Island of the Blue Dolphins Lesson Plan

Karana devotes a good amount of time and energy to thoughts about the wild dogs. What are some of the things she does to prepare to avenge her brother’s death?

Karana knows she will need weapons to kill the wild dogs, so she works hard to teach herself how to make a spear and a bow and arrows. Yet she’s not satisfied with these weapons. At the same time, she knows the dogs can kill her like they killed Ramo, so she also considers the dogs when deciding first to escape the island by canoe and later where to build her home. She is on constant alert, bringing her weapons with her when she leaves her home. Finally, she decides she needs the teeth of a sea elephant to be able...