Observations Vs Inferences SSA Review

Not all frogs look or act the same. Frogs have adapted to the environment around them. Ms. Garcia's class took a survey of frogs in and around the school yard. The class made this chart of the frogs they observed. Kareem looked at the class chart and said: "I think there are more frogs near the pond because they blend in."Ms. Garcia told Kareem that was an opinion rather than an observation. Which statement below is an observation regarding the frog data?

• Green colored frogs always live near a lot of plants.
  

• Brown frogs, also called toads, like to live in sunny areas.
  

• More frogs were found in the pond area than any other area on the school campus.
  

• The frogs changed color when they move to different places on the school campus.
  

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Saul conducted an experiment on plant growth. He placed one sunflower seed in four different cups. Each cup had the same type and amount of soil. Saul added 50 ml of tap water to each cup and then placed the cups in four different locations:

Cup 1 - window sill
Cup 2 - closet
Cup 3 - teacher's desk
Cup 4 - under a desk lamp

Saul collected data on the growth of the sunflower seeds. You can see the results of Saul's experiment in the graph. Saul made several statements about his data. Which statement is an opinion rather than an observation?

• The plant in the closet with little light grew the least.
  

• The plant on the window sill in direct light grew the tallest.
  

• The sunflower seed in cup 3 received half as much light as the seed in cup 1.
  

• The plant under the desk lamp grew two inches less than the plant on the window sill.
  

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Harriet wanted her school to make some changes in the school lunch program. She passed out a survey to 32 students to see what type of school lunch they preferred. Harriet gave the results to the cafeteria workers so they might change what they served.

Which statement is an opinion rather than an observation based on Harriet's data?

• Students only chose three types of food as lunch choices.
  

• More students chose chicken nuggets than any other food choice.
  

• Students did not like most of the foods served during school lunch.
  

• Several students chose breakfast for lunch rather than typical lunch foods.
  

Caroline and Bailey are partners in science lab. The two girls are working on an experiment to see how light affects plant growth.

They are trying to organize their notes into two categories: Observations and Ideas. Which statement should the girls place in the Observation category?

• Plant A and Plant B grew into pretty plants.
  

• Plant A grew more because it was closer to the window.
  

• Plant A grew 1 centimeter more than Plant B on Day 16.
  

• Plant B sprouted later probably because it was a smaller seed.
  

Tags

NGSS.3-LS3-2

Jackson is organizing his notes for his science lab. His teacher has asked that he only include actual observations about the experiment and not ideas about the experiment.

He is trying to decide whether to keep or to remove the statement that says: Plant A grew taller than Plant B probably because it was a bigger seed when it was planted. Which statement best explains what Jackson should do?

• Jackson should remove the statement because he did not plant the seed.
  

• Jackson should keep the statement because it explains why Plant A grew taller.
  

• Jackson should remove the statement because it expresses an idea about the experiment.
  

• Jackson should keep the statement because it states what he thinks about the experiment.
  

Scientists maintain records of observations, procedures, and explanations during investigations. They should be careful to separate their actual observations from their ideas about what was observed.

Shawna tried a new fertilizer on half of her vegetable garden (Side A) and did not add any fertilizer to the other half (Side B). She recorded her observations and ideas in a notebook during her investigation. Which statement from her notes is an observation?

• The tomato plants on Side A probably absorbed more water than those on Side B.
  

• The tomato plants on Side A grew 2 inches higher overall than those on Side B.
  

• The fertilizer made the plants on Side A grow much higher than those on Side B.
  

• The tomatoes from Side A might taste better in salads than tomatoes from Side B.
  

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

The bear population in a national forest was monitored for several years. Scientists collected data about what the bears ate during those year. The data was summarized and presented in this pie chart.

Which statement would be a researcher observation from the data collected during the ten years?

Responses

• 
  

• Bear cubs ate plants. Adult bears ate animals.
  

• The largest part of the bears' diet was plants.
  

• The bears' ate more animals than they did plants.
  

• Bears like to eat plants more than they like to eat animals.
  

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

What would be an inference you could make about this cat?

• The cat is black.
  

• The cat is sitting on a green chair
  

• The cat is closing its eyes.
  

• The cat has just had a meal.
  

Joseph is organizing his notes for his science lab. His teacher has asked that he only include actual observations about the experiment, not ideas about the experiment. Which statement should Jackson remove from his notes?

• Plant A sprouted 2 days before Plant B.
  

• Plant A was greener in color than Plant B.
  

• Plant A grew 2 centimeters taller than Plant B.
  

• Plant A got more sunlight so that made it grow taller.