How the amplify science curriculum impacts 4th grade students and the teacher

Abstract

In this study, 4th graders at Benjamin Franklin Elementary in Kirkland, WA, were taught science using the newly adopted NGSS-aligned curriculum, Amplify. Throughout the Amplify Earth's Features unit, the author tracked student growth in the Science and Engineering Practice: engaging in arguments from evidence, measured student emotional and behavioral engagement, and measured student curiosity. Student pre-assessments and post-assessments, student surveys, short answer questions, teacher reflections, and video observed lessons were used to analyze the effects of the Amplify curriculum on students. While results suggest that insufficient opportunities for practice limited student growth, they also indicate that most students are both emotionally and behaviorally engaged. The study also found that while the Earth's Features unit fostered curiosity in the middle of the unit, students were less curious about the topics at the end of the unit.1