Project: COLOMBIA PROJECT

8th Grade

GUIDE nº

Name:

Date: August 20-2009

Objective: To enrich the students’ knowledge about facts of Gorgona Island

Problematic Question: How much do you know about Gorgona Island

Problematic Situation: There exist facts that you probably didn’t know about general facts of Gorgona
Island
Complete the missing meanings to help yourself with the reading NATIONAL NATURAL PARK
MALPELO
About: aproximadamente Keys: Detritus: detrito
Bay: bahía Remnants: restos, vestigio worst-of-the-worst: lo peor de lo
to the so-called: al(la) llamada Encompass: abarcar peor
complex: Shores: dozen:
wide: Steep: Empinado, pronunciado sharks:
height: plunging: muy profundo poisonous:
surrounded: rodeado(a) Cliff: Greek:
stack: risco Shingle: guijarro Goddess: diosa
Supplied: que consta de

Gorgona Island is located at 3º 51'N, 78º 13'W, about 30 km north of Guapi

ABOUT GORGONA ISLAND
Bay and about 56 km from Buenaventura. The island is composed mainly
of basic and ultra-basic igneous intrusive and extrusive rocks. The island
conforms to the so-called "Igneous complex of Gorgona". The island is
about 9 km long and 2.5 km wide, with a maximum height of 338 m. It is
surrounded by Gorgonilla Island and by numerous smaller stacks and keys.
These erosional remnants together encompass about 615 km 2. The shores
of Gorgona are predominantly steep plunging cliffs and minor sandy and
shingle beaches supplied, on its eastern side, by coral reef detritus.
The island was used as a prison for only the worst-of-the-worst criminals
until 1983 when it was declared a national park during Belisario Betancur
´s administration, due to its extravagant amount and kind of species . It has
been referred to as the second "Devil's Island." The island is surrounded by
a dozen species of sharks and got its name for the many poisonous snakes
that make it their home. Just think of Medusa, the Greek goddess of terror
whose hair was made of snakes and who was the only mortal of the three
Gorgon sisters.
Despite its name, the beauty of the island made it an obvious selection for
a national park once the prison was closed.

Circle Gorgona Island

Write the name of each animal

Which one doesn’t
appear in the article?
______________

__ __ __ __ __

__ __ __ __ __ __ _
__ __ __ __ __
Draw on the map:
Gorgona
Gorgonilla

Locate on the map:

Guapy
Buenaventura
Borders (other
countries, seas,
departamentos, cities)

Match the answer with the right question (See the example)

ANSWERS QUESTIONS
( 4 ) A Greek goddess 1. What’s the area of Gorgona Island?

( ) as a prison 2. What the island was used for until

1983?
( ) 9 km 3. How wide is Gorgona Island?
( ) Because of its extravagant amount 4. Who is Medussa?
and kind of species
( ) To the Gorgon sisters 5. Which animals surround the island?
( ) 2.5 km 6. What family group Medusa belonged
to?
( ) A president of Colombia 7. Why was the island declared a national
park?
( ) 615 km2 8. Who was Belisario Betancur?
( ) Sharks 9. How long is Gorgona Island?

Complete with the right Indefinite Pronoun in parenthesis

-There is ____________ related between the name of the island and snakes (nothing,
something , everything)
-You can’t see ___________ that has not to do with ecological activities (nothing, anything,
everything)
-_____________ in the old prison of the Island is totally abandoned (nothing, everything,
anything)
-After Belisario Betancur’s decision there was _____________ to do about keeping the prison
running. (everything, nothing, something)

CONCLUSIONS
Write the three most important ideas that attracted your attention from the activities

PRODUCT
Material: Cardboard or carton paja. Cuttings
Procedure: Make a postcard wiring yourself from Gorgona Island to a relative or a friend