Island of the Blue Dolphins Lesson Plan

Karana comes to a serious realization about herself after caring for the wounded sea otter. What does she learn and what does it mean for her life on the island?

When Karana sees all the injured sea otter left behind by the Aleuts, she kills those who are badly injured so they no longer have to suffer, but when she finds one on the reef that’s not badly hurt, she decides to nurse it back to health. After bringing the otter fish and spending time with it every day, she even gives it a name. High waves then keep her away from the reef, and when she can finally return again, the otter is gone. She spends time thinking about how she misses the otter and Tutok, and when the...