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Inspiring the next generation of Rochester scientists, engineers, and curious scholars

Dear Rochester educator,

We’re extremely excited to be part of your science review process.

Built from the ground up for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning, Amplify Science helps your Rochester scholars go from learning about to figuring out scientific concepts.

Explore the sections below and learn how Amplify creates rigorous, relevant learning experiences for the next generation of scientists, engineers, and curious citizens.

—Jennifer Fosegan, Rochester Senior Account Executive

Standards-based and grounded in research

Amplify Science is an engaging new core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning. Developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify, our program is used by hundreds of schools across the country, including New York City Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, and Denver Public Schools.

Amplify Science was designed from the ground up to meet the Next Generation Science Standards. To ensure alignment to the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS), our partners at the New York City Department of Education created additional resources that can be made available for RCSD to implement.

Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

Phenomena-based approach

In each Amplify Science unit, students take on the roles of scientists or engineers in order to investigate a real-world problem. Students work to define the problem and collect and make sense of evidence. Once the context is clear, students collect evidence from multiple sources and through a variety of modalities.

At the end of the unit, students are presented with a brand-new problem, giving them an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned over the course of the unit to a new context. This represents a shift from asking students to learn about science to supporting students in figuring out the science.

Resources to support your review

What’s included

COMPONENT

FORMAT

Teacher’s Guides and digital experience

Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including detailed lesson plans, classroom slides, high-level overview documentation, differentiation strategies, standards alignments, materials and preparation steps, teacher support strategies, and in-context professional development, possible student responses, and more.

Print and digital

Hands-on materials kits

Hands-on learning is integrated into every unit of Amplify Science. Each hands-on activity is supported through clear instructions for the teacher, as well as easily accessible materials in unit-specific kits. Each kit contains hands-on materials, both consumable and nonconsumable, and various print materials (e.g., Vocabulary and Key Concept cards). With Amplify Science, students can actively participate in science: gathering evidence, thinking critically, making observations, and communicating their claims

Kit

COMPONENT

FORMAT

Student Investigation Notebooks

Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.

Print and digital

Student books

The age-appropriate Student Books in Amplify Science allow students to engage with content-rich text, obtain evidence, develop research and close reading skills, and construct arguments and explanations about the ideas they are learning in class.

Print and digital

Student digital experience

Students can easily engage with the student digital experience, so effective learning can occur in every type of classroom environment.

In grades 4–5, students are introduced to digital simulations. Developed exclusively for Amplify Science, these digital tools serve as venues of exploration and data collection, allowing students to discover and construct their understanding of science concepts and phenomena.

Digital

Spanish parity

Amplify Science is committed to providing support to meet the needs of all learners. For Spanish-speaking students, greater access to rich science content is achieved with Amplify Science through the use of a pedagogical approach that offers multiple points of entry. In addition, Spanish language supports are available across the curriculum, including Spanish kits that offer Spanish versions of all student-facing print materials, as well as Spanish digital licenses for teachers. Learn more about the Spanish components available across Amplify Science.

The same rigor in terms of scientific accuracy, literacy development, and the use of rich content and language in the creation of the Amplify Science Spanish materials. To ensure equity, all Spanish materials were carefully translated using academic Spanish, paying particular attention to consistency and the use of grade-level-appropriate language in order to support language development.

Review online

Ready to explore on your own? Follow the instructions below to access your demo account.

First, watch this navigation video. Then, click the orange button “Log in to Amplify Science” to log in.

  • Select Log in with Amplify.
  • Enter username and password:
    • Teacher username: t1.rcsdtrial@demo.tryamplify.net
    • Student username: s1.rcsdtrial@demo.tryamplify.net
    • Password (both teacher and student): Amplify1-rcsdtrial

Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) review
Each Amplify Science unit is designed around a unit-specific learning progression that aligns with NGSS disciplinary core ideas (DCI) and crosscutting concepts. The levels that comprise the unit’s learning progression are cumulative. As students progress through the unit, they are able to integrate prior understandings with new insights, and there are continuing opportunities for students to master conceptual understanding of early unit content in subsequent chapters of the unit.

This means that standards are often addressed across entire units instead of in one particular activity or lesson. Thus, the lessons noted below are examples of where the concept represented in the listed DCI is addressed, but this list should not be considered exhaustive. Instead, students have frequent opportunities to engage with these ideas throughout the unit, the grade, and the grade band. 

To view the specified lessons, explore our RCSD Digital Review Guide or select a grade level below.

DCI ESS2.D: Weather and Climate
Before you begin reviewing these lessons, make sure to locate the following Student Books from your Unit Kit: What is the Weather Like Today? and Tornado! Predicting Severe Weather

Select the Sunlight and Weather unit, click Chapter 1, and locate the lessons below:

Lesson 1.1

  • Activities 2 and 3, Step-by-step tab
  • Student book, What is the Weather Like Today? (note: located in your Unit Kit)

Lesson 1.2

  • Activities 1 and 3, Step-by-step tab

Lesson 1.3

  • Activities 1 and 2, Step-by-step tab

Lesson 1.4

  • Lesson Brief, Digital Resources, “Playground Weather Calendars and Playground Weather Graphs (Completed)”
  • Activity 1, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 5, 9, and 10) and Teacher Support tab (“Assessment, Assessment Opportunity: Assessing Students’ Understanding of Types of Weather”)

Lesson 5.1

  • Activity 1, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 6–7) and Teacher Support, Assessment tab (“Assessment Opportunity: Assessing Students’ Understanding of Weather and Why We Measure It”)
  • Student book, Tornado! Predicting Severe Weather (note: located in your Unit Kit), pages 6–9

DCI PS4.A: Wave Properties
Before you begin reviewing these lessons, make sure to locate the following materials from your Unit Kit: Light and Sound Student Investigation Notebook; Student Book: What Vibrates?

Select the Light and Sound unit, click Chapter 4, and locate the lessons below:

Lesson 4.1

  • Lesson Brief, Digital Resources, “Assessment Guide”
  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 1–12)
  • Light and Sound Student Investigation Notebook, page 24 (note: located in your Unit Kit)

Lesson 4.2

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab and On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon)
  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab and On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon)
  • Activity 4, Instructional Guide
  • Student book, What Vibrates? (note: located in your Unit Kit)
  • Light and Sound Student Investigation Notebook, page 25 (note: located in your Unit Kit)

Lesson 4.3

  • Lesson Brief, Digital Resources, “I Hear a Sound. What Vibrates? Mini-Book copymaster”
  • Activity 1, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 5–11, 13), and Teacher Support tab (“Instructional Suggestion, Going Further: Sound Can Cause Vibrations”)
  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab
  • Activity 4, Step-by-step tab and On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon)

DCI LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Before you begin reviewing these lessons, make sure to locate the following materials from your Unit Kit: Plant and Animal Relationships Student Investigation Notebook; Student book A Plant is a System.

Select the Plant and Animal Relationships unit, click Chapter 1, and locate the lessons below:

Lesson 1.6

  • Activities 2–4, Step-by-step tab
  • Plant and Animal Relationships Student Investigation Notebook (note: located in your Unit Kit), pages 15–19

Lesson 1.7

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab, Possible Responses tab, and Critical Juncture Assessment (hummingbird icon)
  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab

Lesson 2.2

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 4–12) and Possible Responses tab
  • Student book, A Plant is a System (note: located in your Unit Kit)

DCI ESS2.D: Weather and Climates
Before you begin reviewing these lessons, make sure to locate the following materials from your Unit Kit: Weather and Climate Student Investigation Notebook; Student Books Dangerous Weather Ahead and Sky Notebook.

Select the Weather and Climate unit, click Chapter 4, and locate the lessons below:

Lesson 1.4

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab 
  • Student book, Sky Notebook (note: located in your Unit Kit)

Lesson 2.3

  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab and Possible Responses tab
  • Weather and Climate Student Investigation Notebook, page 28 (note: located in your Unit Kit)

Lesson 3.2

  • Lesson Brief, Digital Resources, “Anchorage, Queenstown, and Saint Petersburg Graphs copymaster”
  • Activities 2 and 3, Step-by-step tab

Lesson 3.3,

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab, Possible Responses tab, and On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon)

Lesson 3.6

  • Activity 1, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 3–5) and On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon)

Lesson 3.7

  • Lesson Brief,  Digital Resources, “End-of-Unit Writing: Arguing About Future Island Weather Version A copymaster” and “Assessment Guide”
  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 3–7)

Lesson 4.2

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab, Possible Responses tab, and On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon)
  • Student book, Dangerous Weather Ahead (note: located in your Unit Kit)

DCI PS4.A: Wave Properties
Before you begin reviewing these lessons, make sure to locate the following materials from your Unit Kit: Student books Warning: Tsunami! and Patterns in Communication.

Select the Waves, Energy, and Information unit, click Chapters 1 and 3, and locate the lessons below:

Chapter 1

Lesson 1.4

  • Activity 1, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 1, and 4)
  • Student book, Warning: Tsunami! (note: located in your Unit Kit)
  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab, On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon), and Teacher Support tab (“Instructional Suggestion, Providing More Experience: Waves in Water”)

Chapter 3

Lesson 3.1

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 4–8) and On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon)
  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab and Waves, Energy, and Information Simulation

Lesson 3.2

  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab, On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon), and Waves, Energy, and Information Simulation 

Lesson 3.3

  • Activity 4, Step-by-step tab and On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon)
  • Student book, Patterns in Communication (note: located in your Unit Kit), pages 6–7

DCI LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Before you begin reviewing these lessons, make sure to take out the following materials from your Unit Kit: Student books Restoration Case Studies and Walk in the Woods; Organism Print Name Cards: Set 1.

Select the Ecosystem Restoration unit, click Chapters 1, 2, and 3, and locate the lessons below:

Lesson 1.6

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab, Possible Responses tab, and Ecosystem Modeling Tool (Box 2 on student apps page, “1.6 Healthy Ecosystem Model”)
  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 2 and 3), Possible Responses tab, and Critical Juncture Assessment (hummingbird icon)

Lesson 1.7

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab
  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 3–7) and On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon)
  • Printable Resources, Print Materials (8.5” x 11”), Organism Name Cards: Set 1, pages 12–17 (note: located in your Unit Kit)

Lesson 1.8

  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 6–8) and Possible Responses tab

Lesson 2.3

  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 1–4), Possible Responses tab, and Ecosystem Modeling Tool (Box 3 on student apps page, “2.3 Plant Needs Model”)

Lesson 2.5

  • Activity 3, Step-by-step tab
  • Student book, Restoration Case Studies (note: located in your Unit Kit)

Lesson 3.2

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab
  • Student book, Walk in the Woods (note: located in your Unit Kit), pages 6–10

Lesson 3.3

  • Activity 4, Step-by-step tab and Ecosystem Restoration Simulation

Lesson 3.4

  •  Activity 2, Step-by-step tab, Possible Responses tab, On-the-Fly Assessment (hummingbird icon), and Ecosystem Restoration Simulation

Lesson 3.5

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab and Teacher Support tab (“Instructional Suggestion, Going Further: Balance and Interdependence of Ecosystems: Impacts of Invasive Species”)
  • Student book, Restoration Case Studies (note: located in your Unit Kit), pages 11, 31, and 47

Lesson 3.6

  • Activity 2, Step-by-step tab (especially steps 4–5), Possible Responses tab, and Critical Juncture Assessment (hummingbird icon)

Lesson 3.7

  • Activity 1, Step-by-step tab, Possible Responses tab, and Ecosystem Modeling Tool (Box 5 on student apps page, “3.7 No Decomposers Model”)

Looking for help?

Contact your Rochester Account Executive:

Jennifer Fosegan
(585) 590-4200
jfosegan@amplify.com

Welcome to Grade 7

Disciplinary Core Idea: Ecosystems (MS-LS2)

Look below to learn more about our Matter and Energy in Ecosystems unit and to find select lessons and instructional materials related to the teaching and learning of this disciplinary core idea.

Collage of four images: underwater digital art, two students conducting a science experiment, hands constructing a structure from red straws, and an abstract painting of colorful figures.

About this unit

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems is the last of nine units taught at this grade level. During this unit, students take on the role of ecologists and figure out why a sealed biodome mysteriously crashed despite following the advice of experts.

Review Step 1: Watch this video >

This video explains just a few of the topics students learn about throughout the entire year.

Review Step 2: Download the Unit Guide

Before diving into the lessons below, use review this guide to get a big picture understanding of how this unit is organized, the key questions that guide learning, and how the storyline develops across chapters.

Lessons about Ecosystems

Amplify Science California is a multi-modal program, not a traditional textbook. Therefore, multiple components are utilized in the teaching and learning of the NGSS standards.

Review Step 3: Watch this video >

This video explains the instructional materials used to teach.

Review Step 4: Download lessons and instructional materials

Scroll down to find select lessons and instructional materials used in teaching Ecosystems. Below each description, you’ll find links to download the PDFs your committee requested.

A spiral-bound teacher’s guide and a laptop displaying an online curriculum titled “Matter and Energy in Ecosystems: Biodome Collapse” from Amplify Science.
Teacher’s Reference Guide

Available digitally and in print, our unit-specific reference guides are chock full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3-D Statements, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, and differentiation strategies.

A laptop displays a PowerPoint presentation in presenter view, with slides about observing objects in plastic containers and related sensory instructions.
Classroom Slides

These customizable PowerPoints are available for every lesson of the program and make delivering instruction a snap with visual prompts, colorful activity instructions, investigation set-up videos and animations, and suggested teacher talk in the notes section of each slide.

Assorted craft supplies including a bottle of rubbing alcohol, plastic containers, colorful beads, small dropper bottles, plastic cups, and clear plastic spoons on a white background.
Materials Kits

Our kits include enough non-consumable materials to support 200 student uses. In other words, you have enough materials to support all five periods and small groups of 4-5 students each. Plus, our unit-specific kits mean you just grab the tub you need and then put it all back with ease.

Educational graphic depicting the energy flow in an ecosystem, showing sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers with corresponding actions like eat, cycle, and decompose.
Simulations and Practice Tools

Our digital Simulations and Practice Tools are powerful resources for exploration, data collection, and student collaboration. They allow students the ability to explore scientific concepts that might otherwise be invisible or impossible to see with the naked eye.

Collection of educational books from 'amplify science' on topics including ocean atmosphere, matter and energy ecosystems, and insect interactions, displayed in various angles.
Consumable Notebooks

Available for every unit, our Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data and observations, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.

Notebook for this unit

Cover of a science textbook showing a girl doing an experiment, surrounded by animals, jellyfish, a rocket, and scientific symbols, with the title "Amplify Science.
Student Edition Hardcover

This durable Student Edition is grade-level specific and contains all of the articles that students refer to throughout the year. Districts may choose to pair these traditional student texts with our digital student experience or new 2-volume consumable notebook set.

Line drawing of a person using a laptop, with headphones and a line illustration of a rocket launching above their head, symbolizing creativity or inspiration in Boost Reading.
Coming Soon

Unlike other publishers, we don’t make you wait until your next adoption to get the latest and greatest from Amplify. We’re always launching new and exciting features. What’s more, we’ll push them out to you even after you adopt us!

See what’s coming for 2020-2021

In addition to reviewing the “printed” resources above, we invite you to explore our program digitally.

Watch the video to the right plus the ones below showing you how to navigate our digital platform. Then following the instructions below. >

  • Click the orange button below to access the platform.
  • Choose Teacher to continue.
  • Select Grade 7 from the drop-down menu.
  • Click on the Matter and Energy in Ecosystems unit to find your program materials.
Access the digital platform now

Navigating a Core Unit

Core units introduce a real-world problem and support students as they figure out the anchoring phenomenon and gain an understanding of the unit’s DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs.

Navigating Classwork and Reporting

Classwork is our new online grading tool that gives you quick and easy access to unreviewed work, student portfolios of work, and automatically generated differentiation groups.

Other resources

Educational materials on a laptop and textbook titled "matter and energy in ecosystems: biome collapse" displayed with visuals of ecosystems.

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Get a big picture overview of this unit with an at-a-glance view of each chapter…

Low-poly landscape with trees and mushrooms. A fox sniffs the ground, a rabbit sits nearby, and mountains and sun are in the background.

Grade 7 NGSS Alignment

See how our program addresses 100% of the NGSS Standards.

Science activity kit featuring books "Earthworms Underground" and "What's Going On with the Weather?", balloons, plant seeds, propellers, and other educational materials.

Grade 7 English components

Take a closer look at our grade 7 print components.

Image of Grade 8 Amplify Science Spanish Materials kit. Includes lesson cards, vocabulary cards (e.g., "atributo," "población," "especie descendiente," "habitable"), and images of butterflies.

Grade 7 Spanish components

Learn more about what components are available in Spanish.

Amplify Science – West Virginia – state review

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What’s included

Along with compelling print materials, powerful digital resources, and more hands-on materials than any other program, Amplify Science California also includes engaging and realistic experiences, access to diverse role models, countless a-ha moments, and the inspiration and confidence to consider a future as a scientist or engineer.

Choose level

K–56–8

Year at a glance

Amplify Science California is organized around units where students explore compelling phenomena and real-world problems, develop and strengthen claims by collecting evidence and testing assumptions, and apply their learning in new contexts.

Educational curriculum chart showcasing a progression of amplify science lessons from kindergarten to grade 5, categorized by grade and subject areas like plants, animals, weather, and energy.

Units at a glance

In each Amplify Science California unit, students are asked to inhabit the role of a scientist or engineer in order to investigate a real-world problem. These problems provide relevant, 21st-century contexts through which students investigate different scientific phenomena.

An illustration from Needs of Plants and Animals unit

1

Needs of Plants and Animals

Students take on the role of scientists in order to figure out why there have been no monarch caterpillars in the community garden since vegetables were planted. They investigate how plants and animals get what they need to live and grow, and make a new plan for the community garden that provides for the needs of the monarch caterpillars in addition to producing vegetables for humans.

An illustration from the Pushes and Pulls unit

2

Pushes and Pulls

Students take on the role of pinball machine engineers as they investigate the effects of forces on the motion of an object. They conduct tests in their own prototypes (models) of a pinball machine and use what they learn to contribute to the design of a class pinball machine. Over the course of the unit, students construct a foundational understanding of why things move in different ways.

Silueta de una estructura de parque infantil contra un cielo azul con nubes y tres soles amarillos.

3

Sunlight and Weather

The principals of Woodland Elementary and Carver Elementary need student weather scientists to help them explain why Woodland’s playground is warmer than Carver’s at recess. Students gather data from models of the sun and Earth’s surface and observe their own playgrounds to figure out how sunlight causes changes in the temperatures of different surfaces. Students then use models to figure out why Woodland’s playground sometimes floods.

Illustration of sea turtles swimming among seaweed in the ocean, with a large shark in the background.

1

Animal and Plant Defenses

Students play the role of marine scientists. In their role, students apply their understanding of plant and animal defense structures to explain to aquarium visitors how a sea turtle and her offspring can defend themselves from ocean predators when they are released into the wild.

Dos manos sosteniendo un papel con un dibujo de pirámide y árbol, iluminado por una linterna, proyectando otra sombra de la imagen en la pared.

2

Light and Sound

Students take on the role of light and sound engineers for a puppet show company as they investigate cause and effect relationships to learn about the nature of light and sound. They apply what they learn to design shadow scenery and sound effects for a puppet show.

An illustration from the Spinning Earth unit

3

Spinning Earth

As sky scientists, students explain why a boy living in a place near them sees different things in the sky than his grandma does when he talks to her on the phone. Students record, organize, and analyze observations of the sun and other sky objects as they look for patterns and make sense of the cycle of daytime and nighttime.

An elephant standing next to a tree uses its trunk to pick a fruit from a branch while more fruit hangs above.

1

Plant and Animal Relationships

In their role as plant scientists, students work to figure out why there are no new chalta trees growing in the Bengal Tiger Reserve, which is part of a broadleaf forest. Students investigate what the chalta tree needs to survive, then collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to solve the mystery.

A hand holds a red bean on a table, while a wooden stick spreads white glue and scattered beans. Also on the table are a white cup and a yellow pen.

2

Properties of Materials

As glue engineers, students are challenged to create a glue for use at their school that meets a set of design goals. Students present an evidence-based argument for why their glue mixture will be good for their school to use.

Ilustración de una costa con acantilados, un edificio de centro recreativo con un techo rojo y un letrero, árboles de hoja perenne, una bandera azul y una playa de arena debajo.

3

Changing Landforms

The director of the Oceanside Recreation Center gets a scare when a nearby cliff collapses overnight. Research reveals that the distance between the Recreation Center’s flagpole and the edge of the cliff have changed over time. Students play the role of geologists and work to figure out why the cliff has changed over time. Based on what they learn about erosion, they advise on whether it is safe to keep the center open even though the cliff is changing.

An illustration from the Balancing Forces unit

1

Balancing Forces

People in Faraday are excited to hear that a new train service will be built for their city, but concerned when they hear that it will be a floating train. Students are challenged to figure out how a floating train works in order to explain it to the citizens of Faraday. They develop models of how the train rises, floats, and then falls back to the track, and then write an explanation of how the train works.

An illustration from the Inheritance and Traits unit

2

Inheritance and Traits

Students play the role of wildlife biologists working in Greystone National Park. They study two wolf packs and are challenged to figure out why an adopted wolf (“Wolf 44”) in one of the packs has certain traits. Students observe variation between and within different species, investigate inherited traits and those that result from the environment, and explain the origin of several of the adopted wolf’s traits.

An illustration from the Environments and Survival unit

3

Environments and Survival

In their role as biomimicry engineers, students work to figure out how the traits of grove snails affect their survival in different environments. They then explore how the traits of different organisms make them more likely or less likely to survive, collecting and interpreting data to understand how organisms’ traits affect their survival in different environments. Students then apply their understanding to a new challenge: designing effective solutions for the removal of invasive plants.

An illustration from the Weather and Climate unit

4

Weather and Climate

In their role as meteorologists, students gather evidence to decide where to build an orangutan reserve by analyzing patterns in weather data. After choosing the strongest evidence, students use data to make arguments about which of three fictional islands has weather most like that of orangutans’ existing habitats, Borneo and Sumatra. They then discern patterns in the locations of natural hazards in order to figure out which ones the Wildlife Protection Organization must prepare for.

An illustration from the Energy Conversions unit

1

Energy Conversions

Students take on the role of systems engineers for Ergstown, a fictional town that experiences frequent blackouts, and explore reasons why an electrical system can fail. Students apply what they learned as they choose new energy sources and energy converters for the town, then write arguments for why their design choices will make the town’s electrical system more reliable.

An illustration from the Vision and Light unit

2

Inheritance and Traits

As conservation biologists, students work to figure out why a population of Tokay geckos has decreased since the installation of new highway lights in the rainforest. Students use their understanding of vision, light, and information processing to figure out why an increase in light in the geckos’ habitat is affecting the population.

An illustration from the Earth's Features unit

3

Environments and Survival

Playing the role of geologists, students help the director of Desert Rocks National Park explain how and when a particular fossil formed and how it came to be in its current location. Students figure out what the environment of the park was like in the past and why it has so many visible rock layers.

An illustration from the Waves, Energy, and Information unit

4

Weather and Climate

In their role as marine scientists, students work to figure out how mother dolphins communicate with their calves. They write a series of scientific explanations with diagrams to demonstrate their growing understanding of how sound waves travel. Then they apply what they’ve learned about waves, energy, and patterns in communication to figure out how to create patterns that can communicate information over distances.

An illustration from the Patterns of Earth and Sky unit

1

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Playing the role of astronomers, students help a team of archaeologists figure out what the missing piece of a recently discovered artifact might have depicted. As they learn about the sun and other stars and the movement of Earth, students can explain what is shown on the artifact and what might be on the missing piece.

An illustration from the Modeling Matter unit

2

Modeling Matter

In their role as food scientists at a fictional company, students are introduced to the idea that all matter is made of particles too small to see, and that each different substance is made of particles (molecules) that are unique. They are then challenged to solve two problems: one requires them to separate a mixture, and the other requires them to make unmixable substances mix. Students are challenged to use the particulate model of matter to explain their work to the CEO of the company.

An illustration from the Earth System unit

3

The Earth System

The cities of East Ferris and West Ferris are located on different sides of a mountain on the fictional Ferris Island. East Ferris is having a water shortage while West Ferris is not. As water resource engineers, students learn about the Earth system to help figure out what is causing the water shortage problem and design possible solutions, including freshwater collection systems and proposals for using chemical reactions to treat wastewater.

An illustration from the Ecosystem Restoration unit

4

Ecosystem Restoration

As ecologists, students work to figure out why the organisms in a part of a Costa Rican rainforest ecosystem aren’t growing and thriving. As they solve this problem, students learn more generally how organisms in an ecosystem get the matter and energy they need to survive, and then write a series of restoration plans that include arguments about why the rainforest ecosystem is not thriving and recommend actions to restore its health.

Print & digital components

Amplify Science California includes instructional guidance and student materials in English and Spanish for a year of instruction, with lessons and activities that keep students engaged every day.

Component

FORMAT

NEW! Classroom Slides

Meet your new hands-free TG! These lesson-specific PowerPoints make delivering daily instruction a snap with embedded links to related resources and suggested teacher talk in the Notes section of each slide.

Digital

Most adopted curriculum for the NGSS California

Teacher’s Reference Guide

Available digitally and in print, this unit-specific reference guide includes scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3-D Statements, detailed lesson plans, and tips for delivering instruction and differentiating learning.

Print and digital

Two digital devices displaying educational content, one a tablet showing a green-themed start page, and the other a laptop depicting various science chapters.

Hands-on materials kits

Each unit-specific kit contains consumable and nonconsumable materials for use during hands-on investigations. In each kit you will find:

  • Hands-on materials
  • 18 copies of each of the Student Books
  • Big books (grades K–1)
  • Classroom display materials
  • One Student Investigation Notebook

Kit

Amplify Science California supports 3-D learning with more materials than any other program.

NGSS Benchmark Assessments

Delivered four times per year in grades 3–5 and three times per year in grades 6–8, our benchmark assessments report on students’ facility with each of the grade-level appropriate DCIs, SEPs, CCCs, and performance expectations of the California NGSS.

And now, Amplify Science California users can choose to administer the NGSS Benchmark Assessments (grades 3–8) through their Illuminate assessment platform.

*Also available in Spanish

Digital

An open laptop displaying a website with a quiz question about geographical changes over time, featuring a series of island maps from different years.

Component

FORMAT

Student Investigation Notebooks

Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.

*Also available in Spanish

Print and digital

Two educational books titled "amplifyscience," one in spanish and one in english, featuring illustrations of desert canyon landscapes on the covers.

Big books (grades K–1)

Amplify Science California never asks our youngest readers to read alone. Rather, we provide scaffolded literacy experiences every step of the way. With our large-format big books, introducing and revisiting concepts though read-aloud and shared reading experiences is a breeze.

*Also available in Spanish

Print

Two hardcover books titled "maravillas rocas" and "rocky wonders" by amplify science, lying open, showing a continuous desert rock formation across both covers.

Simulations and practice tools (grades 2+)

Developed exclusively for the Amplify Science California program, these serve as venues for exploration and data collection, allowing students to explore scientific concepts that might otherwise be invisible or impossible to see with the naked eye.

*Spanish versions coming soon

Digital

A computer screen displays an educational website titled "Earth's Features" with chapters and illustrations of canyons; a printed teacher’s guide is shown beside it.

Explore more programs

Our programs are designed to support and complement one another. Learn more about our related programs.

See all programs

Welcome, Idaho K-8 Science Reviewers!

Thank you for taking the time to review Amplify Science. On this site, you’ll find all the resources you need to learn more about this engaging and robust NGSS program. Below, you will also have the opportunity experience our program firsthand with a demo account to access the digital platform.

Amplify Science for grades K–8 has been rated all-green by EdReports. Read the review on EdReports.

Collage of educational settings: top left, two young girls using laptop in library; bottom right, middle school science project display on tablet; bottom left, two boys with tablet discussing.

Overview

With Amplify Science, students don’t just passively learn about science concepts. Instead, they take on the roles of scientists and engineers to actively investigate and make sense of real-world phenomena. They do this through a blend of cohesive and compelling storylines, hands-on investigations, collaborative discussions, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools.

Listen to these educators share how the program empowers students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers every day.

Grades K–5

Grades 6–8

Amplify Science Grades K-5 Tour for Idaho Educators

Amplify Science Grades 6-8 Tour for Idaho Evaluators

Proven to work

Click here to read about the efficacy and impact of Amplify Science.

Two young girls sit on the floor in a classroom, smiling as they read a book together. Classroom decorations and another student are visible in the background.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon. It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to teach less, but achieve more.

Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our program to address 100 percent of the NGSS and Idaho Standards in fewer days than other programs:

  • In just 120 lessons at grades 6–8
  • In just 66 lessons at grades K–2
  • In just 88 lessons at grades 3–5
A four-step process diagram with icons: spark a real-world problem, explore sources, explain and elaborate, and evaluate claims, all linking to engage with cohesive storylines.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also emphasizing a particular science and engineering practice.

A laptop and two screens display educational content about ecosystems, featuring illustrated plants, animals, and experiments with colorful liquids.
Two young students sit at a classroom table, one holding up a clear cup of water while the other observes closely. Papers and pencils are spread out on the table.

Investigation units

Investigation units focus on the process of strategically developing investigations and gathering data to answer questions. Students are first asked to consider questions about what happens in the natural world and why, and are then involved in designing and conducting investigations that produce data to help answer those questions.

Two children play an educational board game at a table with worksheets, plastic cubes, and small containers of colored items.

Modeling units

Modeling units provide extra support to students engaging in the practice of modeling. Students use physical models, investigate with computer models, and create their own diagrams to help them visualize what might be happening on the nanoscale.

Two children sitting at a table with laptops are talking to each other in a classroom setting, with books and baskets in the background.

Engineering Design units

Engineering design units provide opportunities for students to solve complex problems by applying science principles to the design of functional solutions, and iteratively testing those solutions to determine how well they meet preset criteria.

Several open textbooks and notebooks are spread out on a table as a person writes in one of the notebooks with a pencil.

Argumentation units

Argumentation units are introduced at grade 3 and provide students with regular opportunities to explore and discuss available evidence, time and support to consider how evidence may be leveraged in support of claims, and independence that increases as they mount written arguments in support of their claims.

A person points to a photo in a textbook about coral reefs, with a laptop and notebook open on the desk.

Launch units

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of Amplify Science. The goal of the Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year, including argumentation, active reading, and using the program’s technology. For example, rather than taking the time to explain the process of active reading in every unit in a given year, it is explained thoroughly in the Launch unit, thereby preparing students to read actively in all subsequent units.

Three students at a classroom table examine a sealed plastic bag with food inside, while one looks surprised; another student stands in the background.

Core units

Core units establish the context of the unit by introducing students to a real-world problem. As students move through lessons in a Core unit, they figure out the unit’s anchoring phenomenon, gain an understanding of the unit’s disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices, and make linkages across topics through the crosscutting concepts. Each Core unit culminates with a Science Seminar and final writing activity.

Four students sit at a table using laptops, focused on their screens in a classroom setting with one student in the background.

Engineering Internship units

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. Students figure out how to help those in need, from tsunami victims in Sri Lanka to premature babies, through the application of engineering practices. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Idaho Science Standards Alignment

Amplify Science was built from the ground up to fully embrace the instructional shifts outlined in A Framework for K-12 Science Education (2012), the same framework on which Idaho Science Content Standards were founded. Most grade levels’ respective set of Amplify Science units therefore fully address the necessary Idaho Science Content Standards (see correlation). Grade 1 teachers should plan to also use the companion mini-lesson provided below to achieve full standards coverage for their grade.

Grade 1 Companion

Standard: 1-LS-1.3 Use classification supported by evidence to differentiate between living and non-living things.

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 1.1 of the Animal and Plant Defenses unit.

Resources: Classroom Slides

Download Correlation

Science (K-2) Evaluation Form

Science (3-5) Evaluation Form

Science (Middle School Physical Science) Evaluation Form

Science (Middle School Life Science) Evaluation Form

Science Evaluation Form Middle School Earth and Space Science

A boy sits on the floor reading a book to a girl beside him in a classroom setting.
A butterfly flies above potted plants next to a watering can and a caterpillar on a milkweed plant under sunlight in a grassy field.

Needs of Plants and Animals

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Scientists

Phenomenon: There are no monarch caterpillars in the Mariposa Grove community garden since vegetables were planted.  

A hand pulls a white string attached to a pegboard with rubber bands and a white ball hanging from the center.

Pushes and Pulls

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Pinball engineers

Phenomenon: Pinball machines allow people to control the direction and strength of forces on a ball.  

Silhouette of a playground structure and toy train against a blue sky with clouds and two large yellow suns.

Sunlight and Weather

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Weather scientists

Phenomenon: Students at Carver Elementary School are too cold during morning recess, while students at Woodland Elementary School are too hot during afternoon recess.  

Illustration of sea turtles swimming among underwater plants, with a shark and another turtle visible in the background.

Animal and Plant Defenses

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Spruce the Sea Turtle lives in an aquarium and will soon be released back into the ocean, where she will survive despite ocean predators.  

A hand holds a flashlight and shines it through a transparent sheet with an image, projecting the image onto a wall in a dark room.

Light and Sound

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Light and sound engineers

Phenomenon: A puppet show company uses light and sound to depict realistic scenes in puppet shows.  

A split illustration shows a cityscape at night with a crescent moon and stars on the left, and a cityscape during the day with the sun, clouds, and an airplane on the right.

Spinning Earth

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Sky scientists

Phenomenon: The sky looks different to Sai and his grandma when they talk on the phone.  

A grey elephant uses its trunk to pick apples from a tree, with a few apples still hanging on the branches and a small sprout growing nearby.

Plant and Animal Relationships

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Plant scientists

Phenomenon: No new chalta trees are growing in the fictional Bengal Tiger Reserve in India.  

A hand picks up a red bean from a table scattered with more red beans, spilled white liquid, a cup, and a wooden stick.

Properties of Materials

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Glue engineers

Phenomenon: Different glue recipes result in glues that have different properties.  

A building labeled "Recreation Center" stands near a cliff edge with a blue flag, surrounded by trees and overlooking a beach and water.

Changing Landforms

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: The cliff that Oceanside Recreation Center is situated on appears to be receding over time.  

Illustration of a high-speed train traveling on an elevated track with a green landscape and blue sky in the background.

Balancing Forces

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Engineers

Phenomenon: The town of Faraday is getting a new train that floats above its tracks.  

A group of wolves stands in the foreground, with a bear, elk, and several birds visible in a grassy, hilly landscape with scattered trees.

Inheritance and Traits

strong>Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Wildlife biologists

Phenomenon: An adopted wolf in Graystone National Park (“Wolf 44”) has some traits that appear similar to one wolf pack in the park and other traits that appear to be similar to a different wolf pack. 

A small bird stands on soil, looking closely at a yellow snail, with green blades of grass on the left and a blue sky background.

Environments and Survival

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Biomimicry engineers

Phenomenon: Over the last 10 years, a population of grove snails has changed: The number of grove snails with yellow shells has decreased, while the number of snails with banded shells has increased.  

An orangutan hangs from a vine in a dense green forest with the sun visible in the background.

Weather and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Meteorologists

Phenomenon: Three different islands, each a contender for becoming an Orangutan reserve, experience different weather patterns.  

Illustration of city buildings at night with illuminated windows, a full moon, visible stars, and a silhouetted figure in one window.

Energy Conversions

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: System engineers

Phenomenon: The fictional town of Ergstown experiences frequent blackouts.  

A streetlamp illuminates a cricket, which is watched by a gecko. Yellow arrows indicate the flow of light from the lamp to the cricket and then to the gecko’s eye.

Vision and Light

Domain: Physical Science, Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Conservation biologists

Phenomenon: The population of Tokay geckos in a rain forest in the Philippines has decreased since the installation of new highway lights.  

Two dolphins swimming underwater, facing each other against a blue background.

Waves, Energy, and Information

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Mother dolphins in the fictional Blue Bay National Park seem to be communicating with their calves when they are separated at a distance underwater.

Earth orbits the Sun in space, with dotted blue lines showing the orbital path and a white arrow indicating Earth's rotation direction.

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An ancient artifact depicts what we see in the sky at different times — the sun during the daytime and different stars during the nighttime — but it is missing a piece.  

Illustration of layered red and brown rocky cliffs beside a flowing blue river under a partly cloudy sky.

Earth’s Features

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: A mysterious fossil is discovered in a canyon within the fictional Desert Rocks National Park.  

Red blood cells scattered across a dynamic, abstract red and white background.

Modeling Matter

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Food scientists

Phenomenon: Chromatography is a process for separating mixtures. Some solids dissolve in a salad dressing while others do not. Oil and vinegar appear to separate when mixed in a salad dressing.  

Illustration of wind carrying airborne particles over a coastal hill, with arrows indicating the movement up and over the hill toward the sea.

The Earth System

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering Design

Student role: Water resource engineers

Phenomenon: East Ferris, a city on one side of the fictional Ferris Island, is experiencing a water shortage, while West Ferris is not. 

Illustration of a cheetah standing near plants, looking at a sloth hanging from a tree branch, with various foliage and mushrooms in the scene.

Ecosystem Restoration

Domains:Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The jaguars, sloths, and cecropia trees in a reforested section of a Costa Rican rain forest are not growing and thriving.  

A rover stands on a rocky, reddish terrain with visible tire tracks leading to it; distant hills are seen under a hazy sky.

Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable.  

Illustration of a city skyline at night with a large full moon, a few stars in the sky, and a bridge on the left side.

Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.  

Illustration of a person wearing a red hat and winter coat with fur hood, eyes closed and arms crossed, surrounded by large orange circles.

Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school.  

Abstract digital artwork featuring a large yellow sun with blue and orange rays over a colorful landscape with green hills and red horizon.

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.  

Illustration of clouds above a small town with fields and mountains, showing wind patterns and atmospheric movement in the sky.

Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.  

An underwater scene with a large whale, several turtles, jellyfish, and fish swimming surrounded by shafts of light.

Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased.  

Low-poly illustration of a forest with trees, mushrooms, a rabbit, and a fox catching another animal under a blue sky with mountains and the sun in the background.

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.

Illustration of six spiders with different colored bodies and legs arranged in a chart-like formation on a dark background.

Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.  

Abstract digital artwork featuring vibrant colors, geometric shapes, a yellow human silhouette, and various patterns layered together.

Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.  

Illustration of a person receiving an oral examination with a tongue depressor and light, featuring abstract colorful shapes and an eye chart in the background.

Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time. 

A spacecraft approaches a large modular space station with blue solar panels, orbiting in outer space against a black background.

Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.

Green geometric background with a hexagonal badge displaying a parachute, ruler, letter A, stacked layers, bandage, and a folded paper icon.

Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.  

Two prehistoric aquatic reptiles with long snouts swim near the shore of a tropical landscape with rocks, plants, and an island in the distance.

Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.  

Illustration of a volcanic landscape with mountains, trees, an ocean, and a cross-section showing tectonic plates beneath the surface.

Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.  

Four low-poly dinosaurs, three green and one yellow, are walking in a row on grass with rocks and red spots on their bodies under a blue sky.

Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.  

Two large tortoises are near a river; one is on the riverbank reaching for leaves on a tree, while the other is on the opposite bank among grass and trees.

Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Two people stand atop rocky terrain littered with electronic devices; inset illustrations show a boot, a person with electronics in a vest, and a radio.

Harnessing Human Energy

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.  

An orange popsicle melting in four stages from solid to almost fully liquid, set against a plain background.

Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.  

Green graphic with icons showing a swaddled baby, a thermometer, layers of blankets, a medical symbol, and a heat source within a hexagonal frame.

Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.  

Digital illustration showing red and blue molecule-like circles on a blue background, with a boundary dividing two differently shaded sides.

Chemical Reactions

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.  

Illustration of people riding a roller coaster on a blue day, with arms raised as the car descends a tall loop against a sky with clouds.

Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.  

Illustration of the Earth with arrows representing radiation or energy entering the atmosphere from space over the Asia-Pacific region.

Light Waves

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.  

An illustrated polar bear stands on a small piece of floating ice in the ocean, with icebergs and an orange sun in the background.

Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.

Hexagonal badge with icons including a wrench, building, sun, molecules, construction materials, screwdriver, paint bucket, and a letter T, all on a geometric blue background.

Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.  

Access program

In addition to the grade-level sample boxes that we provided, we’ve also created custom demo accounts just for Idaho reviewers.

To access the digital portion of the program, click the link below, select “Log In with Amplify,” and then refer to the Start here digital access flyer for your personalized login credentials.

Access digital program
A spiral-bound teacher’s guide and a laptop displaying a digital curriculum, both titled “Balancing Forces: Investigating Floating Trains” from Amplify Science.

Tutorial videos

Check out these videos for support on how to navigate the Amplify Science curriculum website, teacher’s guide, materials kits, and more!

Resources

A teacher stands by a table helping four students who are working together on a board game and writing in notebooks in a classroom.

Course structure for K–5

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Two students sit at a classroom table working together with notebooks and a workbook, while other students work in the background.

Course structure for 6–8

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Two women sit at a desk; one types on a laptop while the other writes in a spiral-bound notebook. Both appear focused and are smiling.

Idaho Science Standards Alignment

See how we customized our instructional sequence to fully support the Idaho Scie…

A collage with Mars landscape art, three kids conducting a tabletop science experiment, an adult's hand holding a jar, and two people hiking in a bright field, illustrated style.

NGSS Earth Science Standards Map

A collage of four images: underwater animals, two students conducting a science experiment, hands building with plastic rods, and a colorful illustration of dancers.

NGSS Life Science Standards Map

A collage showing: a candle flame amid germs, hands measuring a ping pong ball with calipers and a ruler, hands with magnets and a ruler, and a stylized compass over a map of Earth.

NGSS Physical Science Standards Map

Two children sit at a table with laptops, facing each other and talking animatedly, surrounded by books and classroom supplies.

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

Illustration of wind carrying particles from a coastal city up a steep, green mountain under a clear blue sky.

Unit phenomena for K–5

Take a closer look at the elementary unit phenomena featured in each grade level…

Illustration of a roller coaster car filled with people raising their arms as it rolls down a steep track against a blue sky with clouds.

Unit phenomena for 6–8

Take a closer look at the middle school unit phenomena featured in each grade le…

A slide with the title “What do you know about aquariums?” next to an underwater photo showing fish and a person swimming. Other science lesson slides are visible above and below.

Classroom Slides for K–5

Classrooms Slides for elementary are now available! These customizable PowerPoin…

A computer screen displays an educational simulation about Earth's energy system, with diagrams and explanatory text about energy entering and exiting the system.

Classroom Slides for 6–8

Classrooms Slides for middle school are coming soon! These customizable PowerPoi…

A computer screen displays an ecosystem selection menu with options for 3 or 6 animal populations, featuring illustrated creatures and labeled icons for each species.

Sims for 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital Simulations included at each grade level.

Two children sit on the floor in a classroom, with one boy reading aloud from a book titled "Gary’s Sand Journal" while a girl listens attentively beside him.

Literacy-rich instruction in K–5

Scientists do not just get messy. They read and write with purpose too. Explore…

A selection of colorful science-themed books and handbooks with illustrated and photographic covers, arranged diagonally on a green background.

Student Books in K–5

Read a summary of each of our award-winning K–5 student books.

A student reads about rock formations from a spiral-bound book while sitting at a table with a laptop; other students work together in the background.

Active reading in 6–8

Learn how we support students in learning how to interact with scientific texts….

Two children wearing safety goggles use plastic spoons to stir substances in clear cups, conducting a science experiment at a table.

Investigations for K–5

Explore the types of investigations that take place in elementary classrooms.

A person wearing gloves looks into a microscope, with laboratory supplies and bottles on a tray beside them, against a plain blue background.

Investigations for 6–8

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms….

Assorted materials including cardboard sheets, tennis balls, rubber bands, hooks, washers, ping pong balls, sticks, tape, string, and screws arranged on a white surface.

Materials Kits for K–5

See what components come in our materials kits!

Assorted science kit components including motors, batteries, propellers, solar panel, rubber bands, wires, plastic containers, metal fasteners, and spools of thread arranged on a white background.

Materials Kits for 6–8

See what components come in our materials kits!

A teacher stands at the front of a classroom, speaking to students seated at desks, with several students raising their hands to participate.

Approaches to assessment in K–5

Learn about our elementary embedded assessments.

Two students sit at desks, writing in notebooks while using laptops in a classroom setting.

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.

Welcome, Utah K-8 reviewers!

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A closer look at grades 6–8

Amplify Science California is based on the latest research on teaching and learning and helps teachers deliver rigorous and riveting lessons through hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools that empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists.

In the 6–8 classroom, this looks like students:

  • Collecting evidence from a variety of sources.
  • Making sense of evidence in a variety of ways.
  • Formulating convincing scientific arguments.

Is your school implementing the domain model? Click here.

Collage of four images showing children engaged in educational activities such as conducting experiments and crafting in a classroom setting.
A four-step process diagram with icons: spark a real-world problem, explore sources, explain and elaborate, and evaluate claims, all linking to engage with cohesive storylines.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science California to teach less, but achieve more. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our 6–8 program to address 100% of the California NGSS in fewer lessons than other programs.

Scope and sequence

Every year our grades 6–8 sequence consists of 9 units, with each unit containing 10–19 lessons. Lessons are written to last a minimum of 45-minutes, though teachers can expand or contract the timing to meet their needs.

Chart displaying educational science topics for grades 6 to 8, categorized by grade level, duration in days, and number of classes. Includes subjects like microbiome, geology, and natural selection.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also serving a unique purpose.

In grades 6–8, there are three types of units:

  • One unit is a launch unit.
  • Three units are core units.
  • Two units are engineering internships.
Launch units

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of Amplify Science California. The goal of the Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year, including argumentation, active reading, and using the program’s technology. For example, rather than taking the time to explain the process of active reading in every unit in a given year, it is explained thoroughly in the Launch unit, thereby preparing students to read actively in all subsequent units.

Core units

Core units establish the context of the unit by introducing students to a real-world problem. As students move through lessons in a Core unit, they figure out the unit’s anchoring phenomenon, gain an understanding of the unit’s disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices, and make linkages across topics through the crosscutting concepts. Each Core unit culminates with a Science Seminar and final writing activity.

Engineering Internship units

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. Students figure out how to help those in need, from tsunami victims in Sri Lanka to premature babies, through the application of engineering practices. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Units at a glance

Abstract art with vibrant colors featuring a yellow silhouette of a person holding a book against a background of geometric shapes, swirling patterns, and bold textures.
Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.  

Abstract artwork of a person's side profile with geometric shapes and colorful patterns flowing from the head, holding a small sledgehammer. A vision chart is visible in the corner.
Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.  

Download unit guide

Orange abstract background with hexagonal shapes featuring icons of a bar chart, plant, safety vest, test tube, peach, and stethoscope.
Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.  

Imagen que muestra un gráfico de arañas de diferentes colores con patrones distintos de patas y cuerpo, incluidas variaciones de color marrón, amarillo y azul. El fondo es una superficie oscura y texturizada.
Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.  

Download unit guide

Illustration of a person in a red hat and fur-lined coat with eyes closed, surrounded by large orange circles on a dark background.
Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school. 

Download unit guide

Abstract artwork depicting a bright sun with blue and orange swirling patterns next to green hills under a sky with shades of blue, orange, and red.
Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.  

An illustration from the Weather Patterns unit
Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.  

Download unit guide

An illustration from the Earth's Changing Climate unit
Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.  

Download unit guide

Abstract geometric design in shades of blue and purple featuring a hexagon with icons of a building, wrench, molecules, sun, paint can, and screwdriver.
Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.  

A barren, rocky desert landscape with rover tracks leading to a distant vehicle on a hill under a hazy sky.
Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable. 

Two prehistoric reptiles with long snouts and tails are near the shore, one on land and one in water, with plants, rocks, and an island in the background.
Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.  

Download unit guide

Geometric design featuring a telescope, mountain, sound waves, and cosmic elements on a purple hexagonal background.
Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.  

Illustration of a cross-section of Earth showing a volcano near the ocean. Trees, mountains, and clouds are visible above, with subterranean layers below.
Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.  

Download unit guide

Ilustración que muestra las etapas de fusión de una paleta de naranja: entera, parcialmente derretida, más derretida y casi derretida por completo, con palitos de madera, sobre un fondo morado.
Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart

Download unit guide

Green geometric background with a hexagonal emblem containing a parachute icon, ruler, bandage, and stacked layers on a gradient pattern.
Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.  

An illustration from the Chemical Reactions unit
Chemical Reactions

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.  

Download unit guide

An illustration of a whale with jellyfish and turtles from Amplify Science
Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased. 

Download unit guide

Low-poly landscape with trees and mushrooms. A fox sniffs the ground, a rabbit sits nearby, and mountains and sun are in the background.
Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.  

Download unit guide

Two people climbing rocky terrain; illustrations show a hiking boot and a belt with gear.
Harnessing Human Energy

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.  

Illustration of a futuristic space station with large solar panels, orbiting in deep space, emitting a blue glow from its propulsion system.
Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.

Download unit guide

Green geometric graphic featuring icons: a baby, thermometer, layers, medical alert, and a flame.
Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.  

Illustration of a roller coaster filled with people, hands raised, going down a steep track against a bright blue sky with clouds.
Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.  

An illustration from the Light Waves unit
Light Waves

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.

Download unit guide

A city skyline at night with a prominent full moon, stars in the sky, and a bridge silhouette on the left.
Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.  

Download unit guide

Four low-poly dinosaurs with missing body sections are standing in a row; one is yellow, and the others are green. They have purple spikes and red patches on their bodies.
Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.  

Download unit guide

Red geometric background with icons including a mosquito, DNA strand, bar chart, and world map inside a hexagon.
Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.  

Two giant tortoises with long necks stand near water; one tortoise feeds on leaves from a tree while the other is near dense vegetation.
Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Download unit guide

Resources

Two middle school girls use a Student Investigation Notebook to take on the role of scientists and engineers

Pilot support brochure for 6–8 (Integrated)

See how we customized our instructional sequence to fully support the Utah SEEd…

An illustration of a whale with jellyfish and turtles from Amplify Science

Unit phenomena for 6–8

Take a closer look at the unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

A laptop screen displays a simulation about Earth's energy system, with surrounding images showing diagrams and energy flow models.

Classroom Slides for 6–8

Your new hands-free TG is coming soon! These PowerPoints for every lesson make t…

A child wearing safety goggles closely examines an object through a magnifying glass in a classroom setting.

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

A student reviews a science textbook and looks at a laptop in a classroom, while other students work together on their science projects in the background.

Active reading in 6–8

Learn how we support students in learning how to interact with scientific texts….

A young person wearing gloves looks through a microscope at a table with laboratory supplies, including bottles, slides, and a tray, against a plain blue background.

Investigations for 6–8

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms….

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Two students sit at desks writing in notebooks and using laptops in a classroom setting.

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.

A science education kit includes goggles, measuring cups, books on ecosystems and fuel burning, seeds, a jar, game pieces, and soil. Authored by The Lawrence Hall of Science.

Program component list for 6–8 (Integrated)

Explore the components that come with each unit.

Puyallup 6–8 Science Review | Amplify

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Welcome!

Amplify Science: California Edition is an immersive and engaging core curriculum authored by UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and built specifically for the NGSS.

K–8 Integrated Course Model

Needs of Plants and Animals

Pushes and Pulls

Sunlight and Weather

Animal and Plant Defenses

Light and Sound

Spinning Earth

Plant and Animal Relationships

Properties of Materials

Changing Landforms

Balancing Forces

Environments and Survival

Inheritance and Traits

Weather and Climate

Energy Conversions

Earth’s Features

Vision and Light

Waves, Energy, and Information

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Ecosystem Restoration

The Earth System

Modeling Matter

Grades 6–8 Integrated Model

Grades 6–8 Discipline Specific Model

Amplify Science

A new core curriculum designed from the ground up for the NGSS.

Preview the Student Books and Student Investigation Notebooks

Needs of Plants and Animals

Pushes and Pulls

Sunlight and Weather

Animal and Plant Defenses

Light and Sound

Spinning Earth

Plant and Animal Relationships

Properties of Materials

Changing Landforms

Balancing Forces

Environments and Survival

Inheritance and Traits

Weather and Climate

Energy Conversions

Earth’s Features

Vision and Light

Waves, Energy, and Information

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Ecosystem Restoration

The Earth System

Modeling Matter

Grades 6–8 Integrated Model

Spanish Student Books and Student Investigation Notebooks

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works.

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full-class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation and, importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Resources to support your review

Remote and hybrid learning support

A child sits at a desk using a laptop. Next to the desk is a bookshelf with books, a fishbowl, and a soccer ball.

Amplify has launched a new remote learning solution called Amplify Science@Home. Intended to make extended remote learning and hybrid learning easier, Amplify Science@Home includes two useful options for continuing instruction: @Home Videos and @Home Units. 

Amplify Science @Home Videos are recordings of real Amplify Science teachers teaching the lessons. For those teachers who are unable to meet synchronously with their students, the recorded lessons are a great way to keep their students on track and engaged with Amplify Science while at home. These videos will be produced for all K–5 units, and for the first four units of each 6–8 grade level. Their release will be rolling, beginning in August.   

Amplify Science@Home Units are modified versions of Amplify Science units, strategically designed to highlight key activities from the program. The @Home Units take significantly less instructional time than the complete Amplify Science program and allow students to engage with science at home. @Home Units will be developed for all Amplify Science K–8 units. Each @Home Unit includes:

  • Teacher overviews explaining how to use the materials, including suggestions for enhancing the @Home Units if synchronous learning or in-class time with students is available.
  • Overviews to send home to families.

Student materials are available in two formats:

  • @Home Slides (PDF/PPT) + Student Sheets (PDF) for students with access to technology at home.
  • Downloadable @Home Packets (PDF) for students without access to technology at home.

Download the Remote and hybrid learning guide.

What’s included:

Flexible resources that work seamlessly together

Science articles
The middle school science articles serve as sources for evidence collection and were authored by science and literacy experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Amplify Science articles

Student Investigation Notebooks
Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:

  • record data.
  • reflect on ideas from texts and investigations.
  • construct explanations and arguments.

Available with full-color article compilations for middle school units.

Louisiana-specific Materials

Louisiana Companion Student Booklet

Collection of educational books from 'amplify science' on topics including ocean atmosphere, matter and energy ecosystems, and insect interactions, displayed in various angles.

Digital student experience
Students access the digital simulations and modeling tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:

  • conduct hands-on investigations.
  • engage in active reading and writing activities.
  • participate in discussions.
  • record observations.
  • craft end-of-unit scientific arguments.
A digital illustration showcasing a laptop and a tablet displaying complex data analysis software interfaces with graphs and heatmaps.

Teacher’s Guides
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:

  • Louisiana Companion Teacher Booklet (6-8)
  • Classroom Slides 
  • detailed lesson plans.
  • unit and chapter overview documentation.
  • differentiation strategies.
  • standards alignments.
  • in-context professional development.
A laptop displaying the Geology on Mars webpage sits beside a book titled "Geology on Mars," both featuring the same cover image of Mars and a spacecraft, perfect for enhancing three-dimensional learning in any science classroom.

Hands-on materials kits
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science. Each unit kit contains:

  • consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials.
  • print classroom display materials.
  • premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc.).
A perforated rectangular board, three small containers with different powders, a black battery holder with red wires, and three colored alligator clips are arranged on a white background.

Scope and sequence

Amplify Science Louisiana K–5 Program Brochure

GRADE

UNITS

Kindergarten

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water

Grade 1

  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth

Grade 2

  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3

  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4

  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

GRADE

UNITS

Grade 6

  • Launch: Microbiome
  • Populations and Resources
    Additional instruction added: Human impact on Earth systems and Louisiana’s natural resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
    Additional instruction added: Structure and properties of matter Structure and function of cells
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship: Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Light Waves
    Additional instruction added: The function of the cell nucleus

Grade 6 Louisiana  Resources

  • 5 Companion Lessons
  • Units with Companions Lessons: Populations and Resources; Matter and Energy in Ecosystems; Light Waves
  • Louisiana Companion Materials Kit

Grade 7

  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship: Metabolism
  • Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate

Grade 7 Louisiana  Resources

  • 8 Companion Lessons
  • Units with Companions Lessons: Phase Change; Traits and Reproduction; Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate; Weather Patterns; Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Louisiana Companion Materials Kit, not needed in 7th grade

Grade 8

  • Launch: Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship: Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Thermal Energy
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History

Grade 8 Louisiana Resources

  • 6 Companion Lessons
  • Unit with Companions Lessons: Plate Motion; Rock Transformations; Thermal Energy; Natural Selection
  • Louisiana Companion Materials Kit

Amplify and the Lawrence Hall of Science have created custom Amplify Science Louisiana materials for middle school students and teachers. The Louisiana edition of Amplify Science 6–8 differs from our national program in a few key ways:

  • Standards cited are Louisiana State Standards for Science (LSSS) instead of NGSS
  • A custom scope and sequence tailored to the LSSS is used
  • Louisiana Companion Lessons are included
  • Louisiana companion kits, which contain materials to accommodate the added companion lessons, are available for grades 6 and 8

Explore the Digital Teacher’s Guide

When you’re ready to review, click the orange button below and use your provided login credentials to access the Amplify Science Digital Teacher’s Guide.

Review now

To help familiarize yourself with navigating the digital Teacher’s Guide, watch our navigational guide videos:

Grades K–5:

Grades 6-8

Looking for help?

Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support

Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We have developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:

  • Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans.
  • Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials.
  • Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs.
  • Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more.

To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com

Timely technical and program support

Our technical and program support is included and available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.

For your most urgent questions:

  • Use our live chat within your program.
  • Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969.

For less urgent questions:

Email support

Contact us

Contact your Louisiana representative:
Wayne Hebert
whebert@amplify.com
(337) 298-7833

Kindergarten

Needs of Plants and Animals

Pushes and Pulls

Sunlight and Weather

Grade 1

Animal and Plant Defenses

Light and Sound

Spinning Earth

Grade 2

Plant and Animal Relationships

Properties of Materials

Changing Landforms

Grade 3

Balancing Forces

Environments and Survival

Inheritance and Traits

Weather and Climate

Grade 4

Energy Conversions

Earth’s Features

Vision and Light

Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Ecosystem Restoration

The Earth System

Modeling Matter

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

Welcome, Ohio educators!

Designed from the ground up to teach students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers, Amplify Science combines literacy-rich activities with hands-on learning and digital tools to engage students in exploring compelling phenomena in every unit.

Students in a classroom interact with educational technology, featuring a diagram and charts on a screen, while working collaboratively on a laptop.

Overview

Developed by UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, our program features:

  • A phenomena-based approach where students construct a more complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
  • A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
  • Newly crafted units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true 3-dimensional learning.
  • An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.

Hear what these educators have to say about the program. >

Approach to literacy

Two young children sit at a classroom table reading a book together, with educational materials spread out in front of them.

[Video] Literacy in action (K–5)

Watch students use scientific text to obtain information and practice reading skills, while using writing prompts to create arguments using evidence.

A student sits at a desk writing with a pencil while focused on his work, with classroom materials visible in the background.

[Video] Literacy in action (6–8)

Watch students use scientific text to obtain information and practice reading skills, while using writing prompts to create arguments using evidence.

A teacher in a green shirt helps a young student with writing at a classroom table, with other students and large numbers visible on the wall in the background.

Literacy-rich science instruction (K–5)

Immersing young students in reading, writing, and arguing like real scientists and engineers.

Two students sit at a table in a classroom, working on an assignment together. Other students are also seated and appear to be engaged in their work. Papers and books are spread out on the tables.

Active Reading in grades 6–8

Engaging middle school students in complex science texts.

Elementary school

Get started by watching this class share what they’re figuring out with Amplify Science. >

In Grades K–3 we recommend the national grade level units of Amplify Science to provide students with the appropriate grade level literacy and background knowledge. Individual units are available to purchase.

When you’re ready:

  1. Find a summary of each unit below including each unit’s student role and anchor phenomenon.
  2. Download some helpful resources to support your review.
  3. Explore the digital Teacher’s Guide by clicking the orange “Review now” button.
An illustration from Needs of Plants and Animals unit

Unit 1

Needs of Plants and Animals

Student role: Scientists

Phenomenon: There are no monarch caterpillars in the Mariposa Grove community garden ever since vegetables were planted.

An illustration from the Pushes and Pulls unit

Unit 2

Pushes and Pulls

Student role: Pinball engineers

Phenomenon: Pinball machines allow people to control the direction and strength of forces on a ball.

Silueta de una estructura de parque infantil contra un cielo azul con nubes y tres soles amarillos.

Unit 3

Sunlight and Weather

Student role: Weather scientists

Phenomenon: Students at one school are too cold during morning recess, while students at another are too hot during afternoon recess.

Illustration of sea turtles swimming among seaweed in the ocean, with a large shark in the background.

Unit 1

Animal and Plant Defenses

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Spruce the Sea Turtle will soon be released back into the ocean, where she will survive despite predators.

An illustration from the Light and Sound unit

Unit 2

Light and Sound

Student role: Light and sound engineers

Phenomenon: A puppet show company uses light and sound to depict realistic scenes in puppet shows.

An illustration from the Spinning Earth unit

Unit 3

Spinning Earth

Student role: Sky scientists

Phenomenon: The sky looks different to Sai and his grandma when they talk on the phone at night.

An elephant standing next to a tree uses its trunk to pick a fruit from a branch while more fruit hangs above.

Unit 1

Plant and Animal Relationships

Student role: Plant scientists

Phenomenon: No new chalta trees are growing in the fictional Bengal Tiger Reserve in India.

A hand holds a red bean on a table, while a wooden stick spreads white glue and scattered beans. Also on the table are a white cup and a yellow pen.

Unit 2

Properties of Materials

Student role: Glue engineers

Phenomenon: Different glue recipes result in glues that have different properties.

Ilustración de una costa con acantilados, un edificio de centro recreativo con un techo rojo y un letrero, árboles de hoja perenne, una bandera azul y una playa de arena debajo.

Unit 3

Changing Landforms

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: The cliff on which Oceanside Recreation Center is situated appears to be receding.

Una ilustración de un tren de alta velocidad moderno y aerodinámico que viaja por una vía elevada con un paisaje verde de fondo.

Unit 1

Balancing Forces

Student role: Engineers

Phenomenon: The fictional town of Faraday is getting a new train. Unlike typical trains, this one floats, which is causing some concern among the town’s citizens.

An illustration from the Inheritance and Traits unit

Unit 2

Inheritance and Traits

Student role: Wildlife biologists

Phenomenon: An adopted wolf in Graystone National Park has some traits in common with one wolf pack in the park and other traits in common with a different pack.

An illustration from the Environments and Survival unit

Unit 3

Environments and Survival

Student role: Biomimicry engineers

Phenomenon: Over 10 years, a population of grove snails has changed. Populations with yellow shells have decreased, while those with banded shells have increased.

An illustration from the Weather and Climate unit

Unit 4

Weather and Climate

Student role: Meteorologists

Phenomenon: Three different islands, each a contender for becoming an orangutan reserve, experience different weather patterns.

An illustration from the Energy Conversions unit

Unit 1

Energy Conversions

Student role: System engineers

Phenomenon: The fictional town of Ergstown experiences frequent blackouts. Their electrical system seems to be failing.

An illustration from the Earth's Features unit

Unit 2

Earth’s Features

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: A mysterious fossil is discovered in a canyon within the fictional Desert Rocks National Park.

An illustration from the Modeling Matter unit

Unit 3

Modeling Matter

Student role: Food scientists

Phenomenon: Some ingredients dissolve in a salad dressing while others, like oil and vinegar, appear to separate.

An illustration from the Earth System unit

Unit 4

The Earth System

Student role: Water resource engineers

Phenomenon: East Ferris, a city on one side of the fictional Ferris Island, is experiencing a water shortage, while West Ferris is not.

An illustration from the Patterns of Earth and Sky unit

Unit 1

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An ancient artifact depicts what we see in the sky at different times of the day, but it appears to be missing a piece.

An illustration from the Vision and Light unit

Unit 2

Vision and Light

Student role: Conservation biologists

Phenomenon: The population of Tokay geckos in a rain forest in the Philippines has decreased since the installation of new highway lights.

An illustration from the Waves, Energy, and Information unit

Unit 3

Waves, Energy, and Information

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Mother dolphins in the fictional Blue Bay National Park communicate with their calves despite the distance between them.

An illustration from the Ecosystem Restoration unit

Unit 4

Ecosystem Restoration

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The jaguars, sloths, and cecropia trees in a reforested section of a Costa Rican rain forest are not growing or thriving.

Middle school

Get started by watching this class share what they’re figuring out with Amplify Science. >

When you’re ready:

  1. Find a summary of each unit below including each unit’s student role and anchor phenomenon.
  2. Download some helpful resources to support your review.
  3. Explore the digital Teacher’s Guide by clicking the orange “Review now” button.
Illustration of a cross-section of Earth showing a volcano near the ocean. Trees, mountains, and clouds are visible above, with subterranean layers below.

CORE

Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.

Ilustración que muestra las etapas de fusión de una paleta de naranja: entera, parcialmente derretida, más derretida y casi derretida por completo, con palitos de madera, sobre un fondo morado.

CORE

Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.

Green geometric graphic featuring icons: a baby, thermometer, layers, medical alert, and a flame.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.

Illustration of a person in a red hat and fur-lined coat with eyes closed, surrounded by large orange circles on a dark background.

CORE

Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school.

Abstract art with vibrant colors featuring a yellow silhouette of a person holding a book against a background of geometric shapes, swirling patterns, and bold textures.

LAUNCH

Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.

Abstract artwork of a person's side profile with geometric shapes and colorful patterns flowing from the head, holding a small sledgehammer. A vision chart is visible in the corner.

CORE

Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.

Orange abstract background with hexagonal shapes featuring icons of a bar chart, plant, safety vest, test tube, peach, and stethoscope.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.

Two people climbing rocky terrain; illustrations show a hiking boot and a belt with gear.

LAUNCH

Harnessing Human Energy

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.

A girl runs with a colorful kite displaying literacy skills; text reads "Amplify. Science of Reading: A Primer | Part One" on a grassy landscape background.

CODING SCIENCE INTERNSHIP

Coding Science Internship: Coral Restoration (Optional)

Domains: Life Science, Coding Science

Unit type: Coding Science Internship

Student role: Coding science interns

Phenomenon: Implementing a restoration project to improve the health of coral reef populations in Hawaii.

Abstract artwork depicting a bright sun with blue and orange swirling patterns next to green hills under a sky with shades of blue, orange, and red.

CORE

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.

An illustration from the Weather Patterns unit

CORE

Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.

An illustration from the Earth's Changing Climate unit

CORE

Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.

Abstract geometric design in shades of blue and purple featuring a hexagon with icons of a building, wrench, molecules, sun, paint can, and screwdriver.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.

A city skyline at night with a prominent full moon, stars in the sky, and a bridge silhouette on the left.

CORE

Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.

An illustration from the Chemical Reactions unit

CORE

Chemical Reactions

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.

An illustration from the Light Waves unit

CORE

Light Waves

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.

An illustration of a whale with jellyfish and turtles from Amplify Science

CORE

Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased.

Low-poly landscape with trees and mushrooms. A fox sniffs the ground, a rabbit sits nearby, and mountains and sun are in the background.

CORE

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.

A girl runs with a colorful kite displaying literacy skills; text reads "Amplify. Science of Reading: A Primer | Part One" on a grassy landscape background.

CODING SCIENCE INTERNSHIP

Coding Science Internship: Coral Restoration (Optional)

Domains: Life Science, Coding Science

Unit type: Coding Science Internship

Student role: Coding science interns

Phenomenon: Implementing a restoration project to improve the health of coral reef populations in Hawaii.

A barren, rocky desert landscape with rover tracks leading to a distant vehicle on a hill under a hazy sky.

LAUNCH

Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable.

Two prehistoric reptiles with long snouts and tails are near the shore, one on land and one in water, with plants, rocks, and an island in the background.

CORE

Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.

Geometric design featuring a telescope, mountain, sound waves, and cosmic elements on a purple hexagonal background.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.

Una nave espacial se acerca a una estación espacial modular con paneles solares extendidos en una ilustración ambientada en el espacio.

CORE

Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.

Green geometric background with a hexagonal emblem containing a parachute icon, ruler, bandage, and stacked layers on a gradient pattern.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.

Illustration of a roller coaster filled with people, hands raised, going down a steep track against a bright blue sky with clouds.

CORE

Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.

Imagen que muestra un gráfico de arañas de diferentes colores con patrones distintos de patas y cuerpo, incluidas variaciones de color marrón, amarillo y azul. El fondo es una superficie oscura y texturizada.

CORE

Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.

Four low-poly dinosaurs with missing body sections are standing in a row; one is yellow, and the others are green. They have purple spikes and red patches on their bodies.

CORE

Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.

Red geometric background with icons including a mosquito, DNA strand, bar chart, and world map inside a hexagon.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.

Illustration of a cross-section of Earth showing a volcano near the ocean. Trees, mountains, and clouds are visible above, with subterranean layers below.

CORE

Rock Transformations (optional)

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.

Two giant tortoises with long necks stand near water; one tortoise feeds on leaves from a tree while the other is near dense vegetation.

CORE

Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.

A girl runs with a colorful kite displaying literacy skills; text reads "Amplify. Science of Reading: A Primer | Part One" on a grassy landscape background.

CODING SCIENCE INTERNSHIP

Coding Science Internship: Coral Restoration (Optional)

Domains: Life Science, Coding Science

Unit type: Coding Science Internship

Student role: Coding science interns

Phenomenon: Implementing a restoration project to improve the health of coral reef populations in Hawaii.

Resources to support your review

Select a topic below to explore helpful resources with more information about Amplify Science, the program’s development, and pedagogy.

Two young girls, one with braided hair and the other with blonde hair, smiling and looking at a laptop screen in a classroom.
Four-step educational infographic depicting problem-solving process: engaging with real-world problems, exploring multiple sources, constructing explanations, and applying knowledge to new problems.
Integrated 5e model

Learn how the 5E elements are integrated throughout every unit.

Two children engaged in an animated conversation while sitting at a school desk with laptops and books.
Phenomena and storylines (K–5)

Read more about the real-world phenomena featured in each unit.

Children doing schoolwork at home
Phenomena and storylines (6–8)

Read more about the real-world phenomena featured in each unit.

A screenshot from a video titled "amplify science in action: a week in the..." featuring a smiling woman sitting in a classroom setting.
[Video] Planning in action (K–5)

Watch how easy it is for Amplify Science teachers to prep their 3-D instruction.

A woman smiling and gesturing while speaking, seated in a classroom with computers and educational materials around her, with a paused video screen featuring text about "amplify science.
[Video] Planning in action (6–8)

Watch how easy it is for Amplify Science teachers to prep their 3-D instruction.

Two young children sit at a classroom table, one smiling broadly, during an Amplify Science educational activity.
[Video] Hands-on in action (K–5)

Watch Amplify Science students conduct hands-on investigations.

A student in a classroom uses a dropper to add liquid to clear plastic cups during a science experiment. Other students and lab materials are visible in the background.
[Video] Hands-on in action (6–8)

Watch Amplify Science students conduct hands-on investigations.

Two young girls sit side by side at a desk, looking at a laptop screen and working together in a classroom setting.
[Video] Simulations and modeling tools (K–5)

Watch how students investigate phenomena with the help of digital tools.

Two students sit at a table in a classroom, working on laptops and talking, with other students visible in the background.
[Video] Simulations and modeling tools (6–8)

Watch how students investigate phenomena with the help of digital tools.

A young girl wearing safety goggles stretches a gooey substance from a cup in a kitchen or classroom setting.
Summary of Investigations (K–5) coming soon

Explore the types of investigations that students conduct.

A young person wearing gloves looks through a microscope at a table with laboratory supplies, including bottles, slides, and a tray, against a plain blue background.
Summary of Investigations (6–8) coming soon

Explore the types of investigations that students conduct.

A young boy and girl sitting in a classroom, reading a book together with focused expressions.
Program structure and components (K–5)

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Teacher assisting two students working on laptops in a classroom; other students are in the background.
Program structure and components (6–8)

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Digital collage of various devices displaying educational content about earth’s energy system, including graphs and text explanations.
[Video] New! Classroom Slides

Learn more about our customizable PowerPoints for every lesson.

A laptop screen displays a writing lesson with prompts and a student's response in Amplify Classwork. The student's answer discusses dangers related to a specific scenario involving a sick child.
Classwork (6–8)

A new, intuitive approach to reviewing student work online.

An adult sits on a couch using a laptop while a child next to them does homework in a notebook.
Remote and hybrid learning guide

Amplify is here to help! Amplify Science will soon feature product enhancements and new resources that will help manage the new landscape of back-to-school 2020.

Educational presentation slides from grade 8 amplify science materials spanish kit, displaying various science topics like geology and biology.
Spanish-language supports

Learn more about the Spanish-language supports in Amplify Science.

students collaborating and using laptops
English Learners

Learn how we make learning accessible for English learners.

Amplify Science California supports you every step of the way on your journey to the California NGSS.
Students needing support

Learn how we make learning accessible for students who need more support.

Teacher using a tablet while conducting an mCLASS reading intervention with three young students seated around a table in a classroom.
Students ready for more

Learn how we make learning more rigorous for students ready for a challenge.

Two boys work together on a laptop while a woman—likely one of their middle school teachers—sits beside them, observing and smiling in a classroom setting.
Accessibility

Read more about text design and accessibility, including embedded Read-Aloud audio.

A teacher discusses educational content in front of a whiteboard while students in the classroom raise their hands eagerly.
Approach to assessment (K–5)

Learn about our embedded formative and summative assessments.

Two students sit at desks writing in notebooks and using laptops in a classroom setting.
Approach to assessment (6–8)

Learn about our embedded formative and summative assessments.

A teacher and a young student looking at a laptop together in a colorful classroom decorated with children's artwork.
NGSS Benchmark assessments

Learn more about the Next Generation Science Standards Benchmark assessments created by Amplify.

A young girl in a classroom gives a thumbs up with both hands, smiling broadly, while other students look on in the background.
NGSS Benchmark assessments

NGSS alignment by performance expectation.

Two students in a classroom, one looking at the camera and the other listening intently, with a whiteboard displaying educational content in the background.
NGSS alignment (6–8)

NGSS alignment by performance expectation.

Ready to explore with digital access and physical samples?

Start your digital review and request physical samples with these three easy steps.

  1. Note these Ohio specific login credentials for your digital access.
    Username: t.ohscience@tryamplify.net
    Password: AmplifyNumber1
  2. Click Review now.
  3. Complete the form and select Log in with Amplify to input the Ohio specific login.
A woman sits at a desk in a classroom, working on a laptop with an open binder and papers in front of her.

Contact an Amplify representative

For any questions, fill out the form to the right and a member of our sales team will reach out to you soon.

Katie Cannon
Senior Account Executive

Casie Rayes
Account executive

Matt Paupore
Senior Account Executive

Welcome, Nebraska educators!

Designed from the ground up for the NGSS to teach students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers, Amplify Science combines literacy-rich activities with hands-on learning and digital tools to engage students in exploring compelling phenomena in every unit.

Students in a classroom interact with educational technology, featuring a diagram and charts on a screen, while working collaboratively on a laptop.

Overview

Developed by UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, our program features:

  • A phenomena-based approach where students construct a more complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
  • A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
  • Newly crafted units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true 3-dimensional learning.
  • An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.

Hear what these educators have to say about the program. >

Explore your grade level

Get started by watching this class share what they’re figuring out with Amplify Science. >

Then select your grade level below to learn more about how we make this type of rich learning accessible to all students at every grade.

Grades K-5 Grades 6–8

Elementary school

When you’re ready:

  1. Find a summary of each unit below including each unit’s student role and anchor phenomenon.
  2. Download some helpful resources to support your review.
  3. Explore the digital Teacher’s Guide by clicking the orange “Review now” button.
A boy reads a book with an illustrated background featuring a dinosaur skull, the Earth, trees, clouds, and water.
An illustration from Needs of Plants and Animals unit

Unit 1

Needs of Plants and Animals

Student role: Scientists

Phenomenon: There are no monarch caterpillars in the Mariposa Grove community garden ever since vegetables were planted.

An illustration from the Pushes and Pulls unit

Unit 2

Pushes and Pulls

Student role: Pinball engineers

Phenomenon: Pinball machines allow people to control the direction and strength of forces on a ball.

Silueta de una estructura de parque infantil contra un cielo azul con nubes y tres soles amarillos.

Unit 3

Sunlight and Weather

Student role: Weather scientists

Phenomenon: Students at one school are too cold during morning recess, while students at another are too hot during afternoon recess.

Illustration of sea turtles swimming among seaweed in the ocean, with a large shark in the background.

Unit 1

Animal and Plant Defenses

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Spruce the Sea Turtle will soon be released back into the ocean, where she will survive despite predators.

An illustration from the Light and Sound unit

Unit 2

Light and Sound

Student role: Light and sound engineers

Phenomenon: A puppet show company uses light and sound to depict realistic scenes in puppet shows.

An illustration from the Spinning Earth unit

Unit 3

Spinning Earth

Student role: Sky scientists

Phenomenon: The sky looks different to Sai and his grandma when they talk on the phone at night.

An elephant standing next to a tree uses its trunk to pick a fruit from a branch while more fruit hangs above.

Unit 1

Plant and Animal Relationships

Student role: Plant scientists

Phenomenon: No new chalta trees are growing in the fictional Bengal Tiger Reserve in India.

A hand holds a red bean on a table, while a wooden stick spreads white glue and scattered beans. Also on the table are a white cup and a yellow pen.

Unit 2

Properties of Materials

Student role: Glue engineers

Phenomenon: Different glue recipes result in glues that have different properties.

Ilustración de una costa con acantilados, un edificio de centro recreativo con un techo rojo y un letrero, árboles de hoja perenne, una bandera azul y una playa de arena debajo.

Unit 3

Changing Landforms

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: The cliff on which Oceanside Recreation Center is situated appears to be receding.

Una ilustración de un tren de alta velocidad moderno y aerodinámico que viaja por una vía elevada con un paisaje verde de fondo.

Unit 1

Balancing Forces

Student role: Engineers

Phenomenon: The fictional town of Faraday is getting a new train. Unlike typical trains, this one floats, which is causing some concern among the town’s citizens.

An illustration from the Inheritance and Traits unit

Unit 2

Inheritance and Traits

Student role: Wildlife biologists

Phenomenon: An adopted wolf in Graystone National Park has some traits in common with one wolf pack in the park and other traits in common with a different pack.

An illustration from the Environments and Survival unit

Unit 3

Environments and Survival

Student role: Biomimicry engineers

Phenomenon: Over 10 years, a population of grove snails has changed. Populations with yellow shells have decreased, while those with banded shells have increased.

An illustration from the Weather and Climate unit

Unit 4

Weather and Climate

Student role: Meteorologists

Phenomenon: Three different islands, each a contender for becoming an orangutan reserve, experience different weather patterns.

An illustration from the Energy Conversions unit

Unit 1

Energy Conversions

Student role: System engineers

Phenomenon: The fictional town of Ergstown experiences frequent blackouts. Their electrical system seems to be failing.

An illustration from the Vision and Light unit

Unit 2

Vision and Light

Student role: Conservation biologists

Phenomenon: The population of Tokay geckos in a rain forest in the Philippines has decreased since the installation of new highway lights.

An illustration from the Earth's Features unit

Unit 3

Earth’s Features

Student role: Geologists


Phenomenon: A mysterious fossil is discovered in a canyon within the fictional Desert Rocks National Park.

An illustration from the Waves, Energy, and Information unit

Unit 4

Waves, Energy, and Information

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Mother dolphins in the fictional Blue Bay National Park communicate with their calves despite the distance between them.

An illustration from the Patterns of Earth and Sky unit

Unit 1

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An ancient artifact depicts what we see in the sky at different times of the day, but it appears to be missing a piece.

An illustration from the Modeling Matter unit

Unit 2

Modeling Matter

Student role: Food scientists

Phenomenon: Some ingredients dissolve in a salad dressing while others, like oil and vinegar, appear to separate

Illustration of a pixelated green mountain cliff deconstructing into a digital grid, with red dots floating over a tranquil sea and flying white birds.

Unit 3

The Earth System

Student role: Water resource engineers

Phenomenon: East Ferris, a city on one side of the fictional Ferris Island, is experiencing a water shortage, while West Ferris is not.

An illustration from the Ecosystem Restoration unit

Unit 4

Ecosystem Restoration

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The jaguars, sloths, and cecropia trees in a reforested section of a Costa Rican rain forest are not growing or thriving.

Middle school

When you’re ready:

  1. Find a summary of each unit below including each unit’s student role and anchor phenomenon.
  2. Download some helpful resources to support your review.
  3. Explore the digital Teacher’s Guide by clicking the orange “Review now” button.
A person in a black hoodie smiles while working on a laptop, surrounded by illustrations of rockets, satellites, popsicles, and the Earth.
Abstract art with vibrant colors featuring a yellow silhouette of a person holding a book against a background of geometric shapes, swirling patterns, and bold textures.

LAUNCH

Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.  

Abstract artwork of a person's side profile with geometric shapes and colorful patterns flowing from the head, holding a small sledgehammer. A vision chart is visible in the corner.

CORE

Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.  

Orange abstract background with hexagonal shapes featuring icons of a bar chart, plant, safety vest, test tube, peach, and stethoscope.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.  

Imagen que muestra un gráfico de arañas de diferentes colores con patrones distintos de patas y cuerpo, incluidas variaciones de color marrón, amarillo y azul. El fondo es una superficie oscura y texturizada.

CORE

Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.  

Illustration of a person in a red hat and fur-lined coat with eyes closed, surrounded by large orange circles on a dark background.

CORE

Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school.  

Abstract artwork depicting a bright sun with blue and orange swirling patterns next to green hills under a sky with shades of blue, orange, and red.

CORE

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.  

An illustration from the Weather Patterns unit

CORE

Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.  

An illustration from the Earth's Changing Climate unit

CORE

Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.  

Abstract geometric design in shades of blue and purple featuring a hexagon with icons of a building, wrench, molecules, sun, paint can, and screwdriver.

Engineering Internship

Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.  

A barren, rocky desert landscape with rover tracks leading to a distant vehicle on a hill under a hazy sky.

LAUNCH

Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable.  

Two prehistoric reptiles with long snouts and tails are near the shore, one on land and one in water, with plants, rocks, and an island in the background.

CORE

Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.   

Geometric design featuring a telescope, mountain, sound waves, and cosmic elements on a purple hexagonal background.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.  

Illustration of a cross-section of Earth showing a volcano near the ocean. Trees, mountains, and clouds are visible above, with subterranean layers below.

CORE

Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.  

Ilustración que muestra las etapas de fusión de una paleta de naranja: entera, parcialmente derretida, más derretida y casi derretida por completo, con palitos de madera, sobre un fondo morado.

CORE

Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.  

Green geometric graphic featuring icons: a baby, thermometer, layers, medical alert, and a flame.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.  

An illustration from the Chemical Reactions unit

CORE

Chemical Reactions

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.   

An illustration of a whale with jellyfish and turtles from Amplify Science

CORE

Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased.  

Low-poly landscape with trees and mushrooms. A fox sniffs the ground, a rabbit sits nearby, and mountains and sun are in the background.

CORE

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.  

Two people climbing rocky terrain; illustrations show a hiking boot and a belt with gear.

LAUNCH

Harnessing Human Energy

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.  

Illustration of a futuristic space station with large solar panels, orbiting in deep space, emitting a blue glow from its propulsion system.

CORE

Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.   

Green geometric background with a hexagonal emblem containing a parachute icon, ruler, bandage, and stacked layers on a gradient pattern.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.  

Illustration of a roller coaster filled with people, hands raised, going down a steep track against a bright blue sky with clouds.

CORE

Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.  

An illustration from the Light Waves unit

CORE

Light Waves

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.   

A city skyline at night with a prominent full moon, stars in the sky, and a bridge silhouette on the left.

CORE

Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.  

Four low-poly dinosaurs with missing body sections are standing in a row; one is yellow, and the others are green. They have purple spikes and red patches on their bodies.

CORE

Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.  

Red geometric background with icons including a mosquito, DNA strand, bar chart, and world map inside a hexagon.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP

Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.   

Two giant tortoises with long necks stand near water; one tortoise feeds on leaves from a tree while the other is near dense vegetation.

CORE

Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Resources to support your review

Select a topic below to explore helpful resources with more information about Amplify Science, the program’s development, and pedagogy.

Dos niñas están sentadas en una mesa, mirando juntas la pantalla de una computadora portátil en un salón de clases. Al fondo se ven estanterías con libros y materiales de clase.
Two children engaged in an animated conversation while sitting at a school desk with laptops and books.
Phenomena and storylines (K–5)

Read more about the real-world phenomena featured in each unit.

Children doing schoolwork at home
Phenomena and storylines (6–8)

Read more about the real-world phenomena featured in each unit.

Four-step educational infographic depicting problem-solving process: engaging with real-world problems, exploring multiple sources, constructing explanations, and applying knowledge to new problems.
Integrated 5e model

Learn how the 5E elements are integrated throughout every unit.

A woman smiling and gesturing while speaking, seated in a classroom with computers and educational materials around her, with a paused video screen featuring text about "amplify science.
[Video] Planning in action (K–5)

Watch how easy it is for Amplify Science teachers to prep their 3-D instruction.

A screenshot from a video titled "amplify science in action: a week in the..." featuring a smiling woman sitting in a classroom setting.
[Video] Planning in action (6–8)

Watch how easy it is for Amplify Science teachers to prep their 3-D instruction.

Two children sitting at a table, one in a yellow shirt and the other in pink, smiling and looking forward.
[Video] Hands-on in action (K–5)

Watch Amplify Science students conduct hands-on investigations.

A boy in a science classroom observes a reaction in a clear cup. Other students and lab materials are in the background.
[Video] Hands-on in action (6–8)

Watch Amplify Science students conduct hands-on investigations.

Two children in school uniforms work together on laptops in a classroom setting, with focus on learning and collaboration.
[Video] Simulations and modeling tools (K–5)

Watch how students investigate phenomena with the help of digital tools.

Students sitting at a table using laptops, engaging in a classroom activity.
[Video] Simulations and modeling tools (6–8)

Watch how students investigate phenomena with the help of digital tools.

A young girl wearing safety goggles stretches a gooey substance from a cup in a kitchen or classroom setting.
Summary of Investigations (K–5)

Explore the types of investigations that students conduct.

A young person wearing gloves looks through a microscope at a table with laboratory supplies, including bottles, slides, and a tray, against a plain blue background.
Summary of Investigations (6–8)

Explore the types of investigations that students conduct.

A young boy and girl sitting in a classroom, reading a book together with focused expressions.
Program structure and components (K–5)

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Teacher assisting two students working on laptops in a classroom; other students are in the background.
Program structure and components (6–8)

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Digital collage of various devices displaying educational content about earth’s energy system, including graphs and text explanations.
[Video] New! Classroom Slides

Learn more about our customizable PowerPoints for every lesson.

A laptop screen displays a writing lesson with prompts and a student's response in Amplify Classwork. The student's answer discusses dangers related to a specific scenario involving a sick child.
Classwork (6–8)

A new, intuitive approach to reviewing student work online.

students collaborating and using laptops
English Learners

Learn how we make learning accessible for English learners.

Amplify Science California supports you every step of the way on your journey to the California NGSS.
Students needing support

Learn how we make learning accessible for students who need more support.

Teacher using a tablet while conducting an mCLASS reading intervention with three young students seated around a table in a classroom.
Students ready for more

Learn how we make learning more rigorous for students ready for a challenge.

Two young children sit at a table looking at an open book, with other books placed in front of them. A play button is visible over the image.
[Video] Literacy in action (K–5)

Watch students use scientific text to obtain information and practice reading skills, while using writing prompts to create arguments using evidence

A student writes in a notebook, holding a pencil, focused on the task.
[Video] Literacy in action (6–8)

Watch students use scientific text to obtain information and practice reading skills, while using writing prompts to create arguments using evidence.

A teacher in a green shirt helps a young student with writing at a classroom table, with other students and large numbers visible on the wall in the background.
Literacy-rich science instruction (K–5)

Immersing young students in reading, writing, and arguing like real scientists and engineers.

Two students sit at a table in a classroom, working on an assignment together. Other students are also seated and appear to be engaged in their work. Papers and books are spread out on the tables.
Active Reading in grades 6–8

Engaging middle school students in complex science texts.

Two boys work together on a laptop while a woman—likely one of their middle school teachers—sits beside them, observing and smiling in a classroom setting.
Accessibility

Read more about text design and accessibility, including embedded Read-Aloud audio.

A teacher discusses educational content in front of a whiteboard while students in the classroom raise their hands eagerly.
Approach to assessment (K–5)

Learn about our embedded formative and summative assessments.

Two students sit at desks writing in notebooks and using laptops in a classroom setting.
Approach to assessment (6–8)

Learn about our embedded formative and summative assessments.

A teacher and a young student looking at a laptop together in a colorful classroom decorated with children's artwork.
NGSS Benchmark assessments

Learn more about the Next Generation Science Standards Benchmark assessments created by Amplify.

A young girl in a classroom gives a thumbs up with both hands, smiling broadly, while other students look on in the background.
NGSS alignment (K–5)

NGSS alignment by performance expectation.

Two students in a classroom, one looking at the camera and the other listening intently, with a whiteboard displaying educational content in the background.
NGSS alignment (6–8)

NGSS alignment by performance expectation.

Two children sit at a table with Chromebooks, facing each other and talking, in a classroom with books and storage bins in the background.
Remote and hybrid learning guide

Amplify is here to help! Amplify Science will soon feature product enhancements and new resources that will help manage the new landscape of back-to-school 2020.

Educational presentation slides from grade 8 amplify science materials spanish kit, displaying various science topics like geology and biology.
Spanish-language supports

Learn more about the Spanish-language supports in Amplify Science.

Ready to start exploring with digital access?

A woman sits at a desk in a classroom, working on a laptop with an open binder and papers in front of her.

Contact an Amplify representative

Laina Armbruster
larmbruster@amplify.com
(602) 791-4135

Bob McCarty
rmccarty@amplify.com
(435) 655-1731

Kristin McDonald
kmcdonald@amplify.com
(515) 240-0244

Elementary

Watch how Amplify Science integrates hands-on learning, classroom discussions, digital modeling tools, and more.

Classroom discussions


As part of Amplify Science’s Weather and Climate unit, students take on the role of meteorologists to determine which of three fictional islands has weather most like that of orangutans’ existing habitats, Borneo and Sumatra. In this video featuring Lesson 3.7, third-grade students from Chicago Public Schools are discussing the data they collected, as well as which Science and Engineering Practices they used during the lesson.

Simulations and modeling tools

 

As part of Amplify Science’s Earth’s Features unit, students take on the role of geologists to investigate how a mysterious fossil formed and when it came to be in its current location. In this video, fourth-grade students from Chicago Public Schools are using digital modeling tools to investigate how fossils and rocks can be used to make inferences about past environments.

A week in the life

What does a week in the life of an Amplify Science teacher look like? We asked Keneisha Charleston, a second-grade teacher from Chicago Public Schools, to talk through an example of what one week of using Amplify Science is like in her classroom.

From the classroom

Hear from teachers, administrators, and students across the country who are using Amplify Science in their classrooms right now.

Middle School

Watch how Amplify Science integrates hands-on learning, literacy, digital modeling tools, and more.

Literacy integration

 

As part of Amplify Science’s Matter and Energy in Ecosystems unit, students take on the role of ecologists to figure out what caused the collapse of the biodome ecosystem. In this video, sixth-grade students from Denver Public Schools are reading science articles, and then using writing prompts to create arguments using evidence.

Classroom discussions

 

As part of Amplify Science’s Matter and Energy in Ecosystems unit, students take on the role of ecologists to figure out what caused the collapse of the biodome ecosystem. In this video, sixth-grade students from Denver Public Schools are using evidence to support their claims as part of a classroom discussion.

A week in the life

What does a week in the life of an Amplify Science teacher look like? We asked Amy Trujillo, a sixth-grade teacher from Denver Public Schools, to talk through an example of what one week of using Amplify Science is like in her classroom.

From the classroom

Hear from teachers, administrators, and students across the country who are using Amplify Science in their classrooms right now.

Access a free sample

Ready to take a closer look at Amplify Science? No problem. Just complete the form for instant digital access to two sample units.

A closer look at grades 3–5

Amplify Science is based on the latest research on teaching and learning and helps teachers deliver age-appropriate, high-quality, literacy-rich instruction that enables students to take on the roles of scientists and engineers to solve real-world phenomena every day.

In the 3–5 classroom, this looks like students:

  • Collecting evidence from a variety of sources.
  • Making sense of evidence in a variety of ways.
  • Formulating convincing scientific arguments.
Collage of four educational activities: 1) drying a paper model with a hairdryer, 2) two girls observing a science experiment, 3) children making a mixture, 4) adult hand watering a plant in a clear container.
Graphic showing a research process with four steps: spark intrigue with a real-world problem, explore evidence, explain and elaborate, and evaluate claims, connected in a cycle with arrows.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science California to teach less, but achieve more. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our 3–5 program to address 100% of the California NGSS in just 88 days.

Scope and sequence

Every year of our grades 3–5 sequence consists of 4 units and 88 lessons. Said another way, each unit contains 20 lessons plus two dedicated assessment days (a Pre-Unit Assessment and End-of-Unit Assessment).

Lessons for grades 3–5 are written to last a minimum of 60 minutes, though teachers can expand or contract the timing to meet their needs.

Educational curriculum chart showcasing a progression of amplify science lessons from kindergarten to grade 5, categorized by grade and subject areas like plants, animals, weather, and energy.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also emphasizing a particular science and engineering practice.

In grades 3–5:

  • One unit emphasizes the practice of investigation.
  • One unit emphasizes the practice of modeling.
  • One unit emphasizes the practice of engineering design.
  • One unit emphasizes the practice of argumentation.
Investigation Units

Investigation units focus on the process of strategically developing investigations and gathering data to answer questions. Students are first asked to consider questions about what happens in the natural world and why, and are then involved in designing and conducting investigations that produce data to help answer those questions.

Modeling Units

Modeling units provide extra support to students engaging in the practice of modeling. Students use physical models, investigate with computer models, and create their own diagrams to help them visualize what might be happening on the nanoscale.

Engineering Design Units

Engineering design units provide opportunities for students to solve complex problems by applying science principles to the design of functional solutions, and iteratively testing those solutions to determine how well they meet preset criteria.

Argumentation units

Argumentation units provide students with regular opportunities to explore and discuss available evidence, time and support to consider how evidence may be leveraged in support of claims, and independence that increases as they mount written arguments in support of their claims.

Units at a glance

Una ilustración de un tren de alta velocidad moderno y aerodinámico que viaja por una vía elevada con un paisaje verde de fondo.
Balancing Forces

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Engineers

Phenomenon: The town of Faraday is getting a new train that floats above its tracks.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Inheritance and Traits unit
Inheritance and Traits

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Wildlife biologists

Phenomenon: An adopted wolf in Graystone National Park (“Wolf 44”) has some traits that appear similar to one wolf pack in the park and other traits that appear to be similar to a different wolf pack. 

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Environments and Survival unit
Environments and Survival

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Biomimicry engineers

Phenomenon: Over the last 10 years, a population of grove snails has changed: The number of grove snails with yellow shells has decreased, while the number of snails with banded shells has increased.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Weather and Climate unit
Weather and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Meteorologists

Phenomenon: Three different islands, each a contender for becoming an Orangutan reserve, experience different weather patterns.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Energy Conversions unit
Energy Conversions

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: System engineers

Phenomenon: The fictional town of Ergstown experiences frequent blackouts.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Vision and Light unit
Vision and Light

Domain: Physical Science, Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Conservation biologists

Phenomenon: The population of Tokay geckos in a rain forest in the Philippines has decreased since the installation of new highway lights.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Earth's Features unit
Earth’s Features

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: A mysterious fossil is discovered in a canyon within the fictional Desert Rocks National Park.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Waves, Energy, and Information unit
Waves, Energy, and Information

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Mother dolphins in the fictional Blue Bay National Park seem to be communicating with their calves when they are separated at a distance underwater.

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Patterns of Earth and Sky unit
Patterns of Earth and Sky

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An ancient artifact depicts what we see in the sky at different times — the sun during the daytime and different stars during the nighttime — but it is missing a piece.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Modeling Matter unit
Modeling Matter

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Food scientists

Phenomenon: Chromatography is a process for separating mixtures. Some solids dissolve in a salad dressing while others do not. Oil and vinegar appear to separate when mixed in a salad dressing.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Earth System unit
The Earth System

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering Design

Student role: Water resource engineers

Phenomenon: East Ferris, a city on one side of the fictional Ferris Island, is experiencing a water shortage, while West Ferris is not.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Ecosystem Restoration unit
Ecosystem Restoration

Domains:Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The jaguars, sloths, and cecropia trees in a reforested section of a Costa Rican rain forest are not growing and thriving.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

Resources

Four students around a table engaged in a group science project in a classroom.

Pilot support brochure for 3–5

Unit phenomena for K–5

Take a closer look at the elementary unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

Educational material for grade 1, featuring a section about aquariums with an image of children observing jellyfish, and an introduction to forest habitats.

Classroom Slides for K–5

Classrooms Slides for elementary are now available! These customizable PowerPoin…

Two children engaged in an animated conversation while sitting at a school desk with laptops and books.

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

A young boy and girl sitting in a classroom, reading a book together with focused expressions.

Literacy-rich instruction in K–5

Scientists don’t just get messy. They read and write with purpose too. Exp…

Student Books in K–5

Read a summary of each of our award-winning K–5 student books.

Two children in safety goggles conducting a science experiment with liquids in a classroom.

Investigations for K–5

Explore the types of investigations that take place in elementary classrooms.

Earth's Features digital simulation

Sims for 4–8

Pilot support brochure for 3–5

Four-step educational infographic depicting problem-solving process: engaging with real-world problems, exploring multiple sources, constructing explanations, and applying knowledge to new problems.

The 5E model in K–8

Learn how the 5E elements are woven throughout each and every unit.

Two middle school girls conduct a science experiment

The CER model in K-5

Learn how we integrate the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) into daily i…

A science teacher stands at the front of a classroom speaking, while several students sitting at desks raise their hands to participate. A lesson is displayed on the screen behind her.

Approaches to assessment in K–5

Learn about our embedded assessments.

Science activity kit featuring books "Earthworms Underground" and "What's Going On with the Weather?", balloons, plant seeds, propellers, and other educational materials.

Program component list for TK–5

Explore the components that come with each unit.

A closer look at grades 6–8

Amplify Science California is based on the latest research on teaching and learning and helps teachers deliver rigorous and riveting lessons through hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools that empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists.

In the 6–8 classroom, this looks like students:

  • Collecting evidence from a variety of sources.
  • Making sense of evidence in a variety of ways.
  • Formulating convincing scientific arguments.

Is your school implementing the domain model? Click here.

Collage of four images showing children engaged in educational activities such as conducting experiments and crafting in a classroom setting.
A four-step process diagram with icons: spark a real-world problem, explore sources, explain and elaborate, and evaluate claims, all linking to engage with cohesive storylines.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science California to teach less, but achieve more. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our 6–8 program to address 100% of the California NGSS in fewer lessons than other programs.

Scope and sequence

Every year our grades 6–8 sequence consists of 9 units, with each unit containing 10–19 lessons. Lessons are written to last a minimum of 45-minutes, though teachers can expand or contract the timing to meet their needs.

Chart displaying educational science topics for grades 6 to 8, categorized by grade level, duration in days, and number of classes. Includes subjects like microbiome, geology, and natural selection.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also serving a unique purpose.

In grades 6–8, there are three types of units:

  • One unit is a launch unit.
  • Three units are core units.
  • Two units are engineering internships.
Launch units

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of Amplify Science California. The goal of the Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year, including argumentation, active reading, and using the program’s technology. For example, rather than taking the time to explain the process of active reading in every unit in a given year, it is explained thoroughly in the Launch unit, thereby preparing students to read actively in all subsequent units.

Core units

Core units establish the context of the unit by introducing students to a real-world problem. As students move through lessons in a Core unit, they figure out the unit’s anchoring phenomenon, gain an understanding of the unit’s disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices, and make linkages across topics through the crosscutting concepts. Each Core unit culminates with a Science Seminar and final writing activity.

Engineering Internship units

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. Students figure out how to help those in need, from tsunami victims in Sri Lanka to premature babies, through the application of engineering practices. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Units at a glance

Abstract art with vibrant colors featuring a yellow silhouette of a person holding a book against a background of geometric shapes, swirling patterns, and bold textures.
Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.  

Abstract artwork of a person's side profile with geometric shapes and colorful patterns flowing from the head, holding a small sledgehammer. A vision chart is visible in the corner.
Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.  

Download unit guide

Orange abstract background with hexagonal shapes featuring icons of a bar chart, plant, safety vest, test tube, peach, and stethoscope.
Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.  

Imagen que muestra un gráfico de arañas de diferentes colores con patrones distintos de patas y cuerpo, incluidas variaciones de color marrón, amarillo y azul. El fondo es una superficie oscura y texturizada.
Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.  

Download unit guide

Illustration of a person in a red hat and fur-lined coat with eyes closed, surrounded by large orange circles on a dark background.
Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school. 

Download unit guide

Abstract artwork depicting a bright sun with blue and orange swirling patterns next to green hills under a sky with shades of blue, orange, and red.
Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.  

An illustration from the Weather Patterns unit
Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.  

Download unit guide

An illustration from the Earth's Changing Climate unit
Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.  

Download unit guide

Abstract geometric design in shades of blue and purple featuring a hexagon with icons of a building, wrench, molecules, sun, paint can, and screwdriver.
Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.  

A barren, rocky desert landscape with rover tracks leading to a distant vehicle on a hill under a hazy sky.
Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable. 

Two prehistoric reptiles with long snouts and tails are near the shore, one on land and one in water, with plants, rocks, and an island in the background.
Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.  

Download unit guide

Geometric design featuring a telescope, mountain, sound waves, and cosmic elements on a purple hexagonal background.
Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.  

Illustration of a cross-section of Earth showing a volcano near the ocean. Trees, mountains, and clouds are visible above, with subterranean layers below.
Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.  

Download unit guide

Ilustración que muestra las etapas de fusión de una paleta de naranja: entera, parcialmente derretida, más derretida y casi derretida por completo, con palitos de madera, sobre un fondo morado.
Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart

Download unit guide

Green geometric background with a hexagonal emblem containing a parachute icon, ruler, bandage, and stacked layers on a gradient pattern.
Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.  

An illustration from the Chemical Reactions unit
Chemical Reactions

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.  

Download unit guide

An illustration of a whale with jellyfish and turtles from Amplify Science
Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased. 

Download unit guide

Low-poly landscape with trees and mushrooms. A fox sniffs the ground, a rabbit sits nearby, and mountains and sun are in the background.
Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.  

Download unit guide

Two people climbing rocky terrain; illustrations show a hiking boot and a belt with gear.
Harnessing Human Energy

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.  

Illustration of a futuristic space station with large solar panels, orbiting in deep space, emitting a blue glow from its propulsion system.
Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.

Download unit guide

Green geometric graphic featuring icons: a baby, thermometer, layers, medical alert, and a flame.
Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.  

Illustration of a roller coaster filled with people, hands raised, going down a steep track against a bright blue sky with clouds.
Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.  

An illustration from the Light Waves unit
Light Waves

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.

Download unit guide

A city skyline at night with a prominent full moon, stars in the sky, and a bridge silhouette on the left.
Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.  

Download unit guide

Four low-poly dinosaurs with missing body sections are standing in a row; one is yellow, and the others are green. They have purple spikes and red patches on their bodies.
Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.  

Download unit guide

Red geometric background with icons including a mosquito, DNA strand, bar chart, and world map inside a hexagon.
Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.  

Two giant tortoises with long necks stand near water; one tortoise feeds on leaves from a tree while the other is near dense vegetation.
Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Download unit guide

Resources

Two middle school girls use a Student Investigation Notebook to take on the role of scientists and engineers

Pilot support brochure for 6–8 (Integrated)

See how we customized our instructional sequence to fully support the Utah SEEd…

An illustration of a whale with jellyfish and turtles from Amplify Science

Unit phenomena for 6–8

Take a closer look at the unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

A laptop screen displays a simulation about Earth's energy system, with surrounding images showing diagrams and energy flow models.

Classroom Slides for 6–8

Your new hands-free TG is coming soon! These PowerPoints for every lesson make t…

A child wearing safety goggles closely examines an object through a magnifying glass in a classroom setting.

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

A student reviews a science textbook and looks at a laptop in a classroom, while other students work together on their science projects in the background.

Active reading in 6–8

Learn how we support students in learning how to interact with scientific texts….

A young person wearing gloves looks through a microscope at a table with laboratory supplies, including bottles, slides, and a tray, against a plain blue background.

Investigations for 6–8

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms….

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Two students sit at desks writing in notebooks and using laptops in a classroom setting.

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.

A science education kit includes goggles, measuring cups, books on ecosystems and fuel burning, seeds, a jar, game pieces, and soil. Authored by The Lawrence Hall of Science.

Program component list for 6–8 (Integrated)

Explore the components that come with each unit.

What’s included in our phenomena-based science curriculum

Amplify Science is a phenomena-based science curriculum for grades K-8. This program is designed to give students engaging, realistic experiences that mirror how scientists and engineers actually work. To do this, the Lawrence Hall of Science and Amplify created compelling print and digital resources that work seamlessly together to enable students’ investigations and explorations.

Year at a glance

Amplify Science is organized around units where students are introduced to compelling phenomena and real-world problems, develop and strengthen claims by collecting evidence and testing assumptions, and apply their learning in new contexts.

Un gráfico que muestra secuencias de lecciones de ciencias desde jardín de infantes hasta quinto grado, detallando temas, números de lecciones, días de evaluación y duración de las lecciones para cada grado.

Units at a glance

In each Amplify Science unit, students are asked to inhabit the role of a scientist or engineer in order to investigate a real-world problem. These problems provide relevant, 21st-century contexts through which students investigate different scientific phenomena.

1

Needs of Plants and Animals

Students take on the role of scientists in order to figure out why there have been no monarch caterpillars in the community garden since vegetables were planted. They investigate how plants and animals get what they need to live and grow, and make a new plan for the community garden that provides for the needs of the monarch caterpillars in addition to producing vegetables for humans.

2

Pushes and Pulls

Students take on the role of pinball machine engineers as they investigate the effects of forces on the motion of an object. They conduct tests in their own prototypes (models) of a pinball machine and use what they learn to contribute to the design of a class pinball machine. Over the course of the unit, students construct a foundational understanding of why things move in different ways

Silueta de una estructura de parque infantil contra un cielo azul con nubes y tres soles amarillos.

3

Sunlight and Weather

The principals of Woodland Elementary and Carver Elementary need student weather scientists to help them explain why Woodland’s playground is warmer than Carver’s at recess. Students gather data from models of the sun and Earth’s surface and observe their own playgrounds to figure out how sunlight causes changes in the temperatures of different surfaces. Students then use models to figure out why Woodland’s playground sometimes floods.

1

Animal and Plant Defenses

Students play the role of marine scientists. In their role, students apply their understanding of plant and animal defense structures to explain to aquarium visitors how a sea turtle and her offspring can defend themselves from ocean predators when they are released into the wild.

Dos manos sosteniendo un papel con un dibujo de pirámide y árbol, iluminado por una linterna, proyectando otra sombra de la imagen en la pared.

2

Light and Sound

Students take on the role of light and sound engineers for a puppet show company as they investigate cause and effect relationships to learn about the nature of light and sound. They apply what they learn to design shadow scenery and sound effects for a puppet show.

Ilustración que muestra un paisaje urbano dividido en noche a la izquierda con una luna y estrellas, y día a la derecha con un sol, nubes y un avión.

3

Spinning Earth

As sky scientists, students explain why a boy living in a place near them sees different things in the sky than his grandma does when he talks to her on the phone. Students record, organize, and analyze observations of the sun and other sky objects as they look for patterns and make sense of the cycle of daytime and nighttime.

1

Plant and Animal Relationships

In their role as plant scientists, students work to figure out why there are no new chalta trees growing in the Bengal Tiger Reserve, which is part of a broadleaf forest. Students investigate what the chalta tree needs to survive, then collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to solve the mystery.

Una mano sostiene un frijol rojo sobre una mesa, mientras un palo de madera esparce pegamento blanco y frijoles esparcidos. Sobre la mesa también hay una taza blanca y una pluma amarilla.

2

Properties of Materials

As glue engineers, students are challenged to create a glue for use at their school that meets a set of design goals. Students present an evidence-based argument for why their glue mixture will be good for their school to use.

Ilustración de una costa con acantilados, un edificio de centro recreativo con un techo rojo y un letrero, árboles de hoja perenne, una bandera azul y una playa de arena debajo.

3

Changing Landforms

The director of the Oceanside Recreation Center gets a scare when a nearby cliff collapses overnight. Research reveals that the distance between the Recreation Center’s flagpole and the edge of the cliff have changed over time. Students play the role of geologists and work to figure out why the cliff has changed over time. Based on what they learn about erosion, they advise on whether it is safe to keep the center open even though the cliff is changing.

Una ilustración de un tren de alta velocidad moderno y aerodinámico que viaja por una vía elevada con un paisaje verde de fondo.

1

Balancing Forces

People in Faraday are excited to hear that a new train service will be built for their city, but concerned when they hear that it will be a floating train. Students are challenged to figure out how a floating train works in order to explain it to the citizens of Faraday. They develop models of how the train rises, floats, and then falls back to the track, and then write an explanation of how the train works.

Ilustración de una escena de bosque con un oso, un alce, pájaros en una rama y un grupo de lobos en primer plano. Las colinas y los árboles están al fondo bajo un cielo despejado.

2

Inheritance and Traits

Students play the role of wildlife biologists working in Greystone National Park. They study two wolf packs and are challenged to figure out why an adopted wolf (“Wolf 44”) in one of the packs has certain traits. Students observe variation between and within different species, investigate inherited traits and those that result from the environment, and explain the origin of several of the adopted wolf’s traits.

Ilustración de un pájaro mirando un caracol en el suelo, con hojas verdes en el lado izquierdo y un fondo de cielo azul.

3

Environments and Survival

In their role as biomimicry engineers, students work to figure out how the traits of grove snails affect their survival in different environments. They then explore how the traits of different organisms make them more likely or less likely to survive, collecting and interpreting data to understand how organisms’ traits affect their survival in different environments. Students then apply their understanding to a new challenge: designing effective solutions for the removal of invasive plants.

4

Weather and Climate

In their role as meteorologists, students gather evidence to decide where to build an orangutan reserve by analyzing patterns in weather data. After choosing the strongest evidence, students use data to make arguments about which of three fictional islands has weather most like that of orangutans’ existing habitats, Borneo and Sumatra. They then discern patterns in the locations of natural hazards in order to figure out which ones the Wildlife Protection Organization must prepare for.

Ilustración de un paisaje urbano nocturno con ventanas iluminadas y farolas, una luna visible y estrellas en el cielo. Una figura solitaria se recorta en una de las ventanas.

1

Energy Conversions

Students take on the role of systems engineers for Ergstown, a fictional town that experiences frequent blackouts, and explore reasons why an electrical system can fail. Students apply what they learned as they choose new energy sources and energy converters for the town, then write arguments for why their design choices will make the town’s electrical system more reliable.

Un gecko se prepara para atrapar un grillo bajo una farola por la noche. Las flechas amarillas ilustran la luz de la lámpara que golpea al grillo y se refleja en los ojos del gecko.

2

Vision and Light

As conservation biologists, students work to figure out why a population of Tokay geckos has decreased since the installation of new highway lights in the rainforest. Students use their understanding of vision, light, and information processing to figure out why an increase in light in the geckos’ habitat is affecting the population.

3

Earth’s Features

Playing the role of geologists, students help the director of Desert Rocks National Park explain how and when a particular fossil formed and how it came to be in its current location. Students figure out what the environment of the park was like in the past and why it has so many visible rock layers.

Dos delfines nadan bajo el agua en un ambiente teñido de azul, uno frente al otro, y uno parece abrir ligeramente la boca.

4

Waves, Energy, and Information

In their role as marine scientists, students work to figure out how mother dolphins communicate with their calves. They write a series of scientific explanations with diagrams to demonstrate their growing understanding of how sound waves travel. Then they apply what they’ve learned about waves, energy, and patterns in communication to figure out how to create patterns that can communicate information over distances.

1

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Playing the role of astronomers, students help a team of archaeologists figure out what the missing piece of a recently discovered artifact might have depicted. As they learn about the sun and other stars and the movement of Earth, students can explain what is shown on the artifact and what might be on the missing piece.

2

Modeling Matter

In their role as food scientists at a fictional company, students are introduced to the idea that all matter is made of particles too small to see, and that each different substance is made of particles (molecules) that are unique. They are then challenged to solve two problems: one requires them to separate a mixture, and the other requires them to make unmixable substances mix. Students are challenged to use the particulate model of matter to explain their work to the CEO of the company.

Ilustración de un paisaje costero con una montaña y flechas que representan el flujo del viento sobre y alrededor de la montaña, lo que indica la dinámica del flujo de aire.

3

The Earth System

The cities of East Ferris and West Ferris are located on different sides of a mountain on the fictional Ferris Island. East Ferris is having a water shortage while West Ferris is not. As water resource engineers, students learn about the Earth system to help figure out what is causing the water shortage problem and design possible solutions, including freshwater collection systems and proposals for using chemical reactions to treat wastewater.

Ilustración de una escena de la jungla en la que aparecen un guepardo y un perezoso entre un denso follaje verde y varias plantas coloridas.

4

Ecosystem Restoration

As ecologists, students work to figure out why the organisms in a part of a Costa Rican rainforest ecosystem aren’t growing and thriving. As they solve this problem, students learn more generally how organisms in an ecosystem get the matter and energy they need to survive, and then write a series of restoration plans that include arguments about why the rainforest ecosystem is not thriving and recommend actions to restore its health.

Print & digital components

The program includes instructional guidance and student materials for a year of instruction, with lessons and activities that keep students engaged every day.

Component

Format

Teacher’s Guides

Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including detailed lesson plans, high-level overview documentation, differentiation strategies, standards alignments, materials and preparation steps, teacher support strategies and in-context professional development, possible student responses, and more.

Print and digital

Hands-on materials kits

Hands-on learning is integrated into every unit of Amplify Science. Each hands-on activity is supported through clear instructions for the teacher, as well as easily accessible materials in unit-specific kits. Each kit contains hands-on materials, both consumable and nonconsumable, and various print materials (e.g., Vocabulary and Key Concept cards). With Amplify Science, students can actively participate in science: gathering evidence, thinking critically, making observations, and communicating their claims.

Kit

A collection of gardening supplies including a blue bucket, soil bags, plastic cups, hose, fertilizer pellets, and a black tray on a white background.

Component

Format

Student Investigation Notebooks

Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.

Print and digital

Student books

The age-appropriate Student Books in Amplify Science allow students to engage with content-rich text, obtain evidence, develop research and close reading skills, and construct arguments and explanations about the ideas they are learning in class.

Print and digital

Simulations and practice tools (grades 2+)

Developed exclusively for the Amplify Science program, these serve as venues for exploration and data collection, allowing students to explore scientific concepts that might otherwise be invisible or impossible to see with the naked eye.

Digital

Laptop screen displaying a geographical simulation of a river system with zones: Upper River, Floodplain, and River Delta, including an elevation chart and controls for speed and time adjustment.

Explore more programs

Our programs are designed to support and complement one another. Learn more about our related programs.

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Amplify Desmos Math

Amplify Desmos Math: Bringing you free math resources and core curriculum lesson…

Amplify ELA

Our Amplify ELA program prepares middle school students for high school and beyo…

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Welcome, Middle School Science Reviewers!

Thank you for taking the time to review Amplify Science for grades 6–8. On this site, you’ll find all the resources you need to learn more about this engaging and robust NGSS program. Plus, we make it easy to experience our program firsthand with a live demo account that features our interactive learning platform.

A person in protective glasses examines a glass of water, surrounded by illustrations of a rocket, telescope, polar bear, clouds, rain, and moon phases on a colorful abstract background.

Overview

With Amplify Science, students don’t just passively learn about science concepts.

No matter where your students are learning—whether at school or at home—they take on the role of scientists and engineers to actively investigate and make sense of real-world phenomena. They do this through a blend of cohesive and compelling storylines, hands-on investigations, collaborative discussions, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools.

Listen to these educators share how the program empowers students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers every day.

EdReports All-Green

Amplify Science for grades K–8 has been rated all-green by EdReports.

Read the review on EdReports.

A boy stirs a clear liquid in a plastic cup while a girl smiles beside him in a classroom with students and a teacher in the background. EdReports badge is overlaid in the corner.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities.

As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon. It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to address 100% of the NGSS in fewer days than other programs.

Graphic showing a research process with four steps: spark intrigue with a real-world problem, explore evidence, explain and elaborate, and evaluate claims, connected in a cycle with arrows.

Unit Sequence

Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.
 
In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.

Collage of four images: a watercolor desert scene, three kids examining a gadget, a hand placing beads into a container, and a woman in a sunhat in a stylized field.
Abstract art with vibrant colors featuring a yellow silhouette of a person holding a book against a background of geometric shapes, swirling patterns, and bold textures.

Unit 1

Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.  

Abstract artwork of a person's side profile with geometric shapes and colorful patterns flowing from the head, holding a small sledgehammer. A vision chart is visible in the corner.

Unit 2

Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.  

Orange abstract background with hexagonal shapes featuring icons of a bar chart, plant, safety vest, test tube, peach, and stethoscope.

Unit 3

Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.  

An image showing a graphic of spiders of different colors with distinct leg and body patterns, including brown, yellow, and blue variations. The background is a dark, textured surface.

Unit 4

Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.  

Illustration of a person in a red hat and fur-lined coat with eyes closed, surrounded by large orange circles on a dark background.

Unit 5

Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school. 

Abstract artwork depicting a bright sun with blue and orange swirling patterns next to green hills under a sky with shades of blue, orange, and red.

Unit 6

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.  

Illustration of a village with houses, fields and mountains under a cloudy sky with waves of wind or rain.

Unit 7

Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.  

A polar bear stands on a small ice floe in the ocean with an orange sun in the sky and distant icy mountains in the background.

Unit 8

Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.  

Abstract geometric design in shades of blue and purple featuring a hexagon with icons of a building, wrench, molecules, sun, paint can, and screwdriver.

Unit 9

Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.  

A barren, rocky desert landscape with rover tracks leading to a distant vehicle on a hill under a hazy sky.

Unit 1

Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable. 

Two prehistoric reptiles with long snouts and tails are near the shore, one on land and one in water, with plants, rocks, and an island in the background.

Unit 2

Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.  

Geometric design featuring a telescope, mountain, sound waves, and cosmic elements on a purple hexagonal background.

Unit 3

Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.  

Illustration of a cross-section of Earth showing a volcano near the ocean. Trees, mountains, and clouds are visible above, with subterranean layers below.

Unit 4

Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.  

Illustration showing the stages of melting an orange popsicle: whole, partially melted, more melted, and almost completely melted, with wooden sticks, on a purple background.

Unit 5

Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart

Green geometric background with a hexagonal emblem containing a parachute icon, ruler, bandage, and stacked layers on a gradient pattern.

Unit 6

Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.  

Abstract digital artwork featuring numerous red and gray circles overlapping a split background of blue and light purple, creating a dynamic and energetic composition.

Unit 7

Chemical Reactions

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.  

An illustration of a whale with jellyfish and turtles from Amplify Science

Unit 8

Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased. 

Low-poly landscape with trees and mushrooms. A fox sniffs the ground, a rabbit sits nearby, and mountains and sun are in the background.

Unit 9

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.  

Two people climbing rocky terrain; illustrations show a hiking boot and a belt with gear.

Unit 1

Harnessing Human Energy

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.  

A spacecraft approaches and docks with a space station featuring large blue solar panels, set against a backdrop of outer space.

Unit 2

Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.

Green geometric graphic featuring icons: a baby, thermometer, layers, medical alert, and a flame.

Unit 3

Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.  

Illustration of a roller coaster filled with people, hands raised, going down a steep track against a bright blue sky with clouds.

Unit 4

Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.  

Illustration of Earth with arrows and wavy lines representing solar radiation entering the atmosphere, showing a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.

Unit 5

Light Waves

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.

A city skyline at night with a prominent full moon, stars in the sky, and a bridge silhouette on the left.

Unit 6

Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.  

Four low-poly dinosaurs with missing body sections are standing in a row; one is yellow, and the others are green. They have purple spikes and red patches on their bodies.

Unit 7

Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.  

Red geometric background with icons including a mosquito, DNA strand, bar chart, and world map inside a hexagon.

Unit 8

Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.  

Two giant tortoises with long necks stand near water; one tortoise feeds on leaves from a tree while the other is near dense vegetation.

Unit 9

Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Access program

Watch the video to the right plus the ones below showing you how to navigate our digital platform. When you’re ready, follow the instructions below to log into our live demo account.

  • Click the orange button below to access the platform.
  • Choose the resources you’d like to review.
  • Pick your grade level from the drop-down menu.
  • Scroll down to find additional grade-level resources.
Access the digital platform now

Navigating an Engineering Internship (Part 1)

This Part 1 video demonstrates how Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Navigating an Engineering Internship (Part 2)

This Part 2 video demonstrates how to use the Futura Workspace to manage the immersive experience of the Engineering Internship units. This includes guidance on how to create student groups, how to review student work, and how to send students targeted feedback on their designs.

Navigating our reporting tools

Teachers of Amplify Science grades 6–8 have access to a feature called Reporting. When unit assessments are administered digitally, the Reporting tool enables teachers to analyze student performance on the unit assessments.

Differentiation post-assessment

Every core unit of Amplify Science 6–8 features a formal formative assessment opportunity at the mid-way point, or “Critical Juncture,” of the unit, which provides an important opportunity for differentiation.

Resources

An adult sits on a couch using a laptop while a child next to them does homework in a notebook.

Remote and Hybrid Learning Guide

Learn more about new product enhancements and resources to help you and your sta…

Two students collaborate at a desk, discussing a science workbook. Other students are visible in the background, engaged in the vibrant atmosphere of the classroom.

Course structure for 6–8

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Illustration of a roller coaster filled with people, hands raised, going down a steep track against a bright blue sky with clouds.

Unit phenomena for 6–8

Take a closer look at the middle school unit phenomena featured in each grade le…

A laptop screen displays a simulation about Earth's energy system, with surrounding images showing diagrams and energy flow models.

Classroom Slides for 6–8

Classrooms Slides for middle school are coming soon! These customizable PowerPoi…

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital Simulations included at each grade level.

A student reviews a science textbook and looks at a laptop in a classroom, while other students work together on their science projects in the background.

Active reading in 6–8

Learn how we support students in learning how to interact with scientific texts….

A young person wearing gloves looks through a microscope at a table with laboratory supplies, including bottles, slides, and a tray, against a plain blue background.

Investigations for 6–8

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms….

A collection of assorted electronic components and supplies, including batteries, motors, wires, switches, rubber bands, small propellers, cups, solar panel, bulbs, and fasteners.

Materials Kits for 6–8

See what components come in our materials kits!

Two students sit at desks writing in notebooks and using laptops in a classroom setting.

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.

Get in touch

Smiling man with short hair and a trimmed beard wearing a light blue collared shirt against a plain white background.

Have questions? Bob McCarty is standing by and ready to help.

Robert “Bob” McCarty
Senior Account Executive
(435) 655-1731
rmccarty@amplify.com

Welcome, Idaho science reviewers!

To view this protected page, enter the password below:



A closer look at grades 6–8 (domain)

Amplify Science is based on the latest research on teaching and learning and helps teachers deliver rigorous and riveting lessons through hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools that empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists.

In the 6–8 classroom, this looks like students:

  • Collecting evidence from a variety of sources.
  • Making sense of evidence in a variety of ways.
  • Formulating convincing scientific arguments.

Is your school implementing the domain model? Click here.

Collage of four images showing children engaged in educational activities such as conducting experiments and crafting in a classroom setting.
A four-step process: Spark intrigue, Explore evidence, Explain and elaborate, and Evaluate claims, leading to ongoing engagement and building complexity.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to teach less, but achieve more. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our 6–8 program to address 100% of the NGSS in fewer lessons than other programs.

Scope and sequence

Every year our grades 6–8 sequence consists of 9 units, with each unit containing 10–19 lessons. Lessons are written to last a minimum of 45-minutes, though teachers can expand or contract the timing to meet their needs.

A grid of educational icons, each representing a different science topic, such as earth and space science, life science, and physical science, with titles and lesson counts.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also serving a unique purpose.

In grades 6–8, there are three types of units:

  • One unit is a launch unit.
  • Three units are core units.
  • Two units are engineering internships.
Launch units

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of Amplify Science. The goal of the Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year, including argumentation, active reading, and using the program’s technology. For example, rather than taking the time to explain the process of active reading in every unit in a given year, it is explained thoroughly in the Launch unit, thereby preparing students to actively read in all subsequent units.

Core units

Core units establish the context of the unit by introducing students to a real-world problem. As students move through lessons in a Core unit, they figure out the unit’s anchoring phenomenon, gain an understanding of the unit’s disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices, and make linkages across topics through the crosscutting concepts. Each Core unit culminates with a Science Seminar and final writing activity.

Engineering Internship units

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. Students figure out how to help those in need, from tsunami victims in Sri Lanka to premature babies, through the application of engineering practices. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Units at a glance

A rover sits on a rocky, reddish hill under a hazy sky, leaving visible tire tracks across the barren landscape.
Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable.    

Two prehistoric marine reptiles with long snouts are near a rocky shoreline, one on land and one in the water, with an island and clouds in the background.
Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.    

A geometric badge with a mountain, telescope, and audio wave icons on a purple background with polygonal shapes.
Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.    

Illustration of a volcano by the sea with smoke, trees, mountains, and a cross-section showing a fault line beneath the ground.
Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.    

Illustration of a city skyline at night with buildings, a bridge, and a large full moon in a starry sky.
Earth, Sun, and Moon

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.    

Abstract digital painting of a landscape with green hills, a red-orange horizon, and a large yellow sun surrounded by blue and orange swirling shapes on the right.
Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.    

Illustration of a town with houses and fields under a sky with large clouds and swirling wind patterns, set against a backdrop of hills and mountains.
Weather Patterns

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.    

A polar bear stands on a small ice floe surrounded by water and floating ice under a red sun in an Arctic landscape.
Earth’s Changing Climate

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.    

Hexagonal badge with icons including a wrench, building, sun, screwdriver, paint can, and molecules on a purple geometric background.
Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.    

Colorful abstract digital artwork featuring a yellow figure holding a device, with blue and red shapes and textured patterns in the background.
Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.    

An abstract illustration of a person having their mouth and throat examined with a tongue depressor, surrounded by colorful shapes, with an eye chart in the background.
Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.    

Geometric orange background with a hexagon icon displaying symbols for statistics, farming, healthcare, safety vest, chemistry, and agriculture.
Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.    

Six spiders with different colors and stripe patterns are arranged in a grid pattern on a dark background, showing variations in leg and body color.
Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.    

An underwater scene shows a whale surrounded by jellyfish, sea turtles, and fish, with sunlight filtering through the water.
Populations and Resources

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased.    

A low-poly landscape with trees, mushrooms, a rabbit sitting, and a fox bending down near another rabbit under a sunny sky with mountains in the background.
Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: What caused the mysterious crash of a biodome ecosystem?    

Three green dinosaurs and one yellow dinosaur stand in a row on grass, each with purple spikes and a red spot on their backs. The sky is blue with light clouds.
Natural Selection

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.    

Red-toned graphic with hexagonal badge featuring a world map, a mosquito, a DNA strand, charts, cubes, and circular icons. Geometric background pattern.
Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.  

Two giant tortoises are near a river; one is by the water and the other is standing on land and stretching its neck toward a leafy tree.

Evolutionary History

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Two people climb over rocky terrain strewn with electronic waste, with illustrated insets showing a hiking boot, a solar-powered device, and a person adjusting a belt-like gadget.
Harnessing Human Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.    

A spacecraft approaches a modular space station with large solar panels, set against a backdrop of outer space.
Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.    

Green geometric background with a hexagonal badge showing a parachute, a box, a ruler, a bandage, and stacked layers.
Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents. 

Illustration of a roller coaster car full of people with raised arms, speeding down a loop against a blue sky with clouds.
Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.    

Illustration of a person in a red coat and hat with arms crossed, eyes closed, surrounded by large orange and brown circles, possibly representing snow or lights.
Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school.    

An orange popsicle gradually melts, shown in four stages from solid to completely melted, with wooden sticks visible, against a purple background.
Phase Change

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.    

A green background with a picture of a person and a sandwich.
Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.    

Digital illustration showing red and blue molecules on a blue background transitioning to a lighter background, representing molecular diffusion across a boundary.
Chemical Reactions

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.    

Illustration of Earth with yellow arrows and colored waves approaching from the left, representing incoming solar or cosmic radiation.
Light Waves

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.    

Resources

Pilot support brochure for grades 6–8 (Domain…

Unit phenomena for grade 6-8 (Domain)

Take a closer look at the unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

Classroom Slides for 6–8

Your new hands-free TG is coming soon! These PowerPoints for every lesson make t…

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

Planning Guide for grades 6–8 (Domain)

Check out these tips for planning to teach.

Active reading in grades 6–8

Scientists read and write with purpose too.

Investigations for grades 6–8 (Domain)

Explore the types of investigations that take place in 6–8 classrooms.

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for grades 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital simulations included at each grade level.

Approaches to assessment at 6–8

Learn about our embedded assessments.

A closer look at grades 6–8

Amplify Science is based on the latest research on teaching and learning and helps teachers deliver rigorous and riveting lessons through hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools that empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists.

In the 6–8 classroom, this looks like students:

  • Collecting evidence from a variety of sources.
  • Making sense of evidence in a variety of ways.
  • Formulating convincing scientific arguments.

Is your school implementing the domain model? Click here.

Collage of four images showing children engaged in educational activities such as conducting experiments and crafting in a classroom setting.
A four-step process diagram: Spark intrigue, Explore evidence, Explain and elaborate, and Evaluate claims, connected by arrows, with an engagement statement below.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to teach less, but achieve more. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our 6–8 program to address 100% of the NGSS in fewer lessons than other programs.

Scope and sequence

Every year our grades 6–8 sequence consists of 9 units, with each unit containing 10–19 lessons. Lessons are written to last a minimum of 45-minutes, though teachers can expand or contract the timing to meet their needs.

A grid of educational icons, each representing a different science topic, such as earth and space science, life science, and physical science, with titles and lesson counts.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also serving a unique purpose.

In grades 6–8, there are three types of units:

  • One unit is a launch unit.
  • Three units are core units.
  • Two units are engineering internships.
Launch units

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of Amplify Science. The goal of the Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year, including argumentation, active reading, and using the program’s technology. For example, rather than taking the time to explain the process of active reading in every unit in a given year, it is explained thoroughly in the Launch unit, thereby preparing students to read actively in all subsequent units.

Core units

Core units establish the context of the unit by introducing students to a real-world problem. As students move through lessons in a Core unit, they figure out the unit’s anchoring phenomenon, gain an understanding of the unit’s disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices, and make linkages across topics through the crosscutting concepts. Each Core unit culminates with a Science Seminar and final writing activity.

Engineering Internship units

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. Students figure out how to help those in need, from tsunami victims in Sri Lanka to premature babies, through the application of engineering practices. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Units at a glance

Abstract digital artwork featuring a yellow human figure, red shapes, and a blue-toned screen, with vibrant, multicolored patterns and textures in the background.
Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.  

An abstract illustration of a person receiving an oral examination, with colorful geometric shapes and an eye chart in the background.
Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.  

Abstract orange background with geometric shapes, featuring icons of a vest, bar chart, leaf, beaker, fruit, medical stethoscope, and an envelope within a hexagonal frame.
Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.  

Six spiders with varying body colors (brown, yellow, blue, and red) and patterns are arranged on a dark, textured background, seemingly in a diagram or chart formation.
Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.  

Illustration of a person with closed eyes in a red winter coat and hat, surrounded by falling snow and orange circles on a dark background.
Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school. 

Abstract illustration of a sun with blue and orange rays over a colorful landscape featuring green hills and a vibrant sky.
Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.  

Illustration of clouds above a small town and farmland, with wind currents depicted swirling through the landscape under a blue sky.
Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.  

A polar bear stands on a small floating ice sheet in the ocean, surrounded by melting ice, with a red sun in the sky.
Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.  

A purple hexagonal graphic with icons including a building, wrench, screwdriver, sun, molecules, paint bucket, and tiles on a geometric patterned background.
Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.  

A robotic rover sits on a hill in a rocky, reddish landscape, with visible tracks in the dust leading to its current position under a hazy sky.
Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable. 

Two green prehistoric reptiles with long snouts are near the shore; one is on land while the other swims in blue water, with plants, rocks, and an island in the background.
Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.  

A purple geometric background featuring a hexagonal badge with a telescope, mountain, audio wave, and star symbols inside.
Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.  

Illustration showing an ocean, forest, and mountains with a smoking volcano, plus a cross-section of underground tectonic plates.
Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.  

Four stages of an orange popsicle melting on a stick, from fully frozen on the left to completely melted on the right, against a plain background.
Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart

Green geometric background with an outlined hexagon containing icons: a parachute, ruler, letter "A," bandage, stacked blocks, and a folded corner paper.
Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature. Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Abstract illustration showing red and blue circles on a split blue and light background, representing molecular movement across a membrane or barrier.
Chemical Reactions

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.  

An underwater scene with a large whale surrounded by turtles, jellyfish, and various fish swimming in different directions.
Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased. 

Low-poly digital illustration of a fox hunting a rabbit in a forest with pine trees, mushrooms, mountains, and the sun in the background. Another rabbit sits near the trees.
Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.  

Two people climb over rocks filled with electronic devices; inset illustrations show a boot, a belt of batteries, and a radio.
Harnessing Human Energy

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.  

A spacecraft approaches and docks with a modular space station featuring large blue solar panels, set against a black space background.
Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.

Green graphic with hexagonal emblem showing an infant, a thermometer, layered materials, a medical symbol, and a flame icon.
Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.

Illustration of a roller coaster car with passengers raising their arms as they descend a steep track against a blue sky with clouds.
Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.  

Illustration of the Earth with arrows representing radiation or energy entering the atmosphere from space, focused on the Asia-Pacific region.
Light Waves

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.

A city skyline at night with illuminated windows, a large full moon, stars in the sky, and a bridge visible on the left side.
Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.  

Four polygonal dinosaurs walking in a row, three green and one yellow, each with a rock and purple spikes on their backs, set against a grassy background with a blue sky.
Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.  

Red geometric background featuring a hexagonal emblem with icons of a world map, mosquito, DNA strand, bar chart, and interconnected blocks.
Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.  

Two tortoises with long necks are by a river; one is browsing leaves from a bush while the other is walking near the water's edge.
Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Resources

Pilot support brochure for 6–8 (Integrated)

Unit phenomena for 6–8

Take a closer look at the unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

Classroom Slides for 6–8

Your new hands-free TG is coming soon! These PowerPoints for every lesson make t…

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

Active reading in 6–8

Scientists read and write with purpose too.

Investigations for 6–8

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms….

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.

A closer look at grades 6–8 (domain)

Amplify Science California is based on the latest research on teaching and learning and helps teachers deliver rigorous and riveting lessons through hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools that empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists.

In the 6–8 classroom, this looks like students:

  • Collecting evidence from a variety of sources.
  • Making sense of evidence in a variety of ways.
  • Formulating convincing scientific arguments.

Is your school implementing the integrated model? Click here.

Collage of four images showing children engaged in educational activities such as conducting experiments and crafting in a classroom setting.
Graphic showing a research process with four steps: spark intrigue with a real-world problem, explore evidence, explain and elaborate, and evaluate claims, connected in a cycle with arrows.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science California to teach less, but achieve more. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our 6–8 program to address 100% of the California NGSS in fewer lessons than other programs.

Scope and sequence

Every year of our grades 6–8 sequence consists of 9 units, with each unit containing 10–19 lessons. Lessons are written to last a minimum of 45 minutes, though teachers can expand or contract the timing to meet their needs.

A grid of educational icons, each representing a different science topic, such as earth and space science, life science, and physical science, with titles and lesson counts.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also serving a unique purpose.

In grades 6–8, there are three types of units:

  • One unit is a launch unit.
  • Three units are core units.
  • Two units are engineering internships.
Launch units

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of Amplify Science California. The goal of the Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year, including argumentation, active reading, and using the program’s technology. For example, rather than taking the time to explain the process of active reading in every unit in a given year, it is explained thoroughly in the Launch unit, thereby preparing students to actively read in all subsequent units.

Core units

Core units establish the context of the unit by introducing students to a real-world problem. As students move through lessons in a Core unit, they figure out the unit’s anchoring phenomenon, gain an understanding of the unit’s disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices, and make linkages across topics through the crosscutting concepts. Each Core unit culminates with a Science Seminar and final writing activity.

Engineering Internship units

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. Students figure out how to help those in need, from tsunami victims in Sri Lanka to premature babies, through the application of engineering practices. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Units at a glance

A barren, rocky desert landscape with rover tracks leading to a distant vehicle on a hill under a hazy sky.
Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable.    

Two prehistoric reptiles with long snouts and tails are near the shore, one on land and one in water, with plants, rocks, and an island in the background.
Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.    

Download unit guide

Geometric design featuring a telescope, mountain, sound waves, and cosmic elements on a purple hexagonal background.
Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.    

Illustration of a cross-section of Earth showing a volcano near the ocean. Trees, mountains, and clouds are visible above, with subterranean layers below.
Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.    

Download unit guide

A city skyline at night with a prominent full moon, stars in the sky, and a bridge silhouette on the left.
Earth, Sun, and Moon

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.    

Download unit guide

Abstract artwork depicting a bright sun with blue and orange swirling patterns next to green hills under a sky with shades of blue, orange, and red.
Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.    

Ilustración de un pueblo con casas, campos y montañas bajo un cielo nublado con olas de viento o lluvia.
Weather Patterns

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.    

Download unit guide

Un oso polar se encuentra sobre un pequeño témpano de hielo en el océano con un sol naranja en el cielo y lejanas montañas heladas al fondo.
Earth’s Changing Climate

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.    

Download unit guide

Abstract geometric design in shades of blue and purple featuring a hexagon with icons of a building, wrench, molecules, sun, paint can, and screwdriver.
Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.    

Abstract art with vibrant colors featuring a yellow silhouette of a person holding a book against a background of geometric shapes, swirling patterns, and bold textures.
Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.    

Abstract artwork of a person's side profile with geometric shapes and colorful patterns flowing from the head, holding a small sledgehammer. A vision chart is visible in the corner.
Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.    

Download unit guide

Orange abstract background with hexagonal shapes featuring icons of a bar chart, plant, safety vest, test tube, peach, and stethoscope.
Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.    

Imagen que muestra un gráfico de arañas de diferentes colores con patrones distintos de patas y cuerpo, incluidas variaciones de color marrón, amarillo y azul. El fondo es una superficie oscura y texturizada.
Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.    

Download unit guide

An illustration of a whale with jellyfish and turtles from Amplify Science
Populations and Resources

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased.    

Download unit guide

Low-poly landscape with trees and mushrooms. A fox sniffs the ground, a rabbit sits nearby, and mountains and sun are in the background.
Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: What caused the mysterious crash of a biodome ecosystem?    

Download unit guide

Four low-poly dinosaurs with missing body sections are standing in a row; one is yellow, and the others are green. They have purple spikes and red patches on their bodies.
Natural Selection

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.    

Download unit guide

Red geometric background with icons including a mosquito, DNA strand, bar chart, and world map inside a hexagon.
Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.  

Two giant tortoises with long necks stand near water; one tortoise feeds on leaves from a tree while the other is near dense vegetation.
Evolutionary History

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Download unit guide

Two people climbing rocky terrain; illustrations show a hiking boot and a belt with gear.
Harnessing Human Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.    

Illustration of a futuristic space station with large solar panels, orbiting in deep space, emitting a blue glow from its propulsion system.
Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.    

Download unit guide

Green geometric background with a hexagonal emblem containing a parachute icon, ruler, bandage, and stacked layers on a gradient pattern.
Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents. 

Illustration of a roller coaster filled with people, hands raised, going down a steep track against a bright blue sky with clouds.
Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.    

Illustration of a person in a red hat and fur-lined coat with eyes closed, surrounded by large orange circles on a dark background.
Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school.    

Download unit guide

Ilustración que muestra las etapas de fusión de una paleta de naranja: entera, parcialmente derretida, más derretida y casi derretida por completo, con palitos de madera, sobre un fondo morado.
Phase Change

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.    

Download unit guide

Green geometric graphic featuring icons: a baby, thermometer, layers, medical alert, and a flame.
Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.    

Obra de arte digital abstracta que presenta numerosos círculos rojos y grises superpuestos sobre un fondo dividido de azul y violeta claro, creando una composición dinámica y enérgica.
Chemical Reactions

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.    

Download unit guide

An illustration from the Light Waves unit
Light Waves

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.    

Download unit guide

Resources

Pilot support brochure for 6–8 (Domain)

See how we customized our instructional sequence to fully support the Utah SEEd…

Unit phenomena for 6–8(Domain)

Take a closer look at the unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

Un maestro se encuentra al frente de un salón de clases, explicando una lección que se muestra en una pantalla. Los estudiantes se sientan en sus escritorios y algunos levantan la mano.

Planning Guide for grades 6–8 (Domain)

Check out these tips for planning to teach.

Active reading in 6–8

Learn how we support students in learning how to interact with scientific texts….

Investigations for 6–8(Domain)

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms….

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital simulations included at each grade level.

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.

Inspiring the next generation of South Carolina scientists, engineers, and curious citizens

Amplify Science is an engaging new core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

Collage showing students engaged in classroom science activities and two scientific illustrations: a cheetah in foliage and a diagram of clouds and raindrops above a hill.

Our Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Explore the Digital Teacher’s Guide

When you’re ready to review, click the orange button below and use your provided login credentials to access the Amplify Science Digital Teacher’s Guide. If you need login credentials, contact Jeff Rutter, jrutter@amplify.com.

Review now

Resources to support your review

Scope and sequence

GRADE
UNIT
Kindergarten
  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water
Grade 1 
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth
Grade 2 
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms
Grade 3 
  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate
Grade 4 
  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information
Grade 5 
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration
Grade
Units

Grade 6
  • Launch: Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Metabolism Engineering Internship
  • Thermal Energy
  • Plate Motion
  • Plate Motion Engineering Internship
  • Rock Transformations
  • Weather Patterns
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Grade 7
  • Launch: Harnessing Human Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Phase Change Engineering Internship
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Grade 8
  • Launch: Geology on Mars
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Light Waves
  • Force and Motion
  • Force and Motion Engineering Internship
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Natural Selection
  • Natural Selection Engineering Internship
  • Evolutionary History

South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021

Amplify Science was designed from the ground up to meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021 are closely aligned to the NGSS at K-8. The guidance below is meant to provide support for integrating additional companion activities that support full coverage of the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021.

Organized by grade level, each section below will outline:

  • Additional activities that support 100% alignment to the  South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021; 
  • The standard being addressed with the activities; 
  • The recommended placement of the activities within a specific Amplify Science unit; and 
  • PDFs of any accompanying materials that are necessary to implement the activities.

Standard: MS-PS1-4: Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
Recommended placement: Thermal Energy unit, Lesson 4.4, addition to Activity 3
Materials: “Liquid Oxygen”
By reading the article “Liquid Oxygen,” which describes how the relationship between attraction and kinetic energy determines when a substance changes phase, students extend their understanding of the possible effects of adding or removing thermal energy to include changes in state (phase). Oxygen is one of the most common elements in the world, but most people are only familiar with oxygen in the gas phase. Because oxygen molecules are only weakly attracted to one another, condensing oxygen is difficult. This article introduces students to molecular attraction and discusses its role in phase change, including how it can be used to turn oxygen from a gas to a liquid.
Instructions:
Download PDFs of the “Liquid Oxygen” and distribute it to students. Before they begin reading, remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines. 

Standard: MS-PS4-2: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
Recommended placement: Weather Patterns unit, Lesson 4.4, addition to Activity 3
Materials: “Harvesting Sunlight”, “Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream” and “Making Waves at Swim Practice”
After investigating weather patterns, which includes a focus of the effects of energy from sunlight, students extend their learning about light by reading three articles about light and other waves.
“Harvesting Sunlight:” Students read this article to learn about the types of light from the sun that plants use for photosynthesis. The article describes how the sun emits all types of light, but plants can only use certain types of visible light for photosynthesis, mostly red and blue light. Plants also absorb other types of light, and these types of light affect plants in different ways. Students use this information to gather evidence that there are different types of light that can affect a material in different ways.
“Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream:” Students read this article to learn about how waves are transmitted. Explosions that would be deafening on Earth are silent in space. This is because sound is produced by sound waves and, unlike light waves, sound waves need matter to travel through. Reading about this phenomenon helps students understand the similarities and differences between mechanical and electromagnetic waves.
“Making Waves at Swim Practice:” A practice for the school swim team provides an everyday context for discussing light waves and sound waves in this engaging article. First, the article explores sound waves traveling through different materials–the air, the water of the pool, and even a metal poolside bench. Students discover that sound waves travel at different speeds in different materials. The later part of the article discusses light waves, which also travel at different speeds in different materials. As light waves move from one material to another, they change speed and bend. This bending of light waves is called refraction, and it explains why objects that are partly in the water and partly out of the water (such as the legs of a person sitting on the side of a pool) appear ripply and bent.
Instructions:
Plan one class period for each article. Download PDFs of the  “Harvesting Sunlight,” “Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream,” and “Making Waves at Swim Practice” articles. For each article, before students begin reading, preview the article and discuss what students already know and what they wonder about the topic, then remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines. 

Standard: MS-PS2-3: Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces. MS-PS2-5: Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
Recommended placement: Harnessing Human Energy unit, Lesson 3.4, after Activity 1
Materials: “Earth’s Geomagnetism” and “Painting with Static Electricity”
After concluding their investigations of energy transfers and conversions, students read two articles that introduce the topic of forces that act at a distance.
“Earth’s Geomagnetism:” What makes a compass needle point north, no matter what? This article introduces students to Earth’s geomagnetic field and the field lines scientists use to show its direction.
“Painting with Static Electricity:” This article gives students the opportunity to learn about electrostatic fields and forces in the context of spray painting without making a mess. Electrostatic painting systems use electrostatics to draw spray paint toward the object being painted, and nowhere else. Painters charge the object they are painting with a negative charge and the paint with a positive charge. The opposite charges are attracted to one another, causing the paint to move toward the object. This surprising use of electrostatics saves time and paint and keeps things tidy!
Instructions
Plan one class period for each article. Download PDFs of the “Earth’s Geomagnetism” and “Painting with Electricity” articles. For each article, before students begin reading, preview the article and discuss what students already know and what they wonder about the topic, then remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines. 

What’s included

Science articles
The middle school science articles serve as sources for evidence collection and were authored by science and literacy experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Illustration of the indirect effects of overfishing on northern benguela jelly populations displayed on a laptop screen.

Student Investigation Notebooks
Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:

  • Record data
  • Reflect on ideas from texts and investigations
  • Construct explanations and arguments

Available with full-color article compilations for middle school units.

Collection of educational books from 'amplify science' on topics including ocean atmosphere, matter and energy ecosystems, and insect interactions, displayed in various angles.

Digital student experience
Students access the digital simulations and modeling tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:

  • Conduct hands-on investigations
  • Engage in active reading and writing activities
  • Participate in discussions
  • Record observations
  • Craft end-of-unit scientific arguments
A digital illustration showcasing a laptop and a tablet displaying complex data analysis software interfaces with graphs and heatmaps.

Teacher’s Guides
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:

  • Classroom Slides
  • Detailed lesson plans
  • Unit and chapter overview documentation
  • Differentiation strategies
  • Standards alignments
  • In-context professional development
A laptop displaying a website about Mars exploration with a brochure next to it. Both screens show Mars-related images.

Hands-on materials kits
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science. Each unit kit contains:

  • Consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials
  • Print classroom display materials
  • Premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc.)
A perforated rectangular board, three small containers with different powders, a black battery holder with red wires, and three colored alligator clips are arranged on a white background.

Remote and hybrid learning supports

A person sitting at a desk using a laptop, with a bookshelf containing books, a fish tank, and a soccer ball nearby.

Amplify has launched a new remote learning solution called Amplify Science@Home. Intended to make extended remote learning and hybrid learning easier, Amplify Science@Home includes two useful options for continuing instruction: @Home Videos and @Home Units. 

Amplify Science @Home Videos are recordings of real Amplify Science teachers teaching the lessons. For those teachers who are unable to meet synchronously with their students, the recorded lessons are a great way to keep their students on track and engaged with Amplify Science while at home. These videos will be produced for all K–5 units, and for the first four units of each 6–8 grade level. Their release will be rolling, beginning in August.   

Amplify Science@Home Units are modified versions of Amplify Science units, strategically designed to highlight key activities from the program. The @Home Units take significantly less instructional time than the complete Amplify Science program and allow students to engage with science at home. @Home Units will be developed for all Amplify Science K–8 units. Each @Home unit includes:

  • Teacher overviews explaining how to use the materials, including suggestions for enhancing the @Home Units if synchronous learning or in-class time with students is available.
  • Overviews to send home to families.

Student materials are available in two formats:

  • @Home Slides (PDF/PPT) + Student Sheets (PDF) for students with access to technology at home.
  • Downloadable @Home Packets (PDF) for students without access to technology at home.

Download the Remote and hybrid learning guide.

Looking for help?

Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support

Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We have developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:

  • Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans
  • Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials
  • Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs
  • Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more

To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com

Timely technical and program support

Our technical and program support is included and available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.

For your most urgent questions:

  • Use our live chat within your program
  • Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969

For less urgent questions:

Email support

Contact us

Contact your South Carolina team representatives:
Jeff Rutter
Field Manager
jrutter@amplify.com
(727) 512-8440

Cathy McMillan
Senior Account Executive
cmcmillan@amplify.com
(904) 465-9904

Inspiring the next generation of Massachusetts scientists, engineers, and curious citizens

Amplify Science is an engaging new core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.

Collage of four images: a jungle illustration with a giraffe, students using computers, a boy studying with classmates, and an animated hillside with kites flying.

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify. This partnership extends to 2032, allowing us to continuously improve our program and provide our customers with the most up-to-date enhancements, free of charge. Get a glimpse at our latest back-to-school updates here.

Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

Three blue panels describing educational activities: "hands-on science" with lab experiments, "discuss" with collaborative learning, and "read" with literacy in science articles.

Phenomena-based approach

In each Amplify Science unit, students take on the roles of scientists or engineers in order to investigate a real-world problem. Students work to define the problem and collect and make sense of evidence. Once the context is clear, students collect evidence from multiple sources and through a variety of modalities. At the end of the unit, students are presented with a brand new problem, giving them an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned over the course of the unit to a new context. This represents a shift from asking students to learn about science to supporting students in figuring out the science.

Flowchart of a learning unit divided into four chapters, showing stages of student engagement from introduction to application, with assessments indicated at various points.

Resources to support your review

Scope and Sequence

GRADE

Kindergarten

UNITS

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water

Grade 1

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water

Grade 2

  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3

  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4

  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

Flexible implementation

One of the key features of Amplify Science is the flexibility that it offers. We give students authentic opportunities to experience the full breadth of what it means to be a scientist or engineer. Just as scientists gather evidence from many types of sources, so do students in our program. Like scientists, students gather evidence not just from physical models, but also from digital models, texts, videos, photographs, maps, data sets, and even their peers!
Simply put, real scientists don’t just get messy—they read, write, analyze, hypothesize, model, test, and communicate with purpose, too.

Illustration of the indirect effects of overfishing on northern benguela jelly populations displayed on a laptop screen.

Student Books
Beginning and young readers have unique developmental needs, and science instruction should support these students in reading more independently as they progress through sections of content, the school year, and each grade. One way Amplify Science meets these needs is by strategically deploying different modes of reading throughout each unit: Read-Aloud, Shared Reading, and Partner Reading.

A collage of various educational book covers related to science and math, featuring illustrated themes like sports, nature, and energy.

Student Investigation Notebooks

Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:

  • record data.
  • reflect on ideas from texts and investigations.
  • construct explanations and arguments.
Collection of educational books from 'amplify science' on topics including ocean atmosphere, matter and energy ecosystems, and insect interactions, displayed in various angles.

Digital student experience

Students access the digital simulations and Modeling Tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:

  • conduct hands-on investigations.
  • engage in Active Reading and writing activities.
  • participate in discussions.
  • record observations.
  • craft end-of-unit scientific arguments.

Dive into a quick example of our powerful simulations

Grades K–5 simulation

A digital illustration showcasing a laptop and a tablet displaying complex data analysis software interfaces with graphs and heatmaps.

Hands-on materials kits

Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science and is integrated
into every unit. Students actively take on the roles of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend claims about the world around them.

Check out this 2-minute video to see an Amplify Science hands-on investigation in action.

Each unit kit contains:

  • consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials.
  • print classroom display materials.
  • premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc.).
A perforated rectangular board, three small containers with different powders, a black battery holder with red wires, and three colored alligator clips are arranged on a white background.

Teaching support

Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:

  • detailed lesson plans.
  • unit and chapter overview documentation.
  • differentiation strategies.
  • standards alignments.
  • in-context professional development.
A laptop displaying the Geology on Mars webpage sits beside a book titled "Geology on Mars," both featuring the same cover image of Mars and a spacecraft, perfect for enhancing three-dimensional learning in any science classroom.

Massachusetts Academic Standards in Science coverage

Amplify Science was designed from the ground up to meet the NGSS, a set of standards that closely align with the Massachusetts Learning Standards for Science coverage. Most grade levels’ respective set of Amplify Science units therefore address the necessary MASS (see correlation). 

For grades K, 1, 2, 3, and 5, teachers should plan to also use the resources provided in the sections below to achieve full coverage of the appropriate standards before their students move on to the next grade band. Organized by grade level, each section outlines:

  • companion lesson materials that were written to support 100% alignment to the Massachusetts Learning Standards for Science coverage when used with the core Amplify Science units for the grade level
  • the standard being addressed with each companion lesson; and
  • the recommended placement of each companion lesson within a specific Amplify Science unit

Standard: K-PS1-1(MA). Investigate and communicate the idea that different kinds of materials can be solid or liquid depending on temperature.

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 5.6 of Sunlight and Weather

Resources: After students finish reflecting on their unit-long exploration of energy and temperature, play and discuss this read-aloud video of the student book Can you Change it Back?, which is featured in the grade 2 unit Properties of Materials. You might also consider borrowing the physical books from a grade 2 colleague’s Properties of Materials kit and reading it as a class instead of or in addition to playing the video.

Using the book, you will introduce students to the idea that heating and cooling can cause changes to materials. In the book, students are presented with a variety of materials and asked to predict whether a certain change caused by heating or cooling is reversible or irreversible.

Companion lesson: “Seasonal Changes”

Standard: 1-ESS1-2– Analyze provided data to identify relationships among seasonal patterns of change, including relative sunrise and sunset time changes, seasonal temperature and rainfall or snowfall patterns, and seasonal changes to the environment.

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 5.1 of Spinning Earth

Resources: Season Changes Classroom Slides and Student Sheet

Companion lesson: “Properties and Weight”

Standard: 2-PS1-3– Analyze a variety of evidence to conclude that when a chunk of material is cut or broken into pieces, each piece is still the same material and, however small each piece is, has weight. Show that the material properties of a small set of pieces do not change when the pieces are used to build larger objects.

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 4.4 of Properties of Materials.

Resources: Weight and Properties Classroom Slides, Resources, and Student Sheet

Companion lesson 1: Extinct Insects

Standard: 3-LS4-1: Use fossils to describe types of organisms and their environments that existed long ago and compare those to living organisms and their environments. Recognize that most kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere.

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 2.3 of Environments and Survival

Resources: Extinct Insects Classroom Slides and Student Sheet

Companion lesson 2: Friction

Standard: 3-PS2-1: Provide evidence to explain the effect of multiple forces, including friction, on an object. Include balanced forces that do not change the motion of the object and unbalanced forces that do change the motion of the object.

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 1.1 of Balancing Forces

Resources: Friction Classroom Slides, Resources, and Student Sheet

Companion lesson 1: Composters

Standard: 5-LS2-2(MA)– Compare at least two designs for a composter to determine which is most likely to encourage decomposition of materials.

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 3.7 of Ecosystem Restoration

Resources: Composters Classroom Slides and Student Sheet

Companion lesson 2: Properties of Materials

Standard: 5-PS1-3 (MA) – Make observations and measurements of substances to describe characteristic properties of each, including color, hardness, reflectivity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, response to magnetic forces, and solubility.

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 1.3 of Modeling Matter

Resources: Properties of Materials Classroom Slides, Resources, Articles, Copymaster, and Student Sheet

Companion lesson 3: Water Filters

Standard: 5-ESS3-2(MA)– Test a simple system designed to filter particulates out of water and propose one change to the design to improve it.

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 5.6 of The Earth System

Resources: Water Filters Classroom Slides and Student Sheet

Benchmark Assessments

Amplify’s Benchmark Assessments are designed to help teachers measure student progress toward the three dimensions—Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), and Crosscutting Concepts(CCCs)—and performance expectations (PEs) of the NGSS. The assessments provide important insight into how students are progressing toward mastery of different standards ahead of high-stakes, end-of-year assessments.

The Benchmark Assessments are built to be delivered after specific units in the recommended Amplify Science scope and sequence.* They are given three or four times per year, depending on the grade level. The benchmarks are intended to show progress at various points in time across a school year, and are therefore not summative in nature. Digital items and item clusters are also tagged to specific NGSS standards, allowing customization to align with other course sequences. The assessments are available via the following platforms:

Print
PDF files: For administering Benchmark Assessments on paper

Digital platforms

  • Illuminate
  • SchoolCity
  • Otus
  • QTI (“Question and Test Interoperability”) files
    Not sure whether QTI files are compatible with your assessment platform? Contact your school IT or assessment platform representative for more information.
    Please note that Amplify is able to provide access to the QTI files themselves, but is not able to support the integration process. Your assessment platform provider should be able to assist with QTI file integration.

Remote and hybrid learning support

A child sits at a desk using a laptop. Next to the desk is a bookshelf with books, a fishbowl, and a soccer ball.

See an example of our remote and hybrid learning support below:

Intended to make extended remote and hybrid learning easier, Amplify Science @Home includes two useful options for continuing instruction: @Home Videos and @Home Units.
Amplify Science @Home Videos are recordings of real Amplify Science teachers teaching the lessons. For those teachers who are unable to meet synchronously with their students, the recorded lessons are a great way to keep their students on track and engaged with Amplify Science while at home.

Amplify Science @Home Units are modified versions of Amplify Science units, strategically designed to highlight key activities from the program. The @Home Units take significantly less instructional time than the complete Amplify Science program and allow students to engage with science at home. Each @Home unit includes:

  • Teacher overviews explaining how to use the materials, including suggestions for enhancing the @Home Units if synchronous learning or in-class time with students is available
  • Overviews to send home to families

Student materials will be available in two formats:

  • @Home Slides (PDF/PPT) + Student Sheets (PDF) for students with access to technology at home
  • Downloadable @Home Packets (PDF) for students without access to technology at home

Download the remote and hybrid learning guide

Explore the digital Teacher’s Guide

To familiarize yourself with navigation of the digital Teacher’s Guide, watch our navigational guide videos:

Grades K–5:

Looking for help?

Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support

Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We’ve developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:

  • Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans.
  • Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials.
  • Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs.
  • Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more.

Timely technical and program support

Our technical and program support is included and available Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.

Ready to dive in?

Contact your Massachusetts representative:

Tracy Yefimenko
518-466-3497
tyefimenko@amplify.com

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify. This partnership extends to 2032, allowing us to continuously improve our program and provide our customers with the most up-to-date enhancements, free of charge. Get a glimpse at our latest back-to-school updates here.

Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

Three blue panels describing educational activities: "hands-on science" with lab experiments, "discuss" with collaborative learning, and "read" with literacy in science articles.

Phenomena-based approach

In each Amplify Science unit, students take on the roles of scientists or engineers in order to investigate a real-world problem. Students work to define the problem and collect and make sense of evidence. Once the context is clear, students collect evidence from multiple sources and through a variety of modalities. At the end of the unit, students are presented with a brand new problem, giving them an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned over the course of the unit to a new context. This represents a shift from asking students to learn about science to supporting students in figuring out the science.

Flowchart of a learning unit divided into four chapters, showing stages of student engagement from introduction to application, with assessments indicated at various points.

Resources to support your review

Remote and hybrid learning support

A child sits at a desk using a laptop. Next to the desk is a bookshelf with books, a fishbowl, and a soccer ball.

See an example of our remote and hybrid learning support below:

This fall, Amplify launched a new remote learning solution called Amplify Science@Home. Intended to make extended remote and hybrid learning easier, Amplify Science @Home includes two useful options for continuing instruction: @Home Videos and @Home Units.
Amplify Science @Home Videos are recordings of real Amplify Science teachers teaching the lessons. For those teachers who are unable to meet synchronously with their students, the recorded lessons are a great way to keep their students on track and engaged with Amplify Science while at home. These videos will be produced for all K–5 units, and for the first four units of each 6–8 grade level. Their release will be rolling, beginning in August.

Amplify Science @Home Units are modified versions of Amplify Science units, strategically designed to highlight key activities from the program. The @Home Units take significantly less instructional time than the complete Amplify Science program and allow students to engage with science at home. @Home Units will be developed for all Amplify Science K–8 units. Each @Home unit includes:

  • Teacher overviews explaining how to use the materials, including suggestions for enhancing the @Home Units if synchronous learning or in-class time with students is available
  • Overviews to send home to families

Student materials will be available in two formats:

  • @Home Slides (PDF/PPT) + Student Sheets (PDF) for students with access to technology at home
  • Downloadable @Home Packets (PDF) for students without access to technology at home

Download the remote and hybrid learning guide

Benchmark Assessments

Amplify’s Benchmark Assessments are designed to help teachers measure student progress toward the three dimensions—Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), and Crosscutting Concepts(CCCs)—and performance expectations (PEs) of the NGSS. The assessments provide important insight into how students are progressing toward mastery of different standards ahead of high-stakes, end-of-year assessments.

The Benchmark Assessments are built to be delivered after specific units in the recommended Amplify Science scope and sequence.* They are given three or four times per year, depending on the grade level. The benchmarks are intended to show progress at various points in time across a school year, and are therefore not summative in nature. Digital items and item clusters are also tagged to specific NGSS standards, allowing customization to align with other course sequences. The assessments are available via the following platforms:

Print
PDF files: For administering Benchmark Assessments on paper

Digital platforms

  • Illuminate
  • SchoolCity
  • Otus
  • QTI (“Question and Test Interoperability”) files
    Not sure whether QTI files are compatible with your assessment platform? Contact your school IT or assessment platform representative for more information.
    Please note that Amplify is able to provide access to the QTI files themselves, but is not able to support the integration process. Your assessment platform provider should be able to assist with QTI file integration.

Flexible implementation

One of the key features of Amplify Science is the flexibility that it offers. We give students authentic opportunities to experience the full breadth of what it means to be a scientist or engineer. Just as scientists gather evidence from many types of sources, so do students in our program. Like scientists, students gather evidence not just from physical models, but also from digital models, texts, videos, photographs, maps, data sets, and even their peers!
Simply put, real scientists don’t just get messy—they read, write, analyze, hypothesize, model, test, and communicate with purpose, too.

Science articles

The middle school science articles serve as sources for evidence collection and were authored by science and literacy experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Illustration of the indirect effects of overfishing on northern benguela jelly populations displayed on a laptop screen.

Student Books
Beginning and young readers have unique developmental needs, and science instruction should support these students in reading more independently as they progress through sections of content, the school year, and each grade. One way Amplify Science meets these needs is by strategically deploying different modes of reading throughout each unit: Read-Aloud, Shared Reading, and Partner Reading.

A collage of various educational book covers related to science and math, featuring illustrated themes like sports, nature, and energy.

Student Investigation Notebooks

Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:

  • record data.
  • reflect on ideas from texts and investigations.
  • construct explanations and arguments.

Available with full-color article compilations for middle school units.

Collection of educational books from 'amplify science' on topics including ocean atmosphere, matter and energy ecosystems, and insect interactions, displayed in various angles.

Digital student experience

Students access the digital simulations and Modeling Tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:

  • conduct hands-on investigations.
  • engage in Active Reading and writing activities.
  • participate in discussions.
  • record observations.
  • craft end-of-unit scientific arguments.

Dive into a quick example of our powerful simulations

A digital illustration showcasing a laptop and a tablet displaying complex data analysis software interfaces with graphs and heatmaps.

Hands-on materials kits

Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science and is integrated
into every unit. Students actively take on the roles of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend claims about the world around them.

Check out these 2-minute videos to see an Amplify Science hands-on investigation in action.

Each unit kit contains:

  • consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials.
  • print classroom display materials.
  • premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc.).
A perforated rectangular board, three small containers with different powders, a black battery holder with red wires, and three colored alligator clips are arranged on a white background.

Teacher’s Guides

Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:

  • detailed lesson plans.
  • unit and chapter overview documentation.
  • differentiation strategies.
  • standards alignments.
  • in-context professional development.
A laptop displaying the Geology on Mars webpage sits beside a book titled "Geology on Mars," both featuring the same cover image of Mars and a spacecraft, perfect for enhancing three-dimensional learning in any science classroom.

Scope and Sequence

GRADE UNITS
Kindergarten
  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water
Grade 1
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth
Grade 2
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms
Grade 3
  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate
Grade 4
  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information
Grade 5
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration
GRADE UNITS
Grade 6: Earth Science
  • Launch: Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Plate Motion: Engineering Internship
  • Rock Transformations
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Earth’s Changing Climate: Engineering Internship
Grade 7: Life Science
  • Launch: Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Metabolism: Engineering Internship
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Natural Selection
  • Natural Selection: Engineering Internship
  • Evolutionary History
Grade 8: Physical Science 
  • Launch: Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Force and Motion: Engineering Internship
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Thermal Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Phase Change: Engineering Internship
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Light Waves

Minnesota Academic Standards in Science coverage

Amplify Science was designed from the ground up to meet the NGSS, a set of standards that closely align with the K–8 Minnesota Academic Standards in Science (MASS). Therefore, most grade levels’ respective set of Amplify Science units address the necessary MASS (see K–5 reverse alignment and/or correlations for K–5 and 6–8). However, for grades 2–4, teachers should also use the resources provided in the sections below to achieve full coverage of the appropriate standards before their students move on to the next grade level. Organized by grade level, each section outlines:

  • companion lesson materials that were written to support 100% alignment to the Minnesota Academic Standards in Science when used with the core Amplify Science units for the grade level
  • the standard being addressed with each companion lesson; and
  • the recommended placement of each companion lesson within a specific Amplify Science unit 

Companion lesson: “Shelter”

Standard: 1P.4.2.2.1 Communicate solutions that use materials to provide shelter, food, or warmth needs for communities including Minnesota American Indian tribes and communities.* (P: 8, CC: 2, CI: PS1, ETS2)

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 5.1 of Spinning Earth

Materials: Shelter Classroom Slides and Student Sheet

Companion lesson: “Describing Climates”

Standard: 2E.4.2.1.2 Obtain and use information from multiple sources, including electronic sources, to describe climates in different regions of the world.** (P: 8, CC: 1, CI: ESS2)

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 4.5 of Changing Landforms

Materials: Describing Climates Classroom Slides and Student Sheet

Note: Students will further investigate the content in this standard, and revisit the book used in this companion lesson, in 3rd grade (Weather and Climate unit)

Companion lesson 1: Light and Vision

Standard: 3P.3.1.1.1 Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen. (P: 2, CC: 2, CI: PS4)

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 4.5 of Environments and Survival

Materials: Light and Vision Part 1 Classroom Slides and Student Sheet; Light and Vision Part 2 Classroom Slides and Student Sheet 

Note: Students will further investigate the content in this standard, and revisit the book used in this companion lesson, in 4th grade (Vision and Light unit)

Companion lesson 2: Studying Stars

Standard: 3E.4.2.2.1 Gather information and communicate how Minnesota American Indian Tribes and communities and other cultures use patterns in stars to make predictions and plans. (P 8, CC: 1, CI: ESS1) 

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 4.4 of Weather and Climate

Materials: Studying Stars Classroom Slides and Student Sheet

Note: Students will further investigate the content in this standard, and revisit the book used in this companion lesson, in 5th grade (Patterns of Earth and Sky unit)

Companion lesson 1: Salt Water and Freshwater

Standard: 4E.2.2.1.1 Interpret charts, maps and/or graphs of the amounts of salt water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.** (P: 5, CC: 4, CI: ESS2) 

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 2.6 of Earth’s’ Features

Materials: Salt Water and Freshwater Classroom Slides and Student Sheet

Note: Students will further investigate the content in this standard, and revisit the book used in this companion lesson, in 5th grade (The Earth System unit)

Companion lesson 2: How Raindrops Form

Standard: 4E.1.1.1.2 Ask questions about how water moves through the Earth system and identify the type of question. (P: 1, CC: 5, CI: ESS2) 

Recommended placement: Following Lesson 4.5 of Earth’s’ Features

Materials: How Raindrops Form Classroom Slides and Student Sheet

Note: Students will further investigate the content in this standard, and revisit the book used in this companion lesson, in 5th grade (The Earth System unit)

Explore the digital Teacher’s Guide

To familiarize yourself with navigation of the digital Teacher’s Guide, watch our navigational guide videos:

Grades K–5:

Grades 6–8:

Looking for help?

Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support

Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We’ve developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:

  • Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans.
  • Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials.
  • Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs.
  • Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more.

Timely technical and program support

Our technical and program support is included and available Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.

Ready to dive in?

Contact your Minnesota representative:
Kristi Stengel
Account Executive
kstengel@amplify.com
(612) 306-3941

Tammy Sigwarth
Account Executive
tsigwarth@amplify.com
(563) 663-0056

Amplify Science

A new core curriculum designed from the ground up for the NGSS.

Preview the Student Books and Student Investigation Notebooks

Needs of Plants and Animals

Pushes and Pulls

Sunlight and Weather

Animal and Plant Defenses

Light and Sound

Spinning Earth

Plant and Animal Relationships

Properties of Materials

Changing Landforms

Balancing Forces

Environments and Survival

Inheritance and Traits

Weather and Climate

Energy Conversions

Earth’s Features

Vision and Light

Waves, Energy, and Information

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Ecosystem Restoration

The Earth System

Modeling Matter

Spanish Student Books and Student Investigation Notebooks

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Amplify Science

A new core curriculum designed from the ground up for the NGSS.

Preview the Student Books and Student Investigation Notebooks

Needs of Plants and Animals

Pushes and Pulls

Sunlight and Weather

Animal and Plant Defenses

Light and Sound

Spinning Earth

Plant and Animal Relationships

Properties of Materials

Changing Landforms

Balancing Forces

Environments and Survival

Inheritance and Traits

Weather and Climate

Energy Conversions

Earth’s Features

Vision and Light

Waves, Energy, and Information

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Ecosystem Restoration

The Earth System

Modeling Matter

Grades 6–8 Integrated Model

NGSS Benchmark Assessments

The Amplify NGSS Benchmark Assessments were authored by Amplify and were not developed as part of the Amplify Science program or created by the Lawrence Hall of Science.

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

The logo for The Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, features blue text on a light background and is recognized by educators using Amplify Science for middle school science programs.

The University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is a recognized leader in PreK–12 science education, producing groundbreaking curriculum products for more than 40 years, including the international award-winning Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading®. The Hall’s curriculum materials are used in one in four classrooms across the nation.

Amplify has been pioneering digital education products for more than 15 years, empowering teachers across the country to offer more personalized instruction and accelerate the potential of their students to become more active, engaged learners. Amplify has supported more than 200,000 educators and three million students in all 50 states.

Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on experience in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, clearly expressing their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking—just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Elementary school course structure

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms
  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate
  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

Middle school course structure (domain model)

  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History
  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Thermal Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Light

Middle school course structure (integrated model)

  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Thermal Energy
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Light Waves
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary

Begin your review

To begin your review, click the button below to log in as a teacher.

Access program

Watch a video walkthrough

Elementary School

Middle School

Contact your Delaware representative

Denise Donahue

Account Executive
Email: ddonahue@amplify.com
Phone: (410) 251-5855

Preview the Student Books and Investigation Notebooks

Kindergarten

Needs of Plants and Animals

Pushes and Pulls

Sunlight and Weather

Grade 1

Animal and Plant Defenses

Light and Sound

Spinning Earth

Grade 2

Plant and Animal Relationships

Properties of Materials

Changing Landforms

Grade 3

Balancing Forces

Environments and Survival

Inheritance and Traits

Weather and Climate

Grade 4

Energy Conversions

Earth’s Features

Vision and Light

Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Ecosystem Restoration

The Earth System

Modeling Matter

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at the University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

The Lawrence Hall of Science
The University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is a recognized leader in PreK-12 science education, producing groundbreaking curriculum products for more than 40 years, including the international award-winning Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading®. The Hall’s curriculum materials are used in one in four classrooms across the nation.

Amplify
Amplify has been pioneering digital education products for more than 15 years, empowering teachers across the country to offer more personalized instruction and accelerate the potential of their students to become more active, engaged learners. Amplify has supported more than 200,000 educators and three million students in all 50 states.

Elementary school curriculum

Grade K

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water

Grade 1

  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth

Grade 2

  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3

  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4

  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

Middle school curriculum – Domain Model

Earth and Space Science

  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate

Life Science

  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History

Physical Science

  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Thermal Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Light Waves

Middle school curriculum – Integrated Model

Grade 6

  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Thermal Energy
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate

Grade 7

  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Grade 8

  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Light Waves
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History

Standards correlations

Download a full correlation to the Arizona Science Standards.

Spanish-language support

Amplify Science is committed to providing support to meet the needs of all learners, including multiple access points for Spanish-speaking students. Developed in conjunction with Spanish-language experts and classroom teachers, multiple components are available in Spanish across the Amplify Science curriculum.

Spanish-language materials include:

COMPONENTTEACHER/STUDENT
Student Investigation Notebooks (K–8)Student
Science articles (6–8)Student
Student Books (K–5)Student
Video transcripts (6–8)Student
Digital simulation translation key (6–8)Student
Printed classroom materials (K–8)
(Unit and chapter questions, key concepts, vocabulary cards, etc.)		Teacher and student
Copymasters (K–8)Teacher
Assessments (K–8)Teacher

Contact your Arizona representative directly

Thomas Gearhart
Account Executive, Southwest
Email: tgearhart@amplify.com
Phone: (505) 206-7661

Access curriculum now

To begin your review, click the button to access the online digital curriculum.

Preview now

Review the Program Guide.

Watch the video walkthroughs

Elementary school

Middle school

Welcome, Arizona reviewers!

Inspiring the next generation of Arizona scientists, engineers, and curious citizens. Amplify Science is a brand-new, engaging core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.

Two middle school girls conduct a science experiment

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at the University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

The Lawrence Hall of Science
The University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is a recognized leader in PreK-12 science education, producing groundbreaking curriculum products for more than 40 years, including the international award-winning Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading®. The Hall’s curriculum materials are used in one in four classrooms across the nation.

Amplify
Amplify has been pioneering digital education products for more than 15 years, empowering teachers across the country to offer more personalized instruction and accelerate the potential of their students to become more active, engaged learners. Amplify has supported more than 200,000 educators and three million students in all 50 states.

Elementary school curriculum

Grade K

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water

Grade 1

  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth

Grade 2

  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3

  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4

  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

Middle school curriculum – Domain Model

Earth and Space Science

  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate

Life Science

  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History

Physical Science

  • Light Waves
  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Thermal Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions

Middle school curriculum – Integrated Model

Grade 6

  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Thermal Energy
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate

Grade 7

  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Grade 8

  • Evolutionary History
  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Light Waves
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection

Standards correlations

Download a full correlation to the Arizona Science Standards.

Spanish-language support

Amplify Science is committed to providing support to meet the needs of all learners, including multiple access points for Spanish-speaking students. Developed in conjunction with Spanish-language experts and classroom teachers, multiple components are available in Spanish across the Amplify Science curriculum.

Spanish-language materials include:

Components
Teacher / Student
  • Student Investigation Notebooks (K–8)
  • Student
  • Student Books (K–5)
  • Student
  • Science articles (6–8)
  • Student
  • Video transcripts (6–8)
  • Student
  • Digital simulation translation key (6–8)
  • Student
  • Printed classroom materials (K–8)
    (i.e., Unit and chapter questions, key concepts, vocabulary cards, etc.)
  • Teacher / Student
  • Copymasters (K–8)
  • Teacher
  • Assessments (K–8)
  • Teacher

Program Guide

For more information about the program, see our
Amplify Science Digital Program Guide.

Watch the video walkthroughs

Elementary school

Middle school

Demo access and your Arizona representative

To request demo access, please contact your Account Executive.

Thomas Gearhart
Senior Account Executive
Western, Eastern, and Southern AZ
Email: tgearhart@amplify.com
Phone: (505) 206-7661

Yvonne Rohde
Senior Account Executive
Northern AZ
Email: yrohde@amplify.com
Phone: (480) 673-0019

Laina Armbuster
Account Executive
Accounts 3,500 and below
Email: larmbuster@amplify.com
Phone: (602) 791-4135

Review Materials

Teacher Reference Guides

It’s important that your committee sees the full breadth and depth of our instruction. For that reason, we provided a copy of each of our unit-specific Teacher Reference Guides. Before you panic, rest assured that teachers do not use these robust reference guides for day-to-day teaching. For that, we have a hands-free TG!

Amplify Science lesson slides

  • Teacher Reference Guide: Unlike a typical TG that requires a series of supplemental books to support it, our encyclopedic reference guide is chock-full of everything a teacher needs to fully implement our program and the NGSS.
  • Ready-to-Teach Digital Lessons: For daily instruction, teachers need their hands free. That’s why we created ready-to-teach lesson slides for every single lesson What’s more, they are editable and include suggested teacher talk and point-of-use differentiation and other instructional tips. Read this help article to learn more.

Hands-on kits

Every unit of our program includes a dedicated hands-on materials kit. Due to the amount of materials involved, we provided your committee two sample kits per grade level. Our unit-specific kits make material management easy for teachers—they grab the tub they need and then put it all back with ease. Plus, items needed for multiple units are duplicated and found in each tub.

Amplify Science hands-on kits

Our unit-specific kits:

  • Include more materials — We give you enough non-consumable materials to support 200 student uses.
  • Are more manageable — Unlike other programs that require large groups of students to share limited sets of materials, our kits include enough to support small groups of 4–5 students.
  • Include supportive videos — Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.

Overview

Developed by UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, our program features:

  • A phenomena-based approach where students construct a more complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
  • A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
  • Cohesive units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true 3-dimensional learning.
  • An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.

 

Hands-on investigations

Literacy integration

Simulations and modeling tools

Classroom discussions

EdReports All-Green

Amplify Science for grades K–8 has been rated all-green by EdReports.

Read the review on EdReports.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities.

As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon. It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to address 100% of the NGSS in fewer days than other programs.

Navigating an Engineering Internship (Part 2)

This Part 2 video demonstrates how to use the Futura Workspace to manage the immersive experience of the Engineering Internship units. This includes guidance on how to create student groups, how to review student work, and how to send students targeted feedback on their designs.

Unit sequence

Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.

In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.

Unit 1

Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.  

Unit 2

Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.  

See how this unit works

Unit 3

Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.  

Unit 4

Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.  

See how this unit works

Unit 5

Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school.  

See how this unit works   

Unit 6

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.  

Unit 7

Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.  

See how this unit works

Unit 8

Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.  

See how this unit works

Unit 9

Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.  

Unit 1

Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable.  

Unit 2

Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.  

See how this unit works

Unit 3

Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.    

Unit 4

Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.   

See how this unit works

Unit 5

Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.  

See how this unit works

Unit 6

Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.  

Unit 7

Chemical Reactions

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.  

See how this unit works

Unit 8

Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased.  

See how this unit works  

Unit 9

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.  

See how this unit works 

Unit 1

Harnessing Human Energy

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.   

Unit 2

Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.  

See how this unit works

Unit 3

Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.  

Unit 4

Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.  

Unit 5

Light Waves

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.  

See how this unit works

Unit 6

Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.  

Unit 7

Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.  

See how this unit works

Unit 8

Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.  

Unit 9

Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

See how this unit works

Access program

Watch the video to the right plus the ones below showing you how to navigate our digital platform. When you’re ready, follow the instructions below to log into our live demo account.

  • Click the orange button below to access the platform.
  • To explore as a teacher, enter this username (t1.washoemssci@demo.tryamplify.net) and this password ( Amplify1-washoemssci).
  • To explore as a student, enter this username (s1.washoemssci@demo.tryamplify.net) and this password ( Amplify1-washoemssci).
  • Choose your grade level from the drop-down menu.

 

Access the digital platform now

Navigating an Engineering Internship (Part 1)

This Part 1 video demonstrates how Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Navigating an Engineering Internship (Part 2)

This Part 2 video demonstrates how to use the Futura Workspace to manage the immersive experience of the Engineering Internship units. This includes guidance on how to create student groups, how to review student work, and how to send students targeted feedback on their designs.

Navigating our reporting tools

Teachers of Amplify Science grades 6–8 have access to a feature called Reporting. When unit assessments are administered digitally, the Reporting tool enables teachers to analyze student performance on the unit assessments.

Differentiation post-assessment

Every core unit of Amplify Science 6–8 features a formal formative assessment opportunity at the mid-way point, or Critical Juncture, of the unit, which provides an important opportunity for differentiation.

Resources

Two middle school girls use a Student Investigation Notebook to take on the role of scientists and engineers

Course structure for 6–8

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Unit phenomena for 6–8

Take a closer look at the middle school unit phenomena featured in each grade level.
A young person wearing gloves looks through a microscope at a table with laboratory supplies, including bottles, slides, and a tray, against a plain blue background.

Investigations for 6–8

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms.
Amplify Science California supports 3-D learning with more materials than any other program.

Kit-provided components for 6–8

See what components come in our materials kits!

Teacher-provided components for 6–8

See a list of typical classroom items provided by teachers.
A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital Simulations included at each grade level.

Active reading in 6–8

Learn how we support students in learning how to interact with scientific texts.
Estudiantes sentados en escritorios, concentrados en escribir en cuadernos y trabajar en computadoras portátiles en un salón de clases.

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.

Overview

With Amplify Science, students don’t just passively learn about science concepts.

No matter where your students are learning, they take on the role of scientists and engineers to actively investigate and make sense of real-world phenomena. They do this through a blend of cohesive and compelling storylines, hands-on investigations, collaborative discussions, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools.

Watch the videos below to learn how the program empowers students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers every day.

Grades 6–8

EdReports All-Green

Amplify Science for grades K–8 has been rated all-green by EdReports.

Read the review on EdReports.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities.

As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon. It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to address 100% of the NGSS in fewer days than other programs.

Unit sequence

Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.

In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.

Unit 1

Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable.  

Unit 2

Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.  

Unit 3

Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.    

Unit 4

Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.   

Unit 5

Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.  

Unit 6

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.  

Unit 7

Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.  

Unit 8

Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.  

Unit 9

Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.  

Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.  

Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.   

Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Unit 1

Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.  

Unit 2

Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.  

Unit 3

Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.  

Unit 4

Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.  

Unit 5

Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased.    

Unit 6

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.   

Unit 7

Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.  

Unit 8

Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.  

Unit 9

Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.     

Unit 1

Harnessing Human Energy

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.   

Unit 2

Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.  

Unit 3

Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.  

Unit 4

Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.  

Unit 5

Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school.   

Unit 6

Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.  

Unit 7

Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.  

Unit 8

Chemical Reactions

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.  

Unit 9

Light Waves

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.  

Access program

Watch the video to the right plus the ones below showing you how to navigate our digital platform. When you’re ready, follow the instructions below to log into our live demo account.

  • Click the orange button below to access the platform.
  • To explore as a teacher, enter this username (t1.cartwrightsd@demo.tryamplify.net) and this password (Amplify1-cartwrightsd).
  • To explore as a student, enter this username (s1.cartwrightsd@demo.tryamplify.net) and this password (Amplify1-cartwrightsd).
  • Choose your grade level from the drop-down menu.

 

Access the digital platform now

Navigating an Engineering Internship (Part 1)

This Part 1 video demonstrates how Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Navigating an Engineering Internship (Part 2)

This Part 2 video demonstrates how to use the Futura Workspace to manage the immersive experience of the Engineering Internship units. This includes guidance on how to create student groups, how to review student work, and how to send students targeted feedback on their designs.

Navigating a Launch Unit

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of the program. The goal of a Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year.

Navigating a Core Unit

Core units introduce a real-world problem and support students as they figure out the anchoring phenomenon and gain an understanding of the unit’s DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs.

Navigating our reporting tools

Teachers of Amplify Science grades 6–8 have access to a feature called Reporting. When unit assessments are administered digitally, the Reporting tool enables teachers to analyze student performance on the unit assessments.

Differentiation post-assessment

Every core unit of Amplify Science 6–8 features a formal formative assessment opportunity at the mid-way point, or Critical Juncture, of the unit, which provides an important opportunity for differentiation.

Navigating an Engineering Internship

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Navigating Classwork and Reporting

Classwork is our new online grading tool that gives you quick and easy access to unreviewed work, student portfolios of work, and automatically generated differentiation groups.

Resources

Two middle school girls use a Student Investigation Notebook to take on the role of scientists and engineers

Course structure for 6–8

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Unit phenomena for 6–8

Take a closer look at the middle school unit phenomena featured in each grade level.
Un adulto y un niño se sientan en un sofá beige con cuadernos abiertos. El adulto usa una computadora portátil, mientras el niño escribe en un libro. La luz del sol entra por las ventanas detrás de ellos.

Remote and Hybrid Learning Guide

Learn more about new product enhancements and resources to help you and your staff manage back to school 2020.
A laptop screen displays a simulation about Earth's energy system, with surrounding images showing diagrams and energy flow models.

Classroom Slides for 6–8

Classrooms Slides for middle school are coming soon! These customizable PowerPoints for every lesson make teaching science even easier.
A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital Simulations included at each grade level.

Active reading in 6–8

Learn how we support students in learning how to interact with scientific texts.
A young person wearing gloves looks through a microscope at a table with laboratory supplies, including bottles, slides, and a tray, against a plain blue background.

Investigations for 6–8

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms.
Estudiantes sentados en escritorios, concentrados en escribir en cuadernos y trabajar en computadoras portátiles en un salón de clases.

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.

A closer look at grades 6–8 (domain)

Amplify Science California is based on the latest research on teaching and learning and helps teachers deliver rigorous and riveting lessons through hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools that empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists.

In the 6–8 classroom, this looks like students:

  • Collecting evidence from a variety of sources.
  • Making sense of evidence in a variety of ways.
  • Formulating convincing scientific arguments.

Is your school implementing the integrated model? Click here.

Collage of four images showing children engaged in educational activities such as conducting experiments and crafting in a classroom setting.
Graphic showing a research process with four steps: spark intrigue with a real-world problem, explore evidence, explain and elaborate, and evaluate claims, connected in a cycle with arrows.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science California to teach less, but achieve more. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our 6–8 program to address 100% of the California NGSS in fewer lessons than other programs.

Scope and sequence

Every year of our grades 6–8 sequence consists of 9 units, with each unit containing 10–19 lessons. Lessons are written to last a minimum of 45 minutes, though teachers can expand or contract the timing to meet their needs.

A grid of educational icons, each representing a different science topic, such as earth and space science, life science, and physical science, with titles and lesson counts.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also serving a unique purpose.

In grades 6–8, there are three types of units:

  • One unit is a launch unit.
  • Three units are core units.
  • Two units are engineering internships.
Launch units

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of Amplify Science California. The goal of the Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year, including argumentation, active reading, and using the program’s technology. For example, rather than taking the time to explain the process of active reading in every unit in a given year, it is explained thoroughly in the Launch unit, thereby preparing students to actively read in all subsequent units.

Core units

Core units establish the context of the unit by introducing students to a real-world problem. As students move through lessons in a Core unit, they figure out the unit’s anchoring phenomenon, gain an understanding of the unit’s disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices, and make linkages across topics through the crosscutting concepts. Each Core unit culminates with a Science Seminar and final writing activity.

Engineering Internship units

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. Students figure out how to help those in need, from tsunami victims in Sri Lanka to premature babies, through the application of engineering practices. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Units at a glance

A barren, rocky desert landscape with rover tracks leading to a distant vehicle on a hill under a hazy sky.
Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable.    

Two prehistoric reptiles with long snouts and tails are near the shore, one on land and one in water, with plants, rocks, and an island in the background.
Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.    

Download unit guide

Geometric design featuring a telescope, mountain, sound waves, and cosmic elements on a purple hexagonal background.
Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.    

Illustration of a cross-section of Earth showing a volcano near the ocean. Trees, mountains, and clouds are visible above, with subterranean layers below.
Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.    

Download unit guide

A city skyline at night with a prominent full moon, stars in the sky, and a bridge silhouette on the left.
Earth, Sun, and Moon

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.    

Download unit guide

Abstract artwork depicting a bright sun with blue and orange swirling patterns next to green hills under a sky with shades of blue, orange, and red.
Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.    

Ilustración de un pueblo con casas, campos y montañas bajo un cielo nublado con olas de viento o lluvia.
Weather Patterns

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.    

Download unit guide

Un oso polar se encuentra sobre un pequeño témpano de hielo en el océano con un sol naranja en el cielo y lejanas montañas heladas al fondo.
Earth’s Changing Climate

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.    

Download unit guide

Abstract geometric design in shades of blue and purple featuring a hexagon with icons of a building, wrench, molecules, sun, paint can, and screwdriver.
Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.    

Abstract art with vibrant colors featuring a yellow silhouette of a person holding a book against a background of geometric shapes, swirling patterns, and bold textures.
Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.    

Abstract artwork of a person's side profile with geometric shapes and colorful patterns flowing from the head, holding a small sledgehammer. A vision chart is visible in the corner.
Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.    

Download unit guide

Orange abstract background with hexagonal shapes featuring icons of a bar chart, plant, safety vest, test tube, peach, and stethoscope.
Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.    

Imagen que muestra un gráfico de arañas de diferentes colores con patrones distintos de patas y cuerpo, incluidas variaciones de color marrón, amarillo y azul. El fondo es una superficie oscura y texturizada.
Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.    

Download unit guide

An illustration of a whale with jellyfish and turtles from Amplify Science
Populations and Resources

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased.    

Download unit guide

Low-poly landscape with trees and mushrooms. A fox sniffs the ground, a rabbit sits nearby, and mountains and sun are in the background.
Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: What caused the mysterious crash of a biodome ecosystem?    

Download unit guide

Four low-poly dinosaurs with missing body sections are standing in a row; one is yellow, and the others are green. They have purple spikes and red patches on their bodies.
Natural Selection

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.    

Download unit guide

Red geometric background with icons including a mosquito, DNA strand, bar chart, and world map inside a hexagon.
Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.  

Two giant tortoises with long necks stand near water; one tortoise feeds on leaves from a tree while the other is near dense vegetation.
Evolutionary History

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Download unit guide

Two people climbing rocky terrain; illustrations show a hiking boot and a belt with gear.
Harnessing Human Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.    

Illustration of a futuristic space station with large solar panels, orbiting in deep space, emitting a blue glow from its propulsion system.
Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.    

Download unit guide

Green geometric background with a hexagonal emblem containing a parachute icon, ruler, bandage, and stacked layers on a gradient pattern.
Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents. 

Illustration of a roller coaster filled with people, hands raised, going down a steep track against a bright blue sky with clouds.
Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.    

Illustration of a person in a red hat and fur-lined coat with eyes closed, surrounded by large orange circles on a dark background.
Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school.    

Download unit guide

Ilustración que muestra las etapas de fusión de una paleta de naranja: entera, parcialmente derretida, más derretida y casi derretida por completo, con palitos de madera, sobre un fondo morado.
Phase Change

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.    

Download unit guide

Green geometric graphic featuring icons: a baby, thermometer, layers, medical alert, and a flame.
Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.    

Obra de arte digital abstracta que presenta numerosos círculos rojos y grises superpuestos sobre un fondo dividido de azul y violeta claro, creando una composición dinámica y enérgica.
Chemical Reactions

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.    

Download unit guide

An illustration from the Light Waves unit
Light Waves

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.    

Download unit guide

Resources

Pilot support brochure for 6–8 (Domain)

See how we customized our instructional sequence to fully support the Utah SEEd…

Unit phenomena for 6–8(Domain)

Take a closer look at the unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

Un maestro se encuentra al frente de un salón de clases, explicando una lección que se muestra en una pantalla. Los estudiantes se sientan en sus escritorios y algunos levantan la mano.

Planning Guide for grades 6–8 (Domain)

Check out these tips for planning to teach.

Active reading in 6–8

Learn how we support students in learning how to interact with scientific texts….

Investigations for 6–8(Domain)

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms….

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital simulations included at each grade level.

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.

A closer look at grades 6–8

Amplify Science is based on the latest research on teaching and learning and helps teachers deliver rigorous and riveting lessons through hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools that empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists.

In the 6–8 classroom, this looks like students:

  • Collecting evidence from a variety of sources.
  • Making sense of evidence in a variety of ways.
  • Formulating convincing scientific arguments.

Is your school implementing the domain model? Click here.

Collage of four images showing children engaged in educational activities such as conducting experiments and crafting in a classroom setting.
A four-step process diagram: Spark intrigue, Explore evidence, Explain and elaborate, and Evaluate claims, connected by arrows, with an engagement statement below.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to teach less, but achieve more. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our 6–8 program to address 100% of the NGSS in fewer lessons than other programs.

Scope and sequence

Every year our grades 6–8 sequence consists of 9 units, with each unit containing 10–19 lessons. Lessons are written to last a minimum of 45-minutes, though teachers can expand or contract the timing to meet their needs.

A grid of educational icons, each representing a different science topic, such as earth and space science, life science, and physical science, with titles and lesson counts.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also serving a unique purpose.

In grades 6–8, there are three types of units:

  • One unit is a launch unit.
  • Three units are core units.
  • Two units are engineering internships.
Launch units

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of Amplify Science. The goal of the Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year, including argumentation, active reading, and using the program’s technology. For example, rather than taking the time to explain the process of active reading in every unit in a given year, it is explained thoroughly in the Launch unit, thereby preparing students to read actively in all subsequent units.

Core units

Core units establish the context of the unit by introducing students to a real-world problem. As students move through lessons in a Core unit, they figure out the unit’s anchoring phenomenon, gain an understanding of the unit’s disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices, and make linkages across topics through the crosscutting concepts. Each Core unit culminates with a Science Seminar and final writing activity.

Engineering Internship units

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. Students figure out how to help those in need, from tsunami victims in Sri Lanka to premature babies, through the application of engineering practices. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Units at a glance

Abstract digital artwork featuring a yellow human figure, red shapes, and a blue-toned screen, with vibrant, multicolored patterns and textures in the background.
Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.  

An abstract illustration of a person receiving an oral examination, with colorful geometric shapes and an eye chart in the background.
Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.  

Abstract orange background with geometric shapes, featuring icons of a vest, bar chart, leaf, beaker, fruit, medical stethoscope, and an envelope within a hexagonal frame.
Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.  

Six spiders with varying body colors (brown, yellow, blue, and red) and patterns are arranged on a dark, textured background, seemingly in a diagram or chart formation.
Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.  

Illustration of a person with closed eyes in a red winter coat and hat, surrounded by falling snow and orange circles on a dark background.
Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school. 

Abstract illustration of a sun with blue and orange rays over a colorful landscape featuring green hills and a vibrant sky.
Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.  

Illustration of clouds above a small town and farmland, with wind currents depicted swirling through the landscape under a blue sky.
Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.  

A polar bear stands on a small floating ice sheet in the ocean, surrounded by melting ice, with a red sun in the sky.
Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.  

A purple hexagonal graphic with icons including a building, wrench, screwdriver, sun, molecules, paint bucket, and tiles on a geometric patterned background.
Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.  

A robotic rover sits on a hill in a rocky, reddish landscape, with visible tracks in the dust leading to its current position under a hazy sky.
Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable. 

Two green prehistoric reptiles with long snouts are near the shore; one is on land while the other swims in blue water, with plants, rocks, and an island in the background.
Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.  

A purple geometric background featuring a hexagonal badge with a telescope, mountain, audio wave, and star symbols inside.
Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.  

Illustration showing an ocean, forest, and mountains with a smoking volcano, plus a cross-section of underground tectonic plates.
Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.  

Four stages of an orange popsicle melting on a stick, from fully frozen on the left to completely melted on the right, against a plain background.
Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart

Green geometric background with an outlined hexagon containing icons: a parachute, ruler, letter "A," bandage, stacked blocks, and a folded corner paper.
Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature. Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Abstract illustration showing red and blue circles on a split blue and light background, representing molecular movement across a membrane or barrier.
Chemical Reactions

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.  

An underwater scene with a large whale surrounded by turtles, jellyfish, and various fish swimming in different directions.
Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased. 

Low-poly digital illustration of a fox hunting a rabbit in a forest with pine trees, mushrooms, mountains, and the sun in the background. Another rabbit sits near the trees.
Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.  

Two people climb over rocks filled with electronic devices; inset illustrations show a boot, a belt of batteries, and a radio.
Harnessing Human Energy

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.  

A spacecraft approaches and docks with a modular space station featuring large blue solar panels, set against a black space background.
Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.

Green graphic with hexagonal emblem showing an infant, a thermometer, layered materials, a medical symbol, and a flame icon.
Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.

Illustration of a roller coaster car with passengers raising their arms as they descend a steep track against a blue sky with clouds.
Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.  

Illustration of the Earth with arrows representing radiation or energy entering the atmosphere from space, focused on the Asia-Pacific region.
Light Waves

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.

A city skyline at night with illuminated windows, a large full moon, stars in the sky, and a bridge visible on the left side.
Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.  

Four polygonal dinosaurs walking in a row, three green and one yellow, each with a rock and purple spikes on their backs, set against a grassy background with a blue sky.
Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.  

Red geometric background featuring a hexagonal emblem with icons of a world map, mosquito, DNA strand, bar chart, and interconnected blocks.
Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.  

Two tortoises with long necks are by a river; one is browsing leaves from a bush while the other is walking near the water's edge.
Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Resources

Pilot support brochure for 6–8 (Integrated)

Unit phenomena for 6–8

Take a closer look at the unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

Classroom Slides for 6–8

Your new hands-free TG is coming soon! These PowerPoints for every lesson make t…

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

Active reading in 6–8

Scientists read and write with purpose too.

Investigations for 6–8

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms….

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.

A closer look at grades 6–8 (domain)

Amplify Science is based on the latest research on teaching and learning and helps teachers deliver rigorous and riveting lessons through hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools that empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists.

In the 6–8 classroom, this looks like students:

  • Collecting evidence from a variety of sources.
  • Making sense of evidence in a variety of ways.
  • Formulating convincing scientific arguments.

Is your school implementing the domain model? Click here.

Collage of four images showing children engaged in educational activities such as conducting experiments and crafting in a classroom setting.
A four-step process: Spark intrigue, Explore evidence, Explain and elaborate, and Evaluate claims, leading to ongoing engagement and building complexity.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to teach less, but achieve more. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our 6–8 program to address 100% of the NGSS in fewer lessons than other programs.

Scope and sequence

Every year our grades 6–8 sequence consists of 9 units, with each unit containing 10–19 lessons. Lessons are written to last a minimum of 45-minutes, though teachers can expand or contract the timing to meet their needs.

A grid of educational icons, each representing a different science topic, such as earth and space science, life science, and physical science, with titles and lesson counts.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also serving a unique purpose.

In grades 6–8, there are three types of units:

  • One unit is a launch unit.
  • Three units are core units.
  • Two units are engineering internships.
Launch units

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of Amplify Science. The goal of the Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year, including argumentation, active reading, and using the program’s technology. For example, rather than taking the time to explain the process of active reading in every unit in a given year, it is explained thoroughly in the Launch unit, thereby preparing students to actively read in all subsequent units.

Core units

Core units establish the context of the unit by introducing students to a real-world problem. As students move through lessons in a Core unit, they figure out the unit’s anchoring phenomenon, gain an understanding of the unit’s disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices, and make linkages across topics through the crosscutting concepts. Each Core unit culminates with a Science Seminar and final writing activity.

Engineering Internship units

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. Students figure out how to help those in need, from tsunami victims in Sri Lanka to premature babies, through the application of engineering practices. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Units at a glance

A rover sits on a rocky, reddish hill under a hazy sky, leaving visible tire tracks across the barren landscape.
Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable.    

Two prehistoric marine reptiles with long snouts are near a rocky shoreline, one on land and one in the water, with an island and clouds in the background.
Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.    

A geometric badge with a mountain, telescope, and audio wave icons on a purple background with polygonal shapes.
Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.    

Illustration of a volcano by the sea with smoke, trees, mountains, and a cross-section showing a fault line beneath the ground.
Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.    

Illustration of a city skyline at night with buildings, a bridge, and a large full moon in a starry sky.
Earth, Sun, and Moon

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.    

Abstract digital painting of a landscape with green hills, a red-orange horizon, and a large yellow sun surrounded by blue and orange swirling shapes on the right.
Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: During El Niño years, the air temperature in Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual.    

Illustration of a town with houses and fields under a sky with large clouds and swirling wind patterns, set against a backdrop of hills and mountains.
Weather Patterns

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.    

A polar bear stands on a small ice floe surrounded by water and floating ice under a red sun in an Arctic landscape.
Earth’s Changing Climate

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

Phenomenon: The ice on Earth’s surface is melting.    

Hexagonal badge with icons including a wrench, building, sun, screwdriver, paint can, and molecules on a purple geometric background.
Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

Phenomenon: Designing rooftops with different modifications can reduce a city’s impact on climate change.    

Colorful abstract digital artwork featuring a yellow figure holding a device, with blue and red shapes and textured patterns in the background.
Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.    

An abstract illustration of a person having their mouth and throat examined with a tongue depressor, surrounded by colorful shapes, with an eye chart in the background.
Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.    

Geometric orange background with a hexagon icon displaying symbols for statistics, farming, healthcare, safety vest, chemistry, and agriculture.
Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.    

Six spiders with different colors and stripe patterns are arranged in a grid pattern on a dark background, showing variations in leg and body color.
Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.    

An underwater scene shows a whale surrounded by jellyfish, sea turtles, and fish, with sunlight filtering through the water.
Populations and Resources

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased.    

A low-poly landscape with trees, mushrooms, a rabbit sitting, and a fox bending down near another rabbit under a sunny sky with mountains in the background.
Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: What caused the mysterious crash of a biodome ecosystem?    

Three green dinosaurs and one yellow dinosaur stand in a row on grass, each with purple spikes and a red spot on their backs. The sky is blue with light clouds.
Natural Selection

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.    

Red-toned graphic with hexagonal badge featuring a world map, a mosquito, a DNA strand, charts, cubes, and circular icons. Geometric background pattern.
Natural Selection Engineering Internship

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Clinical engineers

Phenomenon: Designing malaria treatment plans that use different combinations of drugs can reduce drug resistance development while helping malaria patients.  

Two giant tortoises are near a river; one is by the water and the other is standing on land and stretching its neck toward a leafy tree.

Evolutionary History

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.    

Two people climb over rocky terrain strewn with electronic waste, with illustrated insets showing a hiking boot, a solar-powered device, and a person adjusting a belt-like gadget.
Harnessing Human Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.    

A spacecraft approaches a modular space station with large solar panels, set against a backdrop of outer space.
Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.    

Green geometric background with a hexagonal badge showing a parachute, a box, a ruler, a bandage, and stacked layers.
Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents. 

Illustration of a roller coaster car full of people with raised arms, speeding down a loop against a blue sky with clouds.
Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.    

Illustration of a person in a red coat and hat with arms crossed, eyes closed, surrounded by large orange and brown circles, possibly representing snow or lights.
Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school.    

An orange popsicle gradually melts, shown in four stages from solid to completely melted, with wooden sticks visible, against a purple background.
Phase Change

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.    

A green background with a picture of a person and a sandwich.
Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.    

Digital illustration showing red and blue molecules on a blue background transitioning to a lighter background, representing molecular diffusion across a boundary.
Chemical Reactions

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.    

Illustration of Earth with yellow arrows and colored waves approaching from the left, representing incoming solar or cosmic radiation.
Light Waves

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.    

Resources

Pilot support brochure for grades 6–8 (Domain…

Unit phenomena for grade 6-8 (Domain)

Take a closer look at the unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

Classroom Slides for 6–8

Your new hands-free TG is coming soon! These PowerPoints for every lesson make t…

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

Planning Guide for grades 6–8 (Domain)

Check out these tips for planning to teach.

Active reading in grades 6–8

Scientists read and write with purpose too.

Investigations for grades 6–8 (Domain)

Explore the types of investigations that take place in 6–8 classrooms.

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for grades 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital simulations included at each grade level.

Approaches to assessment at 6–8

Learn about our embedded assessments.

Inspiring the next generation of Arkansas scientists, engineers, and curious citizens

Amplify Science is a proven effective core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena based learning that provides an immersive experience for students.

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

Collage showing students engaged in classroom science activities and two scientific illustrations: a cheetah in foliage and a diagram of clouds and raindrops above a hill.

Grounded in Research

UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, the authors behind Amplify Science, developed the Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize approach, and gold standard research shows that it works. Our own efficacy research is pretty exciting, too.

See more of our research.

Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation and, importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using Modeling Tools to craft visualizations of their thinking—just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Explore the digital Teacher’s Guide

When you’re ready to review, click the orange button below and use your provided login credentials to access the Amplify Science Digital Teacher’s Guide.
If you need login credentials, contact your local Arkansas Account Executive, Marty Pitts, mpitts@amplify.com.

Review now

Instructional samplers

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

Resources to support your review

What’s included

Flexible resources that work seamlessly together:

Science articles
The middle school science articles serve as sources for evidence collection and were authored by science and literacy experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Student Investigation Notebooks
Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:

  • Record data.
  • Reflect on ideas from texts and investigations.
  • Construct explanations and arguments.

Available with full-color article compilations for middle school units.

Collection of educational books from 'amplify science' on topics including ocean atmosphere, matter and energy ecosystems, and insect interactions, displayed in various angles.

Digital student experience
Students access the digital simulations and Modeling Tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:

  • Conduct hands-on investigations.
  • Engage in active reading and writing activities.
  • Participate in discussions.
  • Record observations.
  • Craft end-of-unit scientific arguments.
A digital illustration showcasing a laptop and a tablet displaying complex data analysis software interfaces with graphs and heatmaps.

Teacher’s Guides
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:

  • Classroom Slides.
  • Detailed lesson plans.
  • Unit and chapter overview documentation.
  • Differentiation strategies.
  • Standards alignments.
  • In-context professional development.
A laptop displaying the Geology on Mars webpage sits beside a book titled "Geology on Mars," both featuring the same cover image of Mars and a spacecraft, perfect for enhancing three-dimensional learning in any science classroom.

Hands-on materials kits
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science. Each unit kit contains:

  • Consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials.
  • Print classroom display materials.
  • Premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc.)
A perforated rectangular board, three small containers with different powders, a black battery holder with red wires, and three colored alligator clips are arranged on a white background.

Scope and Sequence

Grade Units

Kindergarten
  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water

Grade 1
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth

Grade 2
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3
  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4
  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration
Grade Units

Grade 6
  • Launch: Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Metabolism Engineering Internship
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Thermal Energy
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Grade 7
  • Launch: Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Plate Motion Engineering Internship
  • Rock Transformations
  • Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Grade 8
  • Launch: Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Force and Motion Engineering Internship
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Light Waves
  • Earth, Moon and Sun
  • Natural Selection
  • Natural Selection Engineering Internship
  • Evolutionary History

Remote and hybrid learning support

Amplify provides a remote learning solution called Amplify Science @OnDemand. Intended to make extended remote learning and hybrid learning easier, Amplify Science @OnDemand includes two useful options for continuing instruction: @OnDemand Videos and @OnDemand Units. These videos also provide embedded professional development for teachers as well as opportunities for students to review a lesson, if needed.

Amplify Science @OnDemand Videos are recordings of real Amplify Science teachers teaching the lessons. For those teachers who are unable to meet synchronously with their students, the recorded lessons are a great way to keep their students on track and engaged with Amplify Science while at home. These videos will be produced for all K–5 units, and for the first four units of each 6–8 grade level. Their release will be rolling, beginning in August.   

Amplify Science@OnDemand Units are modified versions of Amplify Science units, strategically designed to highlight key activities from the program. The @OnDemand Units take significantly less instructional time than the complete Amplify Science program and allow students to engage with science at home. @OnDemand Units will be developed for all Amplify Science K–8 units. Each @OnDemand unit includes:

  • Teacher overviews explaining how to use the materials, including suggestions for enhancing the @OnDemand Units if synchronous learning or in-class time with students is available.
  • Overviews to send home to families.

Student materials are available in two formats:

  • @OnDemand Slides (PDF/PPT) + Student Sheets (PDF) for students with access to technology at home.
  • Downloadable @OnDemand Packets (PDF) for students without access to technology at home.

Download the remote and hybrid learning guide.

Looking for help?

Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support

Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We have developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:

  • Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans.
  • Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials.
  • Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs.
  • Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more.

To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com

Timely technical and program support

Our technical and program support is included and available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.

For your most urgent questions:

  • Use our live chat within your program.
  • Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969.

For less urgent questions:

Email support

Contact your Arkansas representative:

Portrait of an elderly woman with white hair, smiling, wearing a black blazer against a light brown background.
Marty Pitts

Senior Account Executive
mpitts@amplify.com
(214) 945-5544

A person with dark hair and a beard is smiling at the camera against a gradient background.
Mark Ramos

Inside Account Executive
mramos@amplify.com
(737) 308-4822

A closer look at grades 3–5

Amplify Science is based on the latest research on teaching and learning and helps teachers deliver age-appropriate, high-quality, literacy-rich instruction that enables students to take on the roles of scientists and engineers to solve real-world phenomena every day.

In the 3–5 classroom, this looks like students:

  • Collecting evidence from a variety of sources.
  • Making sense of evidence in a variety of ways.
  • Formulating convincing scientific arguments.
Collage of four educational activities: 1) drying a paper model with a hairdryer, 2) two girls observing a science experiment, 3) children making a mixture, 4) adult hand watering a plant in a clear container.
Graphic showing a research process with four steps: spark intrigue with a real-world problem, explore evidence, explain and elaborate, and evaluate claims, connected in a cycle with arrows.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science California to teach less, but achieve more. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our 3–5 program to address 100% of the California NGSS in just 88 days.

Scope and sequence

Every year of our grades 3–5 sequence consists of 4 units and 88 lessons. Said another way, each unit contains 20 lessons plus two dedicated assessment days (a Pre-Unit Assessment and End-of-Unit Assessment).

Lessons for grades 3–5 are written to last a minimum of 60 minutes, though teachers can expand or contract the timing to meet their needs.

Educational curriculum chart showcasing a progression of amplify science lessons from kindergarten to grade 5, categorized by grade and subject areas like plants, animals, weather, and energy.

Unit types

Each unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, while also emphasizing a particular science and engineering practice.

In grades 3–5:

  • One unit emphasizes the practice of investigation.
  • One unit emphasizes the practice of modeling.
  • One unit emphasizes the practice of engineering design.
  • One unit emphasizes the practice of argumentation.
Investigation Units

Investigation units focus on the process of strategically developing investigations and gathering data to answer questions. Students are first asked to consider questions about what happens in the natural world and why, and are then involved in designing and conducting investigations that produce data to help answer those questions.

Modeling Units

Modeling units provide extra support to students engaging in the practice of modeling. Students use physical models, investigate with computer models, and create their own diagrams to help them visualize what might be happening on the nanoscale.

Engineering Design Units

Engineering design units provide opportunities for students to solve complex problems by applying science principles to the design of functional solutions, and iteratively testing those solutions to determine how well they meet preset criteria.

Argumentation units

Argumentation units provide students with regular opportunities to explore and discuss available evidence, time and support to consider how evidence may be leveraged in support of claims, and independence that increases as they mount written arguments in support of their claims.

Units at a glance

Una ilustración de un tren de alta velocidad moderno y aerodinámico que viaja por una vía elevada con un paisaje verde de fondo.
Balancing Forces

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Engineers

Phenomenon: The town of Faraday is getting a new train that floats above its tracks.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Inheritance and Traits unit
Inheritance and Traits

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Wildlife biologists

Phenomenon: An adopted wolf in Graystone National Park (“Wolf 44”) has some traits that appear similar to one wolf pack in the park and other traits that appear to be similar to a different wolf pack. 

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Environments and Survival unit
Environments and Survival

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Biomimicry engineers

Phenomenon: Over the last 10 years, a population of grove snails has changed: The number of grove snails with yellow shells has decreased, while the number of snails with banded shells has increased.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Weather and Climate unit
Weather and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Meteorologists

Phenomenon: Three different islands, each a contender for becoming an Orangutan reserve, experience different weather patterns.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Energy Conversions unit
Energy Conversions

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: System engineers

Phenomenon: The fictional town of Ergstown experiences frequent blackouts.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Vision and Light unit
Vision and Light

Domain: Physical Science, Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Conservation biologists

Phenomenon: The population of Tokay geckos in a rain forest in the Philippines has decreased since the installation of new highway lights.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Earth's Features unit
Earth’s Features

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: A mysterious fossil is discovered in a canyon within the fictional Desert Rocks National Park.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Waves, Energy, and Information unit
Waves, Energy, and Information

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Mother dolphins in the fictional Blue Bay National Park seem to be communicating with their calves when they are separated at a distance underwater.

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Patterns of Earth and Sky unit
Patterns of Earth and Sky

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An ancient artifact depicts what we see in the sky at different times — the sun during the daytime and different stars during the nighttime — but it is missing a piece.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Modeling Matter unit
Modeling Matter

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Food scientists

Phenomenon: Chromatography is a process for separating mixtures. Some solids dissolve in a salad dressing while others do not. Oil and vinegar appear to separate when mixed in a salad dressing.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Earth System unit
The Earth System

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering Design

Student role: Water resource engineers

Phenomenon: East Ferris, a city on one side of the fictional Ferris Island, is experiencing a water shortage, while West Ferris is not.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

An illustration from the Ecosystem Restoration unit
Ecosystem Restoration

Domains:Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The jaguars, sloths, and cecropia trees in a reforested section of a Costa Rican rain forest are not growing and thriving.  

Download unit guide

Download lesson planner

Resources

Four students around a table engaged in a group science project in a classroom.

Pilot support brochure for 3–5

Unit phenomena for K–5

Take a closer look at the elementary unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

Educational material for grade 1, featuring a section about aquariums with an image of children observing jellyfish, and an introduction to forest habitats.

Classroom Slides for K–5

Classrooms Slides for elementary are now available! These customizable PowerPoin…

Two children engaged in an animated conversation while sitting at a school desk with laptops and books.

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

A young boy and girl sitting in a classroom, reading a book together with focused expressions.

Literacy-rich instruction in K–5

Scientists don’t just get messy. They read and write with purpose too. Exp…

Student Books in K–5

Read a summary of each of our award-winning K–5 student books.

Two children in safety goggles conducting a science experiment with liquids in a classroom.

Investigations for K–5

Explore the types of investigations that take place in elementary classrooms.

Earth's Features digital simulation

Sims for 4–8

Pilot support brochure for 3–5

Four-step educational infographic depicting problem-solving process: engaging with real-world problems, exploring multiple sources, constructing explanations, and applying knowledge to new problems.

The 5E model in K–8

Learn how the 5E elements are woven throughout each and every unit.

Two middle school girls conduct a science experiment

The CER model in K-5

Learn how we integrate the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) into daily i…

A science teacher stands at the front of a classroom speaking, while several students sitting at desks raise their hands to participate. A lesson is displayed on the screen behind her.

Approaches to assessment in K–5

Learn about our embedded assessments.

Science activity kit featuring books "Earthworms Underground" and "What's Going On with the Weather?", balloons, plant seeds, propellers, and other educational materials.

Program component list for TK–5

Explore the components that come with each unit.

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Webinar: Building a Science of Reading Ecosystem: Demystifying SoR and MTSS

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Inspiring the next generation of Oklahoma scientists, engineers, and curious citizens

Amplify Science is an engaging new core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

Our Instructional Model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Resources to support your review

Remote and hybrid learning supports

Oklahoma remote and hybrid overview video

Amplify has launched a new remote learning solution called Amplify Science@Home. Intended to make extended remote learning and hybrid learning easier, Amplify Science@Home includes two useful options for continuing instruction: @Home Videos and @Home Units. 

Amplify Science @Home Videos are recordings of real Amplify Science teachers teaching the lessons. For those teachers who are unable to meet synchronously with their students, the recorded lessons are a great way to keep their students on track and engaged with Amplify Science while at home. These videos will be produced for all K–5 units, and for the first four units of each 6–8 grade level. Their release will be rolling, beginning in August.   

Amplify Science@Home Units are modified versions of Amplify Science units, strategically designed to highlight key activities from the program. The @Home Units take significantly less instructional time than the complete Amplify Science program and allow students to engage with science at home. @Home Units will be developed for all Amplify Science K–8 units. Each @Home unit includes:

  • Teacher overviews explaining how to use the materials, including suggestions for enhancing the @Home Units if synchronous learning or in-class time with students is available.
  • Overviews to send home to families.

Student materials are available in two formats:

  • @Home Slides (PDF/PPT) + Student Sheets (PDF) for students with access to technology at home.
  • Downloadable @Home Packets (PDF) for students without access to technology at home.

Download the Remote and hybrid learning guide.

What’s included

Flexible resources that work seamlessly together

Science articles
The middle school science articles serve as sources for evidence collection and were authored by science and literacy experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Student Investigation Notebooks
Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:

  • Record data
  • Reflect on ideas from texts and investigations
  • Construct explanations and arguments

Available with full-color article compilations for middle school units.

Digital student experience
Students access the digital simulations and modeling tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:

  • Conduct hands-on investigations
  • Engage in active reading and writing activities
  • Participate in discussions
  • Record observations
  • Craft end-of-unit scientific arguments

Teacher’s Guides
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:

  • Classroom Slides
  • Detailed lesson plans
  • Unit and chapter overview documentation
  • Differentiation strategies
  • Standards alignments
  • In-context professional development

Hands-on materials kits
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science. Each unit kit contains:

  • Consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials
  • Print classroom display materials
  • Premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc.)

Scope and sequence

GRADE
UNIT
Kindergarten
  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water
Grade 1 
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth
Grade 2 
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms
Grade 3 
  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate
Grade 4 
  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information
Grade 5 
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration
Grade
Units

Grade 6
  • Launch: Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Metabolism Engineering Internship
  • Thermal Energy
  • Plate Motion
  • Plate Motion Engineering Internship
  • Rock Transformations
  • Weather Patterns
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Grade 7
  • Launch: Harnessing Human Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Phase Change Engineering Internship
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Grade 8
  • Launch: Geology on Mars
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Light Waves
  • Force and Motion
  • Force and Motion Engineering Internship
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Natural Selection
  • Natural Selection Engineering Internship
  • Evolutionary History

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science coverage

Amplify Science was designed from the ground up to meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science (OASS) are closely aligned to the NGSS at K-8. The guidance below is meant to provide support for integrating additional activities that support full coverage of the OASS. You can view the full K–8 OASS correlation here.

Organized by grade level, each section below will outline:

  • additional activities that support 100% alignment to the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science; 
  • the standard being addressed with the activities; 
  • the recommended placement of the activities within a specific Amplify Science unit; and 
  • PDFs of any accompanying materials that are necessary to implement the activities. 

Standard: 1.ESS3.1: Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.

Recommended placement: Animal and Plant Defenses unit, Chapter 1

Materials: The Student Book Investigating Monarchs from the unit Needs of Plants and Animals

Investigating Monarchs emphasizes the needs of monarch caterpillars and butterflies and shows what happens when these animals are not able to meet their needs. The book first introduces the life cycle of monarchs, explaining that monarch caterpillars must eat milkweed to survive and change into butterflies. Their summer habitat must have milkweed. The butterflies then migrate a long distance, from the United States to a forest in the mountains of Mexico, where they take shelter in the trees. Their winter habitat must have trees. Scientists discovered that the monarch population in Mexico was greatly reduced because people were cutting down the trees. The forest was then protected, but the monarch population did not recover as expected. Scientists in the United States found evidence that this was because fields with milkweed are being replaced by farms and buildings. This book could be read with the class either before or after Chapter 1 of the Animal and Plant Defenses unit, which focuses on what plants and animals need to do to survive. Students could be asked to reflect on what the monarchs need to survive (including food and shelter), and how human activities impacted the monarchs’ ability to meet those needs. After reading the book, students could brainstorm ideas for how to reduce the impact of humans on the local environment.

Standard: MS-PS4-2: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

Recommended placement: Metabolism unit, Lesson 3.3, addition to Activity 5 

Materials: “What Eyes Can See” science article

As students investigate metabolism and the body systems, the article “What Eyes Can See” should be assigned to deepen their understanding of information processing and sense receptors and connect that understanding to the emerging idea of the interaction of waves with various materials. The article explores how the only thing we can really see is light. Light travels from a light source to the eye, passing through some materials and bouncing off others. Tiny organs inside the eye called rods and cones absorb energy from light, making vision possible. These interactions between light and materials determine our visible world. 

Instructions:

Download the PDF “What Eyes Can See” above and remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines. Before students read the article, invite them to share prior experiences. For example, “Have you ever had an experience where something looked different in one kind of light than in another kind of light? Or where something seemed to appear or disappear when the light changed?”

Standard: MS-PS3-1: Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.

Recommended placement: Harnessing Human Energy unit, Lesson 1.4, after Activity 4 

Materials: Force and Motion Simulation; Activity instructions and copymasters

In this activity, students use the Force and Motion Simulation to investigate the relationship between kinetic energy, mass, and velocity. 

Instructions

Download the PDF linked above for the Lesson Guide and copymasters needed for the activity. Note that this investigation is typically implemented during the Force and Motion unit. This means the Lesson Guide will contain some incongruous labeling (e.g., unit name), as well as instructions that are out of context and unnecessary for the purposes of addressing this standard at grade 7. We suggest skipping to step 4 of the Instructional Guide to avoid some of this. Your students will get additional exposure to this activity, and indeed the standard as a whole, when they get to the Force and Motion unit in grade 8.

Standards:

  • MS-PS2-3: Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
  • MS-PS2-5: Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.

Recommended placement: Force and Motion unit, after Lesson 1.5 

Materials: Flextension PDF

This hands-on activity builds on and reinforces students’ understanding of forces that act at a distance, with a focus on electrostatic force. Students explore electrostatic forces, prompted by a set of challenges that they try to accomplish. Next, students generate scientific questions based on their observations. Electrostatic force is less predictable and consistent than magnetic force, and investigating it can be both challenging and intriguing. The purpose of this lesson is for students to gain firsthand experience with electrostatic force and to gain experience generating scientific questions based on observations. You might choose to include this Flextension if you would like your students to have more exposure to electrostatic force, and if you would like to challenge your students to explore and ask questions about a challenging type of force. 

Instructions:

Download the PDF linked above for a detailed Lesson Guide and the copymasters associated with the activity. Note that this activity is typically implemented as an add-on Flextension during the Magnetic Fields unit. This means that you will see some information that is out of context (e.g., placement information, unit title), but the activity itself also works for the purposes of the Force and Motion unit. If you have any questions, please reach out to our support team via the chat icon in your account or help@amplify.com. 

Explore the Digital Teacher’s Guide

When you’re ready to review, click the orange button below and use your provided login credentials to access the Amplify Science Digital Teacher’s Guide.

Review now

To help familiarize yourself with navigating the digital Teacher’s Guide, watch our navigational guide videos:

Grades K–5:

Grades 6–8:

Looking for help?

Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support

Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We have developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:

  • Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans
  • Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials
  • Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs
  • Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more

To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com

Timely technical and program support

Our technical and program support is included and available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.

For your most urgent questions:

  • Use our live chat within your program
  • Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969

For less urgent questions:

Email support

Contact us

Contact your South Carolina team representatives:
Jeff Rutter
Field Manager
jrutter@amplify.com
(727) 512-8440

Cathy McMillan
Senior Account Executive
cmcmillan@amplify.com
(904) 465-9904

Welcome, Seattle reviewers!

Authored by UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, Amplify Science was designed from the ground up for the Next Generation Science Standards to teach students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers. The program combines literacy-rich activities with hands-on learning and digital tools to engage students in exploring a compelling real-world phenomenon in every unit.

On this site, you will find easy-to-follow instructions and resources to support your review.

Courses for review

Amplify Science is a K–8 blended learning program where students take on the roles of scientists and engineers to solve real-world problems.

Materials for September 17, 2018 Publisher’s Presentation:
Questions for Publisher’s Presentation
Attachment: Support for English Language Learners

Recommended review process:
1. Bookmark this page for future reference. Consider this your home base, with all the tools you’ll need to conduct your review.
2. Access the Digital Curriculum by clicking on the orange buttons below.
* After 45 minutes of inactivity, you will be logged out of the curriculum. Return to this page to access the digital curriculum.

Below you will find log in instructions divided into two sections:

  • Grades K-5
  • Grades 6-8

Review the Amplify Benchmark Assessments for grades 3–8.

Teacher account – grades K–5

Click below to preview the curriculum:

Preview the curriculum

Click here to view a materials list.

When you are finished reviewing, sign out of the digital curriculum. Need help?

Student digital resources – grades K–5

Students in elementary school work primarily offline. Students in grades 2 through 5 have access to digital simulations and modeling tools through the Student Apps page. Click below to view the Amplify Science Digital Student Library.

Student digital resources

Review the student books online by clicking here.

When you are finished reviewing, sign out of the digital curriculum. Need help?

Teacher account – grades 6–8

Click below to preview the curriculum:

Preview the curriculum

If you have logged in to Amplify Science in the past, you will need to log in with the new credentials above.

Click here to view a materials list.

When you are finished reviewing, sign out of the digital curriculum. Need help?

Student account

Click below to view the Amplify Science Digital Student Library for middle school students:

Student digital resources

Review the student digital library by clicking here.

When you are finished reviewing, sign out of the digital curriculum. Need help?

Course structure

Grade K

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Weather

Grade 1

  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth

Grade 2

  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3

  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4

  • Energy and Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

K-5 student books by unit

Grade 6

  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Thermal Energy
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate

Grade 7

  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Grade 8

  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Light Waves
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History

Contact your Seattle representative directly

Patrick Momsen
District Manager
Phone: (541) 207-2148

Email now

Welcome, Edmonds reviewers!

Authored by UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, Amplify Science was designed from the ground up for the Next Generation Science Standards to teach students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers. The program combines literacy-rich activities with hands-on learning and digital tools to engage students in exploring a compelling real-world phenomenon in every unit.

On this site, you will find easy-to-follow instructions and resources to support your review.

Courses for review

Amplify Science is a blended learning program where students take on the roles of scientists and engineers to solve real-world problems. Below you will find log in instructions for the digital curriculum. As an Edmonds reviewer, you will also have access to Amplify Science middle school units.

Additional Publisher Questions (PDF)

Digital Teacher’s Guide

Click below to preview the curriculum:

Preview the curriculum

If you have logged in to Amplify Science in the past, you will need to log in with the new credentials above.

When you are finished reviewing, sign out of the digital curriculum. Need help?

Student digital resources

Students in elementary school work primarily offline. Students in grades 2 through 8 have access to digital simulations and modeling tools through the Student Apps page. Click below to view the Amplify Science Digital Student Library

Preview the curriculum

When you are finished reviewing, sign out of the digital curriculum. Need help?

Course structure

Grade K

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Weather

Grade 1

  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth

Grade 2

  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3

  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4

  • Energy and Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

Grade 6

  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Thermal Energy
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate

Grade 7

  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Grade 8

  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Light Waves
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History

Contact your Edmonds representative directly

Patrick Momsen
District Manager
Phone: (541) 207-2148

Email now

Welcome, Achieve reviewers!

Authored by UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, Amplify Science was designed from the ground up for the Next Generation Science Standards to teach students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers. The program combines literacy-rich activities with hands-on learning and digital tools to engage students in exploring a compelling real-world phenomenon in every unit.

On this site, you will find easy-to-follow instructions and resources to support your review.

  • Un niño que usa gafas de seguridad examina un objeto cerca de su cara mientras sostiene un pequeño trozo de material blanco.
  • Dos niñas en un salón de clases realizan un experimento científico con agua y una pajita, una sostiene una taza y la otra observa. Las hojas de trabajo y los materiales están sobre la mesa.
  • Un oso polar se encuentra sobre un pequeño témpano de hielo en el océano con un sol naranja en el cielo y lejanas montañas heladas al fondo.
  • Mariposa en vuelo sobre plantas en macetas sobre una mesa, con una oruga en un tallo frondoso cerca, una regadera roja a la izquierda y un paisaje brillante al fondo.

Units for review

Amplify Science is a blended learning program where students take on the roles of scientists and engineers to solve real-world problems.

As a reviewer, you’ll have access to three Amplify Science units:

  • Grade 1: Plant and Animal Defenses
  • Grade 3: Weather and Climate
  • Middle School: Light Waves

Below you will find log in instructions for the digital curriculum.

Teacher account

Click the orange button and choose “Log in with Amplify” using the login information below:

Username: t1.achievereview@tryamplify.net
Password: AmplifyNumber1

Preview the curriculum

Click here to view the full program guide.

If you have logged into Amplify Science in the past, you will need to log in with the new credentials above.

When you are finished reviewing, sign out of the digital curriculum. Need help?

Grade K

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Weather

Grade 1

  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth

Grade 2

  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3

  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4

  • Energy and Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

Books

K-5 Student Books by unit

Earth and Space Science

  • Launch: Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship: Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship: Earth’s Changing Climate

Life Science

  • Launch: Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship: Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History

Physical Science

  • Launch: Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship: Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Thermal Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Light Waves

Inspiring the next generation of Massachusetts scientists, engineers, and curious citizens

To view this protected page, enter the password below:



Evaluate Online

To review Amplify Science online, click the orange button below.

Evaluate Program

Once you’re logged in, watch our navigational guide videos to review the digital Teacher’s Guides:

Grades K–5:

Grades 6–8:

Phenomenon-Based Learning

Phenomenon-based teaching and learning deeply engages students. By positioning students as scientists and giving them questions, not answers, Amplify Science delivers results in and beyond science class.

This represents a shift from asking students to learn about science to supporting students in figuring out the science.

Flowchart of a learning unit divided into four chapters, showing stages of student engagement from introduction to application, with assessments indicated at various points.

Instructional Model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

Three columns of text describing educational programs: "students write", "students talk", and "students read" with icons symbolizing activities like experiments, discussions, and analysis.

New Program Enhancements

Amplify Science is unique because we continually add new content, tools, and resources, which will help us meet Milwaukee Public Schools’ needs as they evolve. In a world where things are changing by the minute, Amplify commits to providing MPS with the most up-to-date content throughout the life of the adoption.

We want to save you time, extend your reach, and support your efforts to deliver the types of rigorous and riveting learning experiences you know your students deserve.

Some of our latest enhancements include:

  • Amplify Science@Home, a new solution to improve synchronous and asynchronous remote learning
  • Classroom Slides offered in both PowerPoint and Google Slides formats, to save teachers time
  • Spanish Digital Simulations and Spanish Classroom Slides, to complete our full Spanish digital suite
  • Administrator Reports, which can be easily exported for integration with learning management systems

To learn more about our newest features, click here.

Science and Literacy

At Amplify, we believe science and literacy should truly integrated, and not just connected.

Even the youngest readers are supported in their journeys to obtain, evaluate, and communication information about the natural world through Read-Alouds, Shared Reading, and Partner Reading.

To learn more about Amplify Science and its commitment to literacy-rich science instruction, click here.

Spanish Resources

Amplify Science is committed to providing support to meet the needs of all learners, and includes multiple access points for Spanish-speaking students. Our Amplify Science materials were created with the same rigor of scientific accuracy, rich content and language, and literacy development, and materials were developed in conjunction with Spanish-language experts and classroom teachers.

Some of our Spanish resources include:

  • Classroom Lesson Slides
  • Spanish Digital Simulations
  • Teacher Digital Licenses
  • Student Digital Licenses
  • All Student-Facing Print Materials

To see a complete list of Spanish print and digital resources, click here.

Access and Equity

Amplify Science provides all students with access to intellectually stimulating, rigorous, and culturally relevant science and engineering education. We value and build on the rich assets that each student brings to class. You can read more about our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion here.

To learn how we commit to culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, choose a link below.

Scope and Sequence

GRADE UNITS
Kindergarten
  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water
Grade 1
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth
Grade 2
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms
Grade 3
  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate
Grade 4
  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information
Grade 5
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration
GRADE UNITS

Grade 6: Earth Science
  • Launch: Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Plate Motion: Engineering Internship
  • Rock Transformations
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Earth’s Changing Climate: Engineering Internship
Grade 7: Life Science
  • Launch: Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Metabolism: Engineering Internship
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Natural Selection
  • Natural Selection: Engineering Internship
  • Evolutionary History

Grade 8: Physical Science 
  • Launch: Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Force and Motion: Engineering Internship
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Thermal Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Phase Change: Engineering Internship
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Light Waves

Amplify Science Resources for NYC (6-8)

This page has been archived. For the latest information, please visit the NYC Resource Site.

Welcome!

As the 2021-2022 school year kicks into full gear, you’re likely thinking about making your classroom responsive to student needs due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Got additional questions? Use Zoom to attend office hours with Adaliz Gonzalez, the DOE’s Middle School Science Lead on Thursdays from 3-4pm.

Meeting ID: 852 2280 0969

Passcode: 528986

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

The word "Amplify" is written in large, orange letters with a period at the end on a light background.
The logo for The Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, features blue text on a light background and is recognized by educators using Amplify Science for middle school science programs.

NYC Newsletters

Educator Spotlight Submission

Calling all NYC DOE educators! Do you know an educator who has gone above and beyond? Would you like to highlight your teaching experience for others? Submit nominations here to see them featured as a spotlight in a future edition of our monthly newsletter and on our Instagram pages!

Introduction

This page includes planning, implementation, and professional learning resources for NYC schools using Amplify Science. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the categories in the navigation bar on the left side of the page, so that you’ll be able to easily find what you need.

Most New York City educators come here looking for specific information, but if you’re new to Amplify Science, we recommend you read through the program guide to learn a little about the program. 

New to Amplify? – Start HERE!

Teachers and Administrators 

Step 1: Review the Amplify Science Overview Video.

Step 2: Review the NYC Scope and sequence for 21-22 school year.

Step 3: Review the Unpacking the Kit Videos listed below to understand what’s in your unit 1 kit.

Step 4: Access your unique Log-in information to log-in to the Amplify Science Curriculum outlined below under Login support

Step 5: Log into the platform and access our Program Hub.  Select Using this site for self study for a complete suite of training videos and resources for an initial orientation video series.

Step 6: Log into the curriculum and begin studying the Unit Map and Teacher’s Guide resources and begin planning your first lesson. Print out the NYC Program Guide for essential program information.

Step 7: Administrator’s ONLY – Review the new administrator orientation presentation for an overview of the program. Review other materials under Admin Resources. 

NOTE: Should you need any additional guidance on how to get started with prep (or anything else!), please feel free to get in touch with our pedagogical support team. They are available Monday-Friday from 7AM-7PM EST. You can reach them via the chat icon in the lower right- hand corner of your screen when logged in, through email (help@amplify.com), or via phone (800-823-1969).

Getting started resources

Login Support

Materials

Unpacking your first Amplify Science classroom kit

21-22 Login Update

The temporary login credentials for fall ’21 have been deactivated. 

Please make sure you check out the Getting started resources > Login Support below for instructions around teacher and student logins. If there are any issues, please confirm with your STARS programmer that your classes are assigned correctly and then contact our Amplify Help Desk at help@amplify.com or at 1-800-823-1969 for further assistance.

Implementation resources

21-22 NYC Scope and Sequence and Pacing Guide

Use our NYC Field Trip List to plan an engaging field trip for your students!

NYC Companion Lesson Guides 

The format of the NYC Companion Lessons is similar to other Amplify Science lessons. Some companion lessons are designed to require more than a single class period to teach, so each lesson includes pacing suggestions. Science Background sections support teachers with the science content introduced in the lessons. For students’ written work, possible student responses are included at the end of each lesson guide.

The Lesson Guides are available in the last section of each unit’s print Teacher’s Guide and can be downloaded from the tables in the downloads section below.

NYC Companion Lesson Copymasters
Each NYC Companion Lesson has an accompanying Copymaster (for creating student sheets) that can be copied and distributed to students or used as a visual reference. The NYC Companion Lessons require students to have physical copies of the student sheets. The copymasters are available to download as printable PDF files from the tables in the downloads section below.

Grade 6 Lesson guides and Copymasters

  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 2.2
  • Time frame: 60 minutes (can spread across multiple class periods)
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-PS3-6, DCI: PS3.B
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 3.3
  • Time frame: Two 45-minute class periods
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-PS2-3, MS-PS2-5, DCI: PS2.B
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 3.3 and after Investigating Non-Touching Forces
  • Time frame: 60 minutes (first and second reads can be spread across two class periods)
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-PS2-5, MS-PS2-3, DCI: PS2.B
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 2.5
  • Time frame: 105 minutes (can be spread across multiple class periods)
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-PS1-6, DCI: PS1.B
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 3.4
  • Time frame: 60 minutes (first and second reads can be spread across two class periods)
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-LS2-5, DCI: LS2.C, LS4.D
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 1.3
  • Time frame: 60 minutes (first and second reads can be spread across two class periods)
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-ESS2-4, DCI: ESS2.C
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 3.3*
  • Time frame: 90 minutes (can be spread across multiple class periods)
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-PS1-7, MS-ESS2-6, DCI: PS1.A, ESS2.C
  • Links (click to download):

*Note: The homework assignment for Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Lesson 3.3 (reading the article “Deep Ocean Currents: Driven by Density”) should be assigned after the Investigating Deep Ocean Currents companion lesson rather than after Lesson 3.3.

Grade 7 Lesson Guides and Copymasters

  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 3.2
  • Time frame: 60 minutes (first and second reads can be spread across two class periods)
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-LS1-3, DCI: PS3.D, LS1.A
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 3.3 or later
  • Time frame: Three 45-minute class periods, each several days apart
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-LS1-8, DCI: LS1.D
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 3.5
  • Time frame: 60 minutes (first and second reads can be spread across two class periods)
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-LS1-6, MS-LS1-7, DCI: LS1.C, PS3.D
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 2.2
  • Time frame: 60 minutes (first and second reads can be spread across two class periods)
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-PS1-4, DCI: PS3.A
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 1.3
  • Time frame: 60 minutes
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-PS1-7, DCI: PS1.A
  • Links (click to download):
  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 2.3, 2.4, or 2.5
  • Time frame: Two 45-minute class periods
  • NYSP–PE: MS-PS1-8, MS-PS1-2 DCI: PS1.A, PS1.B
  • Links (click to download):

Grade 8 Lesson Guides and Copymaster

  • Companion lesson: Insert after Lesson 2.2
  • Time frame: 90 minutes (can be spread across multiple class periods)
  • NYSP–12SLS: PE: MS-PS3-2, MS-PS3-5
  • Links (click to download):

NYC Companion Kits

Materials needed to teach Amplify Science lessons are provided in a kit for each unit. While some materials used in the NYC Companion Lessons are also found in a unit’s kit, materials specific to the companion lessons are provided in NYC Companion Kits. The contents of each kit and any additional materials needed to teach the companion lessons are listed in the PDFs provided below. Please select your grade to view or download the list.

NYC Student Editions (print)
The NYC Student Editions are durable student references that compile all reading material required for a grade level, including the articles students read for NYC Companion Lessons. Students reading in the Student Edition should annotate the text directly with sticky notes to achieve the full benefits of Active Reading. The Active Reading approach was designed as an interactive process in which students highlight and annotate digital or hard copies of articles directly. Printable versions of the articles are available in the downloads section below.

It is recommended that NYC teachers insert this additional lesson between Lessons 3.1 and 3.2 in order to have students complete a reading assignment in class along with an additional Sim activity.

  • Lesson: Earth, Moon and Sun: Modeling Seasons
  • Lesson Placement: Insert between Lessons 3.1 and 3.2*
  • Links (click to download):

*If teaching this Modeling Seasons lesson, do not assign reading “The Endless Summer of the Arctic Tern” article for homework in Lesson 3.1. However, students should still model a lunar eclipse with the Modeling Tool for homework, as they will be revisiting and revising this model in Lesson 3.3.

NYC Investigation Notebooks (for teacher download)

* includes NYC Companion Lesson Copymaster(s)

* includes NYC Companion Lesson Copymaster(s)

  • Geology on Mars
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship: Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields*
  • Light Waves
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History

* includes NYC Companion Lesson Copymaster(s)

Admin resources

Remote and hybrid learning resources

In response to the shifts towards remote learning, Amplify has created resources for using our programs remotely. Please visit our Program Hub accessible via your Teacher Platform for all of our hybrid and remote learning supports which includes guidance for teachers and parents/guardians.

Additionally, please see below where you’ll find the recordings from our recently held webinars on our remote learning resources and some best practices for implementing Amplify Science in a distance learning setting.

Resource guides

Professional learning opportunities

Interested in attending training? Check out and sign up for this year’s PL offerings here!

Election Day 21-22 PL

Grade 6 Guided Planning Presentation and Webinar

Grade 7 Guided Planning Presentation and Webinar

Grade 8 Guided Planning Presentation and Webinar

Grades 6-8 Unpacking Phenomena Presentation and Webinar

All 2020-2021 PL session materials can be found below under Professional learning resources.

Amplify Science Back-to-School Recorded Webinars – Amplify held a series of national office hours throughout the summer and fall to share information about our new resources to support remote and hybrid learning– including recommendations about what to prioritize from your curriculum and essential refresher topics, such as how to navigate your program and find the best planning resources. Feel free to watch all recorded sessions at your convenience.

Archived Professional Learning Resources

Winter 2022

Spring 2021

Winter 2021

Fall 2020

Summer 2020

Summer 2019- Harnessing Human Energy and Thermal Energy

Fall 2019- Population and Resources with Participant Notebook

Winter 2022

Spring 2021

Winter 2021

Fall 2020

  • Grade 7: Progress Builds & Embedded Assessments Webinar
  • Grade 7: Amplify Science Remote & Hybrid Resources Webinar

Summer 2020

Summer 2019 – Microbiome and Metabolism

Fall 2019 – Phase Change with Participant Notebook

Winter 2022

Spring 2021

Winter 2021

Fall 2020

  • Grade 8: Progress Builds & Embedded Assessments Webinar
  • Grade 8: Amplify Science Remote & Hybrid Resources Webinar

Summer 2020

Summer 2019 –  Geology on Mars and Earth, Moon, Sun

Fall 2019 – Force and Motion with Participant Notebook

Caregiver resources

Caregiver Hub

Questions

For general questions about the Amplify program (navigation, pedagogy, login), please reach out:

Email – scihelp@amplify.com
Phone – call toll-free at (800) 823-1969, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m.–7 p.m.  ET

Amplify Chat – click the Amplify Chat icon within the individual teacher account

A powerful partnership

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

The Lawrence Hall of Science
The University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is a recognized leader in PreK–12 science education, producing groundbreaking curriculum products for more than 40 years, including the international award-winning Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading®. The Hall’s curriculum materials are used in one in four classrooms across the nation. Read more about The Hall’s research-proven Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize multimodal learning model.

Amplify
Amplify has been pioneering digital education products for more than 15 years, empowering teachers across the country to offer more personalized instruction and accelerate the potential of their students to become more active, engaged learners. Amplify has supported more than 200,000 educators and three million students in all 50 states.

Multimodal learning model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Elementary school course structure

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms
  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate
  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

Middle school course structure (Integrated Model)

  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Thermal Energy
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Light Waves
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary

Ready to learn more?

To begin your review, click the button below and fill out the form for more information about Amplify Science and to access the online digital curriculum.

Watch a video walkthrough

Elementary school

Middle school

Contact your Arkansas representative directly

Marty Pitts
Senior Account Executive
Email: mpitts@amplify.com
Phone: (214) 945-5544

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

The Lawrence Hall of Science
The University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is a recognized leader in PreK–12 science education, producing groundbreaking curriculum products for more than 40 years, including the international award-winning Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading®. The Hall’s curriculum materials are used in one in four classrooms across the nation. Read more about The Hall’s research-proven Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize multimodal learning model.

The logo for The Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, features blue text on a light background and is recognized by educators using Amplify Science for middle school science programs.

Amplify
Amplify has been pioneering digital education products for more than 15 years, empowering teachers across the country to offer more personalized instruction and accelerate the potential of their students to become more active, engaged learners. Amplify has supported more than 200,000 educators and three million students in all 50 states.

Elementary school course structure

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms
  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

Middle school course structure (Integrated Model)

  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Thermal Energy
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Light Waves
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary

Watch a video walkthrough

Elementary school

Middle school

Review the program (K–5)

For K–5 units, the teacher accesses the digital curriculum or printed Teacher’s Guide for daily instruction while students read Student Books, conduct investigations using the hands-on kit materials, and record observations in their Student Investigation Notebooks. When lessons call for students to access the simulations or “sims” in grades 2–5 (about once per week), they share devices.

You can review all of Amplify Science online through this review site.

Before you dive into the digital curriculum, download and review some of these helpful resources:

You will find unit overviews and complete materials lists as well as downloadable versions of the Student Investigation Notebooks within the program itself. When you’re ready, click Preview now below. You’ll automatically be taken on a short guided tour where you can select the grade you’re interested in reviewing.

Preview now

Questions come up during your review? Email scihelp@amplify.com and mention that you are a reviewer in the subject of the email.

Review the program (6–8)

For 6–8 units, the teacher accesses the digital curriculum or printed Teacher’s Guide for daily instruction while students use their Student Investigation Notebooks, the hands-on kit materials, and their digital student accounts to access simulations or “sims”, modeling tools, assessments, and more.

Before you dive into the digital curriculum, download and review some of these helpful resources:

You will find unit overviews and complete materials lists as well as downloadable versions of the Student Investigation Notebooks within the program itself. When you’re ready, click Preview now below. You’ll automatically be taken on a short guided tour where you can select the grade you’re interested in reviewing.

Preview now

Questions come up during your review? Email scihelp@amplify.com and mention that you are a reviewer in the subject of the email.

View technology requirements.

Contact your Amplify representative directly

Patti Savage
Senior Account Executive
Email: psavage@amplify.com
Phone: (626) 224-3174

Inspiring the next generation of Hawaii scientists, engineers, and curious citizens

Amplify Science is a brand-new, engaging core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.

Illustration of a pixelated green mountain cliff deconstructing into a digital grid, with red dots floating over a tranquil sea and flying white birds.

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

The Lawrence Hall of Science
The University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is a recognized leader in PreK–12 science education, producing groundbreaking curriculum products for more than 40 years, including the international award-winning Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading®. The Hall’s curriculum materials are used in one in four classrooms across the nation. Read more about The Hall’s research-proven Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize multimodal learning model.

Amplify
Amplify has been pioneering digital education products for more than 15 years, empowering teachers across the country to offer more personalized instruction and accelerate the potential of their students to become more active, engaged learners. Amplify has supported more than 200,000 educators and three million students in all 50 states.

Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Elementary school course structure

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms
  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate
  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

Middle school course structure (Integrated Model)

  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Thermal Energy
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Light Waves
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary

Ready to learn more?

To begin your review, click the button below to access the digital Teacher’s Guide.

Review now

Watch a video walkthrough

Elementary school

Middle school

Contact your Hawaii representative directly

Laina Armbruster

Account Executive
Email: larmbruster@amplify.com
Phone: (602) 791-4135

Inspiring the next generation of Idaho scientists, engineers, and curious citizens

Amplify Science is a brand-new, engaging core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.

image of Amplify Science and science classroom materials for science teachers

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at the University of, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

The logo for The Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, features blue text on a light background and is recognized by educators using Amplify Science for middle school science programs.

The University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is a recognized leader in PreK–12 science education, producing groundbreaking curriculum products for more than 40 years, including the international award-winning Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading®. The Hall’s curriculum materials are used in one in four classrooms across the nation. Read more about The Hall’s research-proven Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize multimodal learning model.

Amplify has been pioneering digital education products for more than 15 years, empowering teachers across the country to offer more personalized instruction and accelerate the potential of their students to become more active, engaged learners. Amplify has supported more than 200,000 educators and three million students in all 50 states.

Multimodal learning model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Elementary school course structure

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms
  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate
  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

Middle school course structure (domain model)

  • Launch:
    Geology on Mars
  • Plate Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Plate Motion
  • Rock Transformations
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Engineering Internship:
    Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Launch:
    Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Engineering Internship:
    Metabolism
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Natural Selection
  • Engineering Internship: Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History
  • Launch:
    Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Engineering Internship:
    Force and Motion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Thermal Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Engineering Internship: Phase Change
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Light

Spanish-language support

Amplify Science is committed to providing support to meet the needs of all learners, including multiple access points for Spanish-speaking students. Developed in conjunction with Spanish-language experts and classroom teachers, multiple components are available in Spanish across the Amplify Science curriculum.

Spanish-language materials include:

COMPONENTTEACHER/STUDENT
Student Investigation Notebooks (K-8)Student
Science articles (6-8)Student
Student Books (K-5)Student
Video transcripts (6-8)Student
Digital simulation translation key (6-8)Student
Printed classroom materials (K-8)
(Unit and chapter questions, key concepts, vocabulary cards, etc.)		Teacher and student
Copymasters (K-8)Teacher
Assessments (K-8)Teacher

Contact your Idaho representative directly

Bob McCarty
Senior Account Executive
Email: rmccarty@amplify.com
Phone: (435) 655-1731

Access the curriculum

To begin your review, click the button below for more information about Amplify Science and to access the online digital curriculum.

Review now

Inspiring the next generation of Oklahoma scientists, engineers, and curious citizens

Amplify Science is an engaging new core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit—from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full-class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation and, importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Oklahoma Instructional Samplers

Video: Oklahoma Spotlight on All Learners (SPED, G & T, EL, DEI)

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

Resources to support your review

Remote and hybrid learning support

Oklahoma Spotlight Video: Remote and Hybrid Learning

Amplify has launched a new remote learning solution called Amplify Science @Home. Intended to make extended remote learning and hybrid learning easier, Amplify Science@Home includes two useful options for continuing instruction: @Home Videos and @Home Units. 

Amplify Science @Home Videos are recordings of real Amplify Science teachers teaching the lessons. For those teachers who are unable to meet synchronously with their students, the recorded lessons are a great way to keep their students on track and engaged with Amplify Science while at home. These videos will be produced for all K–5 units, and for the first four units of each 6–8 grade level. Their release will be rolling, beginning in August 2021.   

Amplify Science@Home Units are modified versions of Amplify Science units, strategically designed to highlight key activities from the program. The @Home Units take significantly less instructional time than the complete Amplify Science program and allow students to engage with science at home. @Home Units will be developed for all Amplify Science K–8 units. Each @Home unit includes:

  • Teacher overviews explaining how to use the materials, including suggestions for enhancing the @Home Units if synchronous learning or in-class time with students is available.
  • Overviews to send home to families.

Student materials are available in two formats:

  • @Home Slides (PDF/PPT) + Student Sheets (PDF) for students with access to technology at home.
  • Downloadable @Home Packets (PDF) for students without access to technology at home.

Download the remote and hybrid learning guide.

What’s included

Flexible resources that work seamlessly together
Oklahoma Spotlight Video: Instructional Resources: More than a textbook!

Science articles
The middle school science articles serve as sources for evidence collection and were authored by science and literacy experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Student Investigation Notebooks
Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:

  • record data.
  • reflect on ideas from texts and investigations.
  • construct explanations and arguments.

Available with full-color article compilations for middle school units.

Digital student experience
Students access the digital simulations and modeling tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:

  • conduct hands-on investigations.
  • engage in active reading and writing activities.
  • participate in discussions.
  • record observations.
  • craft end-of-unit scientific arguments.

Oklahoma Spotlight Video: Spotlight on Simulations

Teacher’s Guides
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:

  • Classroom Slides.
  • detailed lesson plans.
  • unit and chapter overview documentation.
  • differentiation strategies.
  • standards alignments.
  • in-context professional development.

Oklahoma Spotlight Video: Classroom Slides

Hands-on materials kits
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science. Each unit kit contains:

  • consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials.
  • print classroom display materials.
  • premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc).

Scope and sequence

GRADE

UNITS

Kindergarten

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water

Grade 1

  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth

Grade 2

  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3

  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4

  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

GRADE

UNITS

Grade 6

  • Launch: Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Plate Motion
  • Plate Motion Engineering Internship
  • Rock Transformations
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Thermal Energy
  • Phase Change

Grade 7

  • Launch: Harnessing Human Energy
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter Energy and Ecosystems
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship
  • Magnetic Fields

Grade 8

  • Launch: Geology on Mars
  • Force and Motion
  • Force and Motion Engineering Internship
  • Light Waves
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science coverage

Amplify Science was designed from the ground up to meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science (OASS) are closely aligned to the NGSS at K–8. The guidance below is meant to provide support for integrating additional activities that support full coverage of the OASS. You can view the full K–8 OASS correlation here.

Organized by grade level, each section below will outline:

  • additional activities that support 100% alignment to the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science; 
  • the standard being addressed with the activities; 
  • the recommended placement of the activities within a specific Amplify Science unit; and 
  • PDFs of any accompanying materials that are necessary to implement the activities. 

Standard: 1.ESS3.1: Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.

Recommended placement: Animal and Plant Defenses unit, Chapter 1

Materials: The Student Book Investigating Monarchs from the unit Needs of Plants and Animals

Investigating Monarchs emphasizes the needs of monarch caterpillars and butterflies and shows what happens when these animals are not able to meet their needs. The book first introduces the life cycle of monarchs, explaining that monarch caterpillars must eat milkweed to survive and change into butterflies. Their summer habitat must have milkweed. The butterflies then migrate a long distance, from the United States to a forest in the mountains of Mexico, where they take shelter in the trees. Their winter habitat must have trees. Scientists discovered that the monarch population in Mexico was greatly reduced because people were cutting down the trees. The forest was then protected, but the monarch population did not recover as expected. Scientists in the United States found evidence that this was because fields with milkweed are being replaced by farms and buildings. This book could be read with the class either before or after Chapter 1 of the Animal and Plant Defenses unit, which focuses on what plants and animals need to do to survive. Students could be asked to reflect on what the monarchs need to survive (including food and shelter), and how human activities impacted the monarchs’ ability to meet those needs. After reading the book, students could brainstorm ideas for how to reduce the impact of humans on the local environment.

Standard: MS-PS4-2: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

Recommended placement: Metabolism unit, Lesson 3.3, addition to Activity 5 

Materials: “What Eyes Can See” science article

As students investigate metabolism and the body systems, the article “What Eyes Can See” should be assigned to deepen their understanding of information processing and sense receptors and connect that understanding to the emerging idea of the interaction of waves with various materials. The article explores how the only thing we can really see is light. Light travels from a light source to the eye, passing through some materials and bouncing off others. Tiny organs inside the eye called rods and cones absorb energy from light, making vision possible. These interactions between light and materials determine our visible world. 

Instructions:

Download the PDF “What Eyes Can See” above and remind students of the Active Reading guidelines. Before students read the article, invite them to share prior experiences. For example, “Have you ever had an experience where something looked different in one kind of light than in another kind of light? Or where something seemed to appear or disappear when the light changed?”

Standard: MS-PS3-1: Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.

Recommended placement: Harnessing Human Energy unit, Lesson 1.4, after Activity 4 

Materials: Force and Motion simulation; Activity instructions and copymasters

In this activity, students use the Force and Motion Simulation to investigate the relationship between kinetic energy, mass, and velocity. 

Instructions

Download the PDF linked above for the Lesson Guide and copymasters needed for the activity. Note that this investigation is typically implemented during the Force and Motion unit. This means the Lesson Guide will contain some incongruous labeling (e.g., unit name), as well as instructions that are out of context and unnecessary for the purposes of addressing this standard at grade 7. We suggest skipping to step 4 of the Instructional Guide to avoid some of this. Your students will get additional exposure to this activity, and indeed the standard as a whole, when they get to the Force and Motion unit in grade 8.

Standards:

  • MS-PS2-3: Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
  • MS-PS2-5: Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.

Recommended placement: Force and Motion unit, after Lesson 1.5 

Materials: Flextension PDF

This hands-on activity builds on and reinforces students’ understanding of forces that act at a distance, with a focus on electrostatic force. Students explore electrostatic forces, prompted by a set of challenges that they try to accomplish. Next, students generate scientific questions based on their observations. Electrostatic force is less predictable and consistent than magnetic force, and investigating it can be both challenging and intriguing. The purpose of this lesson is for students to gain firsthand experience with electrostatic force and to gain experience generating scientific questions based on observations. You might choose to include this Flextension if you would like your students to have more exposure to electrostatic force, and if you would like to challenge your students to explore and ask questions about a challenging type of force. 

Instructions:

Download the PDF linked above for a detailed Lesson Guide and the copymasters associated with the activity. Note that this activity is typically implemented as an add-on Flextension during the Magnetic Fields unit. This means that you will see some information that is out of context (e.g., placement information, unit title), but the activity itself also works for the purposes of the Force and Motion unit. If you have any questions, please reach out to our support team via the chat icon in your account or help@amplify.com. 

Explore the Digital Teacher’s Guide

When you’re ready to review, click the orange button below and use your provided login credentials to access the Amplify Science Digital Teacher’s Guide.

Review now

To help familiarize yourself with navigating the digital Teacher’s Guide, watch our navigational guide videos:

Grades K–5:

Grades 6–8:

Looking for help?

Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support

Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We’ve developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:

  • Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans.
  • Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials.
  • Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs.
  • Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more.

To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call              (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com

Timely technical and program support

Our technical and program support is included and available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.

For your most urgent questions:

  • Use our live chat within your program.
  • Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969.

For less urgent questions:

Email support

Contact us

Contact your Oklahoma representative:
Julie Godfrey
Account Executive
jgodfrey@amplify.com
(817) 360-0527

Amplify Science – Prince George

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Inspiring the next generation of Richmond scientists, engineers, and curious citizens

Amplify Science is an engaging core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.

image of Amplify Science and science classroom materials for science teachers

A powerful partnership

Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.

The logo for The Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, features blue text on a light background and is recognized by educators using Amplify Science for middle school science programs.

The University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is a recognized leader in PreK–12 science education, producing groundbreaking curriculum products for more than 40 years, including the international award-winning Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading®. The Hall’s curriculum materials are used in one in four classrooms across the nation.

The word "Amplify" is written in large, orange letters with a period at the end on a light background.

Amplify has been pioneering digital education products for more than 15 years, empowering teachers across the country to offer more personalized instruction and accelerate the potential of their students to become more active, engaged learners. Amplify has supported more than 200,000 educators and three million students in all 50 states.

Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Elementary school course structure

  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Sunlight and Water
  • Spinning Earth
  • Light and Sound
  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Properties of Materials
  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Weather and Climate
  • Balancing Forces
  • Environments and Survival
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Changing Landforms
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information
  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration
  • Modeling Matter
  • Energy Conversions
  • Balancing Forces

Middle school course structure

  • Microbiome
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
  • Weather Patterns
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Metabolism
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Natural Selection
  • Evolutionary History
  • Harnessing Human Energy
  • Force and Motion
  • Force and Motion Engineering Internship
  • Thermal Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Light Waves
  • Phase Change Engineering Internship
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Magnetic Fields

Inside an Amplify Science classroom

An infographic explains instructional methods for teachers and students, featuring icons for reading, hands-on activities, discussion, and modeling tools with brief descriptions.

Resources to support your review

Ready to learn more?

To begin your review, fill out the form for more information about Amplify Science and to access the online digital curriculum.

Our Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Supporting resources

Scope and sequence

GRADE

UNITS

Kindergarten

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water

Grade 1

  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth

Grade 2

  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3

  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4

  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

GRADE

UNITS

Grade 6

  • Launch: Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Metabolism Engineering Internship
  • Thermal Energy
  • Plate Motion
  • Plate Motion Engineering Internship
  • Rock Transformations
  • Weather Patterns
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Grade 7

  • Launch: Harnessing Human Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Phase Change Engineering Internship
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Grade 8

  • Launch: Geology on Mars
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Light Waves
  • Force and Motion
  • Force and Motion Engineering Internship
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Natural Selection
  • Natural Selection Engineering Internship
  • Evolutionary History

South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021

Amplify Science was designed from the ground up to meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021 are closely aligned to the NGSS at K-8. The guidance below is meant to provide support for integrating additional companion activities that support full coverage of the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021.

Organized by grade level, each section below will outline:

  • Additional activities that support 100% alignment to the  South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021; 
  • The standard being addressed with the activities; 
  • The recommended placement of the activities within a specific Amplify Science unit; and 
  • PDFs of any accompanying materials that are necessary to implement the activities.

Standard: MS-PS1-4: Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
Recommended placement: Thermal Energy unit, Lesson 4.4, addition to Activity 3
Materials: “Liquid Oxygen”
By reading the article “Liquid Oxygen,” which describes how the relationship between attraction and kinetic energy determines when a substance changes phase, students extend their understanding of the possible effects of adding or removing thermal energy to include changes in state (phase). Oxygen is one of the most common elements in the world, but most people are only familiar with oxygen in the gas phase. Because oxygen molecules are only weakly attracted to one another, condensing oxygen is difficult. This article introduces students to molecular attraction and discusses its role in phase change, including how it can be used to turn oxygen from a gas to a liquid.
Instructions:
Download PDFs of the “Liquid Oxygen” and distribute it to students. Before they begin reading, remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines. 

Standard: MS-PS4-2: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
Recommended placement: Weather Patterns unit, Lesson 4.4, addition to Activity 3
Materials: “Harvesting Sunlight”, “Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream” and “Making Waves at Swim Practice”
After investigating weather patterns, which includes a focus of the effects of energy from sunlight, students extend their learning about light by reading three articles about light and other waves.
“Harvesting Sunlight:” Students read this article to learn about the types of light from the sun that plants use for photosynthesis. The article describes how the sun emits all types of light, but plants can only use certain types of visible light for photosynthesis, mostly red and blue light. Plants also absorb other types of light, and these types of light affect plants in different ways. Students use this information to gather evidence that there are different types of light that can affect a material in different ways.
“Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream:” Students read this article to learn about how waves are transmitted. Explosions that would be deafening on Earth are silent in space. This is because sound is produced by sound waves and, unlike light waves, sound waves need matter to travel through. Reading about this phenomenon helps students understand the similarities and differences between mechanical and electromagnetic waves.
“Making Waves at Swim Practice:” A practice for the school swim team provides an everyday context for discussing light waves and sound waves in this engaging article. First, the article explores sound waves traveling through different materials–the air, the water of the pool, and even a metal poolside bench. Students discover that sound waves travel at different speeds in different materials. The later part of the article discusses light waves, which also travel at different speeds in different materials. As light waves move from one material to another, they change speed and bend. This bending of light waves is called refraction, and it explains why objects that are partly in the water and partly out of the water (such as the legs of a person sitting on the side of a pool) appear ripply and bent.
Instructions:
Plan one class period for each article. Download PDFs of the  “Harvesting Sunlight,” “Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream,” and “Making Waves at Swim Practice” articles. For each article, before students begin reading, preview the article and discuss what students already know and what they wonder about the topic, then remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines. 

Standard: MS-PS2-3: Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces. MS-PS2-5: Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
Recommended placement: Harnessing Human Energy unit, Lesson 3.4, after Activity 1
Materials: “Earth’s Geomagnetism” and “Painting with Static Electricity”
After concluding their investigations of energy transfers and conversions, students read two articles that introduce the topic of forces that act at a distance.
“Earth’s Geomagnetism:” What makes a compass needle point north, no matter what? This article introduces students to Earth’s geomagnetic field and the field lines scientists use to show its direction.
“Painting with Static Electricity:” This article gives students the opportunity to learn about electrostatic fields and forces in the context of spray painting without making a mess. Electrostatic painting systems use electrostatics to draw spray paint toward the object being painted, and nowhere else. Painters charge the object they are painting with a negative charge and the paint with a positive charge. The opposite charges are attracted to one another, causing the paint to move toward the object. This surprising use of electrostatics saves time and paint and keeps things tidy!
Instructions
Plan one class period for each article. Download PDFs of the “Earth’s Geomagnetism” and “Painting with Electricity” articles. For each article, before students begin reading, preview the article and discuss what students already know and what they wonder about the topic, then remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines. 

What’s included

Science articles
The middle school science articles serve as sources for evidence collection and were authored by science and literacy experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Student Investigation Notebooks
Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:

  • Record data
  • Reflect on ideas from texts and investigations
  • Construct explanations and arguments

Available with full-color article compilations for middle school units.

Cuatro folletos blancos con detalles en naranja brillante y varias imágenes de temas de la naturaleza en las portadas. Los títulos son parcialmente visibles, centrándose en información sobre el agua y sus usos.

Digital student experience
Students access the digital simulations and modeling tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:

  • Conduct hands-on investigations
  • Engage in active reading and writing activities
  • Participate in discussions
  • Record observations
  • Craft end-of-unit scientific arguments
Una fotografía de tres pantallas de computadora que muestran diferentes interfaces de software: código sobre un fondo negro, un mapa de calor del clima y un entorno de programación gráfico.

Teacher’s Guides
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:

  • Classroom Slides
  • Detailed lesson plans
  • Unit and chapter overview documentation
  • Differentiation strategies
  • Standards alignments
  • In-context professional development
A laptop displaying the Geology on Mars webpage sits beside a book titled "Geology on Mars," both featuring the same cover image of Mars and a spacecraft, perfect for enhancing three-dimensional learning in any science classroom.

Hands-on materials kits
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science. Each unit kit contains:

  • Consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials
  • Print classroom display materials
  • Premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc.)
A perforated rectangular board, three small containers with different powders, a black battery holder with red wires, and three colored alligator clips are arranged on a white background.

Remote and hybrid learning supports

Una persona sentada en un escritorio usando una computadora portátil, con una estantería que contiene libros, una pecera y una pelota de fútbol cerca.

Amplify has launched a new remote learning solution called Amplify Science@Home. Intended to make extended remote learning and hybrid learning easier, Amplify Science@Home includes two useful options for continuing instruction: @Home Videos and @Home Units. 

Amplify Science @Home Videos are recordings of real Amplify Science teachers teaching the lessons. For those teachers who are unable to meet synchronously with their students, the recorded lessons are a great way to keep their students on track and engaged with Amplify Science while at home. These videos will be produced for all K–5 units, and for the first four units of each 6–8 grade level. Their release will be rolling, beginning in August.   

Amplify Science@Home Units are modified versions of Amplify Science units, strategically designed to highlight key activities from the program. The @Home Units take significantly less instructional time than the complete Amplify Science program and allow students to engage with science at home. @Home Units will be developed for all Amplify Science K–8 units. Each @Home unit includes:

  • Teacher overviews explaining how to use the materials, including suggestions for enhancing the @Home Units if synchronous learning or in-class time with students is available.
  • Overviews to send home to families.

Student materials are available in two formats:

  • @Home Slides (PDF/PPT) + Student Sheets (PDF) for students with access to technology at home.
  • Downloadable @Home Packets (PDF) for students without access to technology at home.

Download the Remote and hybrid learning guide.

Looking for help?

Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support

Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We have developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:

  • Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans
  • Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials
  • Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs
  • Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more

To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com

Timely technical and program support

Our technical and program support is included and available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.

For your most urgent questions:

  • Use our live chat within your program
  • Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969

For less urgent questions:

Email support

Contact us

Contact your South Carolina team representatives:
Jeff Rutter
Field Manager
jrutter@amplify.com
(727) 512-8440

Lisa Jurovaty
Account Executive (West South Carolina)
ljurovaty@amplify.com
(803) 526-1899

Cathy McMillan (East South Carolina)
Senior Account Executive
cmcmillan@amplify.com
(904) 465-9904

Review the digital teacher’s guide

  1. Sign in with this username and password:
  2. Click on the orange button below.
  3. Select “Log in with Amplify”.

Username: t.LouisianaReview@tryamplify.net
Password: AmplifyNumber1

Log in

Navigational Guides

Watch the video
Get an overview of the program as a whole.

Take the guided tour
Click through to learn how to navigate around our program.

Preview the Student Books and Investigation Notebooks

Kindergarten

Needs of Plants and Animals

Pushes and Pulls

Sunlight and Weather

Grade 1

Animal and Plant Defenses

Light and Sound

Spinning Earth

Grade 2

Plant and Animal Relationships

Properties of Materials

Changing Landforms

Grade 3

Balancing Forces

Environments and Survival

Inheritance and Traits

Weather and Climate

Grade 4

Energy Conversions

Earth’s Features

Vision and Light

Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Ecosystem Restoration

The Earth System

Modeling Matter

Review the digital teacher’s guide

1. Click on the orange button below.
2. Select “Log in with Amplify”
3. Sign in with this username and password:
Username: t.LouisianaReview@tryamplify.net
Password: AmplifyNumber1

Log in

Navigational guides

Watch the video

Get an overview of the program as a whole.

Take the guided tour
Learn how to navigate around our program.

Preview the Student Books and Investigation Notebooks

Grade 5

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Ecosystem Restoration

The Earth System

Modeling Matter

Review the digital curriculum

  1. Click on the orange button below.
  2. Sign in with Google with this username and password:

Username: FLsciencestudent@demo.tryamplify.net
Password: AmplifyNumber1

3. Click on the orange Amplify Curriculum button.

Note: You may be asked by Google to provide your location. If this occurs, please type in: Brooklyn, NY. If Brooklyn, NY does not work, type in: Alpharetta, GA . (This is a Google authentication security measure.)

Log in now

Comprehensive Student Investigation Notebooks

Comprehensive Science 1

Comprehensive Science 2

Comprehensive Science 3

Domain Student Investigation Notebooks

Earth and Space Science

Life Science

Physical Science

Inspiring the next generation of Alabama scientists, engineers, and curious citizens

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Elk Grove Science K5

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Getting started with Amplify Science California

Dear Elk Grove K–5 teachers,

Welcome to the Amplify Science California family! Below you’ll find everything you need to successfully kick off your science instruction this year.

– Your California team

Amplify Science - Student reading a book remote & hybrid

Program introduction

Onboarding videos

To start using Amplify Science California quickly in your classroom, check out the following onboarding videos. They cover what you need to know to get started fast, from unpacking materials to quickly start using Amplify Science in your classroom and navigating the digital Teacher’s Reference Guide.

Program pacing

Hands-on materials kit

The following videos give you a quick look into our Amplify Science California classroom kits. For each grade level, you’ll find a “How to unpack your kit” video for the first unit of the program.

Teacher digital resources

Watch this video to understand the basic organization of the digital teacher experience and how to navigate the platform.

Want some practice? Download this exploration guide to practice toggling between teacher view, presentation view, and student view.

Our new digital experience also makes it easy to assign work through our LMS integrations.

Our new digital experience also makes it easy to view student work in real time.

Student digital resources

Watch this video to take a peek at the various student digital resources available to your class.

Use this Student Login Click Path document to support students and families logging in from home.

Essential resources

Your Teacher’s Reference Guide is a tremendously rich resource. It’s also packed! That’s why teachers getting started with Amplify Science love our condensed Unit Guides, lesson planners, and device calendars.

Unit Guides

These short and sweet guides provide a big picture overview of each unit’s phenomenon and storyline, the key questions that guide learning, and how the storyline develops from chapter to chapter. We even spoil the big reveal at the end by pointing out ahead of time what students figure out throughout the unit.

A laptop displays an educational website titled "The Earth System" with lesson modules; a printed Teacher’s Guide with a similar cover design is shown beside it.

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Lesson planners

Our lesson planners give you easy access to direct links to key resources within the program.

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Teacher-provided materials

Your Amplify Science classroom kit includes a wide variety of consumable and non-consumable items. In fact, each kit contains enough non-consumables to support a class of 36 students working in small groups, and enough consumables to support 72 student uses.

In addition to these provided items, there are some teacher-provided items required in each unit. For a consolidated list of teacher-provided items per unit, download the appropriate PDF below.

Device calendars

Our at-a-glance device calendars make device management and sharing between grade-level colleagues a breeze. With one calendar per unit (beginning in grade 2), you can easily see which lessons utilize devices.

Approach to assessment

The Amplify Science California assessment system is grounded in the principle that students benefit from regular and varied opportunities to demonstrate understanding through performance. In practice this means that conceptual understanding is revealed through engagement in the science and engineering practices.

Assessment types at a glance

In your classroom, you’ll be utilizing a variety of formative (F) and summative (S) assessments:

  • End-of-Unit Assessment (S): Assessments toward the end of each unit feature a combination of targeted discussions, student-generated models, and written explanations to gauge students’ knowledge and growth.
  • Pre-Unit Assessments (F): Discussion, modeling, and written explanations to gauge students’ knowledge.
  • On-the-Fly Assessments (OtFA) (F): Multi-dimensional tasks integrated regularly throughout the lessons. OtFA opportunities were designed to help teachers make sense of student activity during a learning experience (e.g., student-to-student talk, writing, and model construction) and to provide evidence of how a student is coming to understand core concepts and developing dexterity with SEPs and CCCs. Three-dimensional assessment opportunities make measuring progress toward NGSS learning goals possible.
  • Self-assessments (F): One per chapter; brief opportunities for students to reflect on their own learning, ask questions, and reveal ongoing wonderings about unit content.
  • Critical Juncture Assessments (F): Variety of multidimensional performance tasks intended to assess student progress, occurring at the end of each chapter. Examples include writing scientific explanations, engaging in argumentation, developing and using models, and designing engineering solutions. Based on student performance on the assessment, teachers have access to recommendations for targeted student interventions, suggested follow-ups, or differentiating classroom instruction.
  • End-of-Unit Assessment (S): Assessments toward the end of each unit feature a combination of targeted discussions, student-generated models, and written explanations to gauge students’ knowledge and growth.

Pre-Unit Assessments

Most Pre-Unit assessments are embedded within an activity of the first lesson of a unit. In kindergarten and grade 1, the Pre-Unit assessment (as well as the End-of-Unit assessment) is oral. In grades 2–5 they are typically written. Refer to the Digital Resources area of the Lesson Brief for materials needed for the assessment activity, such as the Clipboard Assessment Tool (K–1 only), copymasters (grades 2–5 only), and an Assessment Guide that will help you interpret and leverage students’ responses.

If you and your students have Interactive Classroom licenses, students can complete their assessment digitally instead of using the copymaster.

When students complete the assessment pages digitally, you’ll be able to review their work on the View Work page.

Critical Juncture Assessments

Critical Juncture assessments typically occur towards the end of each chapter. The Materials and Preparation section will indicate when there is a Critical Juncture to prepare for, but you can also tell when an activity is designed to be a Critical Juncture assessment by the hummingbird icon that will appear within it. Selecting the hummingbird icon will tell you how to assess students’ understanding with the activity, and how to tailor instruction based on what you find. If you need guidance on the “answers” to the assessment activity, refer to the “Possible Responses” tab.

If you are using Classroom Slides or Interactive Classroom, you’ll see a hummingbird or “Critical Juncture” label in the bottom right corner of one of the slides of the activity.

The notes about assessing understanding and tailoring instruction are located in the notes of that slide (on the right-hand side of the Teacher’s Guide tab in the Interactive Classroom experience; underneath the slide in Classroom Slides).

End-of-Unit Assessments

End-of-Unit assessments are typically the last lesson of a unit. In some units, these are two-part assessments that take place over two lessons. The easiest way to find the End-of-Unit assessment is to skim through the lesson titles. Lessons containing End-of-Unit assessments will always have that noted in the title.

Like the Pre-unit assessment, you can find materials for the End-of-unit assessments in the Digital Resources area of the Lesson Brief.

On-the-Fly Assessments

These embedded assessments leverage the formative opportunities in the learning experience students are already engaged in, such as creating models, analyzing data, actively reading, conducting investigations, and more. Refer to the Critical Juncture section above for guidance on finding information about using them.

Unit-level assessment information

You can find overall information about an individual unit’s assessments in the “Assessment System” resource, which is located within the Teacher References section on the Unit Overview page.

The Assessment System resource contains a comprehensive list of all of the assessment opportunities in the unit, including the assessment’s location, a brief indication of what students are doing in that particular activity, what type of assessment it is, which Disciplinary Core Ideas, science and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts it specifically addresses, and the kind of evaluation guidance you can expect for it. If you are in a kindergarten or first grade unit, you will also find information on the Clipboard Assessment Tool (used for supporting oral assessment) in this section.

If you’re interested in focusing on information related to the unit’s Critical Juncture and On-the-Fly assessments in particular, check out the “Embedded Formative Assessments” resource, also located within the Teacher References section on the Unit Overview page.

Three-dimensional assessment connections

All assessment opportunities within Amplify Science California include clear labeling around the Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs), and Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) to help teachers connect formative and summative assessments to specific NGSS dimensions.

Coming soon

Unlike other publishers, we don’t make you wait until your next adoption to get the latest and greatest from Amplify. We’re always launching new and exciting features. In fact, on this page is a list of new features you can look forward to using during the 2023-2024 school year.

FAQs

Program questions

Amplify Science California is a flexible, blended K–8 science curriculum that addresses 100 percent of the Next Generation Science Standards for California and a significant number of the California English Language Development Standards and Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects, and Math. Together, the units deliver three-dimensional instruction across the following disciplines: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, and Engineering Design.

Amplify Science California does indeed feature some powerful and engaging digital components, which are gradually introduced beginning at grade 2. However, as a fully blended and flexible program, Amplify Science California can be (and has been) implemented in a wide variety of scenarios.

All lessons were designed with device sharing in mind, and never assume that every student has a separate device. While 1:1 scenarios are great, they aren’t required. When devices are necessary for students to fully experience a concept, teachers can opt to share devices across pairs or small groups, or simply display the Sim or Modeling Tool to the whole class and allow students to “drive” using your device.

Rather than introducing a concept on Monday, testing for mastery on Friday, and knowing students will forget everything by the next Tuesday, we set out to help students build meaningful and lasting knowledge that they can retain and transfer over the course of the entire unit. We accomplish this by giving students multiple opportunities (a.k.a. “at-bats”) to encounter, explore, and experience a concept. Said another way, Amplify Science California is actually made up of a series of multi-modal “mini-lessons.” This intentional, cyclical, and iterative design mirrors the 5Es, allows teachers the flexibility to speed up or skip ahead once students have demonstrated mastery, and empowers students to learn concepts more deeply than any other program.

Yes. Rather than separating performance expectations into physical science units, earth and space science units, and life science units, Amplify Science California units are organized around anchoring phenomena designed to give students opportunities to dive deeply into certain Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) while also drawing from or applying to others. In organizing the Amplify Science California middle school units, we’ve carefully sequenced these ideas within each grade level to support the development of deep and coherent understanding.

Many real-world phenomena cross the domain boundaries of life, physical, or earth and space science (as well as engineering). Each Amplify Science California unit begins with an intriguing real-world phenomenon that poses a problem that needs to be understood and/or solved. By the end of the unit, students will have analyzed the anchor phenomenon across multiple scientific domains, possibly designed and tested an engineering solution, and applied what they’ve learned in a different context.

For example:
In the Light Waves unit, students investigate the anchoring phenomenon of why Australia has a much higher skin cancer rate than countries at similar latitudes like Brazil. The focus of this unit is on Disciplinary Core Ideas related to wave properties (PS4.A) and electromagnetic radiation (PS4.B). Students explore these physical science ideas deeply within the unit, and also draw on ideas from earth science (e.g., latitudinal variation of the sun’s energy) and life science (e.g., the effect of energy on the DNA in the nucleus of a cell) in order to explain the central phenomenon.

Absolutely. Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science California. Integrated into every unit are opportunities for students to take on the role of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend their claims.

In addition, our unique combination of focus and flex activities means teachers have more options, opportunities, and materials to make learning active. Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.

What’s important to remember is that more hands-on doesn’t necessarily mean better, at least according to the California NGSS. That’s because only two of the eight Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) are directly related to hands-on learning.

Just as scientists gather evidence from many types of sources, students in the Amplify Science California program gather evidence not just by making physical models, but also by making and interpreting digital models; reading texts; watching videos; and analyzing photographs, maps, and data sets. By doing do, students are provided with more opportunities than any other program to use all of the practices called out in the California NGSS Framework:

  • Asking questions
  • Developing and using models
  • Planning and carrying out investigations
  • Analyzing and interpreting data
  • Using mathematics and computational thinking
  • Constructing explanations
  • Engaging in arguments from evidence
  • Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

While all of our units engage students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, the reliance on different types of evidence (and evidence sources) varies according to unit. For instance, some units lend themselves to meaningful hands-on experiences, while in other units the phenomena students are investigating are too slow, too dangerous, or too big to be observed directly. In those units, students rely more heavily on other evidence sources such a physical models or simulations.

Unit types in grades K–5

In each K–5 grade, there is one unit that emphasizes investigation, one that emphasizes modeling, and one that emphasizes design. In addition, in grades 3–5, there is also one unit that emphasizes argumentation.

Unit types in grades 6–8

Each 6–8 grade features three types of units: Launch, Core, and Engineering Internships. Each year has one Launch unit, six Core units, and two Engineering Internships.

For teachers who want to supplement the lessons with even more hands-on activities, optional “flextension” activities are included in many units.

Yes indeed. Amplify Science California integrates all four STEM disciplines—science, technology, engineering, and math, in addition to English Language Arts—throughout the curriculum. In addition, each grade level features specific units that emphasize engineering design.

Yes, the program includes multiple opportunities for summative assessments.

End-of-unit assessments: At grades K–1 these look like targeted conversations, at grades 2–5 we incorporate written responses, and at grades 6–8 we assess through a combination of auto-scored multiple-choice questions and rubric-scored written responses. These summative assessments for each unit are designed to provide valid, reliable, and fair measures of students’ progress and attainment of three-dimensional learning.

Benchmark assessments: Delivered four times per year in grades 3–5 and three times per year in grades 6–8, benchmark assessments report on students’ facilities with each of the grade appropriate DCIs, SEPs, CCCs, and performance expectations of the California NGSS.

Science Seminars and final written arguments (formative and summative components): In grades 6–8, culminating performance tasks for each core unit invite students to figure out a new real-world problem. They collect and analyze evidence, examine a number of claims, and then engage in a full-class discussion where they must state which claims are best supported by the evidence, all while making clear their reasoning that connects the evidence to the claims. After the seminar, students then individually write their final scientific argument, drawing on the DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs they have used over the course of the unit to develop a sophisticated and convincing argument that addresses the problem they’ve been investigating. Rubrics, scoring guides, and examples of student responses at each scoring level are provided to teachers to support the assessment of students’ understanding of concepts and specific practices.

Amplify Science California provides more than enough instructional content to fill 180 days of instruction. However, unlike other programs that expect you to complete 180 discrete lessons, Amplify Science California includes built-in wiggle room.

For example, the typical elementary classroom delivers science instruction only two times per week. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our program to address 100 percent of the California NGSS in just 66 days at grades K–2 and 88 days at grades 3–5. When it comes to middle school, we address 100 percent of the California NGSS in 146 lessons.

Some classes might last longer than one session due to a number of reasons (e.g., enthusiastic student conversations, challenging topics requiring deeper dives, more time needed to accommodate diverse learners, etc.). Also, teachers might want to supplement Amplify Science California with some of their own favorite lessons. Lastly, we’ve accounted for the inevitable assembly days, class trips, testing schedules, etc. For teachers that want to go deeper or expand upon a unit topic, we also offer a number of additional lessons that are not core to each unit.

Amplify Science California lessons are designed to be completed in the following time frames:
Lessons in grades K–1 are designed for 45 minutes of science instruction.
Lessons in grades 2–5 are designed for 60 minutes of science instruction.

That said, it’s not a problem if you can’t allocate 45 minutes of science instruction every day at K–1, or 60 minutes per day at 2–5. Since there are a total of 66 lessons to address 100 percent of California NGSS at grades K–2, and 88 lessons to address 100 percent of California NGSS at grades 3–5, you can easily teach the lessons in smaller blocks and cover all of the content over the course of the school year.

Each lesson of every Amplify Science California unit includes point-of-use differentiation strategies and embedded teacher and student supports for diverse learners, including English learners, students who need more support, and students who are ready for more challenge. These strategies and methods ensure that all students have access to the same content as their peers.

Two notable categories of suggested modifications are:

  • English-learner-specific strategies such as English/Spanish glossaries, native language supports, and provision of cognates and other content-specific language scaffolds are provided in each unit.
  • Relatively small alterations and additional scaffolds that provide students with greater access to the content.
    These types of scaffolds benefit all learners and include suggestions such as providing graphic organizers, practice with multiple-meaning words, etc.

With Amplify Science California, the use of technology is always purposeful.

For example:

  • The curriculum has a strong emphasis on literacy, with students reading and analyzing informational texts, and writing scientific explanations and arguments.
  • Digital elements are gradually introduced to students in grades 2–3, with the greatest use of digital elements taking place in grades 4–5, as the phenomena at these grades become more challenging to observe directly.
  • The curriculum’s readers and interactive notebook pages are available in both print and digital across all K–5 units.

This curriculum addresses a significant number of the standards as they pertain to science. Throughout each unit, students read science texts, engage in science talk and argumentation, and write evidence-based science explanations. The curriculum supports vocabulary, language, and reading comprehension development. Students also use measurement tools with precision, record and analyze data, make sense of scientific phenomena, and develop solutions to problems experienced in the real world.

Digital questions

Teacher Support notes including sample teacher talk, student responses, pedagogical support, and possible student responses are provided within your student-facing slides. Simply click “Teach” and reference your private Teacher Guide tab. Students will only see the lesson slides that you are presenting.

You, the teacher, must “Start class” to launch the presentation tab. (Remember, without the presentation tab, students would be able to see your teacher notes.)

Clicking “Starting class” also brings students to the correct slide, which is particularly important for young students who are learning to navigate.

Teachers can either press the “End class” button in the bottom right corner of the slide navigation, or they can simply close the presentation tab.

Clicking “End class” also enables students to navigate through the lesson on their own. That means they’ll be able to return to slides and books to review content, to the Sims and Modeling Tools to replay them, or to notebook pages to update their work.

You can click on the “Student preview” option in the bottom right corner (within the menu that opens when you click the three dots) to open a new browser tab where you can preview the student view using your teacher account.

Any work you complete in this student preview (or elsewhere in the teacher experience) will be automatically saved to your account.

Looking for help?

For login or technology issues, please submit an EGUSD Heat ticket. For curriculum and pedagogical questions, please refer to the support resources below.

Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support

Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We’ve developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:

  • Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans.
  • Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials.
  • Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs.
  • Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more.

To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com

Timely technical and program support

Our technical and program support is included and available from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.

For your most urgent questions:

  • Use our live chat within your program.
  • Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969.

For less urgent questions:

Email support

Connect with other teachers

Our Amplify Science Facebook group is a community of Amplify Science educators from across the country. It’s a space to share best practices, ideas, and support on everything from implementation to instruction. Join today.

2025

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2024

December 18, 2024

EdSource: “State takes another step toward mandatory testing for reading difficulties in 2025”

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Chalkbeat Philadelphia: “Philadelphia is now spending over $100 million on its curriculum overhaul. Here’s a breakdown.”

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October 1, 2024

The 74: “As NY District Implements Science of Reading, Parents Push for New Focus on Math”

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September 18, 2024

Tech & Learning: “Tech & Learning Announces Winners of Best for Back to School 2024”

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Chalkbeat Philadelphia: “Philadelphia school board renews charters, funds tutoring and a new science curriculum”

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August 2, 2024

EdNC: “‘Dedication of our teachers’ praised in an update on the state’s science of reading journey”

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July 31, 2024

The 74: “Classroom Case Study: To Maximize the Impact of Curriculum Mandates, Follow the Science of Reading”

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July 23, 2024

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July 7, 2024

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April 4, 2024

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March 5, 2024

The 74: “Case Study: How One Texas School District Is Repurposing Staff Development Time to Embrace the Science of Reading”

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February 21, 2024

Times Record News: “UPDATED: Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath likes what he sees at local school”

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February 19, 2024

Chalkbeat: “Chicago Public Schools recover from pandemic declines more than other districts, study shows”

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February 7, 2024

The 74: “Building Oral Language Skills and Equity Through High-Quality Reading Curriculum”

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2023

December 19, 2023

The 74: “Best Education Articles of 2023: Our 23 Most Important Stories About Students, Schools & Learning Recovery ”

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December 8, 2023

Education Week: “Aligned Science Curriculum, Better Scores? Research Finds a Connection”

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December 6, 2023

WRAL News: “Reading readiness rises in NC’s K-3 classrooms, new data shows”

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November 27, 2023

The Dallas Morning News: “Dallas’ new lessons aim to keep kids on track, but some worry about limiting teachers”

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November 2, 2023

Fort Worth Report: “Black students in Fort Worth ISD still struggle to read at grade level”

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October 31, 2023

Chicago Tribune: “Lake Forest-area schools take stock of state grades; ‘While we celebrate our successes, we acknowledge that the journey … is ongoing’”

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October 19, 2023

Chalkbeat: “NYC eyes middle and high school literacy overhaul. It’s asking families to weigh in.”

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October 16, 2023

The 74: “As Virginia Rolls Out Ambitious Statewide High-Dosage Tutoring Effort This Week, 3 Keys to Success”

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October 6, 2023

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September 18, 2023

Tech & Learning: “Best for Back to School 2023”

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September 18, 2023

Chalkbeat: “Chicago Public Schools hired hundreds of tutors with federal COVID money. Can they keep them?”

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September 7, 2023

EdNC: “Perspective | Union County Public Schools empowers educators, elevates readers”

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August 14, 2023

Chicago Parent: “Common Core Math: How to Help Your Kids”

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August 6, 2023

The News & Observer: “NC sees big increase in reading skills among K-3 students. Is the state back on track?”

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August 4, 2023

The 74: “Slow Literacy Gains, Long COVID in Kids: 7 Insights into Pandemic Recovery and Aftermath in U.S. Schools”

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August 3, 2023

EdNC: “State Board of Education: New reading data, parental leave, and a call to support public schools”

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July 28, 2023

Houston Public Media: “New literacy curriculum is among the many changes coming to HISD”

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July 17, 2023

Houston Chronicle: “Mike Miles says HISD schools will teach the ‘science of reading.’ Here’s what that means.”

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July 11, 2023

The 74: “‘Education’s Long COVID’: New Data Shows Recovery Stalled for Most Students”

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July 6, 2023

Houston Chronicle: “HISD superintendent gives voluntary schools one last chance to back out of New Education System”

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June 29, 2023

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June 2, 2023

EdWeek Market Brief:”K-12 Dealmaking: Substitute Teaching Startup Secures $38M; Amplify Raises Undisclosed Series C”

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May 25, 2023

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April 21, 2023

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April 18, 2023

The 74: “Louisiana District Ravaged by Hurricane & COVID is Bouncing Back with Science”

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April 5, 2023

WFAE: “NC midyear reading data shows gains, but third-grade goals remain elusive”

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EdNC: “K-3 students show growth in literacy skills, mid-year DPI data show”

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March 24, 2023

The 74: “COVID & School Recovery: Critics Warn Washington Bill Would Reduce Classroom Learning Time By 4 Hours a Week”

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March 24, 2023

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March 15, 2023

K-12 Dive: “California at center of latest push for science-based reading approaches”

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ABC 7: “Reading skills rebounding for young students following pandemic disruptions”

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March 1, 2023

K-12 Dive: “By The Numbers: DIBELS testing shows improved reading progress over last two years”

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February 27, 2023

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February 7, 2023

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January 13, 2023

NPR: “Can a middle school class help scientists create a cooler place to play?”

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News & Record: “After a numbing low, NC students now heading in ‘right direction’ in reading, math”

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CBS17.com: “K-3 students in NC make significant strides on literacy exams, DPI says”

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2022

December 20, 2022

District Administration: “Literacy Under the Lights: 10 ways to bring the community back together”

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The 74: “14 Charts This Year That Helped Us Better Understand Covid’s Impact On Students Teachers and Schools”

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December 14, 2022

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November 21, 2022

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October 24, 2022

Education Week: “Two Decades of Progress, Nearly Gone: National Math, Reading Scores Hit Historic Lows”

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October 20, 2022

The 74: “Exclusive Literacy Data: Small Gains Since Last Fall, But No Reading Rebound”

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August 30, 2022

The 74: “Test English Learners in the Languages They Speak at School and at Home”

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WTKR TV NC: “News 3 investigates childhood literacy rates, raising money to give books to local kids for new school year”

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August 28, 2022

EdNC: “Elementary students made growth last year in skills that lead to reading proficiency, new data show”

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August 18, 2022

SHRM Blog: “The Great Resignation Skipped Us. Here’s why.”

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August 16, 2022

Forbes: “Curious About Knowledge-Building Curricula? Check Out This Website”

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July 20, 2022

District Administration: “Out-of-school STEM learning is much more powerful when it’s inclusive”

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July 19, 2022

Chalkbeat: “The state of learning loss: 7 takeaways from the latest data”

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June 28, 2022

The Preschool Podcast: “Early literacy strategies that stick with Darryl from Run-DMC and Makeda from Nickelodeon [Podcast]”

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May 24, 2022

Forbes: “States That Want To Boost Literacy Should Keep An Eye On Texas”

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April 24, 2022

Business Ecosystem Alliance: “Ecosystems in Education–Collaborating to Efficiently Serve the End User”

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April 18, 2022

KQED Mind Shift: “Weighing the best strategies for reading intervention”

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April 15, 2022

Fordham Institute: “Assessing a standards-aligned physical science curriculum”

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March 23, 2022

The Baltimore Sun: “National test scores show student gains from in-person learning in all but a critical group: new and pre-readers | COMMENTARY”

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March 15, 2022

NPR: “Two years ago schools shut down around the world. These are the biggest impacts”

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March 11, 2022

The Hub – Dallas ISD: “Students at Greiner and Anson Jones Elementary find success in reading and writing with a new program”

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March 10, 2022

NY Daily News: “Read it and weep: The new reading instruction emergency”

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March 10, 2022

WISH TV Indianapolis: “Study shows student performance plummeted during pandemic”

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March 9, 2022

New York Post: “Young students have suffered ‘alarming’ drops in reading skills during pandemic”

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March 9, 2022

The Daily Caller: “Childhood Literacy Plummeted Following Pandemic Shutdowns, Studies Show”

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March 8, 2022

The New York Times: “It’s ‘Alarming’: Children Are Severely Behind in Reading”

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March 7, 2022

Education Next: “The Education Exchange: Pandemic Hurt Younger Students’ Learning Worse, Amplify Data Suggest”

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February 28, 2022

The 74: “Our 12 Best Education Articles in February: Reflections on 700 Days of COVID Chaos, Setting a Bar for Unmasking in Schools, Burying Schools in Record Requests & More”

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February 24, 2022

The Daily Advertiser: “Reading scores improve slightly, but pre-COVID reading levels are ‘the wrong goal’”

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February 24, 2022

Wall Street Journal: “The School Shutdowns and Lost Literacy”

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February 23, 2022

K-12 Dive: “DIBELS data illustrates pandemic reading setbacks”

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February 22, 2022

ABC 7 Buffalo: “Children falling behind in reading”

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February 18, 2022

The Carolina Journal: “Report: Elementary students lag in literacy due to pandemic”

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February 16, 2022

The 74: “‘We Have First-Graders Who Can’t Sing the Alphabet Song’: Pandemic Continues to Push Young Readers Off Track, New Data Shows”

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February 16, 2022

Education Week: “More Than 1 in 3 Children Who Started School in the Pandemic Need ‘Intensive’ Reading Help”

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February 4, 2022

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January 26, 2022

The Ross Kaminsky Show: “Susan Lambert and the Literacy Gap”

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January 19, 2022

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2021

December 15, 2021

Chalkbeat: “How Denver plans to address a drop in early elementary reading scores”

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December 8, 2021

The SHRM Blog: “What’s the Best Work Perk of All? Contributing to the Social Good”

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November 13, 2021

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October 20, 2021

Hechinger Report: “OPINION: Younger students were among those most hurt during the pandemic”

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September 2, 2021

EdSurge: “An Edtech User’s Glossary to Speech Recognition and AI in the Classroom”

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September, 2021

SIIA Education: “ED TECH SUCCESS STORIES”

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August 23, 2021

CNN: “Irish tech firm helps kids’ voices be heard”

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August 18, 2021

SoapBox Labs: “Can Speech Recognition Help Children Learn to Read?”

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August 12, 2021

FOX Chicago Broadcast Interview: “Pandemic widens literacy gap for students”

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August 3, 2021

T.H.E Journal: “More Students of Color at Risk in Reading After Pandemic”

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July 28, 2021

The 74: “Early Reading Skills See a Rebound From In-Person Learning, But Racial Gaps Have Grown Wider, Tests Show”

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July 28, 2021

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July 20, 2021

EdNC: “The mCLASS reading assessment tool is back in North Carolina classrooms, but it’s going to look different”

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July 5, 2021

WBAL: “Baltimore students from all socio-economic backgrounds get a chance to ‘Amplify’ their learning skills”

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June 15, 2021

Language Magazine: “Using Evidence to Overcome Adversity”

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May 7, 2021

The Dallas Morning News: “How can a one-minute kindergarten test help teachers tackle the ‘COVID slide’?”

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April 20, 2021

Education Week: “How Teachers and Curriculum Will Shape Ed Tech’s Future: A CEO Makes the Case”

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March 24, 2021

The Hechinger Report: “OPINION: Children will need summer tutors to make up for pandemic learning loss”

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March 23, 2021

Education Week: “Most States Fail to Measure Teachers’ Knowledge of the ‘Science of Reading,’ Report Says”

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March 17, 2021

Axios: “How online education and tutoring could fight COVID learning loss”

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March 16, 2021

USA Today: “Students are struggling to read behind masks and screens during COVID-19, but ‘expectations are no different’”

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March 16, 2021

The 74: “Schools and COVID, a Year Later: 12 Months After Classrooms Closed, 12 Key Things We’ve Learned About How the Pandemic Disrupted Student Learning”

Read full article

February 25, 2021

K–12 Dive: “Reading gaps widen in mid-year data, especially for K-1 students of color”

Read full article

February 24, 2021

The 74: “One Year into Pandemic, Far Fewer Young Students are on Target to Learn How to Read, Tests Show”

Read full article

February 17, 2021

NBC Los Angeles: “Local Students Design Rovers in Mission to Mars Student Challenge”

Read full article

February 5, 2021

District Administration: “To save literacy, focus first on high-quality core instruction”

Read full article

February 4, 2021

The Hechinger Report: “5 ways schools hope to fight Covid-19 learning loss”

Read full article

January 5, 2021

The 74: “Science Matters Now More than Ever. The Time to Start Teaching It Is in Elementary School”

Read full article

2020

December 15, 2020

Education Week: “Students’ Reading Losses Could Strain Schools’ Capacity to Help Them Catch Up”

Read full article

December 9, 2020

Education Post: “How to Help Beginning Readers During the Pandemic”

Read full article

December 3, 2020

American Consortium for Equity in Education: “The Importance of Quality Curriculum With Industry Voice”

Read full article

September 29, 2020

The 74: “Beyond the Scantron: Ed Tech CEO Larry Berger on Why the Pandemic Is No Excuse to Abscond Accountability and ‘Disruptions Are Great Opportunities to Try Something New’”

Read full article

May 25, 2020

The 74: “Class Disrupted Podcast Episode 2: Why Is My Child Doing So Many Worksheets Right Now?”

Read full article

February 5, 2020

Getting Smart Podcast: “Larry Berger on EdTech Past and Future”

Read full article

MTSS: The key to success

What helps students succeed in reading? It’s not just one tool, or even one toolkit. Ideally, they’ve got a whole ecosystem—from the latest science to bedtime stories—supporting them in learning to read.

So it makes sense that a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is critical to literary instruction in the classroom. 

What exactly is an MTSS? How does it align with the Science of Reading? And how do they help you support your students?

MTSS, literacy instruction, and the Science of Reading

First, a broad definition. 

A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a comprehensive framework designed to provide systematic and differentiated support to all students. The tiered approach includes universal interventions for all learners, targeted interventions for those at risk, and intensive interventions for students with specific needs. The goal of an MTSS is to use data-driven decision-making and personalized support to improve academic, behavioral, and emotional outcomes for every student.

And that’s exactly what an MTSS does in the context of literacy instruction. An MTSS operates on the premise that readers have diverse requirements, and it aims to proactively identify and address these needs through a multi-tiered approach.

That’s where it intersects with the Science of Reading. As you know, the Science of Reading refers to the pedagogy and practices that extensive research has found to be most effective for teaching children to read. When implemented in a classroom, the Science of Reading is part of a system—one that aligns with a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).

What’s the difference between an MTSS and RTI? 

MTSS vs. RTI: You’ve probably heard these systems mentioned in similar contexts. But just like new readers, we’ve got to learn our letters. 

RTI stands for Response to Intervention, so its very name shows that it’s a response to an identified problem. Actually, it’s a series of academic responses that use data to pinpoint and address the specific challenges of struggling students.

An MTSS and an RTI are similar in that “they are both problem-solving models,” notes Brittney Bills, Ph.D., elementary school principal at Blair Community Schools, speaking with host Susan Lambert on Amplify’s Science of Reading: The Podcast.

And they can be intertwined. But they are not interchangeable. In fact, an RTI is part of an MTSS framework—not the other way around. Also: 

  • An MTSS starts with all students. “With the MTSS model, the universal tier is the first intervention for all students,” says Bills, referring to the curriculum, instruction, and assessments provided to all students at a given grade level. Bills says we can ask: “What does our data demonstrate that our students need within that universal tier? And how can we apply evidence-based practices, as they relate to the Science of Reading, to beef up opportunities for our students there first? Then it’s a layering-on of supports and problem-solving at those other layers, the targeted and intensive tiers, after that.”
  • An MTSS supports prevention. Again, we start universal, then identify issues. Though an RTI is necessary and effective, an MTSS has the aim, and the capacity, to both get at-risk readers back on track and prevent the need for intervention down the line.

The four defining parts of an MTSS

Now, let’s break down the four key components that define an MTSS:

  1. Screening: An MTSS begins with screening to identify students’ proficiency in foundational literacy skills. Screening helps you pinpoint potential challenges in literacy early on, making it possible to tailor interventions for individual students and head problems off at the pass.
  2. Progress monitoring: An MTSS helps you regularly assess and track students’ literacy progress, allowing you to adjust instructional strategies based on real-time data and evolving needs.
  3. Establishing a multi-level prevention system: The multi-level prevention system allows you to adapt to accommodate diverse learning styles and precise learning needs. This personalized approach both supports those at risk and helps build an inclusive classroom where every reader can thrive.
  4. Making data-based decisions: An MTSS gives you the data you need—and guides you in analyzing it—to make the precise adjustments that support every student’s literacy journey. 

An MTSS is a dynamic approach that recognizes that every student is different—and that to provide each with what they need to learn to read, teachers need systems of support, too. 

More to explore

Our Instructional model

The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:

DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.

TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.

WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.

VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.

Scope and sequence

GRADE

UNITS

Kindergarten

  • Needs of Plants and Animals
  • Pushes and Pulls
  • Sunlight and Water

Grade 1

  • Animal and Plant Defenses
  • Light and Sound
  • Spinning Earth

Grade 2

  • Plant and Animal Relationships
  • Properties of Materials
  • Changing Landforms

Grade 3

  • Balancing Forces
  • Inheritance and Traits
  • Environments and Survival
  • Weather and Climate

Grade 4

  • Energy Conversions
  • Vision and Light
  • Earth’s Features
  • Waves, Energy, and Information

Grade 5

  • Patterns of Earth and Sky
  • Modeling Matter
  • The Earth System
  • Ecosystem Restoration

GRADE

UNITS

Grade 6

  • Launch: Microbiome
  • Metabolism
  • Metabolism Engineering Internship
  • Thermal Energy
  • Plate Motion
  • Plate Motion Engineering Internship
  • Rock Transformations
  • Weather Patterns
  • Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Grade 7

  • Launch: Harnessing Human Energy
  • Phase Change
  • Phase Change Engineering Internship
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Earth’s Changing Climate
  • Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Populations and Resources
  • Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Grade 8

  • Launch: Geology on Mars
  • Earth, Moon, and Sun
  • Light Waves
  • Force and Motion
  • Force and Motion Engineering Internship
  • Traits and Reproduction
  • Natural Selection
  • Natural Selection Engineering Internship
  • Evolutionary History

Charlotte of diocese standards alignment

Amplify Science was designed from the ground up. The guidance below is meant to provide support for integrating additional companion activities that support the students of the Charlotte of Diocese.

Organized by grade level, each section below will show:

  • The standard being addressed with the activities; 
  • The recommended placement of the activities within a specific Amplify Science unit; and 
  • PDFs of any accompanying materials that are necessary to implement the activities.

Coming Soon!

Coming Soon!

What’s included

Science articles
The middle school science articles serve as sources for evidence collection and were authored by science and literacy experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Student Investigation Notebooks
Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:

  • Record data
  • Reflect on ideas from texts and investigations
  • Construct explanations and arguments

Available with full-color article compilations for middle school units.

Digital student experience
Students access the digital simulations and modeling tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:

  • Conduct hands-on investigations
  • Engage in active reading and writing activities
  • Participate in discussions
  • Record observations
  • Craft end-of-unit scientific arguments

Teacher’s Guides
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:

  • Classroom Slides
  • Detailed lesson plans
  • Unit and chapter overview documentation
  • Differentiation strategies
  • Standards alignments
  • In-context professional development

Hands-on materials kits
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science. Each unit kit contains:

  • Consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials
  • Print classroom display materials
  • Premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc.)

Looking for help?

Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support

Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We have developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:

  • Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans
  • Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials
  • Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs
  • Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more

To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com

Timely technical and program support

Our technical and program support is included and available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.

For your most urgent questions:

  • Use our live chat within your program
  • Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969

For less urgent questions:

Email support

Contact us

Contact your South Carolina team representatives:

Jennifer Eason

Senior Account Executive

jeason@amplify.com

Tom Gantt

District Manager

tgantt@amplify.com

Welcome, Portland K–5 Science Reviewers!

Thank you for taking the time to review Amplify Science for grades K–5. On this site, you’ll find all the resources you need to learn more about this engaging and robust NGSS program. Plus, we make it easy to experience our program firsthand with a live demo account that features our interactive learning platform.

A boy reads a book titled "Gary's Seed Journal," surrounded by illustrated elements like a globe, trees, and clouds. Upper left shows an illustration of a dinosaur skull.

Review Materials

Teacher Reference Guides

It’s important that your committee sees the full breadth and depth of our instruction. For that reason, we provided a copy of each of our unit-specific Teacher Reference Guides. Before you panic, rest assured that teachers do not use these robust reference guides for day-to-day teaching. For that, we have a hands-free TG!

A laptop screen shows an energy simulation, with surrounding text and diagrams explaining the Earth's system and energy flow.
  • Teacher Reference Guide: Unlike a typical TG that requires a series of supplemental books to support it, our encyclopedic reference guide is chock-full of everything a teacher needs to fully implement our program and the NGSS.
  • Ready-to-Teach Lesson Slides: For daily instruction, teachers need their hands free. That’s why we created ready-to-teach lesson slides for every single lesson What’s more, they are editable and include suggested teacher talk and point-of-use differentiation and other instructional tips. Click to learn more.

Hands-on kits

Knowing how important hands-on learning is to your district, we provided your committee every kit included in our K–5 program. While it looks like a lot of materials to manage, our unit-specific kits enable teachers to grab the tub they need and then put it all back with ease. Plus, items needed for multiple units are duplicated and found in each tub.

Amplify Science hands-on kits

Our unit-specific kits:

  • Include more materials — We give you enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumables to support 72 student uses. In other words, each kit will last two years.
  • Are more manageable — Unlike other programs that require large groups of students to share limited sets of materials, our kits include enough to support small groups of 4–5 students.
  • Include supportive videos — Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.

Overview

Developed by UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, our program features:

  • A phenomena-based approach where students construct a more complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
  • A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
  • Cohesive units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true 3-dimensional learning.
  • An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.

Hands-on investigations

Classroom discussions

Vocabulary

Simulations and digital modeling tools

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to teach less, but achieve more. We designed our program to address 100% of the NGSS in just 66 days for grades K–2 and 88 days for grades 3–5.

Graphic showing a research process with four steps: spark intrigue with a real-world problem, explore evidence, explain and elaborate, and evaluate claims, connected in a cycle with arrows.

Unit sequence

Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.

In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, practice and apply concepts than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.

Four images: a hair dryer blowing on a stick structure; an illustration of an orangutan climbing; two children playing a wall-mounted game; and hands with toy dinosaurs sorting paper strips.
An illustration from Needs of Plants and Animals unit
Needs of Plants and Animals

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Scientists

Phenomenon: There are no monarch caterpillars in the Mariposa Grove community garden since vegetables were planted.  

An illustration from the Pushes and Pulls unit
Pushes and Pulls

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Pinball engineers

Phenomenon: Pinball machines allow people to control the direction and strength of forces on a ball.

Silueta de una estructura de parque infantil contra un cielo azul con nubes y tres soles amarillos.
Sunlight and Weather

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Weather scientists

Phenomenon: Students at Carver Elementary School are too cold during morning recess, while students at Woodland Elementary School are too hot during afternoon recess.  

Illustration of sea turtles swimming among seaweed in the ocean, with a large shark in the background.
Animal and Plant Defenses

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Spruce the Sea Turtle lives in an aquarium and will soon be released back into the ocean, where she will survive despite ocean predators.  

An illustration from the Light and Sound unit
Light and Sound

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Light and sound engineers

Phenomenon: A puppet show company uses light and sound to depict realistic scenes in puppet shows.

An illustration from the Spinning Earth unit
Spinning Earth

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Sky scientists

Phenomenon: The sky looks different to Sai and his grandma when they talk on the phone.

An elephant standing next to a tree uses its trunk to pick a fruit from a branch while more fruit hangs above.
Plant and Animal Relationships

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Plant scientists

Phenomenon: No new chalta trees are growing in the fictional Bengal Tiger Reserve in India.

A hand holds a red bean on a table, while a wooden stick spreads white glue and scattered beans. Also on the table are a white cup and a yellow pen.
Properties of Materials

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Glue engineers

Phenomenon: Different glue recipes result in glues that have different properties.

Ilustración de una costa con acantilados, un edificio de centro recreativo con un techo rojo y un letrero, árboles de hoja perenne, una bandera azul y una playa de arena debajo.
Changing Landforms

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: The cliff that Oceanside Recreation Center is situated on appears to be receding over time.

Una ilustración de un tren de alta velocidad moderno y aerodinámico que viaja por una vía elevada con un paisaje verde de fondo.
Balancing Forces

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Engineers

Phenomenon: The town of Faraday is getting a new train that floats above its tracks.  

An illustration from the Inheritance and Traits unit
Inheritance and Traits

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Wildlife biologists

Phenomenon: An adopted wolf in Graystone National Park (“Wolf 44”) has some traits that appear similar to one wolf pack in the park and other traits that appear to be similar to a different wolf pack.

An illustration from the Environments and Survival unit
Environments and Survival

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Biomimicry engineers

Phenomenon: Over the last 10 years, a population of grove snails has changed: The number of grove snails with yellow shells has decreased, while the number of snails with banded shells has increased.

An illustration from the Weather and Climate unit
Weather and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Meteorologists

Phenomenon: Three different islands, each a contender for becoming an Orangutan reserve, experience different weather patterns.

An illustration from the Energy Conversions unit
Energy Conversions

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: System engineers

Phenomenon: The fictional town of Ergstown experiences frequent blackouts.

An illustration from the Vision and Light unit
Vision and Light

Domain: Physical Science, Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Conservation biologists

Phenomenon: The population of Tokay geckos in a rain forest in the Philippines has decreased since the installation of new highway lights.

An illustration from the Earth's Features unit
Earth’s Features

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: A mysterious fossil is discovered in a canyon within the fictional Desert Rocks National Park.

An illustration from the Waves, Energy, and Information unit
Waves, Energy, and Information

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Mother dolphins in the fictional Blue Bay National Park seem to be communicating with their calves when they are separated at a distance underwater.

An illustration from the Patterns of Earth and Sky unit
Patterns of Earth and Sky

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An ancient artifact depicts what we see in the sky at different times — the sun during the daytime and different stars during the nighttime — but it is missing a piece.

An illustration from the Modeling Matter unit
Modeling Matter

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Food scientists

Phenomenon: Chromatography is a process for separating mixtures. Some solids dissolve in a salad dressing while others do not. Oil and vinegar appear to separate when mixed in a salad dressing.

An illustration from the Earth System unit
The Earth System

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering Design

Student role: Water resource engineers

Phenomenon: East Ferris, a city on one side of the fictional Ferris Island, is experiencing a water shortage, while West Ferris is not.

An illustration from the Ecosystem Restoration unit
Ecosystem Restoration

Domains:Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The jaguars, sloths, and cecropia trees in a reforested section of a Costa Rican rain forest are not growing and thriving.

Access program

Watch the video to the right showing you how to navigate our digital platform. When you’re ready, follow the instructions below to log into our live demo account.

  • Click the orange button below to access the program digitally.
  • Choose the resources you’d like to review.
  • Pick your grade level from the drop-down menu.
  • Scroll down to find additional grade-level resources.
Access the program

Resources

An adult sits on a couch using a laptop while a child next to them does homework in a notebook.

Course structure for K–5

Learn more about new product enhancements and resources to help you deliver enga…

Una mujer lee un libro titulado "Postales de accidentes geográficos" a un grupo de niños atentos sentados en el suelo de un salón de clases.

Remote and Hybrid Learning Guide

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Two children engaged in an animated conversation while sitting at a school desk with laptops and books.

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learni…

Illustration of a pixelated green mountain cliff deconstructing into a digital grid, with red dots floating over a tranquil sea and flying white birds.

Unit phenomena for K–5

Take a closer look at the elementary unit phenomena featured in each grade level…

Educational material for grade 1, featuring a section about aquariums with an image of children observing jellyfish, and an introduction to forest habitats.

Classroom Slides for K–5

Classrooms Slides for elementary are now available! These customizable PowerPoin…

A young boy and girl sitting in a classroom, reading a book together with focused expressions.

Literacy-rich instruction in K–5

Scientists do not just get messy. They read and write with purpose too. Explore…

A young boy and girl sitting in a classroom, reading a book together with focused expressions.

Student Books in K–5

Read a summary of each of our award-winning K–5 student books.

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital Simulations included at each grade level.

Two children in safety goggles conducting a science experiment with liquids in a classroom.

Investigations for K–5

Explore the types of investigations that take place in elementary classrooms.

Amplify Science California supports 3-D learning with more materials than any other program.

Materials Kits for K–5

See what components come in our materials kits!

A teacher discusses educational content in front of a whiteboard while students in the classroom raise their hands eagerly.

Approaches to assessment in K–5

Learn about our elementary embedded assessments.

Contact us

A smiling woman with blond hair, wearing a blue top and a light brown jacket, with autumn leaves in the background.

Have questions? Please contact:

Erin Elfving-Strayhan
Senior Account Executive

971-291-9854
estrayhan@amplify.com

Overview

With Amplify Science, students don’t just passively learn about science concepts. Instead, they take on the role of scientists and engineers to actively investigate and figure out real-world phenomena. They do this through a blend of cohesive and compelling storylines, hands-on investigations, collaborative discussions, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools.

Watch the videos below to learn how our program empowers students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers every day.

Overview

What Educators Say

The NGSS classroom

EdReports

Amplify Science for grades K–8 has been rated all-green by EdReports..

Read the review on Edreports.

Program structure

Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to teach less, but achieve more. We designed our program to address 100% of the NGSS in just 66 days for grades K–2 and 88 days for grades 3–5.

Unit sequence

Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.

In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.

Unit sequence
Mariposa en vuelo sobre plantas en macetas sobre una mesa, con una oruga en un tallo frondoso cerca, una regadera roja a la izquierda y un paisaje brillante al fondo.

Needs of Plants and Animals

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Scientists

Phenomenon: There are no monarch caterpillars in the Mariposa Grove community garden since vegetables were planted. 
Una mano tirando de una cuerda atada a una bola blanca, que interactúa con un tablero de madera con varias clavijas y bandas elásticas.

Pushes and Pulls

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Pinball engineers

Phenomenon: Pinball machines allow people to control the direction and strength of forces on a ball. 
An illustration from the Sunlight and Weather unit

Sunlight and Weather

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Weather scientists

Phenomenon: Students at Carver Elementary School are too cold during morning recess, while students at Woodland Elementary School are too hot during afternoon recess. 
Una ilustración de una tortuga marina nadando bajo el agua, acompañada por una tortuga más pequeña, una tortuga más grande y un tiburón distante. Al fondo se ven algas.

Animal and Plant Defenses

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Spruce the Sea Turtle lives in an aquarium and will soon be released back into the ocean, where she will survive despite ocean predators. 
An illustration from the Light and Sound unit

Light and Sound

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Light and sound engineers

Phenomenon: A puppet show company uses light and sound to depict realistic scenes in puppet shows. 
Ilustración que muestra un paisaje urbano dividido en noche a la izquierda con una luna y estrellas, y día a la derecha con un sol, nubes y un avión.

Spinning Earth

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Sky scientists

Phenomenon: The sky looks different to Sai and his grandma when they talk on the phone. 
Un elefante se encuentra debajo de un árbol y usa su trompa para arrancar un trozo de fruta.

Plant and Animal Relationships

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Plant scientists

Phenomenon: No new chalta trees are growing in the fictional Bengal Tiger Reserve in India. 
A hand holds a red bean on a table, while a wooden stick spreads white glue and scattered beans. Also on the table are a white cup and a yellow pen.

Properties of Materials

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Glue engineers

Phenomenon: Different glue recipes result in glues that have different properties. 
An illustration from the Changing Landforms unit

Changing Landforms

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: The cliff that Oceanside Recreation Center is situated on appears to be receding over time. 
An illustration from the Balancing Forces unit

Balancing Forces

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Engineers

Phenomenon: The town of Faraday is getting a new train that floats above its tracks. 
An illustration from the Inheritance and Traits unit

Inheritance and Traits

strong>Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Wildlife biologists

Phenomenon: An adopted wolf in Graystone National Park (Wolf 44) has some traits that appear similar to one wolf pack in the park and other traits that appear to be similar to a different wolf pack. 
An illustration from the Environments and Survival unit

Environments and Survival

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Biomimicry engineers

Phenomenon: Over the last 10 years, a population of grove snails has changed: The number of grove snails with yellow shells has decreased, while the number of snails with banded shells has increased. 
Un orangután con un pelaje naranja cuelga de una enredadera en una densa y verde jungla con árboles y plantas, mientras el sol brilla de fondo.

Weather and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Meteorologists

Phenomenon: Three different islands, each a contender for becoming an Orangutan reserve, experience different weather patterns. 
An illustration from the Energy Conversions unit

Energy Conversions

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: System engineers

Phenomenon: The fictional town of Ergstown experiences frequent blackouts. 
An illustration from the Vision and Light unit

Vision and Light

Domain: Physical Science, Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Conservation biologists

Phenomenon: The population of Tokay geckos in a rain forest in the Philippines has decreased since the installation of new highway lights. 
Ilustración de una costa rocosa con acantilados angulares en tonos rojizos a la izquierda y una masa de agua azul debajo.

Earth's Features

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: A mysterious fossil is discovered in a canyon within the fictional Desert Rocks National Park. 
An illustration from the Waves, Energy, and Information unit

Waves, Energy, and Information

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Mother dolphins in the fictional Blue Bay National Park seem to be communicating with their calves when they are separated at a distance underwater. 
An illustration from the Patterns of Earth and Sky unit

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An ancient artifact depicts what we see in the sky at different times — the sun during the daytime and different stars during the nighttime — but it is missing a piece. 
An illustration from the Modeling Matter unit

Modeling Matter

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Food scientists

Phenomenon: Chromatography is a process for separating mixtures. Some solids dissolve in a salad dressing while others do not. Oil and vinegar appear to separate when mixed in a salad dressing. 
An illustration from the Earth System unit

The Earth System

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering Design

Student role: Water resource engineers

Phenomenon: East Ferris, a city on one side of the fictional Ferris Island, is experiencing a water shortage, while West Ferris is not. 
An illustration from the Ecosystem Restoration unit

Ecosystem Restoration

Domains:Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The jaguars, sloths, and cecropia trees in a reforested section of a Costa Rican rain forest are not growing and thriving. 

Access program

Watch the video to the right showing you how to navigate our digital platform. When you’re ready, follow the instructions below to log into your live demo account.

  • Click the orange button below to access the platform.
  • Explore as a teacher with this username (t1.cartwrightsd@demo.tryamplify.net) and this password (Amplify1-cartwrightsd).
  • Explore as a student with this username (s1.cartwrightsd@demo.tryamplify.net) and this password (Amplify1-cartwrightsd).
  • Choose your grade level from the drop-down menu.

 

Access the digital platform now

Resources

Minimalist illustration of three pencils outlined in white on an orange background, with the lines of the pencils forming part of a continuous single line drawing.

Arizona State Standards Alignment

See how well Amplify Science aligns to your state standards.
A computer screen displays an educational platform featuring teacher notes, interactive content, quick links to activities, and easy navigation tools.

New! Digital experience

Our Amplify Science digital experience is getting even better for the upcoming school year. Click to learn more!
Un adulto y un niño se sientan en un sofá beige con cuadernos abiertos. El adulto usa una computadora portátil, mientras el niño escribe en un libro. La luz del sol entra por las ventanas detrás de ellos.

Remote and Hybrid Learning Guide

Learn more about new product enhancements and resources to help you deliver engaging science instruction in any instructional scenario—remote, hybrid, or in-person.
Una mujer lee un libro titulado "Postales de accidentes geográficos" a un grupo de niños atentos sentados en el suelo de un salón de clases.

Course structure for K–5

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.
Illustration of a pixelated green mountain cliff deconstructing into a digital grid, with red dots floating over a tranquil sea and flying white birds.

Unit phenomena for K–5

Take a closer look at the elementary unit phenomena featured in each grade level.
Two children engaged in an animated conversation while sitting at a school desk with laptops and books.

What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?

Learn actionable strategies that will help you implement 3-D teaching and learning.
A young boy and girl sitting in a classroom, reading a book together with focused expressions.

Literacy-rich instruction in K–5

Scientists do not just get messy. They read and write with purpose too. Explore how we do that in our program.
A young boy and girl sitting in a classroom, reading a book together with focused expressions.

Student Books in K–5

Read a summary of each of our award-winning K–5 student books.
A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Sims for 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital Simulations included at each grade level.
Two children in safety goggles conducting a science experiment with liquids in a classroom.

Investigations for K–5

Explore the types of investigations that take place in elementary classrooms.
Amplify Science California supports 3-D learning with more materials than any other program.

Materials Kits for K–5

See what components come in our materials kits!
Un maestro se encuentra al frente de un salón de clases, explicando una lección que se muestra en una pantalla. Los estudiantes se sientan en sus escritorios y algunos levantan la mano.

Approaches to assessment in K–5

Learn about our elementary embedded assessments.

Welcome to Grade 7

BACK TO MAIN 6–8 PAGE

Amplify Science California is so effective you can cover 100% of the NGSS in fewer lessons than other programs.
 
Plus, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing we give you enough materials to support 200 students. In fact, our material kits:

  • Support small groups of 4-5 students.
  • Make organization and finding materials easy.
  • Last longer with only one of the nine kits requiring refills.
A collage showing a rocky landscape, a forest with foxes, two kids doing a science experiment, and hands tending to seedlings in a plastic container.

What students learn

Lauren Learner loves science. Watch this video to find out what she learns in seventh grade. >

When you’re ready:

  • Find a summary of each unit below including each unit’s student role and anchor phenomenon.
  • Click on the orange “See how the unit works” link to download a helpful Unit Guide. These guides make great companions to busy reviewers looking for a big-picture understanding of how each unit works.
A barren, rocky desert landscape with rover tracks leading to a distant vehicle on a hill under a hazy sky.

Unit 1

Geology on Mars

Student role: Planetary geologists

Phenomenon: Analyzing data about landforms on Mars can provide evidence that Mars may have once been habitable.

Two prehistoric reptiles with long snouts and tails are near the shore, one on land and one in water, with plants, rocks, and an island in the background.

Unit 2

Plate Motion

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean.

See how this unit works

Geometric design featuring a telescope, mountain, sound waves, and cosmic elements on a purple hexagonal background.

Unit 3

Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Patterns in earthquake data can be used to design an effective tsunami warning system.

Illustration of a cross-section of Earth showing a volcano near the ocean. Trees, mountains, and clouds are visible above, with subterranean layers below.

Unit 4

Rock Transformations

Student role: Geologists


Phenomenon: Rock samples from different U.S. regions look different, but have similar mineral compositions.

See how this unit works

Illustration showing the stages of melting an orange popsicle: whole, partially melted, more melted, and almost completely melted, with wooden sticks, on a purple background.

Unit 5

Phase Change

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.

See how this unit works

Green geometric graphic featuring icons: a baby, thermometer, layers, medical alert, and a flame.

Unit 6

Phase Change Engineering Internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different phase change materials helps keep babies’ temperatures healthy.

Abstract digital artwork featuring numerous red and gray circles overlapping a split background of blue and light purple, creating a dynamic and energetic composition.

Unit 7

Chemical Reactions

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious reddish-brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.

See how this unit works

An illustration of a whale with jellyfish and turtles from Amplify Science

Unit 8

Populations and Resources

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in the fictional Glacier Sea has experienced a puzzling increase.

See how this unit works

Low-poly landscape with trees and mushrooms. A fox sniffs the ground, a rabbit sits nearby, and mountains and sun are in the background.

Unit 9

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: A sealed biodome built by a group of Econauts mysteriously crashed despite following the advice of experts.

See how this unit works

How teachers teach

Tom Teacher feels confident delivering 3-D instruction with our resources by his side. Watch this video to learn more. >

When you’re ready:

  • Scroll down and take a closer look at your classroom resources.
  • Click on the orange links below each component to see grade-specific samples.
A laptop displays a PowerPoint presentation in presenter view, with slides about observing objects in plastic containers and related sensory instructions.

Classroom Slides

These customizable PowerPoints are available for every lesson of the program and make delivering instruction a snap with visual prompts, colorful activity instructions, investigation set-up videos and animations, and suggested teacher talk in the notes section of each slide.

Video introduction to Classroom Slides

Sample Classroom Slides

A printed teacher’s guide labeled “Plate Motion: Mystery of the Mesosaurus Fossils” is displayed next to a laptop showing the same curriculum’s digital interface.

Teacher’s Reference Guide

Available digitally and in print, our unit-specific reference guides are chock full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3-D Statements, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, and differentiation strategies.

Login to platform below to access

Assorted craft supplies including a bottle of rubbing alcohol, plastic containers, colorful beads, small dropper bottles, plastic cups, and clear plastic spoons on a white background.

Materials Kits

Our kits include enough non-consumable materials to support 200 student uses. In other words, you have enough materials to support all five periods and small groups of 4-5 students each. Plus, our unit-specific kits mean you just grab the tub you need and then put it all back with ease.

List of investigations by unit

List of materials by unit

A laptop screen displaying a map with three ecosystem options, each illustrated by different animal icons and accompanied by relevant data lists.

Simulations and Practice Tools

Our digital Simulations and Practice Tools are powerful resources for exploration, data collection, and student collaboration. They allow students the ability to explore scientific concepts that might otherwise be invisible or impossible to see with the naked eye.

Video overview of digital tools

List of digital tools by unit

Device calendars by unit

Two science textbooks, one in Spanish and one in English, titled "Movimento de placas" and "Plate Motion," both featuring an illustrated Mesosaurus fossil on the cover.

Consumable Notebooks

Available for every unit, our Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data and observations, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.

Sample Student Investigation Notebook

Sample Student Investigation Notebook (Spanish)

Cover of a science textbook showing a girl doing an experiment, surrounded by animals, jellyfish, a rocket, and scientific symbols, with the title "Amplify Science.

Student Edition Hardcover

This durable Student Edition is grade-level specific and contains all of the articles that students refer to throughout the year. Districts may choose to pair these traditional student texts with our digital student experience or new 2-volume consumable notebook set.

A person with headphones works on a laptop; a line from their head transforms into a rocket, symbolizing imagination, innovation, and the foundational skills essential for multilingual learners.

Coming Soon

Unlike other publishers, we don’t make you wait until your next adoption to get the latest and greatest from Amplify. We’re always launching new and exciting features. What’s more, we’ll push them out to you even after you adopt us!

See what’s coming for 2020-2021

Navigating the program

Watch this video showing you how to navigate our digital platform. Then following the instructions below. >

  • Click the orange button below to access the platform.
  • Choose the resources you’d like to review.
  • Pick your grade level from the drop-down menu.
  • Scroll down to find additional grade-level resources.
Access the digital platform now

Navigating a Launch Unit

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of the program. The goal of a Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year.

Navigating an Engineering Internship

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Navigating a Core Unit

Core units introduce a real-world problem and support students as they figure out the anchoring phenomenon and gain an understanding of the unit’s DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs.

Navigating Classwork and Reporting

Classwork is our new online grading tool that gives you quick and easy access to unreviewed work, student portfolios of work, and automatically generated differentiation groups.

Welcome to Grade 5

BACK TO MAIN TK–5 PAGE

Amplify Science California is so effective you can cover 100% of the NGSS in half the time of other programs.

You can breathe a sigh of relief knowing all you need is:

  • 88 days per year
  • 2-3 lessons per week
  • 45 minutes per lesson
Four science-themed images: hand holding a globe and white sphere, two kids doing an experiment, a night sky with constellations, and a hand watering plants in clear containers.

What students learn

Lauren Learner loves science. Watch this video to find out what she learns in fifth grade. >

When you’re ready:

  • Find a summary of each unit below including each unit’s student role and anchor phenomenon.
  • Click on the orange “See how the unit works” link to download a helpful Unit Guide. These guides make great companions to busy reviewers looking for a big-picture understanding of how each unit works.
Illustration of the Earth orbiting the Sun. The Earth's orbital path is indicated by a dashed blue line and a white arrow showing its direction. The background is a star-filled space.

Unit 1

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An ancient artifact depicts what we see in the sky at different times of the day, but it appears to be missing a piece.

See how this unit works

Red and white capsules scattered on a vibrant red and white background.

Unit 2

Modeling Matter

Student role: Food scientists

Phenomenon: Some ingredients dissolve in a salad dressing while others, like oil and vinegar, appear to separate.

See how this unit works

Illustration of a pixelated green mountain cliff deconstructing into a digital grid, with red dots floating over a tranquil sea and flying white birds.

Unit 3

The Earth System

Student role: Water resource engineers

Phenomenon: East Ferris, a city on one side of the fictional Ferris Island, is experiencing a water shortage, while West Ferris is not.

See how this unit works

Illustration of a jungle scene featuring a cheetah and a sloth among dense green foliage and various colorful plants.

Unit 4

Ecosystem Restoration

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The jaguars, sloths, and cecropia trees in a reforested section of a Costa Rican rain forest are not growing or thriving.

See how this unit works

How teachers teach

Tom Teacher feels confident delivering 3-D instruction with our resources by his side. Watch this video to learn more. >

When you’re ready:

  • Scroll down and take a closer look at your classroom resources.
  • Click on the orange links below each component to see grade-specific samples.
A laptop displays a PowerPoint presentation in presenter view, with slides about observing objects in plastic containers and related sensory instructions.

Classroom Slides

These customizable PowerPoints are available for every lesson of the program and make delivering instruction a snap with visual prompts, colorful activity instructions, investigation set-up videos and animations, and suggested teacher talk in the notes section of each slide.

Video introduction to Classroom Slides

Sample Classroom Slides

Sample Classroom Slides (Spanish)

A spiral-bound teacher's guide titled "Modeling Matter: The Chemistry of Food" is shown next to a laptop displaying related digital content.

Teacher’s Reference Guide

Available digitally and in print, our unit-specific reference guides are chock full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3-D Statements, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, and differentiation strategies.

Login to platform below to access

Assorted household and craft items including food products, plastic utensils, cups, red fabric, cotton balls, popsicle sticks, ping pong balls, and various containers arranged on a white background.

Materials Kits

Our kits include enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumable items to support 72 students. In other words, each kit can last two years! Plus, our unit-specific kits mean you just grab the tub you need and then put it all back with ease.

List of investigations by unit

List of materials by unit

Two children's books titled "Beber las lágrimas de Cleopatra" and "Drinking Cleopatra's Tears" feature an illustration of a girl drinking water outside, with a house in the background.

Student Books

Our award-winning Student Books include content-rich nonfiction and informational texts designed to introduce concepts and also deepen understanding. Books are read to, with, and by students with ample scaffolding and support provided by the teacher in whole-class, small-groups, and student pairs.

List of Student Books by unit

Sample Student Book

Sample Student Book (Spanish)

A computer screen displays an illustration of four plants under sunlight, each emitting colored streams and coins, with soil and roots visible below.

Practice Tools

Our digital Simulations and Practice Tools are powerful resources for exploration and data collection, and allow students the ability to explore scientific concepts that might otherwise be invisible or impossible to see with the naked eye.

Video overview of digital tools

List of digital tools by unit

Device calendars by unit

Two Amplify Science investigation notebooks, one in Spanish and one in English, both featuring an illustrated landscape of a mountain, water, and sky on the covers.

Consumable Notebooks

Available for every unit, our Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data and observations, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.

Sample Student Investigation Notebook

Sample Student Investigation Notebook (Spanish)

A man wearing glasses and a maroon shirt smiles at the camera on a laptop screen with the words "MYSTERY doug" and a speech bubble saying "Doug.

Mystery Science

Our exclusive partnership with Mystery Science means you get our NGSS core curriculum plus two years of free access to Mystery Doug and his extensive library of captivating videos that deepen students’ understanding of each unit’s phenomenon.

Mystery Science lesson alignment

A person with headphones works on a laptop; a line from their head transforms into a rocket, symbolizing imagination, innovation, and the foundational skills essential for multilingual learners.


Coming Soon

Unlike other publishers, we don’t make you wait until your next adoption to get the latest and greatest from Amplify. We’re always launching new and exciting features. What’s more, we’ll push them out to you even after you adopt us!

See what’s coming for 2020-2021

Navigating the program

Watch this video showing you how to navigate our digital platform. Then following the instructions below. >

  • Click the orange button below to access the platform.
  • Choose the resources you’d like to review.
  • Pick your grade level from the drop-down menu.
  • Scroll down to find additional grade-level resources.
Access the digital platform now
A woman sits at a desk in a classroom, working on a laptop with an open binder and papers in front of her.

[VIDEO] TG Walkthrough

Watch this video to get familiar with the organization of our printed TG.

A teacher’s guide and a laptop displaying the “Patterns of Earth and Sky: Analyzing Stars on Ancient Artifacts” digital science curriculum interface.

[Grade 5] Patterns of Earth and Sky

Get a big picture overview of this unit with an at-a-glance view of each chapter…

A spiral-bound teacher’s guide titled "Modeling Matter: The Chemistry of Food" next to a laptop displaying related educational content.

[Grade 5] Modeling Matter

Get a big picture overview of this unit with an at-a-glance view of each chapter…

A laptop displays an educational website titled "The Earth System" with lesson modules; a printed Teacher’s Guide with a similar cover design is shown beside it.

[Grade 5] The Earth System

Get a big picture overview of this unit with an at-a-glance view of each chapter…

The image shows a printed teacher’s guide and a laptop displaying an online educational resource, both titled "Ecosystem Restoration: Matter and Energy in a Rain Forest" with a jaguar illustration.

[Grade 5] Ecosystem Restoration

Get a big picture overview of this unit with an at-a-glance view of each chapter…

A collection of science learning materials including books, balloons, seeds, windmill parts, and other educational tools arranged on a white surface.

[Grade 5] English components

Take a closer look at our grade 2 print components.

Two children's books titled "Beber las lágrimas de Cleopatra" and "Drinking Cleopatra's Tears" feature an illustration of a girl drinking water outside, with a house in the background.

[Grade K–5] Spanish components

Learn more about what components are available in Spanish.

Two children wearing safety goggles conduct a science experiment, using plastic spoons to mix substances in clear cups at a table with a red tray.

[Grade 5] NGSS Alignment

See how our program addresses 100% of the NGSS Standards.

Cuatro niños reunidos alrededor de una mesa en un salón de clases, mirando de cerca un objeto que uno de ellos sostiene. Hay libros, papeles y materiales educativos sobre la mesa.

[Grades 3–5] Pilot support brochure

Welcome, Jordan K-8 reviewers!

To view this protected page, enter the password below:



Review the digital teacher’s guide

  1. Click on the orange button below.
  2. Select “Log in with Amplify”.
  3. Sign in with this username and password:

Username: t.LouisianaReview@tryamplify.net
Password: AmplifyNumber1

Log in

Navigational Guides

Watch the video
Get an overview of navigating the digital Teacher’s Guide

Preview the Student Investigation Notebooks and science articles

Grade 6

Microbiome Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Populations and Resources Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Force and Motion Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Force and Motion Engineering Internship Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Magnetic Fields Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Earth, Moon, and Sun Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Light Waves Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Grade 6 Louisiana Student Companion

Grade 7

Metabolism Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Metabolism Engineering Internship Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Phase Change Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Chemical Reactions Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Traits and Reproduction Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Weather Patterns Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Earth’s Changing Climate Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Grade 7 Louisiana Student Companion

Grade 8

Geology on Mars Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Plate Motion Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Plate Motion Engineering Internship Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Rock Transformations Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Thermal Energy Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Natural Selection Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Natural Selection Engineering Internship Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Evolutionary History Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Grade 8 Louisiana Student Companion

Preview the Student Investigation Notebooks and science articles

Grade 6

Microbiome Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Populations and Resources Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Force and Motion Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Force and Motion Engineering Internship Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Magnetic Fields Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Earth, Moon, and Sun Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Light Waves Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Grade 6 Louisiana Student Companion

Grade 7

Metabolism Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Metabolism Engineering Internship Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Phase Change Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Chemical Reactions Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Traits and Reproduction Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Weather Patterns Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Earth’s Changing Climate Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Grade 7 Louisiana Student Companion

Grade 8

Geology on Mars Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Plate Motion Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Plate Motion Engineering Internship Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Rock Transformations Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Thermal Energy Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Natural Selection Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Natural Selection Engineering Internship Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Evolutionary History Student Investigation Notebook with Article Compilation

Grade 8 Louisiana Student Companion

See what an interactive 21st-century science curriculum looks like.

In Amplify Science, students take on the role of a scientist or engineer to actively investigate compelling phenomena through engaging hands-on activities, immersive digital simulations, comprehensive reading and writing activities, and lively classroom discussions.

This video library will give you a sense of what Amplify Science looks like in the classroom.

Two students, one wearing headphones, closely observe a science experiment in a classroom setting with the text "amplify science in action" above them.

Immersive experiences

Watch how Amplify Science integrates hands-on learning and digital modeling tools to support three-dimensional (3D) learning in elementary and middle school.

Inspiring curiosity with hands-on investigations

Grades K-5: As part of Amplify Science’s Animal and Plant Relationships unit, students take on the role of plant scientists. In this video, second-grade students from Chicago Public Schools are engaging with a hands-on model in which they simulate animal dispersal of seeds, measure how many seeds were dispersed to places where the seeds are likely to grow, and analyze their results.

Grades 6-8: As part of Amplify Science’s Populations and Resources unit, students take on the role of ecologists. In this video, sixth-grade students from Denver Public Schools are conducting a hands-on investigation involving yeast to test the effects of the availability of food on the size of a population.

Collecting evidence with simulations and modeling tools

Grades K-5: As part of Amplify Science’s Earth’s Features unit, students take on the role of geologists. In this video, fourth-grade students from Chicago Public Schools are using digital modeling tools to investigate how fossils and rocks can be used to make inferences about past environments.

Grades 6-8: As part of Amplify Science’s Chemical Reactions unit, students take on the role of chemists. In this video, seventh-grade students from Chicago Public Schools are using a digital simulation to find and observe substances that do and do not react when mixed together.

Explore a unit

Literacy connections

Watch how Amplify Science integrates literacy and discourse to support three-dimensional (3D) learning in elementary and middle school.

Making cross-curricular connections with literacy

Grades K-5: As part of Amplify Science’s Animal and Plant Relationships unit, students take on the role of plant scientists. In this video, second-grade students from Chicago Public Schools use Student Books to gather information, practice reading skills, and respond to writing prompts to construct evidence-based arguments.

Grades 6-8: As part of Amplify Science’s Matter and Energy in Ecosystems unit, students take on the role of ecologists. In this video, sixth-grade students from Denver Public Schools are reading science articles, then responding to writing prompts to create arguments using evidence.

Talking like scientists

Grades K-5: As part of Amplify Science’s Weather and Climate unit, students take on the role of meteorologist. In this video, third-grade students from Chicago Public Schools are discussing the data they collected, as well as which Science and Engineering Practices they used during the lesson.

Grades 6-8: As part of Amplify Science’s Matter and Energy in Ecosystems unit, students take on the role of ecologists. In this video, sixth-grade students from Denver Public Schools are using evidence to support their claims as part of a classroom discussion.

Explore our impact and efficacy

Hear from teachers.

Hear from teachers, administrators, and students across the country who are using Amplify Science in their classrooms right now.

A week in the life

Grades K-5: We asked Keniesha Charleston, a second-grade teacher from Chicago Public Schools, to talk through an example of what one week of using Amplify Science is like in her classroom.

Grades 6-8: We asked Amy Trujillo, a sixth-grade teacher from Denver Public Schools, to talk through an example of what one week of using Amplify Science is like in her classroom.

From the classroom

Grades K-5: Hear from elementary school teachers, administrators, and students about the impact of using Amplify Science in their districts.

Grades 6-8: Hear from middle school teachers, administrators, and students about the impact of using Amplify Science in their districts.

Access a free sample

Ready to take a closer look at Amplify Science? No problem. Just complete the form for instant digital access to two sample units.

Una computadora portátil muestra un programa científico titulado "Equilibrio de fuerzas" con capítulos de lecciones sobre trenes. Frente a la computadora portátil, hay una guía para maestros encuadernada en espiral con imágenes y títulos coincidentes.