Be a changemaker for science.
Profound science learning experiences have the power to transcend classroom walls—cultivating students’ curiosity, fostering critical thinking and creativity, building knowledge about the real world, and supporting students on their pathway to college and beyond. Unfortunately, science continues to fight for sufficient instructional time and resources.
The good news? Intentional shifts, combined with evidence-based practices and effective high-quality instructional materials, can help teachers make the most of the time they do have—transforming students into concerned global citizens ready to take on the world.
Science instruction designed for all students
K–8 science instruction is the crucial foundation that prepares students for high school learning. Our change management playbook details manageable and realistic changes to your process and practice that will make your K–8 instruction even more powerful.
Establishing high-quality teaching and learning
Access to high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) is a vital piece of the change management puzzle. Support the leaders who are on a mission to identify HQIM and set up the best possible conditions for implementation success.
Connecting science and literacy
Want to make every instructional moment count? Integrate science and literacy more deeply—and witness the transformation in student learning. Find out how with this resource pack.
The foundation for long-lasting and sustainable change
Change is more likely to stick and get results when you take a systemic approach. Partner with us to do just that by developing a learning plan that will drive your program implementation, enrich your instructional practices, and increase student impact. Amplify’s high-quality programs make it easier for you to teach inspiring, impactful lessons that celebrate and develop the brilliance of your students.
Science free resource library
Find free K–8 activities, posters, and guides to engage all students in science.
2024 Science Symposium
Access best practices and tips from science leaders through our on-demand Science Symposium.
Science Connections archives
Hear more strategies from educator Eric Cross and other experts in this podcast.
Science of Reading resources hub
The Science of Reading is complex, so your understanding of it should be, too. That’s why our resource pages break it all down for you, from word recognition and comprehension to dyslexia and Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports. Equip yourself with the knowledge you need to make the greatest difference to your students!
Select a resource:
Amplify’s Science of Reading overview
Learn the ins and outs of the Science of Reading—what it means, and why its principles matter.
Science of Reading: The Podcast
Listen to the latest insights from researchers and practitioners in early reading.
Science of Reading programs
Achieve next-level literacy growth with a cohesive Science of Reading suite.
Science of Reading success stories
We’ve helped thousands of Science of Reading champions make the shift, and they’re eager to share the secrets of their long-term success with fellow educators like you.
Science of Reading webinars
Get on-demand professional development to build and refine your toolkit of Science of Reading resources and instructional practices.
Science of Reading Star Awards
Nominate a literacy changemaker for our prestigious Science of Reading Star Awards!
Science of Reading data and MTSS
Fortify your Science of Reading implementation using essential data and a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
Change management
Educational change doesn’t happen overnight, or by itself. We’ll walk you through the process to help you make literacy success a lasting reality in your classroom.
Knowledge building
Learn the ins and outs of the Science of Reading—what it means, and why its principles matter.
Dyslexia and the Science of Reading
Discover how assessment and instruction grounded in the Science of Reading helps identify children at risk of developing dyslexia at the earliest possible moments, creating the widest opportunity for intervention.
Science of Reading professional development course
Learn everything you need to know about Science of Reading instruction with Amplify’s Chief Academic Officer and host of Science of Reading: The Podcast Susan Lambert.
How to implement the Science of Reading in your classroom today
Four steps administrators can take to shift to the Science of Reading
10 books to get you started with the Science of Reading
Navigating the shift to three-dimensional science teaching and learning
Students need science. They need it to succeed in school, and they need it to navigate the world around them—whether interpreting a weather forecast, perfecting a recipe, or troubleshooting the Wi-Fi.
But only 22% of high school students are proficient in science, and students in grades K–5 get an average of just 20 minutes of science instruction each day. For middle and high school students, access to advanced science courses is often limited. We’re not giving students all the tools they need to succeed in a world that’s increasingly shaped by science and technology.
Three-dimensional learning can help us solve that. This approach moves science education into the realm of discovery—where students learn to think and act like scientists.
But unlike hot water melting ice, shifting to this approach won’t happen in an instant! Don’t worry—we’re here to help.
Science learning: a pivotal moment
Many of us were taught science the traditional way: learning about the scientific world and how it works. (And many of us did ok!) But we know now that there’s a better way. Students need to figure out science the way scientists do.
This hands-on, problem-solving, three-dimensional approach (sometimes nicknamed “3D learning”) builds critical thinking, collaboration, and curiosity—all skills that are vital across school subjects and in life.
With content and lesson plans that focus on Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas, this model equips students with critical thinking skills and a deep understanding of scientific principles.
This shift started with the 2012 publication of A Framework for K–12 Science Education, which introduced the concept of three-dimensional learning. These principles, now embedded in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), focus on three major changes:
- Helping students move from simply learning about science to actively figuring it out.
- Encouraging them to explain natural phenomena.
- Aligning science learning with English language arts and math goals.
By embracing these changes, educators can help students make meaningful connections across disciplines, setting them up for success in real-world challenges.
Driving and supporting systemic change
Transforming science education isn’t a quick fix—it’s a cultural and systemic change. To make it work and make it last, schools and districts need to focus on three key drivers: process, practice, and people.
- Process: Pinpoint challenges, create clear plans, and track progress.
- Practice: Build the infrastructure for three-dimensional learning, including aligning curriculum, offering professional development, and updating teaching practices.
- People: Communicate effectively, support teachers, and highlight science champions who can inspire others.
Real change takes time and deliberate effort. But with these elements in place, schools can establish lasting improvements and build elementary and middle school programs that benefit every student.
Amplify Science’s playbook to guide you
To help educators navigate this shift, our new Science Change Management Playbook offers practical, evidence-based resources for transitioning over time to three-dimensional learning. Here’s what you’ll find inside:
- Evidence-based practices: Learn structured approaches to problem-based learning, backed by research that highlights their benefits for students and teachers alike.
- Practical tips: Explore actionable steps for driving meaningful change, from crafting a shared vision to delivering effective professional learning.
- Real stories: Read testimonials from students and educators who have experienced the transformative power of curiosity-driven, collaborative learning.
With this playbook, schools can build K–8 and/or middle school science programs that truly engage students, equipping them with skills they’ll use for a lifetime.
The move to three-dimensional science teaching and learning opens the door to deeper understanding, better problem-solving, greater curiosity, and—more and more—a world built by students who know how to think like scientists.
More to explore
- Dive deeper into the shift to three-dimensional teaching and learning with our Science Change Management Playbook to help you navigate the shift to three-dimensional science teaching and learning.
- Discover how to be a changemaker for science through additional change management resources.
- Learn more about Amplify Science.
Inspiring the next generation of Florida scientists, engineers, and curious citizens
Amplify Science Florida is a brand-new blended science curriculum for grades 6-8 that meets 100 percent of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science.
The national edition of Amplify Science for middle school was recently rated all green by EdReports. Read the review on EdReports.
Grounded in research and proven effective
UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, the authors behind Amplify Science Louisiana, developed the Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize approach, and gold standard research shows that it works. Our own efficacy research is pretty exciting, too.
DEEP UNDERSTANDING
Do, Talk, Read, Write students outperform their peers.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS EXCEL
ELLs who used Do, Talk, Read, Write outperformed their ELL peers.
PROGRESS THROUGH THE LEARNING PROFESSION
Progress through the learning progression for all middle school implementations, 2017-18 school year.
A powerful partnership
Amplify Science Louisiana was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify. As the Hall’s first curriculum designed to address the new science standards, Amplify Science Louisiana reflects state-of-the-art practices in science teaching and learning.
Our approach
Each unit of Amplify Science engages students in a relevant, real-world problem where they investigate scientific phenomena, engage in collaboration and discussion, and develop models or explanations in order to arrive at solutions.
Rooted in research
Amplify Science is rooted in the Lawrence Hall of Science’s Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize model of learning. This research-based approach presents students with multiple modalities through which to explore the NGSS curriculum.
A flexible, blended program
Amplify Science includes hands-on activities, print materials, and powerful digital tools to support online and offline teaching and learning. Highly adaptable and user-friendly, the program gives schools and individual teachers flexibility based on their technology resources and preferences.
Students take on the roles of scientists and engineers.
In each unit, students take on the role of a scientist or engineer to investigate a real-world problem. These problems provide relevant contexts through which students investigate phenomena.
Phenomena-based teaching and learning
Download the “What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?” e-book
Download a free e-bookWhat’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:
- 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 Florida. 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.)
Explore more programs.
Our programs are designed to support and complement one another. Learn more about our related programs.
Inspiring the next generation of Louisiana scientists, engineers, and curious citizens
Amplify Science Louisiana blends hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools to empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers.
The national edition of Amplify Science for middle school was recently rated all green by EdReports. Read the review on EdReports.
Grounded in research and proven effective
UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, the authors behind Amplify Science Louisiana, developed the Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize approach, and gold standard research shows that it works. Our own efficacy research is pretty exciting, too.
DEEP UNDERSTANDING
Do, Talk, Read, Write students outperform their peers.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS EXCEL
ELLs who used Do, Talk, Read, Write outperformed their ELL peers.
PROGRESS THROUGH THE LEARNING PROFESSION
Progress through the learning progression for all middle school implementations, 2017-18 school year.
A powerful partnership
Amplify Science Louisiana was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify. As the Hall’s first curriculum designed to address the new science standards, Amplify Science Louisiana reflects state-of-the-art practices in science teaching and learning.
Our approach
Each unit of Amplify Science engages students in a relevant, real-world problem where they investigate scientific phenomena, engage in collaboration and discussion, and develop models or explanations in order to arrive at solutions.
Rooted in research
Amplify Science is rooted in the Lawrence Hall of Science’s Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize model of learning. This research-based approach presents students with multiple modalities through which to explore the NGSS curriculum.
A flexible, blended program
Amplify Science includes hands-on activities, print materials, and powerful digital tools to support online and offline teaching and learning. Highly adaptable and user-friendly, the program gives schools and individual teachers flexibility based on their technology resources and preferences.
Students take on the roles of scientists and engineers.
In each unit, students take on the role of a scientist or engineer to investigate a real-world problem. These problems provide relevant contexts through which students investigate phenomena.
Phenomena-based teaching and learning
Download the “What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?” e-book
Download a free e-bookWhat’s included
Flexible resources that work seamlessly together
ElementaryMiddle School
Student Books
Age-appropriate Student Books allow students to:
- engage with content-rich texts
- obtain evidence
- develop research and close-reading skills
- construct arguments and explanations
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
Simulations and practice tools (grades 2+)
Developed exclusively for the Amplify Science program, these engaging digital tools:
- serve as venues for exploration
- enable data collection
- allow students to explore scientific concepts
- show what might be impossible to see with the naked eye
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
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
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:
- 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.)
Explore more programs.
Our programs are designed to support and complement one another. Learn more about our related programs.
A new phenomena-based curriculum for grades K–8
Amplify Science blends hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools to empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers.
Amplify Science for middle school has recently been rated all-green by EdReports. See sample units from the program.
Grounded in research and proven effective
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.
Deep understanding
Amplify students outperform their peers.
English language learners excel
ELLs who used Amplify Science outperformed their ELL peers.
Progress through the learning progression
Progress through the learning progression for all middle school implementations, 2017-18 school year.
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. As The Lawrence’s first curriculum designed to address the new science standards, Amplify Science reflects state-of-the-art practices in science teaching and learning.
Our approach
Each unit of Amplify Science engages students in a relevant, real-world problem where they investigate scientific phenomena, engage in collaboration and discussion, and develop models or explanations in order to arrive at solutions.
Rooted in research
Amplify Science is rooted in the Lawrence Hall of Science’s Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize model of learning. This research-based approach presents students with multiple modalities through which to explore the NGSS curriculum.
A flexible, blended program
Amplify Science includes hands-on activities, print materials, and powerful digital tools to support online and offline teaching and learning. Highly adaptable and user-friendly, the program gives schools and individual teachers flexibility based on their technology resources and preferences.
Students take on the roles of scientists and engineers.
In each unit, students take on the role of a scientist or engineer to investigate a real-world problem. These problems provide relevant contexts through which students investigate phenomena.
Check out our free series of science webinars!
In these webinars, senior leaders from UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science dive deep on relevant topics in science education and provide background on the development of the NGSS-designed Amplify Science.
Register here!What’s included
Flexible resources that work seamlessly together
ElementaryMiddle school
Student Books
Age-appropriate Student Books allow students to:
- engage with content-rich texts
- obtain evidence
- develop research and close-reading skills
- construct arguments and explanations
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
Simulations and practice tools (grades 2+)
Developed exclusively for the Amplify Science program, these engaging digital tools:
- serve as venues for exploration
- enable data collection
- allow students to explore scientific concepts
- show what might be impossible to see with the naked eye
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
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:
- 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.)
Explore more programs.
Our programs are designed to support and complement one another. Learn more about our related programs.
Science or literacy instruction? You don’t have to choose!
We often think of literacy and science as academic opposites. (“Physics for Poets,” anyone?)
But scientists can’t do their jobs without reading, writing, listening, and communicating.
That’s why thoughtful science instruction is literacy-rich science instruction.
Language and literacy in science education: why it makes sense
All scientists use literacy skills in order to obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the natural world. They use oral and written explanations and arguments to share their ideas. Scientists rely on claims, evidence, and reasoning—just like anyone who needs to communicate or convince.
“Science needs literacy, and literacy needs content. So these two subjects are a natural fit,” says Rebecca Abbott, professional learning lead for the Learning Design Group at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science.
They’re a natural fit—and when they converge, they enhance each other.
Science and literacy integration helps students:
- Understand that reading and communicating are crucial to science.
- Develop ways of thinking that support the scientific approach.
- Refine sense-making skills that are key to both disciplines.
- Find a great reason to read—that is, to keep up with the latest scientific studies and discoveries!
Look ahead at the standards that guide instruction in grades 6–8. You’ll see that in several ways and places, literacy and science are integrated. That is, certain Common Core ELA standards intersect with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
To cite just a few examples, the Common Core requires students to be able to:
- Cite text evidence to support analysis of science/technical texts. (RST6-8.1)
- Follow a multistep procedure. (as in an experiment) (RST6-8.3)
- Integrate quantitative information expressed both in words and visually. (RST6-8.7)
But we can start earlier than that. And we should. So what about science and literacy in the elementary classroom? Grades K–5 provide the opportunity to lay the groundwork for those skills—even for teachers not fully grounded in science instruction.
Integrating literacy and science: Challenges and solutions
How to integrate science and literacy?
Abbott acknowledges that science and literacy integration can seem challenging for educators. She notes that many elementary schools understandably prioritize ELA and require substantial literacy blocks. The common mindset: “If I teach literacy, I don’t have much time for science.”
The solution? A mindset shift from “either/or” to “both/and.”
What does that look like? Well, what if we were simply to combine literacy and science? What if, for example, we dedicate some of those literacy blocks to reading science-related texts?
Unfortunately, that approach—while a fine activity—doesn’t meet the larger goals. It’s incidental, so it doesn’t get students engaged in deep knowledge- and vocabulary-building over time. And it doesn’t get students deeply involved in figuring out a scientific phenomenon.
A “both/and” approach doesn’t just connect science and literacy—it prioritizes them both at the same time, so that they reinforce each other.
A literacy-rich science classroom
In an ideal scenario, a school or system could make a top-down change so that literacy is infused into subjects across the school day.
But there are other ways to “use literacy in the service of science,” says Abbott. For example, students in an elementary science classroom could explore why it’s daytime where they are but night somewhere else. As they build explanations, they can consider the word “because” and its relationship to the concept of cause and effect.
Similarly, elementary students can learn new vocabulary in service of scientific concepts. In this video, you’ll see kids using Amplify Science learn the word “disperse” as they learn how seeds travel.
And all along, they’re communicating, using evidence-based argumentation, and building background knowledge through text.
For the teacher, it’s less about delivering scientific information and more about helping students use and develop literacy skills to figure science out.
Amplify Science is designed to deliver exactly that experience. Read this brochure to find out more about literacy-rich science instruction.
How can your community get involved in the science classroom?
In a recent episode of Science Connections: The Podcast, veteran middle school science teacher Ryan Renee Rudkin sat down with host Eric Cross to discuss ways educators can get community members involved in the science classroom.
You can access the full episode here, but we’ve pulled out Ryan’s top three teacher takeaways for you to use in your classroom today!
1. Ask your community to get involved.
Ryan’s creative instructional approach extends beyond the walls of her classroom. She finds value in enlisting the support of community members as featured classroom guest speakers. These valued guest speakers share their real-world experiences to help students relate to science content.
Some examples of Ryan’s community partnerships:
- A local meteorologist’s hometown celebrity status helped students transfer the knowledge learned during a sixth-grade weather unit.
- A cardiac nurse practitioner led an actual heart dissection with Ryan’s students.
- A nutritionist joined as a guest speaker during the metabolism unit.
When Eric asked how Ryan was able to identify so many willing community members and parents to come speak to her students, she said, “People want to come and talk to kids. It doesn’t hurt to ask.” Ryan utilizes social media, PTA groups, and family surveys. “You just have to get creative. Look in your community and see what you have.”
2. Increase caregiver engagement.
Ryan understands there are various barriers that may affect her students’ attendance and classroom engagement. Because of this understanding, she extends grace to her students and prioritizes making them feel valued. This is exemplified by Ryan calling students’ caregivers every Friday. Students are able to listen to the positive conversations and look forward to them every Friday. These positive touchpoints establish a strong caregiver-teacher relationship and open the door for dialogue between students and families as they celebrate student success.
3. Get students excited about showcasing their knowledge of science content.
One of Ryan’s top goals in her classroom is to create an enjoyable learning environment and to do so, she encourages educators to be resourceful. “Don’t reinvent the wheel,” she says. “There are so many things out there that you can borrow and make it your own.”
To keep students excited about science content, Ryan implements activities like Science Olympiad, an in-person or remote science competition that provides standards-based challenges; and March Mammal Madness, an annual tournament of simulated combat competition among animals that utilize scientific information to educate students about inter-species interactions.
With over a decade of experience in the classroom, Ryan exemplifies how creativity, resourcefulness, and passion for learning can positively affect student engagement in the classroom.
For a more in-depth look, listen to the full episode to hear Eric and Ryan discussing the importance of connecting with students and caregivers in the science classroom:
Science Connections: The Podcast featuring veteran middle school teacher Ryan Renee
The importance of risk-taking in the science classroom
Hear from science educator Valeria Rodriguez on our Science Connections podcast
In this episode of Science Connections: The Podcast, host Eric Cross sits down with Valeria Rodriguez, a Miami-based science educator, instructional technologist, and illustrator.
During the episode, Rodriguez describes how she uses real-world projects to make lessons more meaningful, and why teaching students to sketchnote—a way of creating visual summaries of ideas—helps them take risks they can learn from and increases their conceptual understanding in science.
Read on for a peek at the episode, where you’ll learn more about the role of creativity in science and the importance of risk-taking in the classroom.
Risk aversion among students today
Valeria is a science educator, instructional technologist, and illustrator (not to mention former college athlete and Peace Corps member). She also combines her science and art expertise to work as a graphic facilitator, which is her role on a STEAM team teaching third through fifth graders in Miami, FL.
One thing Valeria has noticed in her classrooms is that her students often seem wary of taking risks and getting things wrong. How does she try to challenge and change this? Art.
Valeria works with her students to use drawing as a form of note-taking. In the process, she says, “I mess up all the time. I scratch things out because my students in general are risk-averse. They don’t want to make mistakes. And drawing is one of those things that taught me that it’s okay to make mistakes.”
Eric Cross says he sees the same risk aversion with his 7th graders. “When I ask them to give me a hypothesis about a phenomenon that I’m going to teach, I say, ‘It’s okay to be wrong’—but I see them drift to the Chromebook and want to Google it.”
Creativity in science versus “getting it right”
Sometimes risks lead to mistakes. But mistakes are not dead ends, these educators say. Mistakes are opportunities. They present opportunities not only for academic learning, but also for personal growth.
Of course, taking a risk may still deliver an expected or intended result. But even when it doesn’t, that result can be valuable.
Eric describes an activity where his students walk around the school campus swabbing various items to see what would grow in Petri dishes. “Some things grew and some things didn’t. Some of the experiments didn’t yield the cool results,” he says.
But that is exactly what gave the class the chance to speculate and learn about what factors—temperature, a pathogen, the swabbing technique—might have prevented growth.
Risk-taking also supports students’ personal growth, often in ways that prepare them to learn even more.
For one thing, taking risks helps students practice tolerating uncertainty.
“Sometimes my kids are frustrated because I don’t have yes or no answers,” says Valeria, citing the example of an activity with a weather balloon. “We don’t know how high it’s gonna go. Is the GPS tracker gonna work? We don’t know, but we have to do all the steps and find out. I have to say, ‘It’s okay to be frustrated.’”
Taking risks can also lead to results that are less measurable, but equally valuable. When she does art and sketchnoting with her students, “Some people will say they ‘messed up’ the drawing,” Valeria says. “But you know what? They gave it character.”
How teachers can model risk-taking
“Part of our job is also taking risks,” says Valeria, describing the time her class wound up having to do a tethered weather balloon launch because they couldn’t get approval in time to launch the balloon in their location near an airport.
“A parent said, ‘Oh, you’re not releasing the balloon,’” she recalls. “I was like, ‘Well, this is a lot of work, too, and I went back to my class and I was like, “You know what? I took a risk to do this project. I could have played it safe with a handout of a weather balloon,” she laughs, “or, you know, a YouTube video. But we are continuing to push.”
She adds: “I want to thank the teachers who keep trying to do the hard things that aren’t tried and tested.”
Eric agrees. “There aren’t a lot of opportunities for students to see adults in positions of authority or that they respect or admire model failure,” he says.
Teachers can model risk-taking and “failure” outside of what they’re teaching—by just being who they are. “I cycle and I have scars everywhere. The image in my head is ‘I’m a cyclist,’ not ‘I’m banged up,’” she says. “They give me character and I keep riding.”
Listen to the whole podcast episode here and subscribe to Science Connections: The Podcast here.
About Amplify’s Science Connections: The Podcast
Science is changing before our eyes, now more than ever. So how do we help kids figure that out? How are we preparing students to be the next generation of 21st-century scientists?
Join host Eric Cross as he sits down with educators, scientists, and knowledge experts to discuss how we can best support students in science classrooms. Listen to hear how you can inspire kids across the country to love learning science, and bring that magic into your classroom for your students.
4 ways to weather educational change
The landscape of education is constantly shifting. That’s always been true, because the world is constantly changing. But at no time in recent memory has the landscape of education been forced to change in as many ways as it has over the past few years.
How can teachers navigate the seismic changes in the education system in their day-to-day lives?
In this recent episode of Science Connections: The Podcast, host Eric Cross talks about managing educational change with veteran educator and former Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) Middle School Science Teacher of the Year Marilyn Dieppa.
Below, we’ve outlined four tips for weathering shifts. The bottom line? It’s important for teachers to be able to change with the times, while remaining a steady, solid presence for students.
1. Embrace change—it’s good for kids, too.
“I always change my labs. I don’t like to do the same thing over and over again,” says Dieppa. And when she tries something new, she tells her students she’s experimenting. (After all, it’s science!)
“They’re afraid of trying something new and failing,” Dieppa says—so she tries to model taking on the unknown, learning, and adjusting as needed. This is part of cultivating a growth mindset for kids. “It’s for them not to be fearful. That gives kids a foundation they need.”
2. Have an open-door policy.
The pandemic has exacerbated challenges in kids’ lives that can make it tough for them to learn. Some even say we’re in a youth mental health crisis. Now more than ever, it’s important that “you become more than just a science teacher,” says Cross. “You’re a mentor. You’re an encourager. Sometimes you’re a counselor.”
It’s impossible to be everything to every student, but it’s important to let them know you see them.
“I always say, I’m not there to really be your friend, but I’m there to help you,’” says Dieppa. “And you gotta tell ’em, you know, ‘if you need to talk, come talk to me’. Because so much of what we’re doing is like life coaching in addition, and that connects to their success in the classroom.”
3. Measure wins in lots of ways.
What keeps Dieppa going? “Whether [students] have struggled all year and they’ve had that one piece of success, or they come back and tell you they didn’t realize what they got out of middle school science until they got to high school, those are my moments of success.”
4. Remember—you’re still learning, too.
Yes, you’re the teacher, but “you don’t have to be the expert in everything,” says Cross. “Teachers tend to be more risk-taking and innovative when they’re willing to say, ‘I don’t have to know everything in order to do something.’”
Whenever it feels like you can’t do something or don’t know something, remember: You can’t do it yet. You don’t know it yet. Growth mindset phrases for students apply to your growth, too.
Listen to the whole podcast episode here and subscribe to Science Connections: The Podcast here.
About Amplify’s Science Connections: The Podcast
Science is changing before our eyes, now more than ever. So how do we help kids figure that out? How are we preparing students to be the next generation of 21st-century scientists?
Join host Eric Cross as he sits down with educators, scientists, and knowledge experts to discuss how we can best support students in science classrooms. Listen to hear how you can inspire kids across the country to love learning science, and bring that magic into your classroom for your students.
Inquiry-based learning: 3 tips for science teachers
Which practice is at the top of the eight NGSS Science and Engineering Practices? Good question! It’s asking questions and defining problems.
And why is asking questions so important? (Also a good question.)
Because science isn’t just facts. Science is a process of finding answers—a process that starts with questions. That’s why students learn like scientists best in a science classroom defined by phenomena-based learning, also known as inquiry-based learning.
How can science educators bring this approach into the classroom?
That’s one question host Eric Cross and science educator and professional development facilitator Jessica Kesler address in the latest episode of Amplify’s Science Connections: The Podcast.
The power of questions
Kesler’s mission at TGR Foundation, a Tiger Woods charity, is to empower educators to create engaging classrooms that foster future leaders.
“We train teachers on STEM competencies and the pedagogical tools and strategies to implement the STEM we’re doing in our learning labs,” she says. “Then they can implement it in the classroom and have this multiplicative effect that can help us reach millions of kids and prepare them for careers.”
Those pedagogical approaches include student-centered learning practices. Using those practices, teachers spend less time delivering facts and more time asking questions, while developing students’ ability to do the same.
That’s how we shift science from, as the NGSS frames it, “learning about” to “figuring out.”
Per the NGSS: “The point of using phenomena to drive instruction is to help students engage in practices to develop the knowledge necessary to explain or predict the phenomena. Therefore, the focus is not just on the phenomenon itself. It is the phenomenon plus the student-generated questions about the phenomenon that guides the learning and teaching. The practice of asking questions or identifying problems becomes a critical part of trying to figure something out.”
Inquiry-based learning examples and approaches
Kesler recognizes that a shift to inquiry-based learning can’t be made overnight, or all at once. “We never suggest overhauling your classroom…add a little bit here and there and see how it impacts your students.”
Here are some strategies Kesler suggests for empowering educators to deliver inquiry-based science learning.
- Cultivate an inquiry mindset. We live in a world where answers to pretty much everything are right on our phones, right in our pockets. That ease and accessibility can dampen student curiosity. But when teachers start shifting focus from asking students for answers to asking them to develop smart questions, students can grow that mental inquiry muscle.
- Make inquiry visible. No need to be sneaky—you can be explicit with students about what you’re doing, and what you’re inviting them to do. Think: “What are tools and strategies you can use so that students can illuminate their thinking for themselves and for you and their peers?” Kesler says. “So the students get to see their own thinking as they progress, and you get to tell the story of how their minds have evolved.” Paying attention to student questions also enables you to observe where students are making mistakes, where misconceptions come up, and where you should target your next lesson, Kesler adds. “So it makes you more responsive in the moment.”
- Build an inquiry environment. Asks Kesler: “What are the things that you can embed into your physical space and develop in a student’s intellectual space that will help you create a holistic inquiry environment?” There’s no one right answer, but a shift in environment can support a shift in intellectual approach. (Consider the opposite: “If you take someone out of an old habit or space and tell them, ‘We are gonna change your minds and teach inquiry,’ but put them back in the same environment, they’re going to be conflicted,” Kesler says. You could create displays that present questions rather than facts, or arrange the room to support conversation rather than lecture—whatever makes sense for your space.
Definitely test, explore, experiment—even take risks—and ask your own questions. After all, the inquiry mindset is for you, too!
Learn more
Explore how Amplify Science supports inquiry-based learning.
Listen to all of Season 1, Episode 10, Empowering the science educator: Jessica Kesler, and find more episodes and strategies from Amplify’s Science Connections: The Podcast.
New professional development series for science educators
New year’s resolutions generally don’t work—unless, experts say, they’re specific, measurable, and backed by science (like … getting more sleep so you feel more rested). So if you’ve resolved (or at least planned) to do more science professional development this year, we got you.
Our new, free, on-demand professional development webinars are ready to be added to your calendar. Designed for the era of NGSS, they offer research-based ways for you to engage your students deeply in science this year. (But we hope you’ll find a way to get more sleep, too!)
Phenomena-based science learning for next-level engagement
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are designed to deliver this key shift: Students go from learning about to figuring out. Instead of delivering information, teachers invite students to explore the power of phenomena-based learning in science. By focusing first on real-life scenarios and thoughtful questions over abstract correct answers, this approach cultivates students’ voices and curiosity. It gets them to the right answers—but in a way that helps them think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers.
The NGSS also deliver three-dimensional science instruction. This means that each standard includes the following three dimensions:
- Science and Engineering Practices: the actual behaviors that scientists and engineers engage in as they investigate and create.
- Cross-cutting Concepts: concepts that appear across and link various domains of science. They include: Patterns, similarity, and diversity; cause and effect; scale, proportion, and quantity; systems and system models; energy and matter; structure and function; and stability and change.
- Disciplinary Core Ideas: The fundamental scientific ideas that make up the core content of the NGSS.
A look at our webinars
Featuring curriculum experts from UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, our webinars will show you what these approaches look like in real classrooms.
COURSE 1
Establishing a Culture of Figuring Out in Your Next Generation Science Classroom
Explore ways to cultivate curiosity and value student voices while utilizing the structures and content from phenomena-based, literacy-rich science curricula designed for the Next Generation Science Standards.
COURSE 2
Lead with Phenomena and the Three Dimensions Will Follow
Reframe your K–8 science instruction by focusing on phenomena. Learn about the shift in science teaching and classroom practices toward one where students are figuring out, not learning about.
COURSE 3
Leveraging Science to Accelerate Learning
Learn about an approach to teaching and learning science that not only meets state science standards, but can also be used to support accelerated student learning across all subject areas.
Learn more and sign up. You will also earn a certificate for each course you complete.
Also:
Tune into Science Connections:The Podcast.
Learn more about the NGSS.
Explore more Amplify webinars.
Have a phenomenal 2023 in science!
Bringing joy to learning in the science classroom
As we prepare for an exciting new season of Science Connections: The Podcast, we’re looking back at past seasons and sharing some of the amazing conversations we’ve had so far.
We’re so grateful to our 15 guests whose insight, expertise, and generosity have made our podcast (if we may!) one of the best science podcasts out there.
If you’re new here, welcome! In Amplify’s Science Connections: The Podcast, host Eric Cross talks to educators, scientists, and subject matter experts about ways to best support and inspire the next generation of 21st-century scientists.
Get ready for season 3, with all-new topics and speakers, premiering in March!
Our first featured throwback episode, Bringing community and joy to the learning process in K–8 science instruction, features physicist Dr. Desiré Whitmore!
First, meet Dr. Whitmore
Dr. Whitmore has nicknamed herself “Laserchick.” It’s a reference to the focus of her postdoc work at UC Berkeley, where she designed and built attosecond lasers. (These laser pulses, which emit x-ray light, are the fastest ever measured).
She later became a professor of laser and photonics technology at Irvine Valley College, as well as a science curriculum specialist for Amplify. She’s now senior physics educator in the Teacher Institute at the ExplOratorium in San Francisco.
There, she works to support middle and high school science teachers in teaching through inquiry. On a given day, she says, her role may include “making fudge or blowing darts with marshmallows across the room.”
But it all began with bubbles—the ones she’d blow as a child with her beloved great-grandmother. She was also the kind of kid who would do experiments in the microwave or take apart the vacuum cleaner. “I was always asking questions,” she says.
“Everything we do is science”—and more.
Here are some key takeaways from Dr. Whitmore’s conversation with Eric Cross.
- Let students do their thing. Whitmore and Cross talked about students who didn’t hew to the letter of the assignment—and actually went beyond. That’s more than okay.
I think it’s amazing when we can realize as teachers that no, our job is not to just enforce rules on our students. Our job is to help students achieve more learning.
—Dr. Desiré Whitmore
- Representation truly matters. Dr. Whitmore, who is Black, recalls a chemistry teacher she had in high school who was also Black. “He looked like me and spoke the way I spoke,” she says. He also recognized that she knew a lot about chemistry, and half-jokingly encouraged her to teach the class sometimes. In Whitmore’s experience, representation like that can supersede content knowledge.
- Science is everything and everywhere. “Science is something that everyone in the world should and does do,” says Whitmore. She sees part of her job as “helping people understand that everything we do is science.”
- Show scientists as real people. Whitmore recalls a time when an eighth-grader she’d known growing up was thrilled to recognize her in an Amplify Science video. The student knew her as a “regular human” who likes “Star Trek” and “Star Wars,” but now also sees her as a scientist. “That really brought home for me the importance of my work,” she says.
- Put teachers in students’ shoes. As part of professional development, Cross and Whitmore agree that it’s important for teachers to remember how it feels to have a question—to not know. “That helps me be in the position of my students emotionally,” says Cross.
Perhaps that’s the most powerful way for teachers to connect with their future scientists: “To experience science as a learner,” says Whitmore.
Additional resources
Inquiry-based learning: 3 tips for science teachers
New professional development series for science educators
Celebrate student scientists with classroom posters, activities, and a special giveaway!
Integrating literacy in the science classroom
What do science classrooms and ELA classrooms have in common?
Literacy.
As science students build their scientific literacy, they also build their literacy literacy—as in,their capacity to read, write, and think across all disciplines. In a sense, all teachers are teachers of literacy, as students read to learn in essentially every subject.
An ELA teacher can help students learn to read and interpret certain types of non-fiction and science-related texts, while a science teacher is uniquely positioned to integrate a science curriculum with a focus on literacy goals. ELA teachers are the experts on what the average person considers literacy; however, science teachers are the true experts on science literacy.
In this post, we’ll take a look at what it means for science teachers to support literacy growth in their students.
Scientific literacy vs. literacy in science
First, let’s define our terms.
Scientific literacy refers to a student’s understanding of scientific concepts, inside and outside the classroom.
Literacy in science refers to the literacy skills that students use to acquire and share scientific knowledge. These skills include reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Developing students’ literacy in science helps them develop scientific literacy. Science literacy allows students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and strategic questioners.
Insights on integrating science and literacy
Integrating literacy into science is more than making sure students read articles and write lab reports—but the two are still a natural fit.
The standards that guide instruction in grades 6–8 make this integration concrete. Certain Common Core ELA standards intersect with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
To cite just a few examples, the Common Core requires students to be able to:
- Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.1
- Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RST.6-8.2
- Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. RST.6-8.3
- Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). RST.6-8.7
- Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text. RST.6-8.8
What’s required of students is what’s often called disciplinary literacy. That means literacy through the lens of inquiry in a given field. Science has its own set of vocabulary and reading/writing styles students need to learn to understand, decode, and write in.
And when they do, the academic benefits go both ways.
Integrating literacy into science encourages both science and ELA growth
The scientific method requires students to ask questions, listen to explanations, and present conclusions. And when science teachers use targeted literacy teaching strategies, they can help students understand challenging scientific vocabulary. For example, they can learn the difference between the two meanings of the word “culture.” Those are the same approaches students will use when analyzing with and communicating about texts in ELA.
Also, reading in science can be more than just reading a science textbook or science-related article—teachers can help students learn to read through a scientific lens by encouraging even the youngest students to articulate their questions about a text and understand where they might find answers.
And then there’s writing: “Science and writing standards are really in service of each other,” writes educator Gina Flynn in Literacy Today. “When we present authentic writing opportunities in science, we are not only developing students’ understanding of science concepts but also providing an authentic context for developing writing skills.”
Integrating science into ELA also encourages both science and ELA growth. When students grapple with science-related texts in ELA, they can develop ways of thinking and communicating that support the scientific approach, refine sense-making skills that are key to both disciplines, and get inspired to keep up with the latest scientific discoveries—yet another great reason to read.
More to explore
Science and literacy: You don’t have to choose
The power of phenomena in the science classroom
In conversation, something “phenomenal” is something exceptional, extraordinary.
But in science, an event does not have to be “phenomenal” for it to be a phenomenon.
In fact, a phenomenon in science can be as ordinary and predictable as gravity.
To qualify as a scientific phenomenon, an event simply has to be observable.
That is, a scientific phenomenon is an observable event that occurs in the universe. It’s something we can use our science knowledge to explain or predict. Examples of science phenomena include the erosion of dunes or soil, or the formation of bubbles or ice.
And you know what else is observable? The positive impact of phenomena-based learning on the science classroom. That’s why phenomena-based learning is baked into the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Let’s take a look at why the power of science phenomena to deliver engagement and learning is, dare we say, extraordinary!
The power of phenomena-based learning in science
Many of us learned science a different way, by starting with a general or abstract principle then applying it in the real world.
But when you start with phenomena in science, you start with the observable real-world event. You ask questions: Why is brown water coming out of the pipes built for drinking water? Where did all the monarch butterflies go? You help students see why science is relevant, right from the outset of the inquiry.
Even everyday phenomena—like sunburns, or vision loss—can generate real learning opportunities. Explaining phenomena and designing solutions helps students learn in context, leading to deeper and more transferable knowledge.
The challenge of predicting or explaining the phenomenon becomes the motivation for learning. And it has the added benefit of being how real scientists proceed with their work!
The power of phenomena science lies in its capacity to bring real life into the classroom. A phenomena-based science curriculum engages students by starting with the real and relatable rather than the abstract. It also trains students to be inquisitive, expansive, critical thinkers.
When you shift to a phenomena-based approach, you help students shift from learning about to figuring out.
How the NGSS support phenomena-based learning
The NGSS help students make sense of phenomena in the natural world and in human-designed machines and products.
Learning to explain phenomena and solve problems is the main way that students engage in the three dimensions of the NGSS—they use Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) to develop and apply Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs).
Phenomena-centered classrooms also help teachers monitor student progress. As students work toward explaining phenomena, three-dimensional formative assessment is easily embedded throughout instruction.
How to bring phenomena into the science classroom
The power of phenomena-based learning lies in real-world relevance. Also, phenomena don’t generate learning all by themselves—student questions about phenomena guide teaching and learning.
That’s why it’s helpful to make sure students can connect to the phenomenon at hand. The following are a few steps you can take to integrate this approach into your classroom:
- Ask students what they’re curious about. Why do leaves change color? What is lightning? Why do ice cubes stick to my finger?
- Connect iterations of a given phenomenon to students’ lives. When discussing how sunlight warms the earth, a teacher might use examples of the sun heating sand, or asphalt depending on where students live.
- Use one broad anchor phenomenon for the focus of a unit, and investigate related phenomena that relate to students’ interests and experiences. For example, exploring what we see in the sky will lead to different investigations depending on whether students live in an urban area or far from city lights.
Note that an engaging phenomenon does not have to be flashy or unexpected. Even if students think they already know why it rains, they may discover that they actually can’t explain it. Pushing students to inquire more will help them go beyond repeating things they’ve read, and go from learning facts to asking questions that reveal more about the world around them.
How Amplify Science can help
Amplify Science employs phenomena-based learning throughout the curriculum, which is itself phenomena-based and designed around the NGSS.
In one example, 6th graders take on the role of medical students in a hospital, working to diagnose a patient and analyze the metabolism of world-class athletes. In another, 8th graders work to explain Australia’s high skin cancer rates by investigating how light works and interacts with the world it shines on.
And what’s more, Amplify Science for grades 6–8 received an all-green rating from EdReports!
Learn more.
- Phenomenon Based Learning in NGSS Curriculum | Amplify Science
- What is Phenomenon Based Teaching & Learning? | Amplify Science
- What’s so phenomenal about phenomena?
- Amplify: Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Engineering in the Next Generation Science Standards
- What’s included in our phenomena-based science curriculum for elementary schools
- What’s included in our phenomena-based science curriculum for middle schools
Integrating writing skills into science instruction
Teaching students to write like scientists
People tend to think of themselves as either a “science person” or an “arts person.” But for science students today, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Writing and communicating are essential parts of being a scientist, which is why they’re also essential parts of a science curriculum.
A science teacher is uniquely qualified to expose students to science writing skills, which can in turn improve their writing skills overall. It’s a win-win! And even though writing styles may vary across the two disciplines, we bet ELA teachers will notice the improvement in students’ writing abilities.
Integrating science and writing skills
The science classroom and the ELA classroom are partners in developing student literacy. The following five principles can help teachers make the most of that partnership.
- Science writing is more than fill-in-the-blank. Science writing involves critical thinking, analysis, and the ability to communicate complex ideas effectively—in research, proposals, and more. To develop those skills, teachers can ask students to create presentations and lab reports, and to read journals and each other’s work.
- Technical writing goes beyond the technical. It’s important for students to learn to vary their writing styles for different audiences and purposes. Practicing technical writing (even instructions for making a sandwich) can help students learn to write—in all disciplines—with clarity and precision.
- Writing takes phenomena-based learning to the next level. Writing about a phenomenon encourages students to communicate hypotheses, arguments, and opinions. They need to provide detailed evidence for their assertions and explain why they matter—just as they would in an essay for ELA.
- The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are designed to support science instruction that’s rich in writing. Here are just a few places where the NGSS connect to common core writing standards: grades K–2 storyline PDF, grades 3–5 storyline PDF, middle school storyline PDF, and high school storyline PDF.
- Integrating writing into science encourages science and ELA growth. The more students practice writing out their thoughts, arguments, and opinions, the more adept they will be at forming arguments both in and out of the science classroom. When science and ELA teachers use similar strategies, they’ll reinforce the learning across classrooms and create even stronger writers.
Learn more
- Amplify Science: The research behind the program, including the proven Do, Talk, Read, Write approach
- Amplify Science encourages students to write like scientists
- Science Connections: S1-03: Ways to integrate literacy skills into a K–8 science classroom: Rebecca Abbott
Instructional strategies for integrating literacy into your science classroom
Do you ever feel like science is the underdog in your school or district? You’re not alone.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, we know that science can overdeliver. That’s especially true when educators successfully integrate it with other subjects.
You can dive into the power of integrating science and literacy with the latest season of Science Connections. Here’s a sneak peek at what we explore in the first few episodes of Season 3 of our podcast.
Rooting for the underdog
In what sense is science seen as an underdog? Just ask Eric Banilower and Courtney Plumley of Horizon Research, a consulting firm that supports educational improvement and policy development. Host Eric Cross interviews them in Season 3, Episode 1.
As you know, an underdog is generally a weaker or less favored person or entity. Banilower and Plumley find that science instruction often fits that mold.
One thing they found: elementary school teachers’ schedules allow for less instruction of science than math and ELA. They also note that when there’s a break in routine—a special assembly or early dismissal—science is often “the first thing to go,” says Plumley.
They also note that instructors (like many others) are often expected to design their own curriculum.
The conversation offers some solutions for shifting these practices, as well as supporting science instructors in general.
“You don’t ask doctors to develop new treatments and tests. Their job is to get to know their patient, assess what’s going on, and then use research-based methods to develop a plan of action. That analogy [suggests] a scalable approach for raising…the quality of science education,” Banilower says.
What is that approach? According to Banilower, “Giving teachers research-based, high-quality instructional materials that they can use to meet the needs of their students would allow them to focus on getting to know their students, seeing their strengths, [finding areas where they have] room for growth, and…help[ing] those students progress.”
The power of integrating science and literacy into the science classroom
Science does not need to stay in a silo. As we illuminate in Episodes 2 and 3, bringing literacy work into the science classroom can supercharge students’ work in both. (We also explore the topic in this blog post.)
“We know we need to dramatically improve literacy rates in this country, and as we’ll show in the coming episodes, science can be a key ally in that goal,” says our host, Eric Cross.
It goes the other way, too. Language development and literacy instruction can support science. “Win-win, folks,” says Cross.
In Episode 2, senior science educator Dr. Susan Gomez Zwiep described how bilingual and multilingual students in her school accelerated their English speaking and learning when they were excited to discuss science phenomena.
Indeed, she notes, the NGSS provides rich linguistic opportunities for students. We used to talk about language in science as all technical, but that’s changed. “Language is now developed through the science learning experiences,” says Gomez Zwiep.
Two key approaches you can use:
- Think of science lessons as a narrative. Gomez Zwiep suggests you ask yourself, “What’s the story arc of my science lesson? How are the science ideas building over time?”
- Welcome language that’s comfortable and conversational for your students. “This expansion of language, including non-standard dialects and even home language, is really important for letting students bring their whole selves into the classroom,” she says.
More ways to enhance literacy in science
Don’t worry—you don’t need to take a second job. “It’s not that you have to become a reading specialist to integrate literacy into science,” says Douglas Fisher, Ph.D., professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University. “It’s how our brains work.”
It’s also how science works. “Science teachers and scientists do a lot of reading, writing, speaking, and listening and viewing. They use the five literacy processes all the time,” says Fisher, our guest on Episode 3.
Some strategies Fisher offers:
- Invite multiple aspects of literacy. Think: What role do speaking, listening, reading, writing, and viewing, play in your class? Provide opportunities for students to do those things each time you meet with them.
- Read challenging texts. “Science is an ideal place to get students reading things that are hard for them. Doses of struggle are good for our brains,” Fisher says. “Complex texts that don’t give up their meanings easily allow students to reread the text, mark it, talk to peers about it, and answer questions with their groups.”
- Get them writing, even in short bursts. “Writing is thinking,” he says. “While you are writing, your brain cannot do anything else.” So if your students understand a given concept, have them write about it.
And that’s just the beginning. Tune in—and stay tuned—for more strategies for encouraging literacy integration in a science classroom.
More ways to learn
- Subscribe to Science Connections to catch up on this eye-opening season.
- Download our Science Connection study guides that highlight tips and strategies for each episode and offer additional resources.
Science professional learning resources for teachers
We hope you’ll take some time to rest and recharge this summer! But we also know how hard you work—even when school’s out—to do the best you can for the students in your science classroom.
Without the constraints of the school schedule, summer can be a great time for teachers to work on professional development!
That’s why we created this handy list of professional learning resources, mined from our trove of blog posts and webinars, for you to dive into this summer.
Science and literacy integrations
How should you approach the integration of science and literacy, and why is it important in the first place? Get all the answers in these posts and webinars:
- K–8 Literacy & Science Instruction Integration (webinar)
- ”Instructional strategies for integrating literacy into your science classroom” (blog)
- ”Integrating writing skills into science instruction” (blog)
- ”Integrating literacy in the science classroom” (blog)
- ”Science or literacy instruction? You don’t have to choose!” (blog)
- Finding Connections to K–8 Science & Literacy Educator Roundtable (webinar)
Next Generation Science Standards
These resources will help you learn about the Next Generation Science standards by grade level—and discover how to make them come alive in your classroom:
- Establishing a Culture of Figuring Out in Your Next Generation Science Classroom (webinar)
- Embedded and Immersive Engineering (webinar)
- Grade K–5 Science Program & Curriculum Overview—NGSS Curriculum
Phenomena in science
What’s phenomena-based learning in science? A method of exploring the everyday and observable that can also deliver extraordinary results. Learn more here:
- “The power of phenomena in the science classroom” (blog)
- What Is Phenomenon Based Teaching & Learning? (webinar)
- Phenomenon Based Learning in NGSS Curriculum (webinar)
- Supporting Student-To-Student Discourse in Science (And Beyond!) (webinar)
More to explore
Top 5 back-to-school tips for science teachers
Science teachers: We got you.
“Teaching through a pandemic called for so much innovation, resilience, and sacrifice,” says Eric Cross, host of the podcast Science Connections and a K–8 science teacher who’s spent 10 years in the classroom.
As education continues to evolve with new technologies like artificial intelligence, [teachers] keep rising to meet each moment with wisdom and courage.
—Eric Cross
And with that innovation in mind, we’re here to get you ready to go back to school.
From fun classroom activities to professional learning opportunities, our strategies are designed to help you walk back into your science classrooms feeling energized, inspired, and supported by a science community.
As Cross says: “We’re all in this together.”
1. First-day fun: Plan interactive classroom activities. How about some Icebreaker Bingo? Create a Bingo card that invites students to find classmates who can answer “yes” to science-related descriptions (e.g., “Has a pet reptile,” “Enjoys stargazing”). Activities like these help students uncover common interests while also providing background knowledge. They can also remind students that science doesn’t just happen in the science classroom—it’s an integral part of their lives and worlds, too.
2. Student success: Work with school colleagues and leadership toward shared goals. Review what systems may already be in place and consider adding more. You might:
- Schedule regular team meetings to set and work toward common goals.
- Establish a professional learning community to share science resources for teachers.
- Amp up the use of data to inform decisions. Ask your team: What student performance data and assessment results can we use to see where improvements are needed?
Approaches like these will help build a network of support for science learning, and support every educator in taking steps to help students grow.
3. Set the tone for the year: We are scientists. You might have learned science by starting with a principle and then exploring it in the real world. Today, we know it’s more effective to start by observing a phenomenon, then trying to predict or explain it. In fact, that’s what scientists do. And when your students do that, they become scientists, too. Let students know from day one that that’s who they are to help them start the year motivated and engaged.
4. Cultivate community: Build a science ecosystem. Find ways to involve caregivers in student learning and create a continuum between the classroom and their everyday lives. You might:
- Collaborate with students on writing a weekly science newsletter or blog with classroom updates and suggested at-home activities.
- Organize family science days or nights (IRL or online) for students and caregivers to do some hands-on science together.
- Create simple but engaging science challenges for students and caregivers to do together. (Paper airplane distance contest, anyone?)
5. Use free professional learning opportunities for teachers from Amplify Science. Explore upcoming Amplify Science webinars, designed to support you—along with your schools and districts—in using collaborative, effective, and engaging science practices in the classroom. You’ll hear from thought leaders in science education, observe real science students in K–5 classrooms, and much more.
Ready to dive into professional learning right away? Check out our on-demand science webinar library. From quick tips to longer continuing education (CE) credit options, our on-demand webinar library is sure to have just what you need.
Free science resource toolkit
Our free toolkit of science resources will make it even easier for you to implement all of the tips above while setting science students up for success. These resources aren’t just for teachers—administrators and caregivers can use them, too! A robust science program means giving the right tools to not only those who teach, but everyone who supports students’ science learning. The resources in the toolkit will:
- Help you craft a dynamic science curriculum during the crucial first weeks of school.
- Support student engagement and spark new inspiration in your classroom practices and activities.
- Offer learning opportunities you can access now or on demand whenever you need them.
We hope these resources will serve you and your young scientists all year long!
More to explore
Pseudoscience examples for critical thinking skills
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Effective product…or pseudoscience? We’ll bet you guessed it. (Sorry, no stardust serum for you!)
While this hair product itself sounds like junk, reading about it can be a valuable experience for science students.
Teaching your students to identify pseudoscience in the world around them helps them learn to protect themselves from false claims that can be money-wasting at best, dangerous at worst.
And as they learn to discern, they also develop lifelong critical thinking skills!
We say knowledge is power but it’s not enough to know things, and there’s too much to know. Being able to think and not fall for someone’s bunk is my goal for my students.
—Melanie Trecek-King, biology professor and guest in Science Connections podcast Season 3, Episode 5: Thinking is power
Let’s explore how educators can use examples of pseudoscience to develop critical thinking skills—and incorporate NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) science and engineering practices into their approach.
What’s the difference between science and pseudoscience?
Science is grounded in empirical evidence, rigorous testing, and the scientific method. Pseudoscience presents itself as scientific but lacks the fundamental elements of genuine scientific inquiry: evidence, peer review, and the capacity to generate accurate predictions.
Though pseudoscience may make vague claims, it has clear characteristics. When something is pseudoscience, it:
- Can’t be proven wrong: Makes claims that are unobservable or too vague.
- Professes “proof” without presenting actual evidence: Presents only anecdotal evidence, if any.
- Uses technobabble: See: “Quantum hair activation technology.”
For more characteristics of pseudoscience, check out Melanie Trecek-King’s episode of Science Connections!
To be sure, not all pseudoscience is harmful—pursuits and activities such as aromatherapy and astrology can be positive experiences in people’s lives—it just should not be defined as or considered science.
How addressing pseudoscience encourages critical thinking
When you teach students to identify pseudoscience, you are teaching them to use an evidence- and research-based approach when analyzing claims. Which is…science!
You are also:
- Teaching them to engage in thoughtful and educational argument/debate.
- Encouraging them to use their knowledge of science in the real world.
- Creating real-world impact.
When students learn to identify pseudoscience—faulty products, myths, and disprovable “discoveries”—they’ll be prepared and informed when making real-world decisions.
Critical thinking exercises inspired by pseudoscience
We’ve talked about “miracle” hair growth treatments, which are more commonly targeted to adults. Students may have more commonly encountered claims about or ads for alkaline water or detox diets, conspiracy theories and instances of science denial, astrology, and more. These examples offer great opportunities to discuss how to determine the difference between science and pseudoscience.
Suggested activities:
- Pseudoscience Sherlock: Ask students to find examples of pseudoscience in real life via social media, products sold in stores, or on the internet. Tell them to pay close attention to “articles” that are really ads.
- Pseudoscience lab: Prompt students to back up their claim that a given example represents pseudoscience with evidence: e.g., lack of empirical evidence, controlled experiments, or unbiased sample; absence of peer-reviewed research; reliance on anecdotes; hyperbolic and unprovable claims.
- Snake oil! Ask students to practice identifying pseudoscience by creating their own advertisements, commercials, or news segments for fake products or scientific “advancements.”
- Spread the word: Ask students to create flyers, PSAs, or articles on how to identify the characteristics of pseudoscience.
Other activities that incorporate the NGSS while also sniffing out pseudoscience:
- Asking questions: Encourage students to ask probing questions about pseudoscientific claims. How does this claim defy our current understanding of the natural world? What empirical evidence is missing?
- Developing and using models: Have students create models that illustrate the differences between a pseudoscientific claim and a well-established scientific concept. This visual representation supports understanding and critical analysis.
- Engaging in argument from evidence: Arrange debates where students argue for or against a pseudoscientific claim using evidence-based reasoning. This practice sharpens their ability to critically evaluate information.
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information: Ask students to research the history and impact of a specific pseudoscientific belief. Have them present their findings, highlighting how critical thinking could have prevented widespread acceptance of the claim.
Using examples of pseudoscience in your science classroom can help students learn to not only think like scientists, but navigate the real world, too.
Bertha Vasquez, former teacher and current director of education at the Center for Inquiry, has used these approaches with her students. As she shared on Season 3, Episode 6 of Science Connections: “I guarantee you that those students, when they walked into a store with their parents and they saw a product [with] a money-back guarantee [that] cures way too many things, and it’s based on ‘ancient plant wisdom’ and has ‘scientific’ language on the box, they may go, ‘Mom, I think these people are trying to sell you some pseudoscience.’”
More to explore
- Science Connections
- Season 3, Episode 5: Thinking is power
- Season 3, Episode 6: Identifying and addressing pseudoscience
Boost student engagement with Science Seminars
What do you get when you cross a Socratic seminar with Curie, Watson, and Crick?
A Science Seminar.
Though Socratic seminars typically take place in ELA or social studies/humanities classrooms, we also know how strongly scientific and literacy approaches can support each other.
So let’s see what magic can happen when we bring a little Socrates into science!
More than just seminars on science
As you likely know, a Socratic seminar is a method of facilitated discussion that uses open-ended questions, active listening, and collaboration to encourage deep exploration of a text or topic.
Sound perfect for science? That’s because it is!
When a Socratic seminar becomes a Science Seminar, students focus on scientific evidence and work together to answer a question and come to the most convincing explanation of a phenomenon. Ideally, the teacher takes a supporting role, putting students and their ideas at the center of the discussion. In this way, Science Seminars form a powerful part of an NGSS-informed curriculum that teaches students to think, talk, evaluate, and collaborate like scientists.
The benefits of Science Seminars
Like Socratic seminars, Science Seminars:
- Build critical thinking. They encourage participants to analyze and evaluate information critically, challenging assumptions and exploring multiple perspectives.
- Provide practice in productive argument. Through structured dialogue, Science Seminars teach students to challenge each other respectfully and engage in constructive disagreements, supporting their ideas with reasoning and evidence.
- Boost literacy skills. By actively participating in discussions, students practice active listening, oral communication, and analytical thinking—all serving to enrich their comprehension, vocabulary, and overall literacy skills.
And on top of all that, they also connect to key Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) practices. Specifically:
- Asking questions and defining problems.
- Analyzing and interpreting data.
- Constructing explanations and designing solutions.
- Engaging in argument from evidence.
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.
Tips for strong Science Seminars
Science Seminars are designed to be student-focused and student-led, but the teacher still plays an important role in setting students and seminars up for success. Here are some ways you can help them run smoothly and effectively:
- Set clear expectations. What’s the goal of the seminar? Make sure students know precisely what question they’re working to answer, and how they will know when they’ve answered it.
- Set ground rules. Before you start, help the students agree on how they will interact. Who has the floor? What words, phrases, and types of communication are helpful or not? What happens when students disagree?
- Involve all students. Plan in advance how more quiet students can take part. You might consider supplying conversational prompts to encourage participation.
- Take on a supporting role. Once you’ve set it all up, step back. If the conversation stalls, you might ask an open-ended question. You might also take notes—a reminder that the students are in charge and what they’re saying is important.
Free Science Seminar resource collection
We’ve created a free set of materials to help you host a successful Science Seminar. In this collection, you’ll get:
- A helpful guide that dives deeper into how to get started.
- Our top 10 Science Seminar tips for teachers.
- Talk moves for grades K–1, 3–5, and 6–8.
Access your free Science Seminar resources here.
Even more to explore
Integrating AI in the science classroom
How can you create new science lesson plans, adjust assessments, and design labs using only objects kids have at home?
Just ask—ChatGPT, that is.
In this recent Science Connections webinar, Science Connections podcast host Eric Cross tackles the topic of ChatGPT for teachers, along with other specific AI tools that (when used with your existing standards-aligned curriculum) can help make teaching more efficient, targeted, and interactive.
AI for science can save teachers time, deepen student engagement, and inspire collaboration and creativity all around, says Science Connections podcast host Eric Cross.
Eric describes some of the many ways science teachers can use AI in the classroom—as both shortcut and partner. “We can use it for personalized learning,” he begins. “We can generate questions and give instant feedback. We can differentiate. We can support our students with special learning needs. And that’s just a start. The more you use it to collaborate with other educators, the more fun it becomes.”
Generative artificial intelligence 101
There are a lot of AI tools out there, but the new one is generative AI. As Eric explains, the difference is that generative AI—unlike, say, AI that gives you driving directions—creates something that didn’t exist before: text, images, music, and, yes, new science experiences for the classroom.
As with any technology, the practically infinite uses and applications of AI raise important questions about accuracy, equity, biases, and more. In this webinar, though, we focus only on AI’s practical uses for science teachers.
Generative AI relies on and responds to prompts.
You’re telling it to do something and it communicates back to you in human language. The way you craft your prompts determines your output, so the better your prompt is, the better your output.
– Eric Cross
Host, Science Connections; Adjunct Professor of Learning and Technology, University of San Diego
Let’s see what AI has produced for Eric as a science educator, and the kind of prompts he’s used to get there.
How science teachers can use AI to prepare and engage
Teachers can use generative AI to create personalized learning materials, generate more practice questions, and explain topics at any level and depth.
In this webinar, Eric focuses on the AI tools that have given him the most mileage as an educator and that he thinks can provide the most value for others.
These include:
- Modifying assessments when students have used all the ones that a curriculum provides. A sample prompt: “You are a science teacher creating an assessment for middle school students. I will upload an assessment. Please recreate it in a similar tone and voice as the original with a similar level of rigor.” Response: Brand-new multiple-choice and written questions on the same topics, all adhering to the same NGSS. With a little more back and forth, Eric will have the exact number, style, and focus of questions that he needs—along with an answer key.
- Creating relevant, accessible lab ideas. Eric prompts AI for lab and hands-on project ideas to fit exact specs: topic, grade level, desired outcome, and objects found in a typical classroom or home. Result: Hands-on activity ideas students can do at home, like exploring lung capacity with a balloon and a ruler (delivered by AI complete with full supply lists, instructions, and more).
- Helping students connect. To support a student who’s stuck, you might prompt the AI by saying: “I’m a fifth grader and my teacher is talking about claim evidence reasoning and I don’t really understand it. Can you explain it to me in a way that would help me? And then: “Now can you help me explain it to my mom, but in Spanish?”
Eric also uses AI to interpret graphs, collate student data, build graphic organizers, create science games, and more.
Is everything AI provides him flawless and 100% accurate? No, says Eric. “You have to vet, and it helps to have a high-quality curriculum already in place. But it gets me 80 to 90% there—and that’s pretty good.”
More to explore
- Hear more about AI from Eric and fellow educators Donnie Piercey and Jennifer Roberts in Science Connections, Season 3, Episode 4: Using AI and ChatGPT in the science classroom
- Science Connections podcast
- Amplify Science webinars
Connecting science and literacy: The power of language
We’ve talked about how scientists need literacy skills in order to be scientists. They can’t do their jobs without reading, writing, listening, and communicating.
Our recent webinar Science Connections: Science and Literacy explored this intersection from a broader level: the power of language in the science classroom.
How can science teachers remove language barriers to make sure all students are able to access prior knowledge—and acquire more? And how can teachers leverage language to create optimal learning conditions for their science students? Why should they?
Let’s find out what webinar co-hosts Eric Cross and Susan Gomez Zwiep, Ph.D., had to say!
Language and science sense-making
Contrary to stereotype, scientists aren’t just loners in labs. Susan Gomez Zwiep, former middle school science teacher and senior science educator at BSCS Science Learning, credits a colleague with this pearl: “If I’m just doing science myself, and not talking to anybody, that’s not science. That’s just me in my head.”
So science teachers need to give students every possible opportunity to get out of their heads. And if language is a barrier—whether students are learning English, or challenged by science vocab—teachers can help remove it.
This principle is especially important in the context of phenomena-based learning, says Gomez Zwiep. “Rather than telling students ideas, and then proving those ideas correct by showing them a phenomenon, we show them the phenomena and engage them in science sense-making to develop that understanding,” she says. “Language is central to science sense-making and communicating that sense-making.”
Students also bring their prior knowledge to scientific sense-making. And, as Gomez Zwiep points out, prior knowledge is often embedded in the language a student uses at home, or just their own non-scientific vernacular. “I have to use that when I first engage with the phenomenon,” she says. “Otherwise, I’m limiting the resources that kids bring to the learning environment.”
Language in a “safe” science classroom
“If I had to learn science in my second language, I would be struggling with not only everyday vocabulary, but also content-specific vocabulary,” says Eric Cross, host of Amplify’s Science Connections podcast. “You would never actually know what I knew or what I was bringing to the table.”
The goal is to create an environment where students feel comfortable exploring, using whatever language is accessible to them, and then guiding them to conclusions—and precise scientific language. “A classroom requires trust. It requires relationship building,” says Gomez Zwiep. “If a student is worried about saying something a particular way, that’s where all their cognitive energy is going instead of actually talking about the science.”
The key? Put scientific ideas first, and the language will come. “We used to wait until kids had English in order to learn science. And now we’re starting to see that language emerges from learning experiences,” says Gomez Zwiep. “So it’s a product of learning, not a prerequisite.”
Literacy in your science classroom
You can integrate science and literacy right away, starting with free science and literacy lesson samples from Amplify Science.
Explore more:
Science blogs
- “Science or literacy instruction? You don’t have to choose!”
- “Instructional strategies for integrating literacy into your science classroom”
Science Connections podcast episodes
Inspiring future scientists: Amplify Science success stories
You have the next generation of scientists in your classroom—and we’re here to help! Science students across the country are using Amplify Science to think, read, write, investigate, and argue like scientists.
Why Amplify Science? Educators like you will activate curiosity by asking science students to solve real-world problems. Hear from educators across the country about the benefits of Amplify’s phenomena-based science curriculum.
You’re changing learning outcomes and helping to inspire the next generation of scientists today. Explore the unit topics covered in Amplify Science.
Learn More
District spotlights
The power of phenomena: Portland, Maine
Discover how students in Portland Public Schools use hands-on investigations to solve real-world problems.
A week in the life: Denver, Colorado <br>
Learn how middle school educators in Denver Public Schools take on a week of lessons in Amplify Science.
Explore More
What educators say about Amplify Science
Program efficacy
Explore the research behind Amplify Science.
“I would recommend Amplify Science to any district looking for a curriculum that is going to engage their students and their teachers in a compelling phenomena-based curriculum.”
Unlock classroom success with Amplify webinars.
Watch one of our on-demand webinars to learn how educators like you can use Amplify Science in your classroom.
Amplify Tutoring
High-impact solutions
Built on the Science of Reading, Amplify Tutoring engages students and achieves real results. We partner with districts to empower children to become confident, proficient readers.
What is Amplify Tutoring?
We partner with you to customize high-impact, research-based solutions to support your students and extend the reach of your teachers.
With built-in progress monitoring and reporting, Amplify Tutoring uses data to meet students where they are and equip educators with insights they need. Instruction is personalized and engaging, delivered by a consistent adult, and grounded in a motivating relationship. Comprehensive and easy to use, our materials enable a range of staff—certified educators, paraprofessionals, community members, or college students—to deliver effective, tailored instruction.
Amplify Tutoring uses high-quality, ESSA-rated materials rooted in the Science of Reading and trusted data from the mCLASS® DIBELS® assessment. Our lessons include explicit and systematic instruction, build knowledge, and teach the essential word recognition and comprehension skills readers need to achieve proficiency.
Our program is based on the research behind effective high-impact literacy tutoring. It can be implemented in person or virtually across entire districts, schools, or grade levels and is:
- Customizable to meet schools’ unique needs and complement their Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
- Supportive of any staffing models. We can support your staff with program management and coaching and support, provide tutoring staff for you, or co-design a blended model to meet your distinct needs.
- Year-long or semester-long. Programs are flexible and scheduled so as not to interfere with core instruction or special classes.
Students meet frequently and consistently for 30-minute sessions at least three times per week with a dedicated, caring tutor. Our research-based, data-driven tutoring materials are designed to make learning interactive and fun, helping students quickly advance their reading skills alongside their peers. Sessions can be led by your staff, by partnering with Amplify’s tutors, or by blending both models.
With cutting-edge technology and a team of passionate specialists, we partner with schools and districts to easily scale and enhance their high-impact tutoring and MTSS efforts. Our services ensure a smooth implementation and include program management, scheduling, and data reporting supports. We offer ongoing professional development and coaching for all stakeholders, from educators to caregivers. We can also provide trained, skilled tutors who deliver engaging lessons and build strong, meaningful connections with students.
Our impact
Amplify Tutoring accelerates student achievement in reading and works for students who need it most. Results show that students in Amplify Tutoring are more likely to achieve outsized gains in reading compared to similarly at-risk peers in the same schools who are not enrolled in the program.
Engaging, data-driven lessons
Amplify Tutoring uses mCLASS Intervention, a research-backed, ESSA-rated program that empowers tutors of all experience levels to customize instruction on a frequent basis, streamlining time-consuming data analysis and lesson planning.
mCLASS Intervention creates engaging, data-driven lessons based on mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition assessment results, connecting what students learn in tutoring to their daily classroom instruction. As progress-monitoring results improve, mCLASS Intervention updates students’ skill profiles and activities to accelerate learning at a faster rate.
Easy-to-read data
With easy-to-read data at your fingertips, everyone in a child’s literacy journey, from teachers and tutors to school leaders and caregivers at home, can monitor student growth.
- Teachers can see real-time growth data and use it to inform their own lesson planning.
- Teachers have visibility into all tutors’ lessons through mCLASS Intervention.
- School and district administrators receive regular tutoring attendance and progress-monitoring reports.
- Caregivers receive Home Connect letters and activities to help their child practice foundational skills at home.
Consultation and collaboration
Amplify Tutoring tailors our support for educators, schools, districts, caregivers, and state-level leaders. Whether co-designing high-impact tutoring programs with hundreds of leadership teams, providing program management and coaching for district- or community-staffed implementations, or directly tutoring students, we provide support to help schools realize the promise of high-impact tutoring.
By fostering strong partnerships at every level, Amplify Tutoring ensures that the entire school community is engaged, supported, and positioned to help students succeed.
Our services can include:
Program design consultation: Amplify Tutoring offers expert program design consultation services to help schools and districts create effective and scalable high-impact tutoring programs. We collaborate to develop customized solutions that address student needs and drive measurable academic success.
Tailored onboarding: We provide customized training sessions for school, district, and state leaders, ensuring Amplify Tutoring is integrated smoothly into existing systems.
Ongoing professional development and coaching: We offer continuous training, coaching support, and office hours with pedagogical experts to ensure the program’s success and adaptability.
Caregiver engagement: We offer resources and support for caregivers, helping them stay informed and involved in their child’s progress, including tips for at-home support.
Seamless communication and support: We provide transparent communication and engage all stakeholders—district leaders, teachers, caregivers, and students—keeping everyone aligned and informed.
Data reporting: We provide detailed reports and analytics to district and school leaders, empowering them to monitor progress, make data-driven decisions, and celebrate successes.
Amplify Tutoring is part of a connected early literacy suite.
Our literacy suite programs are designed to support and complement each other in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports. Learn more about our related programs.
A curiosity-driven K–8 science curriculum
Amplify Science is a K–8 phenomena-based science curriculum that blends hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools. The result? Elementary and middle school students who think, read, write, and argue like real scientists.
Amplify Science for grades K–8 has been rated all green by EdReports.
Our approach
Each unit of Amplify Science engages all learners in a relevant, real-world problem where they assume the role of a scientist to investigate scientific phenomena, engage in collaboration and discussion, and develop models or explanations to arrive at solutions.
A research-backed approach to 3D learning
The research-based Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize instructional approach—developed by UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science—provides students with multiple opportunities and modalities with which to access science instruction. Independent research proves that this model of learning benefits all learners, and our efficacy research shows improved student achievement.
Students take on roles of scientists and engineers.
In each unit, students take on the role of a scientist or engineer to investigate a realistic problem. These problems provide relevant contexts through which students investigate real-world phenomena that are seamlessly integrated throughout the unit. By positioning students as engineers or scientists, they are actively engaged in designing innovative solutions and making sense of the world around them.
Authentic 3D learning brought to life
Amplify Science integrates the NGSS—and state standards based on them—not just at a surface level, but throughout every lesson of the unit. Students engage with science and engineering practices, figure out disciplinary core ideas, and make connections when they apply Crosscutting Concepts across thoughtfully structured, multimodal lessons.
Developed by science education experts
Amplify Science was developed by The Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley in partnership with Amplify. It reflects state-of-the-art practices in science teaching and learning.
A flexible, blended program
Amplify Science includes hands-on activities, print materials, and powerful digital tools to support online and offline teaching and learning. Highly adaptable and user-friendly, the program gives schools and individual teachers flexibility based on their technology resources and preferences.
What’s included
Our flexible resources work seamlessly together. Explore the units in Amplify Science.
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.
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.
Student Books
Age-appropriate Student Books allow students to:
- Engage with content-rich texts.
- Obtain evidence.
- Develop research and close-reading skills.
- Construct arguments and explanations.
Simulations and Modeling Tools
Developed exclusively for the Amplify Science program, these engaging digital tools:
- Serve as venues for exploration.
- Enable data collection.
- Allow students to explore scientific concepts.
- Show what might be impossible to see with the naked eye.
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.).
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.
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
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.).
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.
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.
Explore more programs.
Our programs are designed to support and complement one another. Learn more about our related programs.