Observation and Inference

Master Observation vs. Inference! Science worksheet for middle schoolers.

Observation and Inference Watch the video and then complete the activity. I. Observations vs. Inferences Observationsare information you gather using your 5 senses and include measurements.Scientists record observations before designing an experiment and during the experiment. Observations can be either quantitative or qualitative.Inferencesare mini conclusionsyou make using yourobservations and yourbackground knowledge. Scientists make inferences when the interpret and explain their observations. Based on the picture above, which of the following statements are observations and which are inferences? Click each statement to make your choice. Observation There are 4 people. The people are covering their ears. The people are wearing badges. Inference The people are scientists. The people heard a loud noise. This is a science lab. There are two kinds of observations: Quantitative observations- involve numbers, or an amount. Seeing that you have 2 text messages on your phone is a quantitative observation.Think quantity, how many.Qualitative observations- involve descriptions that cannot be expressed with numbers. Noticing that a bike is blue or that a grape tastes sour are qualitative observations.Thinkquality, how good. Read each statement and decide whether the observation is QUALITATIVEor QUANTITATIVE. Qualitative The plant on the left grew higher than the one on the right. When the power is turned on, the game lights up and plays a song Water can fall as precipitation, which may include rain, snow, or hail Each penguin is black and white The flower smells sweet The sharks skin feels rough The walls are white in color The leaves of the plant are waxy and shiny Quantitative The container is filled to the 350 mL mark with water The Sun rose at 6:54 this morning There are 23 students in class The sea lion ate 6 pounds of fish One leaf is 9 cm long The flowers cluster in 3 blooms The mass of the bird was 45 grams The temperature of the room increased by 8 degrees The tree is 30 feet tall When you have completed the worksheet, play the Quizizz challenge! QUIZIZZ