Qualitative and Quantitative Observations Lesson

Quantitative Observations

How do scientists describe the weather?

Review - What is Weather?

• The weather describes the air outside today.

• Weather happens in the atmosphere, which is held close to Earth by gravity.

• We observe the weather using our senses.

• The weather is temporary, so it does not last forever.

• We can predict what will happen next by making inferences using our brain.

Multiple Choice

What word describes the air outside today?

• Weather

• Climate

Multiple Choice

Weather happens in the ___sphere.

• Atmo

• Bio

• Geo

• Hydro

Multiple Choice

Why doesn't the atmosphere float into space?

• Magnets

• Gravity

Match

Match the vocab word to its definition.

• We describe it with our senses.

• We can infer what will happen next.

• It does not last forever.

Observable

Predictable

Temporary

• Observable

• Predictable

• Temporary

Dropdown

We make observations with our ​

Select answer

, but we make inferences with our ​

Select answer

.

Match

Match the observation to the sense.

• See

• Hear

• Smell

• Taste

• Touch

The clouds are dark.

The wind is loud.

The rain is fresh.

The snowflakes are sweet.

The sunshine is warm.

• The clouds are dark.

• The wind is loud.

• The rain is fresh.

• The snowflakes are sweet.

• The sunshine is warm.

Categorize

Options (6)

The clouds are grey.

There are many clouds.

The ground is dry.

Maybe it will rain soon.

The clouds probably blew in from the South.

I bet it has not rained recently.

Sort the descriptions.

Observation

Inference

Multiple Choice

Which one shows that weather is temporary?

• It started snowing today and then it snowed forever.

• It started snowing today and then it never snowed again.

• It started snowing today, but tomorrow it will be sunny.

Multiple Choice

If I observe that the sky is getting darker and cloudier, what might I infer?

• It is about to be sunny.

• It is about to rain.

• It will never get sunny again.

Multiple Choice

If I observe a loud rumbling sound in the distance, what might I infer?

• A thunderstorm is coming.

• The wind is about to stop.

• The sun will come out soon.

Describing the Weather

• People who are not scientists use adjectives like Hot or Wet or Sunny to describe the weather.

• These are qualitative observations, because they describe the weather without using any numbers.

• This information is not specific enough for scientists to make inferences.

• They need to use quantitative observations, which describe the weather using numbers.

​Observations can be Quantitative or Qualitative.

Dropdown

Quantitative observations have ​

Select answer

​ , but qualitative observations have ​

Select answer

.

Multiple Choice

Which observation is Quantitative?

• The horse is brown.

• The horse has 4 legs.

Multiple Choice

Which observation is Qualitative?

• The floorboard is creaking.

• The floorboard is 30 centimeters long.

Multiple Choice

Which observation is Qualitative?

• 12 people rang the doorbell today.

• The doorbell is loud!

Multiple Choice

Which observation is Quantitative?

• I have 10 fingers.

• My fingers feel sticky.

Multiple Choice

"The room is 28 degrees Celsius." 

• Qualitative

• Quantitative

Multiple Choice

"The room feels hot!"

• Qualitative

• Quantitative

Open Ended

Make a qualitative observation about the dogs.

Open Ended

Make a quantitative observation about the dogs.

Categorize

Options (8)

Today is windy.

The wind is 25 mph.

It feels so hot today.

The temperature is 19 degrees Celsius.

Uses adjectives

Uses numbers

The air feels very dry today.

The humidity is 7%.

Classify these observations into the right category.

Qualitative

Quantitative

Dropdown

When most people talk about the weather, they use ​

Select answer

.

When scientists talk about the weather, they use

Select answer

.

Dropdown

Scientists make ​

Select answer

observations, which use numbers.

Most people make ​

Select answer

observations, which use adjectives.

Multiple Choice

The most important reason scientists use Quantitative observations is ___.

• It helps them make predictions.

• It makes them sound smarter.

• The government says they have to.

Open Ended

"One qualitative observation about the weather is ____, but one quantitative observation is ____."