Observation vs. Inference

Look at the diagrams below.  Read the statements.  Based on what you observe, decide if each statement is an observation or an inference.  Choose O for observation or I for inference.

1

The plant has roots.

1

The plant uses water.

1

The plant has leaves.

1

The plant has flowers.

1

The plant grew from a seed.

1

The plant is green.

1

The plant is in a pot.

1

The bicycles are green and red.

1

The cyclists are healthy.

1

The cyclists are wearing helmets.

1

They are tired.

1

They are pedaling fast.

1

They are outdoors.

1

There are two people on bikes.

1

They are riding next to each other.

Use the picture of the boy in the water to determine if the following statements are observations or if the statements are inferences. 

1

The boy is in the water.

1

The tree branch is broken.

1

If the boy crawled out of the water, then he’d be wet.

1

The boy fell off the branch.

1

The goat is standing by the pond.

1

The branch will fall on the boy’s head.

1

The boy fell off the rocks.

1

There is a sailboat in the water.

1

The sailboat belongs to the boy.

1

The goat will soon leave the pond.

1

The tree by the pond has no leaves.

1

There are three rocks sticking out of the pond.

1

The tree by the pond is dead.

1

If it rains, leaves will grow on the tree

1

Observation vs. Inference

The plant has roots.

The plant uses water.

The plant has leaves.

The plant has flowers.

The plant grew from a seed.

The plant is green.

The plant is in a pot.

The bicycles are green and red.

The cyclists are healthy.

The cyclists are wearing helmets.

They are tired.

They are pedaling fast.

They are outdoors.

There are two people on bikes.

They are riding next to each other.

The boy is in the water.

The tree branch is broken.

If the boy crawled out of the water, then he’d be wet.

The boy fell off the branch.

The goat is standing by the pond.

The branch will fall on the boy’s head.

The boy fell off the rocks.

There is a sailboat in the water.

The sailboat belongs to the boy.

The goat will soon leave the pond.

The tree by the pond has no leaves.

There are three rocks sticking out of the pond.

The tree by the pond is dead.

If it rains, leaves will grow on the tree

The goat pushed the boy into the pond.

The plant has roots.

The plant uses water.

The plant has leaves.

The plant has flowers.

The plant grew from a seed.

The plant is green.

The plant is in a pot.

The bicycles are green and red.

The cyclists are healthy.

The cyclists are wearing helmets.

They are tired.

They are pedaling fast.

They are outdoors.

There are two people on bikes.

They are riding next to each other.

The boy is in the water.

The tree branch is broken.

If the boy crawled out of the water, then he’d be wet.

The boy fell off the branch.

The goat is standing by the pond.

The branch will fall on the boy’s head.

The boy fell off the rocks.

There is a sailboat in the water.

The sailboat belongs to the boy.

The goat will soon leave the pond.

The tree by the pond has no leaves.

There are three rocks sticking out of the pond.

The tree by the pond is dead.

If it rains, leaves will grow on the tree

The goat pushed the boy into the pond.