Station 1: The Elephant Poem

Directions: Read the poem, at the end of the poem, record the questions and answers on your answer sheet.
It was six men of Indostan The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
To learning much inclined And felt about the knee.
Who went to see the Elephant "What most this wondrous beast is like
(Though all of them were blind), Is mighty plain," quoth he;
That each by observation "Tis Clear enough the Elephant
Might satisfy his mind Is very like a tree."
The First approached the Elephant, The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
And happening to fall Said: "E'en the blindest man
Against his broad and sturdy side, Can tell what this resembles most;
At once began to bawl: Deny the fact who can,
"God bless me! but the Elephant This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a wall!" Is very like a fan!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk, The Sixth no sooner had begun
Cried, "Ho! what have we here About the beast to grope,
So very round and smooth and sharp? Then seizing on the swinging tail
To me 'tis mighty clear That fell within his scope,
This wonder of an Elephant "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a spear!" Is very like a rope."
The Third apprached the animal, And so these men of Indostan
And happening to take Disputed loud and long.
The squirming trunk within his hands, Each in his own opinion
Thus boldly up and spake: Exceeding stiff and strong,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Though each was partly in the right,
Is very like a snake." And all were in the wrong.

Station 2: Experimental Variables

Directions: Read the following experiments and answer the questions on your answer sheet.
Experiment 1: Jordan is doing a science fair project on the effects of music on the growth of tomatoes. He has
two tomato plants, Plant A and Plant B, that he grows in a window and gives the same amount of water. Plant
A is exposed to classical music using headphones attached to the soil. Throughout the growth period, Jordan
counts the number of tomatoes produced by each plant.
Plant A = 35 Tomatoes | Plant B = 55 Tomatoes
Experiment 2: In the same science fair, Tina asks the question “Does caffeine increase the heart rate of an
earthworm?” In Test 1, she measures the heart rate by looking at the earthworm under a microscope, the
earthworm has a heart rate of 50 bpm (beats per minute). In Test 2, she places a few drops of caffeine on the
earthworm’s skin and measures the rate again. In this test, the heart rate is 68 bpm.
Station 3: The Language of Science
Directions: Scientific vocabulary is a hodge podge of little words that are linked together to have different
meanings Use this list to guess the meaning of each of the terms.
Word Meaning Word Meaning
a or an not, without, lacking hemo blood
auto self hyper above
aero air hypo below
endo inner, inside intra within, inside
entero intestine itis disease, inflammation
aero needing oxygen or air lateral side
anti against logy study of
amphi both, doubly lys break down
aqua water meter measurement
arthro joint meso middle
auto self mono one, single
bi two, twice, double morph form
bio life, living micro small
carne flesh macro large
cephal head multi many
chloro green pod foot
chromo color phage to eat
cide killer, kill, killing phobia dislike, fear
cyto cell philia like
derm skin plasm form
di two, double proto first
ecto (exo) outer, external photo light
endo internal poly many
epi above sclera harden
gastro stomach synthesis to make
genesis origin, beginning sub lesser, below
herba plants troph eat, consume
hetero different therm heat
homo alike, similar vore swallow, devour
hydro water zoo, zoa animal

Station 4: Characteristics of Life

Directions: Read and highlight the ideas of each passage. Answer the questions on your answer sheet as you
read. Make sure to erase any markings before moving onto the next station.
Most people feel confident that they could identify a living thing from a nonliving thing, but sometimes
it’s not so easy. Scientists have argued for centuries over the basic characteristics that separate life from non-
life. Some of these arguments are still unresolved. Despite these arguments, there do seem to be some
generally accepted characteristics common to all living things. Anything that possesses all these characteristics
of life is known as an organism.
1. Contain One or More Cell
Scientists know that all living things are organized. The smallest unit of organization of a living thing is the
cell. A cell is a collection of living matter enclosed by a barrier known as the plasma membrane that separates
it from its surroundings. Cells can perform all the functions we associate with life.
Cells are organized and contained specialized parts that perform functions. Cells are very different from
each other. A single cell by itself can form an entire living organism. Organisms consisting of only a single cell
are called unicellular. A bacterium or a protist like amoebas and paramecia are unicellular. However, most of
the organisms you are familiar with, such as dogs and trees, are multicellular. Multicellular organisms contain
hundreds, thousands, even trillions of cells or more. Multicellular organisms may have their cells organized
into tissues, organs, and systems. Whether it is unicellular or multicellular, all structures and functions of an
organism come together to form an orderly living system.
Functional cells are not found in nonliving matter. Structures that contain dead cells or pieces of cells
are considered dead. For example, wood or cork cut from a tree is made up largely of cell walls. The cells are
no longer functional.
2. Reproduction
Perhaps the most obvious of all the characteristics of life is reproduction, the production of offspring.
Organisms don’t live forever. For life to continue, organisms must replace themselves. Reproduction is not
essential for the survival of an individual organism. However, it is essential for the continuation of an
organism’s species. A species is a group of similar-looking organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile
offspring. If individuals in a species never reproduced, it would mean an end to that species’ existence on
Earth.
There are two basic kinds of reproduction: sexual and asexual. Sexual reproduction requires that two cells
(sperm and egg) unite and produce the first cell of the new organism. Organisms reproducing sexually do not
always have “sex”. In many cases sperm and egg are released into the water where they meet. Most familiar
organisms – from maple trees to birds and bees – reproduce sexually. In asexual reproduction, a single
organism can reproduce without the aid of another. Sometimes these organisms can just divide themselves in
two!
3. Growth & Development
Adults don’t always look like the babies of a species. All organisms begin their lives as single cells. Over
time, these organisms grow and take on the characteristics of their species. Growth results in an increase in
the amount of living material and the formation of new structures.
All organisms grow, and different parts of organisms may grow at different rates. Organisms made up of
only one cell may change little during their lives, but they do grow. .On the other hand, organisms made up of
numerous cells go through many changes during their lifetimes. Think about some of the structural changes
your body has already undergone in your short life. All of the changes that take place during the life of an
organism are known as its development.
A snowball grows when you roll is over fresh snow! Why isn’t it a living thing? The growth of the snowball
is not internal. It does not grow by producing more cells like organisms. It just adds on more material to the
outside. Someone has to roll the snowball. It won’t grow bigger by just sitting there and it certainly cannot
change liquid water or solid ice into new snow from which it can grow larger. This is one of the differences
between growth of a living thing and growth of a nonliving thing.
4. Obtain & Use Energy
Energy is the ability to make things change. Energy is important because it powers life processes. It
provides organisms with the ability to maintain balance, grow, reproduce, and carry out other life functions.
Some organisms obtain energy from the food they eat or, in the case of plants and several other types of
organisms, the foods that they produce. Organisms that get energy from the food they eat are called
heterotrophs. Organisms that use energy from the sun to make their own food (which they then use for
energy) are called autotrophs. The process is called photosynthesis.
As you’ll learn, energy doesn’t just flow through individual organisms; it also flows through communities of
organisms, or ecosystems, and determines how organisms interact with each other and the environment.
5. Respond to the Environment / Maintain Homeostasis
Living things live in a constant connection with the environment, which includes the air, water, weather,
temperature, any organism in the area, and many other factors. These external environmental factors act as
stimuli and can cause a response from living things. Organisms need to respond to the changes in order to stay
alive and healthy. For example, if you go outside on a bright summer day, the sun may cause you to squint.
Perhaps the bark of an approaching dog causes you to turn your head quickly. Just as you are constantly
sensing and responding to changes in your environment, so are all other organisms. For example, a s
specialized leaf of the Venus’ flytrap sense the light footsteps of a soon-to-be-digested green bottle fly. The
plant responded to this environmental stimulus by rapidly folding the leaf together.
An organism must respond to changes in the internal environment as well. Internal conditions include the
level of water, nutrients, and minerals inside the body. It also refers to body temperature and hormone levels.
Adjustments to internal changes help organisms maintain a stable internal environment. The regulation of an
organism’s internal environment to maintain conditions suitable for life is called homeostasis. Or you can just
think of it as keeping everything in BALANCE! For example, you have a “thermostat” in your brain that reacts
whenever your body temperature varies slightly from 37◦C (about 98.6◦F). If this internal thermostat detects a
slight rise in your body temperature on a hot day, your brain signals y our skin to produce sweat. Sweating
helps cool your body.
The ability of mammals and birds to regulate body temperature is just one example of homeostasis.
Mechanisms of homeostasis enable organisms to regulate their internal environment, despite changes in their
external environment.

Station 4: The “Hand” of Measurement for Horses

Directions: Read the following passage about how measurement was developed for horses and why it is
important we have standardized measurements in science. Answer the questions on your answer sheet.

Author: Dr. Bob Wright, 2001

When someone asks "How tall is this horse?", the answer usually comes in units
known as the "hand." It is a common unit of measurement now used only for
quantifying the height of the horse.

Tracing a tradition backward is a dicey proposition. We know that today a

"hand" is 4 inches, with one inch increments, and the measurement is from level
ground to the highest non-variable skeletal structure on the horse, the withers.

History suggests that at one time, perhaps 5,000 years ago, it was as
rudimentary as stacking a man's clenched fist one upon another, which tells us it
was rather rough and inaccurate.
At some point, horse owners, and especially traders, agreed that the "hand" will always represent 4 inches, and will always measure
the height from level ground to the withers.

But why a "hand"? In the ancient Mediterranean cultures, the hand unit developed – along with other measures – based upon
references people of the time could relate to, such as body parts (e.g., foot). The problem was, whose foot, or whose hand? There
were some inaccuracies.

Ancient Egypt - 3,000 BC

According to encyclopedic sources, the "hand" measurement was four fingers wide at one point in time, and at others it was four
fingers and a thumb wide. The rules of trade demanded the same measurement everywhere, and the hand was eventually
standardized by the Egyptians around 3,000 BC based upon a complex system including the
"cubit." Because of the enormous influence of the Egyptian culture, use of this system
migrated to other countries and cultures.

The Cubit
In the Egyptian system, measurement was based on the cubit (sometimes mentioned in
reference to the construction of the pyramids or Noah's ark). The Egyptian cubit is generally
recognized as having been the most widely accepted standard of linear measurement in the
very ancient world.

The cubit was based on the length of the arm from the elbow to the extended fingertips, an
arbitrary distinction, which was then standardized by a royal master cubit of black granite. It
was kept in a royal vault and all the cubit sticks in use in Egypt were measured at regular
intervals.

This was not a planned system. It evolved, growing out of custom and popular usage, unlike
planned systems of measurement like the Metric or the International System of Units (ISU)
that we are more familiar with today.

The standardized "hand" has become as good an increment to use in the determination of a
horse's height at the withers as any other. But it is by no means the only means.

Regardless of its origin, the hand has become a tradition of British measurement. In the rest of Europe however, height was – and
still is – measured in meters and centimeters. In some places, like Europe and South Africa, there exists the dual situation of
measurement in hands and centimeters.

Answer Sheet
Station 1: The Elephant Poem:
1. How does this poem illustrate the importance of observation in the scientific method?

2. What is the moral of the tale?

3. Many scientific errors can occur because the researcher does not use good skills of observation. Imagine a
scenario where not being observant can result in an experiment going wrong. Describe this scenario in the
form of a story or a poem.
Station 2: Experimental Variables:
1) What is the control group?

2) What is the manipulated variable?

3) What is the responding variable?

4) What should Jordan’s conclusion be? Write this in a complete sentence!

5) Jordan needs to repeat the experiment, but his teacher says that he needs to improve his design. In his
second experiment, what should he do different.
6) What is the manipulated variable in this experiment?

7) What is the responding variable in this experiment?

8) Tina’s experiment should have included a hypothesis. In a complete sentence, suggest a hypothesis for
Tina’s experiment.

Station 3: The Language of Science

1. Hydrology _________________________________________________________

2. Cytology _________________________________________________________

3. Protozoa _________________________________________________________

4. Epidermis _________________________________________________________

5. Spermatogenesis _________________________________________________________

6. Cytoskeleton _________________________________________________________

7. Abiotic _________________________________________________________

8. Dermatitis _________________________________________________________
9. Hypodermic _________________________________________________________

10. Hemophilia _________________________________________________________

11. Endocytosis _________________________________________________________

12. Insecticide _________________________________________________________

13. Anaerobic _________________________________________________________

14. Bilateral _________________________________________________________

15. Endotherm _________________________________________________________

16. Subspcecies _________________________________________________________

17. Arthropod _________________________________________________________

18. Micrometer _________________________________________________________

19. Hypothermia _________________________________________________________

20. Polymoph _________________________________________________________

21. Photosynthesis _________________________________________________________

22. Amphibios (amphibian) _________________________________________________________

23. Heterotroph _________________________________________________________

24. Encephalitis _________________________________________________________

25. Monochrome _________________________________________________________

26. Autolysis _________________________________________________________

27. Herbivore _________________________________________________________

28. Homology _________________________________________________________

29. Macrophage _________________________________________________________

30. Carnivore _________________________________________________________

What five (5) words can you come up with or create using the list? (example: Apatasaurus “deceptive lizard”)


 

Station 4: Characteristics of Life

1. The scientific term for a living this is a(n) ____________________________________________.
2. All living things are ____________________________________________.
3. What is the simplest level at which life may exist? ___________________________________________
4. Are all cells alike? YES / NO
5. All cells perform various jobs or ____________________________
6. What surrounds a cell and separates it from its environment? _________________________________.
7. What is the difference between unicellular and multicellular organisms?

8. Give an example of a multicellular organism ______________________ and an example of a unicellular

organism __________________________
9. Multicellular organism can be organized into what other levels?

10. Circle which of the following would be made of cells. Place a BOX around the ones which only show cell
walls.
Cork Sponge Wood Plastic Tree
11. Examine these 2 organisms. Which one is unicellular and which one is multicellular (label each).

12. Define reproduction.

13. Must EVERY member of a particular species (on kind of organism) be able to reproduce in order for the
species to survive? Explain why or why not.

14. What would happen if all individuals in a species were sterile (no able to have babies)?
15. Reproduction is NOT essential for the survival of an individual ___________________________ but is
essential for the survival of the _________________________________.
16. What is meant by extinction?

17. Name and define the two basic kinds of reproduction.

18. Identify which organisms are reproducing sexually and which are reproducing asexually.

19. How do all organisms begin life?

20. What is the difference between growth and development?

21. Do unicellular organisms GROW? Do unicellular organism DEVELOP? Explain.

22. Do multicellular organisms GROW? Do multicellular organisms DEVELOP? Explain.

23. Identify which graphic BEST shows growth and which BEST show development.

24. How is the growth of a living thing different from the growth of a nonliving thing?

25. Define energy.

26. Why is energy important to a living organism?

 27. What is the difference between an autotroph and a heterotroph?

28. What is the name of the process that plants use to make their own food using energy from the sun?
_______________________________________________
29. Identify each of the organisms below as either a heterotroph or an autotroph.

30. What are some environmental factors (stimuli) that organisms respond to?

31. Organisms must also respond to _______________________ factors in order to stay healthy & survive.

32. What are two internal factors that organisms respond to?

33. Give two examples from the reading of how living things respond to changes in their environment.

34. If light is applied to a human eye, how does it respond?

35. Describe homeostasis.

Station 5: The “Hand” Measurement for Horses

1. Where did the hand measurement originate from? ___________________________________

2. The horse’s withers in equivalent to what part of a human’s body? ____________________________

3. Most early measurements were based on what? ___________________________________

4. Why are these types of measurements inaccurate? ___________________________________

5. How long is a cubit? ___________________________________

6. If you were to measure your leg in hands, which measurement would most likely fit? ____________

7. What other measurement is commonly used in English-speaking country that is based on a body part?

________________

8. Measurements that are “standard” do not _______________

9. What is the name of the standard measurements used in science (and mostly throughout the world) –

this was not mentioned in the article, but you should know it (HINT: starts with the letter “M”)?

______________________________