Introduction to Discovering Galapagos Animals

A great way for students to learn about the Galapagos animals is to research and discover information on their own. Each student will choose an animal that they would like to learn more about. Students who choose the same animal can take the option to work in groups. After a week of research, the students will compile their information into an informative article. The articles will be put together to construct a magazine that others in the class can read. The following is a list of animals from which the students can choose. (They can also choose to do one that they are interested in that is not on the list).

*Note that there are many subspecies of animals, thus students can narrow their research even more if they choose to.

*Attached is a reference page that can help the students start with their research.

References

Alten, M. (1998, January, February). "A tale of three boobies." International Wildlife, 28, 28-35.

Dorst, Jean. (1967). South America and Central America: a natural history. Random House: New York.

Lemonick, M.D. (1995, October). "Crisis in the Galapagos." Time, 146, 80-82.

Ralling, C. (1979). The Voyage of Charles Darwin. Mayflower Books: New York.

Robinson, M.H. (1997, September). "Here, Birds are Unafraid." Smithsonian, 28, 16-17.

Internet Sites:

http://www.polaris.net/~jpinson/welcome.html

This is the site for the Charles Darwin Research Station. It is a great site that contains information about the Galapagos Islands, in addition to valuable information about some of the animals on the islands including: the giant tortoise, the land iguana, and the dark-rumped petrel.

http://reality.sgi.com/employees/davis/html/

This site was put together by photographer Tom Davis. It contains great images with concise explanations of a variety of animals.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/sam/ecu.htm

This site was put out on the Internet especially for kids, by the Lonley Planet Tour Guide Company. It gives general and accurate information about Ecuador and the Galapagos. It also does it in the form of a travel guide that describes the equipment needed for traveling to these places.

http://www.gct.org/tourists.html

This site contains information about the various islands that make up the Galapagos. It also gives information about which of the animals lives on what island. This would be very helpful for the students to know while they are doing their projects.

http://web.calstatela.edu/faculty/eviau/edit557/oceans/laureen/ksl.htm

This site gives general information about sea lions. It was constructed to be user-friendly for kids. It also links to other web sites that contain more information.

http://www.turtles.org/

This site is devoted to the topic of marine turtles. The site is valuable because it contains a web of information about the turtles including: general, various species, and issues that are threatening the turtles.

http://fcdarwin.org.ec/english/el-nino-1.html

This site talks about El Nino, and the effect it is having on the Galapagos Islands. It also contains various tables that demonstrate how El Nino is specifically affecting the animals on the islands.