Locate the Hawaiian Islands on the world map. This map shows every place on Earth, including the place where we live. Encourage students to think about the place where they live. After some discussion, ask for a volunteer who would like to locate Hawaii on the world map. Discuss Hawaii's unique geographical location.
Someone is sure to notice that it is far from most other places.
As students offer responses, use a tape measure or yard stick to measure the distances between land masses they have suggested. No other islands are as far away from all other land as Hawaii. We say that the Hawaiian Islands are isolated because they are so far from other land. Ask students how they think the plants and animals that live in Hawaii could get here long, long ago before there were planes or boats or even people coming to these islands. Encourage them to think about that question in preparation for the next presentation.