1. Science 9
Ms. O’Keefe/Ms. Booth
Rm 10

2. Science 9 Agenda Course outline Introduction - KWL chart
Observations and Inferences
Observation activity
Dismissal

3. KWL chart K – what do you know about Ms. O’Keefe?
W – what do you want to know about Ms. O’Keefe?

6. KWL chart
L – what have you learned about Ms. O’Keefe

7. Observations and Inferences
One of the key skills of a good scientist is the skill of observation.
It is also important to understand the difference between observation and inference.

8. Observations Any information collected with the senses.
Quantitative – measureable or countable
3 meters long
4 marbles
50 kilograms
35 degrees Celsius
Qualitative – describable, not measureable
red flowers
smells like fresh baked cookies
Tastes bitter
The skill of describing scientific events

9. Inferences Inference = ?
Conclusions or deductions based on observations.
The process of drawing a conclusion from given evidence.
Practice:
Observations:
I hear people screaming
I smell cotton candy, popcorn, and hamburgers
I see a lot of people
Inference = ?

10. Look at these two sets of animal tracks. List 3 OBSERVATIONS
Look at these two sets of animal tracks. List 3 OBSERVATIONS. Make an INFERENCE.

11. Now what do you think? List 3 OBSERVATIONS. Make an INFERENCE.

12. Now what? List 3 OBSERVATIONS. Make an INFERENCE.

14. Scientific knowledge
Scientists construct knowledge from observation and inference, not observation alone.
How does what you think is real affect what you think you observe?
 Describe an example of how scientists use observation and inference to understand some aspect of the natural world.