Welcome, Washoe Science Reviewers!

Thank you for taking the time to review Amplify Science for grades 6–8. On this site, you’ll find all the resources you need to learn more about this engaging and robust NGSS program. Plus, we make it easy to experience our program firsthand with a live demo account that features our interactive learning platform.

A girl wearing safety glasses examines a glass of water, surrounded by illustrations of the moon, rain, a rocket, telescope, polar bear, and satellite.

Review Materials

Review Materials

It’s important that your committee sees the full breadth and depth of our instruction. For that reason, we provided a copy of each of our unit-specific Teacher Reference Guides. Before you panic, rest assured that teachers do not use these robust reference guides for day-to-day teaching. For that, we have a hands-free TG!

Digital collage of various devices displaying educational content about earth’s energy system, including graphs and text explanations.

Teacher Reference Guide: Unlike a typical TG that requires a series of supplemental books to support it, our encyclopedic reference guide is chock-full of everything a teacher needs to fully implement our program and the NGSS.
Ready-to-Teach Digital Lessons: For daily instruction, teachers need their hands free. That’s why we created ready-to-teach lesson slides for every single lesson What’s more, they are editable and include suggested teacher talk and point-of-use differentiation and other instructional tips. Read this help article to learn more.

Hands-on kits

Every unit of our program includes a dedicated hands-on materials kit. Due to the amount of materials involved, we provided your committee two sample kits per grade level. Our unit-specific kits make material management easy for teachers—they grab the tub they need and then put it all back with ease. Plus, items needed for multiple units are duplicated and found in each tub.

Amplify Science hands-on kits

Our unit-specific kits:

Include more materials — We give you enough non-consumable materials to support 200 student uses.
Are more manageable — Unlike other programs that require large groups of students to share limited sets of materials, our kits include enough to support small groups of 4–5 students.
Include supportive videos — Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.

Overview

Developed by UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, our program features:

A phenomena-based approach where students construct a more complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
Cohesive units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true 3-dimensional learning.
An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.

Hands-on investigations

Literacy integration

Simulations and modeling tools

Classroom discussions

EdReports All-Green

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

Read the review on EdReports.

A boy stirs a clear liquid in a plastic cup while a girl smiles beside him in a classroom with students and a teacher in the background. EdReports badge is overlaid in the corner.

Program structure

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 address 100% of the NGSS in fewer days than other programs.

Four-step process graphic: Spark intrigue with a real-world problem, explore evidence, explain and elaborate, evaluate claims, and engage with cohesive storylines throughout.

Navigating an Engineering Internship (Part 2)

This Part 2 video demonstrates how to use the Futura Workspace to manage the immersive experience of the Engineering Internship units. This includes guidance on how to create student groups, how to review student work, and how to send students targeted feedback on their designs.

Unit sequence

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 showing a Mars landscape, three kids using straws on a tray, a hand placing jars with colored objects, and an illustration of two people in a yellow field with mountains.

Abstract digital artwork featuring vibrant colors, geometric shapes, a yellow human silhouette, and various patterns layered together.

Unit 1

Microbiome

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Microbiological researchers

Phenomenon: The presence of 100 trillion microorganisms living on and in the human body may keep the body healthy.

Illustration of a person receiving an oral examination with a tongue depressor and light, featuring abstract colorful shapes and an eye chart in the background.

Unit 2

Metabolism

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Medical researchers

Phenomenon: Elisa, a young patient, feels tired all the time.

See how this unit works

Orange abstract background with hexagonal shapes featuring icons of a bar chart, plant, safety vest, test tube, peach, and stethoscope.

Unit 3

Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.

Illustration of six spiders with different colored bodies and legs arranged in a chart-like formation on a dark background.

Unit 4

Traits and Reproduction

Domain: Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biomedical students

Phenomenon: Darwin’s bark spider offspring have different silk flexibility traits, even though they have the same parents.

See how this unit works

Illustration of a person wearing a red hat and winter coat with fur hood, eyes closed and arms crossed, surrounded by large orange circles.

Unit 5

Thermal Energy

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Thermal scientists

Phenomenon: One of two proposed heating systems for Riverdale School will best heat the school.

See how this unit works

Abstract digital artwork featuring a large yellow sun with blue and orange rays over a colorful landscape with green hills and red horizon.

Unit 6

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

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

Illustration of clouds above a small town with fields and mountains, showing wind patterns and atmospheric movement in the sky.

Unit 7

Weather Patterns

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic meteorologists

Phenomenon: In recent years, rainstorms in Galetown have been unusually severe.

See how this unit works

An illustrated polar bear stands on a small piece of floating ice in the ocean, with icebergs and an orange sun in the background.

Unit 8

Earth’s Changing Climate

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Life Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Climatologists

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

See how this unit works

Hexagonal badge with icons including a wrench, building, sun, molecules, construction materials, screwdriver, paint bucket, and a letter T, all on a geometric blue background.

Unit 9

Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Civil engineers

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

A rover stands on a rocky, reddish terrain with visible tire tracks leading to it; distant hills are seen under a hazy sky.

Unit 1

Geology on Mars

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Planetary geologists

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

Two prehistoric aquatic reptiles with long snouts swim near the shore of a tropical landscape with rocks, plants, and an island in the distance.

Unit 2

Plate Motion

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Mesosaurus fossils have been found on continents separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean, even though the Mesosaurus species once lived all together.

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

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: 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 volcanic landscape with mountains, trees, an ocean, and a cross-section showing tectonic plates beneath the surface.

Unit 4

Rock Transformations

Domain: Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Geologists

Phenomenon: Rock samples from the Great Plains and from the Rocky Mountains — regions hundreds of miles apart — look very different, but have surprisingly similar mineral compositions.

See how this unit works

An orange popsicle melting in four stages from solid to almost fully liquid, set against a plain background.

Unit 5

Phase Change

Domains: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Chemists

Phenomenon: A methane lake on Titan no longer appears in images taken by a space probe two years apart.

See how this unit works

Green graphic with icons showing a swaddled baby, a thermometer, layers of blankets, a medical symbol, and a heat source within a hexagonal frame.

Unit 6

Phase Change Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Chemical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing portable baby incubators with different combinations of phase change materials can keep babies at a healthy temperature.

Digital illustration showing red and blue molecule-like circles on a blue background, with a boundary dividing two differently shaded sides.

Unit 7

Chemical Reactions

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

Unit type: Core

Student role: Forensic chemists

Phenomenon: A mysterious brown substance has been detected in the tap water of Westfield.

See how this unit works

An underwater scene with a large whale, several turtles, jellyfish, and fish swimming surrounded by shafts of light.

Unit 8

Populations and Resources

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The size of the moon jelly population in Glacier Sea has increased.

See how this unit works

Low-poly illustration of a forest with trees, mushrooms, a rabbit, and a fox catching another animal under a blue sky with mountains and the sun in the background.

Unit 9

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

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

Unit type: Core

Student role: Ecologists

Phenomenon: The biodome ecosystem has collapsed.

See how this unit works

Two people stand atop rocky terrain littered with electronic devices; inset illustrations show a boot, a person with electronics in a vest, and a radio.

Unit 1

Harnessing Human Energy

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

Unit type: Launch

Student role: Energy scientists

Phenomenon: Rescue workers can use their own human kinetic energy to power the electrical devices they use during rescue missions.

A spacecraft approaches a large modular space station with blue solar panels, orbiting in outer space against a black background.

Unit 2

Force and Motion

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: The asteroid sample-collecting pod failed to dock at the space station as planned.

See how this unit works

Green geometric background with a hexagonal badge displaying a parachute, ruler, letter A, stacked layers, bandage, and a folded paper icon.

Unit 3

Force and Motion Engineering Internship

Domains: Engineering Design, Physical Science

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Mechanical engineering interns

Phenomenon: Designing emergency supply delivery pods with different structures can maintain the integrity of the supply pods and their contents.

Illustration of a roller coaster car filled with people raising their arms as it rolls down a steep track against a blue sky with clouds.

Unit 4

Magnetic Fields

Domain: Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Physicists

Phenomenon: During a test launch, a spacecraft traveled much faster than expected.

Illustration of the Earth with arrows representing radiation or energy entering the atmosphere from space over the Asia-Pacific region.

Unit 5

Light Waves

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

Unit type: Core

Student role: Spectroscopists

Phenomenon: The rate of skin cancer is higher in Australia than in other parts of the world.

See how this unit works

Illustration of a city skyline at night with a large full moon, a few stars in the sky, and a bridge on the left side.

Unit 6

Earth, Moon, and Sun

Domains: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Astronomers

Phenomenon: An astrophotographer can only take pictures of specific features on the Moon at certain times.

Four low-poly dinosaurs, three green and one yellow, are walking in a row on grass with rocks and red spots on their bodies under a blue sky.

Unit 7

Natural Selection

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Biologists

Phenomenon: The newt population in Oregon State Park has become more poisonous over time.

See how this unit works

Orange abstract background with hexagonal shapes featuring icons of a bar chart, plant, safety vest, test tube, peach, and stethoscope.

Unit 8

Metabolism Engineering Internship

Domains: Life Science, Engineering Design

Unit type: Engineering internship

Student role: Food engineers

Phenomenon: Designing health bars with different molecular compositions can effectively meet the metabolic needs of patients or rescue workers.

Two large tortoises are near a river; one is on the riverbank reaching for leaves on a tree, while the other is on the opposite bank among grass and trees.

Unit 9

Evolutionary History

Domains: Life Science, Earth and Space Science

Unit type: Core

Student role: Paleontologists

Phenomenon: A mystery fossil at the Natural History Museum has similarities with both wolves and whales.

See how this unit works

Access program

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

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

Access the digital platform now

Navigating an Engineering Internship (Part 1)

This Part 1 video demonstrates how 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 an Engineering Internship (Part 2)

This Part 2 video demonstrates how to use the Futura Workspace to manage the immersive experience of the Engineering Internship units. This includes guidance on how to create student groups, how to review student work, and how to send students targeted feedback on their designs.

Navigating our reporting tools

Teachers of Amplify Science grades 6–8 have access to a feature called Reporting. When unit assessments are administered digitally, the Reporting tool enables teachers to analyze student performance on the unit assessments.

Differentiation post-assessment

Every core unit of Amplify Science 6–8 features a formal formative assessment opportunity at the mid-way point, or Critical Juncture, of the unit, which provides an important opportunity for differentiation.

Resources

Two middle school girls use a Student Investigation Notebook to take on the role of scientists and engineers

Course structure for 6–8

Take a closer look at how the program is organized.

Animated image of a roller coaster car filled with people, arms raised, descending a steep track under a blue sky with clouds.

Unit phenomena for 6–8

Take a closer look at the middle school unit phenomena featured in each grade level.

A young person wearing gloves looks through a microscope at a table with laboratory supplies, including bottles, slides, and a tray, against a plain blue background.

Investigations for 6–8

Explore the types of investigations that take place in middle school classrooms.

Amplify Science hands-on materials kit with wires, motors, solar panels and containers.

Kit-provided components for 6–8

See what components come in our materials kits!

Illustration of assorted stationery items, including a notepad, clipboard, pencils, push pins, a paper, and a sharpener, all in orange and black outlines.

Teacher-provided components for 6–8

See a list of typical classroom items provided by teachers.

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

Sims for 4–8

Take a closer look at the digital Simulations included at each grade level.

A student reads a science textbook about rock formations while others work on laptops in a classroom setting, engaging in hands-on science activities and research.

Active reading in 6–8

Learn how we support students in learning how to interact with scientific texts.

Students sitting at desks, focused on writing in notebooks and working on laptops in a classroom.

Approaches to assessment in 6–8

Learn about our middle school embedded assessments.