Welcome, caregivers!
We hope you enjoy learning more about Amplify Science and what students are learning in science this year.
What is Amplify Science?
Amplify Science is an engaging curriculum for grades K–8 designed by experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. As you look through the program, you may notice that it looks different from any science curriculum you’ve seen before. That’s because in recent years, science teaching has moved away from fact-based lessons, such as those that require memorization, and toward deep learning, where students actively investigate and figure out real-world problems. This shift in science teaching and learning is reflected in new national science standards (the Next Generation Science Standards) and—you guessed it—in Amplify Science.
Watch the video below for a more detailed overview of the Next Generation Science Standards.
Back-to-school night with Amplify Science
Would you like to learn more about Amplify Science? We hosted our own back-to-school night for caregivers to provide an overview of the program your student is using at home.
Amplify Science K-5: Click here to watch the recording
Amplify Science 6-8: Click here to watch the recording
Getting started
While Amplify Science lessons are designed to be done in the classroom with peers, there are some activities that students can complete at home with your support. To make it as easy as possible to do these activities at home, ask your child’s teacher to provide the following resources:
- Lesson Overview. Activities your student will complete at home are all part of larger lessons. The full lesson would be very difficult to complete at home, but the lesson overview will give you some context for the purpose of a given individual activity.
- Lesson Guide. This will provide step-by-step instructions if you want to guide your student through the specific activity in the lesson..
- Investigation Notebook pages. Your student will use these to record their observations from the activity.
To help your student get up and running with digital access to Amplify Science, download our student navigational guide.
We recommend reviewing this Protecting Kids Online article by the Federal Trade Commission addressing digital safety.
Materials overview
Amplify Science integrates the latest best practices in science teaching and learning. Students will have numerous opportunities to use hands-on materials, engage with readings, develop evidence-based scientific written arguments, and explore digital applications.
Watch the video below for a brief overview of the Amplify Science approach and program structure.
A powerful partnership
Amplify Science is the result of a collaboration between the science education experts at University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) and Amplify. The team of science, math, engineering, and literacy experts at LHS developed the content of the program, while Amplify’s team of designers and engineers developed the tools and components that bring the lessons to life for students.
Click here for more information on the Lawrence Hall of Science.
Explore grade-level resources.
Where to go for help
Whether you have questions about your technology or want to know more about the program, Amplify’s Support Team is here to help!
Contact Support via telephone at (833) 97-Care-8 (833-972-2738) or caregiver@amplify.com.
Our support hours are Monday – Friday, 7 am – 9 PM ET, and Sunday, 10 – 6 ET.