Welcome to Earth and Space Science

BACK TO MAIN 6–8 PAGE

Amplify Science California is so effective you can cover 100% of the NGSS in fewer lessons than other programs.
 
Plus, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing we give you enough materials to support 200 students. In fact, our material kits:

  • Support small groups of 4-5 students.
  • Make organization and finding materials easy.
  • Last longer with only one of the nine kits requiring refills.
A collage of images: top left, digital art of a desert scene; top right, three kids doing a science experiment; bottom left, a hand holding a jar and two others beside; bottom right, digital art of a person and child in a field.

What students learn

When you’re ready:

  • Find a summary of each unit below including each unit’s student role and anchor phenomenon.
  • Click on the orange “See how the unit works” link to download a helpful Unit Guide. These guides make great companions to busy reviewers looking for a big-picture understanding of how each unit works.
A barren, rocky desert landscape with rover tracks leading to a distant vehicle on a hill under a hazy sky.

Unit 1

Geology on Mars

Student role: Planetary geologists

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

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

Unit 2

Plate Motion

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean.

See how this unit works

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

Unit 3

Plate Motion Engineering Internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

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

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

Unit 4

Rock Transformations

Student role: Geologists


Phenomenon: Rock samples from different U.S. regions look different, but have similar mineral compositions.

See how this unit works

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

Unit 5

Earth, Moon, and Sun

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: Pictures of specific features on the Moon can only be taken by an astrophotographer at certain times.

See how this unit works

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

Unit 6

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Student role: Climatologists

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

Ilustración de un pueblo con casas, campos y montañas bajo un cielo nublado con olas de viento o lluvia.

Unit 7

Weather Patterns

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: The strong storms in Galetown didn’t just begin. They have become more and more severe over the years.

See how this unit works

Un oso polar se encuentra sobre un pequeño témpano de hielo en el océano con un sol naranja en el cielo y lejanas montañas heladas al fondo.

Unit 8

Earth’s Changing Climate

Student role: Climatologists

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

See how this unit works

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

Unit 9

Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Student role: Civil engineers

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

How teachers teach

When you’re ready:

  • Scroll down and take a closer look at your classroom resources.
  • Click on the orange links below each component to see grade-specific samples.
A laptop displays a PowerPoint presentation in presenter view, with slides about observing objects in plastic containers and related sensory instructions.
Classroom Slides

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

Video introduction to Classroom Slides

A printed teacher’s guide labeled “Plate Motion: Mystery of the Mesosaurus Fossils” is displayed next to a laptop showing the same curriculum’s digital interface.
Teacher’s Reference Guide

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

Login to platform below to access

Assorted rocks, plastic jars, stacks of clear plastic cups, wrapped candies, and scattered dice laid out on a white background.
Materials Kits

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

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

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

Video overview of digital tools

Two booklets titled "El clima cambiante de la Tierra: la desaparición del hielo" and "Earth’s Changing Climate: Vanishing Ice" with landscape illustrations on the covers.
Consumable Notebooks

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

Cover of the "Amplify Science" Grade 8 textbook featuring illustrations of space, insects, technology, crowds, and scientific diagrams.
Student Edition Hardcover

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

A person with headphones works on a laptop; a line from their head transforms into a rocket, symbolizing imagination, innovation, and the foundational skills essential for multilingual learners.
Coming Soon

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

See what’s coming for 2020-2021

Navigating the program

  • Click the orange button below to access the platform.
  • Choose the resources you’d like to review.
  • Pick your grade level from the drop-down menu.
  • Scroll down to find additional grade-level resources.

Navigating a Launch Unit

Launch units are the first units taught in each year of the program. The goal of a Launch unit is to introduce students to norms, routines, and practices that will be built on throughout the year.

Navigating an Engineering Internship

Engineering Internship units invite students to design solutions for real-world problems as interns for a fictional company called Futura. In the process, they apply and deepen their learning from Core units.

Navigating a Core Unit

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

Navigating Classwork and Reporting

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