Description

The Galápagos islands were originally called the “Enchanted Isles” because the capricious meandering of the Humboldt Current had the effect of making the islands disappear and reappear to passing ships. The islands were discovered accidentally in 1525 by Tomas de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panama, who wrote of the strangeness and mystery of the Galápagos, “such big tortoises that could carry a man on top of itself, and many iguanas liked serpents … and many birds like those of Spain, but so silly that they do to know how to flee …”

The Galápagos Across the Curriculum unit study incorporates lessons in:

• History
• Literature
• Writing
• Biology
• Ecology
• Geology
• Taxonomy
• Meteorology
• Oceanography

Specific unit vocabulary is defined and an extensive list of additional reference materials is also provided.