I once heard a teacher say “My students are so busy, they don’t have time to think.” It’s easy to get caught up in the procedure of an activity, but as the articles in this issue suggest, the real value of an inquiry investigation goes beyond the procedure to the processes of analyzing, questioning, reflecting, and communicating. Students at the middle level probably need guidance and modeling in order to develop these processes, and the articles in this month’s issue have helpful ideas.
Our students may see many examples of arguing, but the articles Fostering Argumentation Skills: Doing What Scientists Really Do and The Multiple Faces of Argument in School Science describe how to introduce students to the concepts and strategies used in supporting their claims with evidence. [For related articles on argumentation see the article Generate an Argument: An Instructional Model from the July 2010 Science Teacher and the Argumentation in Science issue of Science & Children.
Science has many terms that can be confusing and understanding the nuances of terminology is important. The article Data Versus Evidence: Investigating the Difference uses a “murder mystery” to help students understand that “All evidence requires data, but not all data need to be used as evidence.” [SciLinks: Forensic Science]

The authors of After the Lab: Learning Begins When Cleanup Starts show how the “gallery walks” that are often part of professional development sessions can be used by students to share their results with their peers. There are checklists and suggestions for this “walking and talking” style of communication.
Generating Discourse with Cookie and Doughnut Investigations uses cookies and pastries in a lesson on questioning and consumer claims, with a caveat about eating in labs. This month’s Scope on Safety column, Food For Thought, But Not For Eating, also makes the point that science labs are not proper places for investigations with foods (in cases where students will eat the foods), for using food as treats or rewards, or even in situations where students are expected to eat lunch in classrooms.  [SciLinks: Laboratory Safety]
Developing Intuitive Reasoning with Graphs to Support Science Arguments is a long title for a good article on the value of graphs as tools for analysis and communication. But this is another area in which middle level students might need some guidance and support (as described in the article). A resource for graphing is Create-a-graph from National Center for Educational Statistics, which guides students through the process of choosing an appropriate type of graph and organizing the data for it.
Other columns and articles in this issue refer to content topics that the SciLinks database supports with websites that would support the content or include additional activities:
Teaching the Combined Gas Law
[SciLinks: Gas Laws (5-8), Gas Behavior/Gas Laws, Gas Laws (9-12), Robert Boyle]
A Breath of Fresh Air: Addressing Indoor Air Quality
[SciLinks: Radon, Indoor Air Pollution, Carbon Monoxide, Lead Poisoning]
Scope on the Skies: In the Middle
[SciLinks: Reasons for the Seasons, Seasons]