Welcome to Transitional Kindergarten

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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.
A collage of four images: children doing a science experiment, a tree in a park, stacked building blocks and toys, and a child splashing water near a storm drain.

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.

A person helps a child with a ponytail. Another child examines a yellow flower using a magnifying glass. Caption reads Story of the Noisy Tree and describes children's curiosity and exploration.
Unit 1
Illustration of a vibrant park with a winding path, lush trees, and animals like squirrels and birds in a large tree.

Unit: Wondering About Noises in Trees

Student role: Life scientists

Phenomenon: Strange noises appear to be coming from the trees outside.

Unit 2
Colorful 3d illustration of various imaginative structures built with blocks, rings, and other toy components on a grassy area with a blue sky and clouds background.

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
A child in yellow shirt and orange boots skipping over a puddle on a sidewalk next to a grassy area and a stream.

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.

Diagram of tk curriculum structure, including life science, physical science, and earth science units, with detailed breakdowns of unit and exploration structures.

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.

Cover of a transitional kindergarten teacher guide for a life science module titled "wondering about noises in trees," featuring an illustrated scene with trees and animals.

Printed Teacher’s Guide

Our unit-specific Teacher’s Guides are chock full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, differentiation strategies, additional classroom resources, and copymasters.

Teacher’s Guide

Girl listening to a tree trunk, book cover titled the noisy tree by ashley chose, with an orange background.

Big Books

Big Books contain vivid photographs and are used to introduce topics, facilitate group discussions, and support students’ firsthand investigations. Each Big Book is an integral part of instruction and is used multiple times for multiple purposes across a unit.

Big Book

Stack of white papers with a primary visible one labeled science question 1: why are so many noises coming from the tree? in black text.

Science Questions

Each unit includes three printed Science Question cards, one for each Exploration of the unit. The cards can be posted on classroom walls and support the class as they are introduced to and revisit the focus of their investigations over the course of an Exploration and, ultimately, the unit.

Two magazine cover mockups with the word scientist on the left and a tree photo on the right, both against a white background.

Vocabulary and Picture Cards

Each unit includes six or seven printed Vocabulary Cards and a set of colorful Picture Cards that can be posted on classroom word walls and concept walls. Cards are used for a variety of purposes, including gathering evidence, building background knowledge, and introducing the focal phenomenon.

Resources

A large tree with red fruit stands beside a curved path in a grassy field. Various animals, including a raccoon, owl, squirrel, and bird, are in and around the tree.

Preview a TG and Big Book

Preview an Amplify Science TK Teacher’s Guide and a Big Book.

Two children in a lab setting engage in a science experiment with test tubes and a tablet. One child wears safety goggles, while an adult’s hand assists.

Program guide for TK

Learn more about this level of the program by exploring our detailed program gui…

A group of young children sit around a table in a classroom, engaging in an activity with colorful geometric blocks and paper.

FAQs for TK

Get a big picture overview of this unit with an at-a-glance view of each chapter…

A collection of Amplify Science educational materials, including a teacher's guide, a book titled "The Noisy Tree," science question cards, vocabulary cards, and tree-related images.

Program components for TK

Take a closer look at the unit-specific resources that support learning.

Two women sitting at a table working on a laptop and documents, surrounded by colorful posters on the walls.

Standards Alignment for TK

See how our program fully prepares students for meeting NGSS standards in kinder…