Virtual Galápagos
TORTOISE CURRICULUM
The tortoise curriculum guides students to answer the question: how are the tortoise species in the Galápagos related to each other?
Tomás
Tomás is a dome-shelled tortoise. The shell is often round in shape and the tortoise stays low to the ground. This allows them to feed efficiency on the grass or other similar plants. They are often found in wet areas with abundant rain and water.
Becki
Becki is a saddle-back tortoise. The saddle-back shape allows the neck of the tortoise to extend further up to reach high-up foods. They can be found in drier environments where the food is less likely to be found close the ground.
THE CURRICULUM
There are four complete units in the tortoise curriculum: Tortoise 101, Islands, Ecosystems, and Ancestry. This module was designed with a 3rd-5th grade audience in mind. Materials can be adapted to meet students’ learning needs.
UNIT 1: TORTOISE 101
In this unit, students will gather information about the multiple species of giant Galápagos tortoises, focusing most specially on the domed and saddleback tortoises (the two major shell shapes found on the islands). The unit will prompt and support students to explore tortoise behaviors and traits in relation to the environments the tortoises live in. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to make comparisons between themselves and the tortoises regarding diet, body structures, and functions. The goal of this unit is to provide background knowledge and reinforce argumentation and prediction skills to support the development of initial hypotheses as to why both saddleback and domed tortoises live in the Galápagos Islands. The unit is designed to provide students with knowledge of tortoise anatomy, morphology, behavior to understand how these animals survive in their environment. This knowledge will act as the conceptual foundation in order to understand natural selection as a mechanism that drives evolution in Galapagos tortoises.
UNIT 2: ISLAND MORPHOLOGY
In this unit, students explore how the formation, age, climate, and vegetation of the Galápagos Islands influence the distribution of habitats and the adaptations of giant tortoises. Students begin by investigating how volcanic activity and mantle plumes create islands of different ages and landscapes. They then examine how weather patterns, elevation, and prevailing winds produce distinct vegetation zones, and how these environmental differences affect where organisms can survive. Students use models, maps, and evidence-based reasoning to connect Earth's geological processes with living organisms. They apply their understanding of island morphology and climate to explain why domed and saddleback tortoises are adapted to different vegetation zones and predict where each tortoise type is most likely to live. By the end of the unit, students recognize that environmental conditions shape ecosystems and influence the traits, behaviors, and distributions of species across the Galápagos archipelago.
UNIT 3: ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS
In this unit, students will learn about habitats, ecosystems, food chains, the transfer of energy within an ecosystem, and how the Galápagos tortoises serve as “ecosystem engineers.” They will observe their own ecosystem and create a model that represents their ecosystem, including their own ecosystem engineer.
UNIT 4: ANCESTRY
The idea of a species is introduced to explain why variations occur within populations of species. The concept of DNA and its role in determining traits is introduced. Additionally, we model how genetic variation increases over time with more generations. Once it is understood that genetic differences exist, we can explore how these differences may be favored as an adaptation in an environment, and on a larger scale, over time through natural selection and evolution. From there, students learn the definition and function of mutations in the natural world. The module closes through a demonstration of how scientists map genetic differences using phylogenetic trees. The topic of common ancestry is also covered, connecting tortoise species with their genetic relatives.
Want to Get Started?
We created worksheets for the Tortoise Curriculum, download your copies below!
THE GAME
While using the above lesson plans and content, proceed to use the following links to play the point-and-click game. The game is designed through 3DVista, and a tutorial can be found at the beginning of Unit 1: Tortoise 101.
Virtual Galápagos
virtualgalapagos.colgate.edu
