Teacher( Andrea Hernández Subject group and English; Language and Literature

s) discipline
Unit title Island of the Blue Dolphins  MYP year 1 Unit duration 32
(hrs)

Inquiry: Establishing the purpose of the unit

Key concept Related concept(s) Global context

Perspective Point of View Orientation in Space and Time
Self Expression

Statement of inquiry
Different points of view elaborate our understanding of our perspective, ourselves, and our place in the world.

Inquiry questions
Factual — How can understanding the plot, setting, character traits and conflict in a plot help me better comprehend the
story? What effect does first, second, and third person have on a narrative?,
Conceptual — What personal qualities help a character deal with conflict and change? Does placing ourselves in a
character's shoes make understanding a character's decisions difficult?
Debatable — . What does Island of the Blue Dolphins teach us about life? Is the violence in chapter four avoidable or part of
our nature?
Objectives Summative assessment
Criterion A: Analysing Outline of summative assessment Relationship between summative
i. identify and comment upon task(s) including assessment assessment task(s) and statement
significant aspects of texts criteria: of inquiry:
ii. identify and comment upon the Goal: In the novel, Island of the Blue Dolphins,
creator’s choices the main character, Karana, is faced
iii. justify opinions and ideas, using Role:
with many obstacles and challenges.
examples, explanations and Audience: Students will first reflect on the
terminology Situation: meanings of courage and adversity
Criterion B: Organizing Product: through writing journals, free writes,
ii. organize opinions and ideas in a graphic organizers, figurative language,
logical manner Standards and Criteria for Success: and point of view.
Criterion C: Producing Text They will read the novel with a focus on
i. produce texts that demonstrate Karana’s character, setting, 3 types of
conflict she faces and vocabulary.
thought and imagination while
Next, they will reflect on the story by
exploring new perspectives and ideas
imagining how they would react if faced
arising from personal engagement with
the creative process with the same situations.
ii. make stylistic choices in terms of
linguistic, literary and visual devices,
demonstrating awareness of impact on
an audience

Criterion D: Using language

i. use appropriate and varied
vocabulary, sentence structures and
forms of expression ii. write and speak
in an appropriate register and style
iii. use correct grammar, syntax and
punctuation
iv. spell (alphabetic languages), write
(character languages) and pronounce
with accuracy

Approaches to learning (ATL)

Communication:
Communication I. Communication skills 
• Reading, writing and using language to gather and communicate information
 Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.
Assessment and Criteria: C (i, ii) D (i, ii, iii, iv)
Thinking IX. Creative-thinking skills: create original works and ideas.  
Assessment and Criteria: A (i, ii, iii) B (ii)
Self-Management
 Plan long and short term assignments; meet deadline

Action: Teaching and learning through inquiry

Content Learning experiences and Formative assessment Differentiation

1. Read and discuss various
elements of the given text
and examine and discuss
details and overarching
themes; consider how the
details contribute to the work
teaching strategies
Observing Students will observe: * Team work – Individual
work
*Random calling and
-Figurative Language Book:
Create, write and illustrate volunteer participation.
examples of figurative
language used in the text.
and to answering the Inquiry
Questions.
2. Given that this book does
not have chapter titles,
students will work in small
groups to determine
appropriate chapter titles
based on events in each
chapter.
3. After reading each chapter,
complete vocabulary and
identify the survival skill
using handout. Write a journal
entry to convey details on
how the characters use
survival skills.
4. Students will create a
figurative language book
 relating ideas
 inferences and
conclusions
 interpreting author's
views
Use evidence from the text to
support your thinking.
-Journal Prompts: Periodically
respond to journal prompts in
student notebooks regarding
various aspects of the story.
Minimum of two paragraphs
required.
-Work Cited Source cards: In
conjunction with the final
research project, write work
cited source cards in
alphabetical order including
author/s name, title,
publishing place and date.
Examples include books, web
pages, encyclopedias,
magazines, etc.
-Character Compare and
contrast: Using the top hat
organizer, compare and
contrast 2 characters from the
novel.
-Historical Fiction Survival
Story: After reading Island of
the Blue Dolphins and
completing entire unit of
work, write a survival story.
-Tests/Quizzes: Multiple
choice tests and discussion
question on book studied.
Asking Class discussions on: Random calling and
volunteer participation
Participation in Socratic
seminars.
 making judgments
 distinguishing
important information
 context clues
*Creation of characters, Researching
script, storyboards * WKL (in order to assess
students learning
*Analyzing and process).
contrasting texts to * Feedback in order to
recognize literary devices strengthen students’
and elements skills (Self-assessment,
Peer assessment)
* Summarizing.
* Introduction of new
vocabulary.

Making * Checklist to verify

Service as Action requested advance.
Community: GF *Regular feedback to
community strengthen students’
Service: A guide to be skills. (Self-assessment,
used in order to choose Peer assessment)
books in the library
*Teacher demonstrations
Product: Book review
and examples.
Description: Students will
write book reviews for
library books of their
preference.

Evaluating
*Teacher observations
*Class discussions
*Worksheets
*Specific writing
assignments
 *Assessments/tests

Resources

MENTOR TEXT
O’Dell, S., The Island of the Blue Dolphins, Houghton Mifflin Company & Riverside Press (Cambridge, Mass.) (1960)
ISBN: 9780547328614
IB MATERIAL
MYP – From Principles into Practice; (From September 2014/January 2015.) 
MYP – Language and Literature Guide; (From September 2014/January 2015.)
LITERATURE BASICS
Bowen, T & J Marks, Inside Teaching, Macmillan 1994 http://www.ugr.es/~robinson/1994/1994_inside_teaching.pdf
Carter, R & M Long, Teaching Literature, Longman 1991
Lazar, Gillian, Literature and Language Teaching, Cambridge 1993
Widdowson, H. Stylistics and the Teaching of Literature, Longman 1975
ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS MATERIAL
Explore the Islands - Island of the Blue Dolphins (U.S. National Park Service)
The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island | Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Learn About the Park - Channel Islands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Life in the Village: Chapter 1 - Island of the Blue Dolphins (U.S. National Park Service)
Follow the Story - Island of the Blue Dolphins (U.S. National Park Service)
San Nicolas Island - Wikipedia
Fichas educativas y unidades de estudio sobre myp blue | Quizlet
Examining Island of the Blue Dolphins through a Literary Lens - ReadWriteThink
7th grade English MYP Summer Reading 2016_2018.pdf
Reflection: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry

Prior to teaching the unit During teaching After teaching the unit
-Diagnostic Test to create a
differentiation report about the
levels of the students.
-Interview students to evaluate
their oral skills and expectations.
-Group students with similar
learning style.
-Classroom management
-KWL and LINK Visible thinking
skills
-Building background by accessing
prior knowledge of students