Amplify Science for LAUSD

Review the program (Grades 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:
Phenomena in grades K–5
Student Books in grades K–5
Program structure
Program guide
Materials list

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 the orange button below. You’ll automatically be taken on a short guided tour where you can select the grade you’re interested in reviewing.

Watch a video walkthrough of the program:

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 (Grades 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:
Phenomena in grades 6–8
Simulations in grades 4–8
Program structure
Program guide
Materials list

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 the orange button below. You’ll automatically be taken on a short guided tour where you can select the grade you’re interested in reviewing.

Watch a video walkthrough of the program:

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 (Transitional Kindergarten)

Amplify Science Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a fun, active, age-appropriate curriculum designed to introduce young students to real-world phenomena while jump-starting their lifelong love of science.

Amplify Science TK includes three units, one for each science domain: Earth science, life science, and physical science. The physical science unit includes an engineering design challenge.

A blended, flexible approach

Amplify’s blended, flexible approach is designed for schools with varied technology capabilities. Whether you teach in a 1:1 classroom or share a computer lab with other classes, Amplify will work with you to create an implementation model that both works with your school’s available technology and engages students in the rich digital experiences of Amplify Science.

Program components like Student Investigation Notebooks with Article Compilations and Teacher’s Guides are also available both digitally and in print to meet schools’ varied needs.

Classroom Slides (Grades K–5)
Classroom Slides for grades K–5 are downloadable PowerPoint files to help guide you and your students through the lesson with images, videos, questions, and instructions. Slides will be released on a rolling basis over the course of the 2019-2020 school year. Click through the example Classroom Slides below. Note that Slides will include the ability to customize these resources for use in the classroom.

Grade 4 – Earth’s Features

Watch a video overview of Classroom Slides.

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.

Learn more about the Lawrence Hall of Science.

NGSS Benchmark Assessments

Amplify’s Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Benchmark Assessments give you insight into how your students are progressing toward mastery of the three dimensions and performance expectations of the NGSS ahead of high-stakes end-of-year assessments. Developed by Amplify, the NGSS Benchmark Assessments are given 3–4 times per year, depending on the grade level, and are delivered after specific units in the recommended Amplify Science scope and sequence. Amplify’s NGSS Benchmark Assessments can be accessed through Schoology.

Free access to Mystery Science

Amplify Science California customers now gain access to Mystery Science and its extensive lesson library for classroom use for the first two years of the adoption.

Pilot schools

We are pleased to launch pilot programs across all six local districts, including the following schools:

• Bryson Avenue Elementary School
• Castelar Street Elementary School
• Haddon Avenue STEAM Academy
• Northridge Middle School
• Audubon Middle School
• Select schools from Partnership for Los Angeles Schools

Integrated model

The Amplify Science approach to integration adheres to the letter and spirit of the California Department of Education’s Preferred Integrated Model, which was developed by a Science Expert Panel that included K–12 educators and professional scientists. The integrated model allows students to build knowledge across disciplines in each year so that past learning is connected to new concepts, applied to new phenomena, and further developed in each year. The design of the Amplify Science Middle School curriculum is grounded in the following three-dimensional principles:

• Learning organized around the explanation of real-world phenomena.
• Careful bundling and sequencing of DCIs to support deep understanding.
• Appropriate focus on Crosscutting Concepts.
• Appropriate inclusion and sequencing of Science and Engineering Practices.

Benchmark Advance alignment

Learning requires connectivity and ability on the part of the learner in drawing together both knowledge content and skills in a way that is useful and meaningful. In order to truly integrate science with literacy, we have created an alignment document to the LAUSD adopted English Language Arts Program, Benchmark Advance. In addition, we have created a tentative calendar to assist with planning.

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, several components are available in Spanish across the Amplify Science curriculum.

Spanish-language materials include:

COMPONENT	TEACHER/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
Spanish Teacher Support License (K-5) This license includes teacher talk, projections, and downloadable PDFs of all print materials in Spanish.	Teacher
Digital Student Experience License (6-8) This license gives students access to the student resources in Spanish, including instructional text, articles, and assessments. Teachers can control student access to Spanish-language content through the digital Teacher’s Guide.	Student
Spanish Teacher Support License (6-8) This license includes teacher talk, projections, downloadable PDFs of all print resources, and video transcripts and closed captioning in Spanish.	Teacher

Support for educators

The California Science Center has successfully supported educators and their students’ learning by offering high-quality professional development programming focused on science, technology, and engineering.

Amplify and California Science Center Foundation have established a dynamic and collaborative partnership founded on shared beliefs around the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and their impact on changing the way students learn and teachers teach science.

Professional development leaders and science experts from Amplify and California Science Center Foundation will participate in a comprehensive program certification, hosted by the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley and Amplify Professional Learning Team.

Together they will provide world-class Professional Learning to LAUSD schools using Amplify Science.