Island of the Blue Dolphins

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build students’ literary analysis skills by requiring textual references.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text to support your responses.

1. Consider how Karana learns the meaning of trust and friendship through her relationships with other characters.

• Who is one of Karana’s closest human friends or relatives, and what does this character teach Karana about friendship? (topic sentence)
• Provide textual details that show how this character gains Karana’s trust and what their friendship is like.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your chosen character to the novel’s theme of Building Trust and Friendship.

2. Consider how Karana’s animal friends teach her important lessons about life.

• What is one of Karana’s animal friends, and what lesson does this animal teach her? (topic sentence)
• Offer textual evidence that shows how Karana befriends this animal, gains a valuable lesson from them, and changes because of this lesson.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, draw a connection between your chosen animal and the lesson it teaches Karana and the novel’s overarching theme of Learning from Nature.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider the setting of Island of the Blue Dolphins. In what ways is the island a beautiful, life-giving place? In what ways is the island dangerous and isolating? How is Karana shaped by the island, and how does she shape it in return? Make and defend a clear claim about the island’s connection to the theme of The Struggle for Survival and Self-Determination. Support your claim with evidence from the text.

2. Consider the significance of dolphins in Island of the Blue Dolphins. How do dolphins connect to the theme of Learning from Nature? How do the dolphins’ appearances throughout the novel illuminate their symbolism? Make and defend a clear claim about the symbolism of dolphins in Island of the Blue Dolphins. Support your claim with evidence from the text.