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About Amplify Science
PLEASE READ BELOW INFORMATION ABOUT AMPLIFY SCIENCE
Amplify Science uses the Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize approach, meaning that for every key scientific phenomenon students encounter, they have the opportunity to engage with the phenomenon by conducting a student-centered investigation (Do); engaging in student-to-student collaboration and scientific argumentation (Talk); inquiring through science text to answer questions and explore ideas (Read); writing scientific explanations and arguments (Write); and visualizing that phenomenon and building their own mental models (Visualize).
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THE MISSION
Amplify Science has students taking on the role of scientists in order to investigate real-world problems for three main reasons:
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It's exciting! Giving students something to investigate-rather than something to memorize- motivates and engages them. Current users of Amplify Science agree that students fnd the curriculum s real-world problem contexts engaging and authentic, giving them a reason to want to continue on to the next activity and the next day s lesson.
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Amplify Science constantly answers the question, “So what?” From the frst day of the unit, students are seeing the relevance, application, and importance of the science, and developing a keen understanding of how their curriculum reflects the challenges and possibilities of life in the 21st century.
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The real-world problem contexts allow the unit to be framed as an open-ended question, necessitating deep exploration, rather than as a series of out-of-context topics. Students are encouraged to think critically and formulate scientifc arguments based on evidence, rather than engage in mere rote memorization. Finally, the unit narrative also provides structure for their exploration without restricting students to a single prescribed path flled with either "right" or "wrong" responses.
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THE FACTS
Amplify is designed to show that scientific concepts are interconnected and multifaceted. Each unit focuses on a specific learning goal in the form of an overarching unit question. Rather than following linear steps in an experiment, the program leaves room for students to make connections across concepts and make their own discoveries. In this way, Amplify Science replicates the realities and ambiguities of scientific research and thinking.