It means it's all made up of one color.)  Karana says that there was "no difference between the sky and the sea"--yet she could tell which was which. Why? (Because the water reflected the light that shone from the stars.) The sky is soft and black, the stars are bright and clear, the sea is shiny and reflective. We're going to represent that scene in an art piece that lets us think about what that moment would have been like, and learn a little bit about astronomy and navigation, too.

1.  Glue the black felt to the black card stock. 

2.  Trim satin and sparkle ribbons to the width of the felt, then glue to the bottom of the felt in your own pattern, representing the black shiny/sparkly sea. 

 
3.  Create the constellation out of rhinestones, using the image on the template as a guide (the green star is circled). 

Star Facts to Share 

Our planet spins under the sky once each day. Earth’s spin causes the sun in the daytime – and the stars at night – to rise in the east and set in the west. But the North Star, because it lies almost exactly above Earth’s northern axis, is a special case. Instead of appearing to move, it stays put, like the hub of a wheel, in the northern sky. This makes it useful for navigation. 

By the time Karana’s green star had risen, the North Star had appeared, and by keeping this star on her left hand, she was able to keep moving eastward. Humans can’t actually see stars as green, because of the way our eyes work. (NASA provides a good explanation of this.)  Karana’s green star could have been a planet crossing the constellation, but the author makes it sound like it’s a familiar part of the constellation, and the only planets that would be bright enough (Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) aren’t green either.  

For our purposes, it makes the most sense to assume that the constellation is Serpens, one that was known to many ancient world cultures, including China and the Middle East. The “green” star then is Unakalhai, since it has the brightest apparent magnitude. We can surmise that O’Dell is using poetic license when he describes this pale yellow star as being green.

4.  Finish by setting the North Star in the upper left-hand corner of the black felt sky. Tell the kids its placement is not to scale! It's just there to remind us of its place in the story, and of what we learned about its use in navigation. 

For more about the astronomy, see our Learning Links section.

A LitWits activity from the Rising Action

We like Karana’s style — being alone is no reason to wear something drab! The real Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island, when discovered in 1853, was wearing a feathered skirt, the inspiration for Karana’s beautiful cormorant-feather skirt in Chapter 18. Making such an elaborate skirt took time and effort — and an eye for design, don’t you think?  

This activity emulates and emphasizes Karana's ability to make the most of what she had on hand. While we didn't want the kids to make an actual feather-skirt, for many reasons, we did want to honor her resourcefulness, ingenuity, and desire for beauty. So we had our kids design their own skirts in teams, giving each team 15 minutes to dress their model using black crepe paper, masking tape, and whatever they could grab from a pile of belts, ties, sashes, and other waistband materials.

SUPPLIES for each team:

• brown paper bags

• a few “waistband” items (sashes, belts)

• a roll of black crepe paper 

• scissors 

• a roll of masking tape

Here are five teams’ best efforts! It was a fast-paced, high-energy competition, with the winning design selected by applause.

DIRECTIONS

1. Divide the kids into teams and have each choose a model on whom to create their skirt. 

2. Tell them they’ll just have ten minutes to come up with a winning design, then send them to their stations and countdown to “GO!” 

3. When the design time is up, have the models walk down a “runway” to show off their skirts.

• Agency:  It’s the moment when the Conflict (survival) is put to its greatest test--and  (very important) she has the power to pass that test, thanks to the weapons she's made and the skills she's learned. 

• Agency:  Again, Karana must be the solver of her own Big Problem, the need to survive. Rontu is not the hero of this book.  
• Dramatic tension:  As readers, we’re pretty confident the author won’t kill off the protagonist, but he just might  kill off the dog—so Rontu’s desperate situation boosts the excitement. 
• Characterization: Karana’s willingness to jump into the water and tackle the devilfish in hand-to-arm combat shows she’s willing to risk death for someone else. This kind of selflessness is a mark of a true leader.  
• Growth:  Karana’s hunting skills have come a long way since she jumped off that ship! 

A LitWits activity from the Resolution

BookBites is the part of our literary experience when we get to “taste the story.” We choose a food right out of the book, and it has to meet at least one criterion:

• it’s important to a plot point

• it has thematic significance

• it’s unfamiliar for reasons of culture, era, or location

Our choice for this book hit on all three. In honor of Karana's  leadership and survival skills we served: 

• dried devilfish,  aka squid

• dried seaweed, known as nori 

You might want to package up these marine munchies with Karana and Rontu's specimen label, shown below--our kids loved that. It's included in our printables.

In another workshop, we served fresh cooked squid along with:

• “tunas apples,” or prickly pears

• yucca we had cooked the night before. 

• pieces of cactus paddle

While the kids were enjoying the tastes of the book, we had them do our Mystery Creature creative writing activity, which you'll find in the next section.

FOR DISCUSSION

Rontu's a very important part of this devilfish-hunting scene, in Chapter 14--but he almost wasn't around for it, was he! Why do you think Karana saved the leader of the dogs that had killed her little brother?

Sure, she might have wanted a companion; that's a universal human need. But what makes a good companion?

• Any good relationship has to be based on mutual respect. Once she earns Rontu’s respect, the two can be friends. 

What do you think the author wanted us to know about Karana, by having her save the leader and earn his respect?

• The author is helping us see Karana as a leader, since both respect and compassion are necessary for good leadership.  

When do we see Karana save Rontu again?

• When she risks her own life to save him from the devilfish.

Through Rontu, the author is showing us Karana's respect, compassion, and courage. And it's her leader-quality weapon-making and hunting skills that save his life the second time... and bring us this delicious devilfish.

The specimen label is in our printables.

The real Karana, the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island, was a Nicoleño Indian, but Scott O’Dell names Karana’s village Ghalas-at, which is a Chumash word. The Chumash traded with the Nicoleño and are well known for, among other things, the spectacular cave drawings they left behind, such as those in the cave Karana discovers.

However, since this novel is based on a true story, it’s important to tell the kids that the Chumash were unlikely the artists of any real-life cave art on San Nicolas Island, as they lived on the northern Channel Islands and along the coast of California. (There are other discrepancies too, as Island of the Blue Dolphins is historical fiction. You might want to read the kids all or part of this Smithsonian Magazine article about that.)

The author’s fictional work gives us a chance to learn about Indigenous  artistry and culture, and explore the idea of telling stories with images. But though real artistry inspires this activity, we didn't want the kids to use actual Indian images--we don't know what they mean, and didn't want to be inadvertently disrespectful. Instead, we had them tell Karana’s story in their own creative, symbolic pictures, as she might have herself.

• fine sandpaper
• oil pastels
• heavy card stock or pocket folders (we use folders to store notes and worksheets)

1. Show the kids at least one example of Chumash cave art. Explain that while the inhabitants of San Nicolas Island weren’t Chumash, they too decorated the walls of at least one sea cave, and it’s known that the real Karana, “The Lone Woman of San Nicolas,” also decorated her cave. (See Learning Links for more info and images about the real Karana.)
2. Have the kids represent key scenes from Karana’s life in their own pictures – no words! — on their sandpaper “cave walls.” Remind them that even  though they’re just imagining what that was like for the artists in the story, and are using substitute materials and different images, their approach should be respectful of the art form and original artists. While the kids are drawing, you might play Chumash music like "The Dolphin Song" and "The Ancestors Song" for inspiration.
3. When they’re finished, ask volunteers to narrate the story from their drawings. 

A LitWits activity from the Falling Action

We had the kids make a friendship circlet like the one Karana made for Tutok--but without having to grind holes in abalone with thorns and sand. This activity celebrates Karana’s and Tutok’s brief friendship as well as the broader human need for friendship. It also honors the significance of gift-giving, and the gifts of nature.  

SUPPLIES

• faux sinew approx. 7' per child

• cowrie shells 10 per child

• shell button 3 per child

• small linen bags (to distribute supplies and for the kids to use as a gift bag)

DIRECTIONS

Begin by reading the description of Karana’s circlet project in Chapter 22. 

Attach the shells to the sinew (in the order of your choice) by folding the sinew in half first, then threading the ends through each shell from opposite directions and knotting the sinew in between each shell. 

• In 1814, otter hunters from the  Russian American Company  were responsible for a massacre of the Nicoleños (NPS).
•  In 1835 Spanish missionaries asked a ship to remove the Nicoleño Indians from San Nicolas Island. Just before it left the island, a woman, possibly going back for her baby, jumped overboard. A priest who was very worried about her hired someone to go look for her, but the sailor only looked from the sea, and reported that she must have died. Another ship didn’t come for many years.
• In 1853 a Russian otter hunter, Captain Nidever, found her footprints. After he and his crew had been on the island a month, she was spotted in a brush shelter surrounded by wild dogs. She was wearing a skirt of feathers and had light brown, tangled hair. When she saw them she sang a song and offered them the wild onions she was roasting. The wild dogs, tragically, had killed her baby. She had kept track of the days she had spent on the island by making notches on a stick and painting pictures on the cave walls of every ship she had ever seen. (The kids will be excited to learn that in 2012, archaeologist Steven Schwartz discovered what may be her cave!)
• The crew made her a dress of their trousers and took her to Santa Barbara, where she lived with Captain Nidever and his Spanish wife. She became known as The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island. She would sit on the back porch and stretch her arms toward the sea and talk in her language constantly, but no one understood her, not even the local Indians. Visitors would give her presents, which she would give to children.
• The new food and exposure to diseases made The Lone Woman sick. The captain’s wife brought her the seal meat she loved, but she couldn’t eat it, and soon she died. The priest baptized her as Juana Maria and buried her in an unmarked grave at Mission Santa Barbara.
• The things that belonged to her were sent to the Vatican in Rome, including a duckskin cloak, two feather capes, a shell fishhook, shell necklace, grass sandal, bone knife and awl. Unfortunately, the Vatican has no record of them.