Do you have a digital experience license? If so, some of the features outlined in this article may be different for you. We’d recommend checking out this information on the Amplify digital experience, instead. Not sure if you have a digital experience license? Use this guide to find out.

The Amplify Science online teacher experience offers many useful features, including:

You’ll find preparation and instructional information at the unit level, lesson level, and activity level within Amplify Science. Check out our navigation tour to see what this looks like, or simply keep reading.

For unit-level information, select a unit from the year overview page and you’ll see the following.

When you select a lesson from the unit landing page, you’ll come to the Lesson Brief, where you’ll see lesson-level information. The exact content will vary, but this image depicts the typical type of information that a Lesson Brief will contain.

Notice the Classroom Slides within the Digital Resources section on the right-hand side. These can be used to present and use the lesson’s activities with students (find Classroom Slides tips and tricks here!).

While the Classroom Slides are one option to use in delivering instruction, you can also simply reference the numbered tabs containing activity-level information. Within each activity tab, you’ll see basic information about what students are doing in the activity and how long it should take. Below that, you’ll see 2–4 tabs depending on what type of information is applicable to the activity, followed by step-by-step instructions for implementing the activity.

Heads up! Even if you use the Classroom Slides, you will need to access the Possible Responses tab within the corresponding activity to find answers or example responses for any applicable notebook page or copymaster.

Want a copy of those images to keep nearby for reference? Here’s a printable PDF.

Every unit in grades 2–5 has at least one digital application (app) associated with it. There are two main categories of digital tools in Amplify Science: Simulations and Science Practice Tools (often modeling tools, but also sorting, scale, and graphing tools). You can think of simulations as responsive tools that produce data, while science practice tools are more like mediums for students to consolidate and show their thinking.

You can access the apps for your unit via the student apps page, which you can get to through the Program and Apps menu in the Global Navigation bar.

Your students, meanwhile, can access the students apps page by logging in at learning.amplify.com (this should be bookmarked on student devices, and your IT department should be able to tell you what login credentials your class should enter).

Once you and/or your students open the student apps page, choose the appropriate unit from the menu.

After choosing the unit, there will be rows of links to all of the unit’s apps and digital books. These links are presented as color-coded and numbered squares to make it easy for you and your students to communicate about them (e.g., “click on the blue 2”).

Selecting any of the squares will launch the chosen app or book in a new tab.

You can read more about the app(s) used in a particular unit by locating the “Apps in this Unit” resource under Teacher References on the Unit Overview page.

Each unit in grades K–5 has a set of five books associated with it. Class sets of these Student Books are included in the Unit Kits (1 book for every 2 students, assuming a class size of 36), but you and your students can also access them digitally. To do so, you can have students follow the same instructions that are provided in the Digital Tools section above because the books are located on the same student apps page! As the teacher, you can also access the books via the Amplify Library, which is available via the Global Navigation Menu.

When accessed digitally, the Student Books include a read-aloud option. Audio Read-Aloud is a helpful feature that allows users to play and control an audio recording of each book. This functionality provides students the immense benefit of associating written and verbal language. It also serves to assist students with visual impairments in accessing the texts. The audio is available in both English and Spanish versions of the books, giving young students the opportunity for added support as they learn to read in either or both languages (note that you must have a Spanish license to access the books in Spanish).

Following, you’ll find a list of all of the Student Books that are used in each unit. As you look through the list, you’ll see that each grade level has one book title that is marked with an asterisk. These are bonus books that are not referenced in the Teacher’s Guide, nor are they needed to teach the program with fidelity (outside of California), but if you would like to incorporate them, they are available to you via the Amplify Library (just search the title)! The bonus books feature real scientists currently active in their fields, and represent the diverse ethnicities, backgrounds, sexual orientations, perspectives, and experiences that make the scientific community so rich and interesting. They also offer additional opportunities to engage students in focal science practices and concepts.

Needs of Plants and Animals

Pushes and Pulls

Sunlight and Weather

Animal and Plant Defenses

Light and Sound

Spinning Earth

Plant and Animal Relationships

Properties of Materials

Changing Landforms

Balancing Forces

Inheritance and Traits

Environments and Survival

Weather and Climate

Energy Conversions

Vision and Light

Earth's Features

Waves, Energy, and Information

Patterns of Earth and Sky

Modeling Matter

The Earth System

Ecosystem Restoration