“I don't know what I am thinking. But I am alone. I am trapped in the net of the room. In the net of humans. I think maybe I am drowning in the net of humans.”The Music of Dolphins
Written by Karen Hesse
Published by Scholastic, Inc., 1996
Family, Nature, Ocean, Dolphins, Wild Child
Awards:
Mark Twain Award (Nominated, 1999)
Sunshine State Young Reader's Book Award (Nominated, 2001)
Virginia Reader's Choice Awards (Nominated, 2000)
Golden Kite Awards (Nominated, 1996)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominated, 1999)
Golden Sower Award (Nominated, 2000)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominated, 1999)
Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominated, 1999)
Nutmeg Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2000)
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (Nominated, 1998)
Iowa Teen Award (Nominated, 2000)
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year (Won, 1996)
Great Stone Face Children's Book Award (Nominated, 1998)
Beehive Children's Fictional Book Award (Nominated, 1999)
Nene Award (Nominated, 2002)
Summary:
This fictional novel is about a little girl, Mila. However, according to Mila, she is a little dolphin. Mila is what we consider a wild child. She was found in the ocean, after being raised by dolphins her entire life. Now with the support of psychologists, readers witness the mental and emotional development of this beautiful little girl
Key
Vocabulary:
Socialization, Cay, Orca, Nuzzle, Slundings, Pod
a) Have someone else do the hard work for you, at high quality! Use a “Listening Library” audio recording to read parts of the novel in class. You could still ask the students to read for homework and play the novel in class to reinforce the content.
b)
This novel could easily be incorporated into Science. Discuss dolphins and threats to dolphins,
such as tuna catchers etc.
c) The book often describes dolphin noises that Mila makes. Many students may have never heard a dolphin speak before. Play them either an audio recording of dolphins.
Comprehension
Strategies:
Pre-Reading:Before beginning the novel, play the video “Secrets of a Wild Child” This is about a well-known girl named Genie. She was considered a wild child too, isolated by her abusive father, forced to sit on the toilet without any socialization. Genie’s story contains some controversial subject matters and should be only used as a gateway into the mind of a wild child.
During
reading:
To
get students thinking like Mila, have them participate in some of the activates
she does in the novel! For example
listen to Mozart, and ask students to write down their feelings as they listen. Do their “legs and arms swim in the music” and
do they feel the music “in every little place inside of me” as Mila describes?Post Reading
After
reading the entire novel from Mila (a human’s point of view), discuss with
students what it must be like for animals to be taken from their natural homes
for case studies, every day.
Writing
Activity
As
suggested by the “Listening Library Study Guide” (link found below), “Have students describe an everyday activity, such as watching television, riding in a car, or going to a restaurant from the point of view of someone like Mila who has never seen or heard of these things.” This will assess their informal comprehension, seeing if they can apply what they read about how Mila interprets the world to objects outside of the novel.
Electronic
Resources
The
“Listening Librbary” audiobook can be ordered online. Even listen to an excerpt on the webpage.
http://www.randomhouse.com/audio/listeninglibrary/catalog/display.php?isbn=9780307705945&view=authorhttp://a1018.g.akamai.net/f/1018/19024/1d/randomhouse1.download.akamai.com/19024/bot/teachers-guides/9780307705952_Music%20of%20Dolphins.pdf
Hesse, Karen, and Karen Hesse. The music of dolphins. New York: Scholastic Press, 1996. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment