Cartwright K–5 Science Review

Overview

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With Amplify Science, students don’t just passively learn about science concepts. Instead, they take on the role of scientists and engineers to actively investigate and figure out real-world phenomena. They do this through a blend of cohesive and compelling storylines, hands-on investigations, collaborative discussions, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools.

Watch the videos below to learn how our program empowers students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers every day.

Three scenes depicting children and technology: a boy presenting with a digital display, two boys interacting in a classroom, and two girls working on a laptop.

EdReports

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Amplify Science for grades K–8 has been rated all-green by EdReports..

Read the review on Edreports.

Two students, a boy and a girl, smiling while conducting an EdReports-approved science experiment in a classroom with other students and a teacher in the background.

Program structure

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Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.

It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to teach less, but achieve more. We designed our program to address 100% of the NGSS in just 66 days for grades K–2 and 88 days for grades 3–5.

Graphic showing a research process with four steps: spark intrigue with a real-world problem, explore evidence, explain and elaborate, and evaluate claims, connected in a cycle with arrows.

Unit sequence

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Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.

In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.

Collage of four images: a person drying a model plane with a hairdryer, an illustration of an orangutan on a vine, two girls playing a wall-mounted game, and hands arranging educational cards with bird figures.

Kindergarten

Needs of Plants and Animals

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Scientists

Phenomenon: There are no monarch caterpillars in the Mariposa Grove community garden since vegetables were planted.

Pushes and Pulls

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Pinball engineers

Phenomenon: Pinball machines allow people to control the direction and strength of forces on a ball.

Sunlight and Weather

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Weather scientists

Phenomenon: Students at Carver Elementary School are too cold during morning recess, while students at Woodland Elementary School are too hot during afternoon recess.
Grade 1

Animal and Plant Defenses

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Spruce the Sea Turtle lives in an aquarium and will soon be released back into the ocean, where she will survive despite ocean predators.

Light and Sound

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Light and sound engineers

Phenomenon: A puppet show company uses light and sound to depict realistic scenes in puppet shows.

Spinning Earth

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Sky scientists

Phenomenon: The sky looks different to Sai and his grandma when they talk on the phone.
Grade 2

Plant and Animal Relationships

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Plant scientists

Phenomenon: No new chalta trees are growing in the fictional Bengal Tiger Reserve in India.

Properties of Materials

Domains: Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Glue engineers

Phenomenon: Different glue recipes result in glues that have different properties.

Changing Landforms

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: The cliff that Oceanside Recreation Center is situated on appears to be receding over time.
Grade 3

Balancing Forces

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Engineers

Phenomenon: The town of Faraday is getting a new train that floats above its tracks.

Inheritance and Traits

strong>Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Wildlife biologists

Phenomenon: An adopted wolf in Graystone National Park (“Wolf 44”) has some traits that appear similar to one wolf pack in the park and other traits that appear to be similar to a different wolf pack.

Environments and Survival

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: Biomimicry engineers

Phenomenon: Over the last 10 years, a population of grove snails has changed: The number of grove snails with yellow shells has decreased, while the number of snails with banded shells has increased.

Weather and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Meteorologists

Phenomenon: Three different islands, each a contender for becoming an Orangutan reserve, experience different weather patterns.
Grade 4

Energy Conversions

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering design

Student role: System engineers

Phenomenon: The fictional town of Ergstown experiences frequent blackouts.

Vision and Light

Domain: Physical Science, Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Conservation biologists

Phenomenon: The population of Tokay geckos in a rain forest in the Philippines has decreased since the installation of new highway lights.

Earth's Features

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: A mysterious fossil is discovered in a canyon within the fictional Desert Rocks National Park.

Waves, Energy, and Information

Domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Marine scientists

Phenomenon: Mother dolphins in the fictional Blue Bay National Park seem to be communicating with their calves when they are separated at a distance underwater.
Grade 5

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Investigation

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An ancient artifact depicts what we see in the sky at different times — the sun during the daytime and different stars during the nighttime — but it is missing a piece.

Modeling Matter

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Modeling

Student role: Food scientists

Phenomenon: Chromatography is a process for separating mixtures. Some solids dissolve in a salad dressing while others do not. Oil and vinegar appear to separate when mixed in a salad dressing.

The Earth System

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering Design

Student role: Water resource engineers

Phenomenon: East Ferris, a city on one side of the fictional Ferris Island, is experiencing a water shortage, while West Ferris is not.

Ecosystem Restoration

Domains:Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Argumentation

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The jaguars, sloths, and cecropia trees in a reforested section of a Costa Rican rain forest are not growing and thriving.

Access program

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Watch the video to the right showing you how to navigate our digital platform. When you’re ready, follow the instructions below to log into your live demo account.

Click the orange button below to access the platform.
Explore as a teacher with this username (t1.cartwrightsd@demo.tryamplify.net) and this password (Amplify1-cartwrightsd).
Explore as a student with this username (s1.cartwrightsd@demo.tryamplify.net) and this password (Amplify1-cartwrightsd).
Choose your grade level from the drop-down menu.