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.

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.

An observation is something you notice with your senses.

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

• An observation
• An interpretation
• A guess

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

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

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.'

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.