Observation vs Interpretation · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.
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Observation and Interpretation

Science · Scientific Inquiry · ages 6-7
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. You see a plant with droopy leaves. Which sentence is your interpretation?

    • The plant needs water.
    • The plant has droopy leaves.
    • The plant has green leaves.

  2. You watch an ice cube melt. Which sentence records only your observation?

    • The ice melted because it was hot.
    • The ice turned into water.
    • The ice melted because it wanted to.

  3. An observation is something you notice with your senses.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Sam counts birds at a feeder and writes, 'There are 5 birds.' What is this statement?

    • An observation
    • An interpretation
    • A guess

  5. Mia sees wet grass in the morning. She did not watch the weather overnight. She says, 'It rained last night.' What kind of statement is this?

    • Observation
    • Neither
    • Interpretation

  6. 'The ice melted because of the heat' is only an observation.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Two friends watch a puddle disappear on a sunny day. Which pair separates their observation from their explanation?

    • Observation: 'The sun dried it up.' Interpretation: 'We watched the puddle disappear.'
    • Observation: 'The puddle is gone.' Interpretation: 'We watched the puddle disappear.'
    • Observation: 'The puddle is gone.' Interpretation: 'The sun dried it up.'

  8. Leo watches a bean sprout grow taller. He writes, 'It grew taller because it loves sunlight.' What did he add to his observation?

    • A measured count of all its leaves.
    • An interpretation about why it grew.
    • A record of the sprout's exact height.
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Observation and Interpretation W1-mt_Hw70LI5xza-s1

  1. The plant needs water. · 'The plant needs water' suggests a cause. Seeing droopy leaves alone does not show that this is the cause.
  2. The ice turned into water. · The change to water is what you watched. The other sentences add explanations about causes.
  3. True · Yes. You see it, hear it, touch it, or smell it yourself.
  4. An observation · Sam counted birds he saw. A recorded count can be an observation.
  5. Interpretation · Mia observed wet grass. Rain overnight is her interpretation because she did not watch it happen.
  6. False · The sentence reports melting and adds an explanation of its cause. It mixes observation and interpretation.
  7. Observation: 'The puddle is gone.' Interpretation: 'The sun dried it up.' · The friends observed the puddle disappearing. Saying the sun dried it up explains the cause.
  8. An interpretation about why it grew. · 'Because it loves sunlight' adds Leo's idea about why the sprout grew. He did not observe that cause.
Worksheet · LightMySky