Year 7 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 5
Apply Worksheet
Learning Goals
Observation or inference? Sort each one
Read each statement. Decide whether it is an observation (something you directly notice or measure) or an inference (a conclusion you work out). Tick one box for each.
| Statement | Observation | Inference |
|---|---|---|
| The grass in the backyard is wet. | ||
| It must have rained during the night. | ||
| The thermometer reads 31 degrees Celsius. | ||
| The classroom is too hot for the lizard. | ||
| There are muddy paw prints across the floor. | ||
| A dog has walked through here. |
Real-world context
A Year 7 class is checking whether the water in the classroom fish tank is too warm. First a student puts a hand in and says it feels warm. Then the class places a thermometer in the tank, which reads 29 degrees Celsius. The label on the fish food says these fish are healthiest between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius. The tank sits next to a sunny window.
(a) Compare the two observations. Which observation came from a sense and which came from an instrument, and which one is more useful to the class? Give a reason.
(b) Using the thermometer reading and the fish food label, write one sensible inference the class could make about the fish tank.
(c) Write a testable prediction the class could check tomorrow if they moved the tank away from the sunny window. Use an "if… then…" sentence and include something they could measure.
1. Name three measuring instruments and what each one measures. For each, explain what advantage it has over judging by the senses alone.
2. An inference is a smart, sensible explanation, but it could still be wrong. Give an everyday example of an inference and suggest one other explanation that might also fit the same observation.
Wrap Up
In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?