Explorica is proud to continue with a second year of this helpful resource for teachers: our 2019-20 Around the World classroom calendar!
The calendar features a new country and an international holiday or event for you to celebrate with your students each month. Download a new page every month on this blog (and subscribe!), hang it up in your classroom, and talk to your students about how the holiday reflects the country’s history and culture.
This November, we are featuring the adventurous destination of Ecuador! Naturalists and adventure lovers alike are in for a real treat when they travel to Ecuador and experience the Galápagos Islands. Known as the birthplace of evolution, the footsteps of Charles Darwin’s research can be followed while exploring all the islands have to offer. Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life was published on November 24, 1859 and is considered the foundation for evolutionary biology. The theories proposed is this book changed scientific study across the globe indefinitely.
Students who participate in our Galápagos Island Adventure tour will learn all about Charles Darwin’s research and theories by experiencing the incredible nature of the islands first-hand. Snorkeling with tropical fish, venturing through lava tunnels, and spotting different species of finches and tortoises are just some of the once-in-a-lifetime activities students will take part in. Destinations on this tour include the city of Quito, Santa Cruz Island, and San Cristobal Island where the groups will hike, boat, visit the Sierra Negra Volcano, and visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center, just to name a few activities. Bonus! Most days on this tour’s itinerary include beach time at various beautiful beaches around the islands.
Use this calendar as a resource to teach your students about the scientific importance of Ecuador and all its unique and interesting species.
Questions to ask your students:
- Who was Charles Darwin? Discuss his theory of Natural Selection? What were some of his other famous theories?
- Discuss the diverse landscape of Ecuador.
- Discuss the science of active volcanos. What are lava tunnels?
- What do you know about Giant Tortoises? Why is it important to protect and breed them?