Do you teach 4th Grade Amplify Science? 

Have you been wondering how you could make Amplify more relevant, meaningful, and culturally responsive for YOUR students? 

“I used to think that following the Amplify Science curriculum exactly as written was the best way to ensure my students met the standards, even if the examples (like desert canyons) felt distant and disconnected from our life in the Pacific Northwest. Now I think that my students’ own backyards and schoolyards are the most powerful “textbooks” I have. I realize that localizing a lesson—whether by using a retaining wall to teach rock layers or discussing the SeaTac Sloth—isn’t just a “fun extra”; it is an essential act of educational justice that makes science accessible and relevant to every student in my classroom, regardless of their background.” -Sarah Chiles, Elgar Bay Elementary

This asynchronous course provides an opportunity to explore opportunities in a unit-specific Western Washington “localizing guide” that supports teachers in making meaningful and authentic connections between the science students are doing in their classroom and their region, community, and personal funds of knowledge.  The guide was created and piloted by classroom teachers in collaboration with the developers of Amplify Science, school district leads, local ESDs, and IslandWood staff. 

The localizing guide has a wide variety of ready-to-use activities to choose from. You’ll find interviews designed to bring in related experiences from family members, a way to create a class “rock museum”, slides that swap in local examples, and many other possibilities.  You will also learn how local phenomena like the “Seattle Sloth” and “Suciasaurus Rex” can make the learning in the unit relevant to understanding the actual geological history of our region. 

Clock Hours: 2.5 STEM clock hours for watching videos, reading the unit’s localizing guide, and reflecting on your first impressions. Optional topics provide an opportunity to earn up to 5 additional STEM clock hours (half of which can be claimed as equity clock hours if desired).

Timing: Progress through the course at your own pace.  Most topics can be done before you teach the unit. Clock hours for completed course topics will be turned in for those who complete a final survey by the closing date of the course (May 30th, 2027). You will then need to claim them through pdEnroller (with payment of a pdEnroller administrative fee). 

Important Note: This course is intended for teachers who are teaching the 4th Grade Amplify Science Earth’s Features unit. One of the optional topics requires access to the unit, and another involves reflecting on your localizing efforts while teaching it.  If you are not teaching the unit, please consider taking our “Localize your Science Classroom Asynchronously” course or one of our “Introduction to Localizing” Workshops. They provide localizing strategies, examples, and scaffolding that can be adapted for use with ANY science unit at any grade level.