Evidence vs. Inference

• Write down the things in blue (at least)

Do some reading on the following slides to find out more

about making inferences.

Some scientists investigate things that they cannot observe directly. For example, scientists cannot see dinosaurs, the bottom of the ocean, or atoms and molecules. Still, scientists want to know more about these things, so they gather evidence about them in other ways.

Q1. What is the topic of this passage? Label Q1 in your notebook and write your answer.

For example, they make observations of fossil dinosaur droppings or measure the amount of time it takes sound to travel to the bottom of the ocean.

Although atoms and molecules are too small to see, scientists use very powerful tools to gather evidence about them.

Q2. Name 3 examples of ways scientists infer. Label Q2 in your notebook and write your answer.

Once scientists have gathered evidence, they use it to make inferences about the things they are investigating. For example, when scientists figure out what is in a fossil dinosaur dropping, they can then make inferences about what the dinosaur ate when it was alive.

Q3. What do we need to do before making an inference?Write Q3 in your notebook and write your answer.

They are not observing the dinosaureating—they are using evidence to make an inference. Similarly, by measuring the amount of time it takes for sound to travel to the ocean floor, scientists are able to make inferences about how deep the ocean is and what the ocean floor is like.

Q4. What is the difference between evidence and inference?Write Q4 in your notebook and write your answer.

Over time, scientists gather more evidence and become more and more sure of the inferences they have made.

Q5. Make your own inference: Do scientists ever “change their minds” about claims they have made?Write Q5 in your notebook and write your answer.

Where is this kid and what is he doing? What is the temperature?

Inference:

(write what you think)

Evidence:

(write what you observe)

What happened here?

• Evidence?(write what you observe)

• My inference(write what you think)

What is the occasion?

I observe….

Therefore I infer that…

•

What happened?

I observe….

Therefore I infer that…

How did they get colored tongues?

I observe….

Therefore I infer that…

What happened here?

I observe….

Therefore I infer that…

What happened here?

I observe….

Therefore I infer that…

What happened here?

I observe….

Therefore I infer that…

Big Ideas:1- All science knowledge is based on evidence.

3- Science knowledge is always changing.

2- When we get new evidence that is different from before, we change our ideas to include the new evidence, but we still keep the old evidence too.