Name______Date Period Observing a Space Creature

1. What is the definition of an observation?

2. What is the definition of an inference?

Imagine that a spaceship stopped on a planet in outer space. While the astronauts explored the planet, they observed a strange organism. In their report, they wrote the following statements:

______1. The organism frowned to show it did not like strangers. ______2. The organism is pink with white spots. ______3. The organism lives near other organisms. ______4. The organism moved away from us because it was scared. ______5. The organism made gurgling noises. ______6. The organism had three toes on each foot, and they were webbed. ______7. The organism has one large eye and two smaller eyes. ______8. The planet must be hot because the creature is sweating. ______9. The organism moves slowly so it must be old. ______10. The organism likes purple flowers because she was holding them. Think about it: When were the astronauts observing? When were they deciding something they really didn’t observe?

A. Tell whether each statement is an inference or an observation by writing Inference or Observation in the space in front of each statement.

B. On the back of this paper, illustrate the space creature based on the statements. Label each detail from the statements.

C. In your own words, summarize the differences between inferences and observations.

D. Write a claim about observations and inferences.

Observation vs. Inferences Observation vs. Inferences