It’s easy to find activities in science, especially with the Internet. But integrating content and activities/investigations in a planned and purposeful (and engaging) way can be a challenge for teachers. The articles in NSTA publications have many examples of how this can be done, including planning tools, rubrics, connections to standards, and assessments. Tools such as SciLinks can provide just-in-time content and background information for both students and teachers [See Scientific Investigations and Developing Classroom Activities for examples.]
The featured articles in this issue focus on these planned and purposeful activities and investigations:

• Noodling for Mollusks (even the title of the article is intriguing) describes how to model and practice field sampling with students. I must admit I was unfamiliar with the term “noodling”– searching for an organism using your sense of touch but not your sense of sight (sounds like a real-life application of the mystery box). The article describes a classroom simulation based on the experiences of one of the authors. So even if you don’t have access to an aquatic environment, you can use their directions to create a noodling site, collect data, and analyze the results. [SciLinks: Mollusks]
• Make Your Own Phylogenetic Tree has a detailed description of a simulation to help students understand phylogeny and molecular similarity. [SciLinks: Phylogenetic Trees, Mutations]
• Chemistry Cook-Off shows how cooking can be used to help students learn chemistry concepts, such as chemical and physical changes. (But remember that cooking and eating in the science lab is not a safe practice.) The article includes guidelines and a rubric. [SciLinks: Physical/Chemical Changes.  See also Kitchen Chemistry from the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) , the Science of Cooking from the Exploratorium, and Cheeseburger Chemistry from NBC Learn and NSTA.
• It’s All in the Particle Size describes an investigation about sedimentation and topics related to weathering, erosion, and deposition as a prelude to a study of sedimentary rock. The author includes the essential questions for the investigation and graphics related to the investigation [SciLinks: Soil, Weathering, Sedimentary Rock]
• The author of A Hidden Gem describes the important role teachers play in guiding students as they access and use online resources. She describes a three-phase approach to a student investigation of global warming (the GEM of the title – Generate ideas, Evaluate ideas, Modify ideas) and the online resources used. [SciLinks: Global Warming, Climate Change]

“Activities and Investigations” has been a recurring theme in TST. See these back issues for even more ideas: December 2007 and December 2010.
Don’t forget to look at the Connections for this issue (November 2012), which includes links to the studies cited in the research article. These Connections also have ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, etc.

I am new to NSTA and having difficulty finding activities/lesson plans on the website for my middle school classes. Right now, I’m looking for ideas on earthquakes and Newton’s laws. Where is the best place to find them?
—Chris, Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Once you’ve identified your topic and learning goals, you can access a variety of resources for activities and lesson plans via the NSTA website.
Search the NSTA Learning Center (under the Professional Development tab) for resources that appeared in NSTA publications, seminars, and professional development opportunities. For instance, here are some resources for earthquakes and Newton’s Laws. You can filter your search by type of resource, grade level, cost, and subject area.
As an NSTA member, you have electronic access to all current journals as well as archived issues. Select “Choose your classroom” in the left margin of the NSTA home page to access Science & Children (preK-4), Science Scope (5-8), and The Science Teacher (9-12). When I taught middle school I read Science Scope regularly, but I also browsed the other journals for ideas and activities I could adapt. And don’t overlook the Journal of College Science Teaching. Some of the articles and research published there could be relevant to K-12 teaching, too.
NSTA’s SciLinks www.scilinks.org (under the Publications and Products tab) is a database of websites on hundreds of topics for grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12—reviewed by educator “webwatchers.” Many textbooks and NSTA publications have SciLinks codes in the margin that you can enter, and you can search for resources by topic and grade level. Registration is free. This is the list you would get from the search term “earthquakes.” Enter “Newton” as a search term for grades 5-8 to get lists related to Newton’s Laws in general, or each of the three laws specifically. You can tag specific sites as “favorites” and create a list of sites for your students to examine. Look at similar topics at the K-4 grade level that could be appropriate for your struggling readers or at the 9-12 level for background information or more advanced activities.
NSTA has a Social Networking Dashboard  (under the Get Involved tab) to access the organization’s Facebook and Twitter messages, blog posts, and discussion forums.
NSTA’s email list servers (under the Member Services tab)  are group e-mail discussions that allow members to exchange information in a peer-to-peer forum. NSTA members can subscribe to any (or all) of the 13 topic areas: biology, chemistry, computer science, Earth science, elementary, environmental science, general science, physical science, physics, and technology education, new teacher, and retired teacher. Colleagues on the list server can share ideas, get information, and ask questions. The lists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so information from your peers is available when you need it. If you ask about activities or lesson plans, it’s helpful to include the grade level, learning goal, and time frame so your colleagues get a better idea of what you need, and they’re always eager to help. I’d suggest setting up a separate e-mail account (e.g., gmail) for the list so your school or personal e-mail accounts don’t get overwhelmed, especially if you subscribe to more than one list.