Welcome to Transitional Kindergarten
Amplify Science California jump-starts a lifelong love of science with developmentally and pedagogically appropriate instruction featuring:
- Real-world problems and scientific phenomena.
- An experiential approach with lots of hands-on.
- Explicit support for building oral language and early literacy skills.
What students learn
Our program is comprised of three units: one life science, one physical science, one Earth science.
As students take on the role of a scientist or engineer to figure out real-world phenomenon, each unit:
- Sparks curiosity and engagement.
- Encourages students to wonder, think, and talk.
- Builds a solid foundation for future success with science.
Look below for a summary of each unit.
Unit 1
Unit: Wondering About Noises in Trees
Student role: Life scientists
Phenomenon: Strange noises appear to be coming from the trees outside.
Unit 2
Unit: Wondering About Buildings
Student role: Building engineers
Phenomenon: One class made a play city. Some of the buildings stayed up, while others fell down.
Unit 3
Unit: Wondering About Puddles
Student role: Weather scientists
Phenomenon: Puddles exist in some places but not in other places along a girl’s walk to school
Program structure
To meet the unique needs of little learners, our program follows a unique structure.
Each unit:
- Begins with an Introductory Activity that
introduces the phenomenon. - Includes a series of three Explorations that are comprised of a Kickoff Discussion, four activities, and a Shared Drawing and Discussion.
- Ends with a Culminating Activity that consolidates students’ understanding.
Each activity is designed to span 15 minutes. Depending on how the program is implemented, an entire unit generally takes 4–6 weeks.
How teachers teach
Tom Teacher feels confident delivering 3-D instruction with our resources by his side. Watch this video to learn more. >
When you’re ready, scroll down to take a closer look at sample resources.
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Classroom resources for instruction
Resources
Sample
Preview a TG and Big Book
Preview an Amplify Science TK Teacher’s Guide and a Big Book.
Overview
Program guide for TK
Learn more about this level of the program by exploring our detailed program gui...
Overview
FAQs for TK
Learn more about how our program works by exploring these frequently asked quest...
Overview
Program components for TK
Take a closer look at the unit-specific resources that support learning.
Standards
Standards Alignment for TK
See how our program fully prepares students for meeting NGSS standards in kinder...