Grade 1 Hands-on activitiess3.amazonaws.com/.../science/NYC/AmplifyScience_HandsOnActivities_1.pdf · Grade 1 | Hands-on activities 11 • 1 tray • 1 Investigation Mat • 1 surface

Grade 1 Hands-on activities

Quantity and materials in each kit are subject to change. For current lists of all materials in each kit, please visit amplify.com/sciencek5.

Some products depicted are independently sourced by teachers and not included with the Amplify Science kits. All product and company names depicted are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders, and their use does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of Amplify Science.

All curriculum materials © 2017 The Regents of the University of California.

© 2018 Amplify Education, Inc.

Hands-on investigation

Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science, and is

integrated into every unit. Each hands-on activity provides clear

instructions for the teacher, while providing easily accessible

materials in unit-specific kits.

With Amplify Science, students actively participate in science,

acting like scientists and engineers as they gather evidence,

think critically, solve problems, and communicate their claims.

This document will walk you through an overview of the

materials provided for an entire unit, and then focus on one

particular activity in that unit to give you a sense of the role

hands-on investigation plays in the instruction.

Table of contents

Grade 1

Animal and Plant Defenses .....................................................................4

Light and Sound ........................................................................................8

Spinning Earth ........................................................................................12

4 ¬Science

In their role as marine scientists, students apply their understanding about plant and animal defense structures to explain to concerned aquarium visitors how a sea turtle at the aquarium will be able to defend herself from predators in the ocean once she is released.

Materials in this unit

Animal and Plant Defenses

5Grade 1 | Hands-on activities

Quantity Description

2 clay, 16 oz. package

37 cups, plastic, 16 oz.

19 cups, paper, 9 oz.

150 cups, plastic, 2 oz.*

75 game token, plastic, 1¼” diameter disc

19 hair comb, plastic

1 pencil-top erasers, box of 144

40 rings, metal

4 tissue paper, various colors, pack of 25 sheets*

1 toothpicks, box of 750

74 baby carrots* ∆

6 chart paper* ∆

1 hole punch (single) ∆

9 index cards, white, 4" x 6", unlined ∆

18 interlocking cubes, small, plastic ∆

9 packs of colored markers, crayons, or colored pencils ∆

40 paper, white, 8.5” x 11” sheets* ∆

1 pencil with eraser ∆

18 safety scissors ∆

18 scrap paper, sheets* ∆

1 sentence strips, pack of 100* ∆

1 stapler ∆

131 sticky notes* ∆

1 tape, masking, roll* ∆

10 tray, plastic ∆

* consumable item included in starter kit

∆ items provided by the teacher

Elementary School Starter Kit

Amplify Science also offers a starter kit for purchase, which includes general science materials needed to conduct most hands-on activities for all units in the curriculum. Starter kit items can fulfill some teacher-provided materials needed for each unit.

6 ¬Science

Example activityModeling Defenses

In Lesson 2.3 of Animal and Plant Defenses, students make the first in a series of models to explain animal and plant defenses. Partners explore a reference book to observe how animals and plants use their structures to not be eaten. Students reflect on what they observed in the reference book before using a ball of clay, a comb, and a variety of materials to model how animals and plants might use their structures to defend themselves. Students choose one of their model animal structures to draw and label in their notebooks. The teacher introduces the scientific practice of modeling and uses the Models of Animal and Plant Defenses chart to record what the class learned from each model they created.


• modeling clay

For the class

For the classroom wall

• 3 vocabulary cards: defend, defense, model

• Partner Reading Guidelines

• 20 toothpicks

For each group of four students

• 1 plastic comb

• 1 ball of clay

• 1 copy of Spikes, Spines, and Shells book

For each pair of students

Each unit’s kit includes print materials for the classroom:

• Chapter Questions

• Key Concepts

• Vocabulary

• Unit Questions

• 18 copies of each student book:

Frog Models

Tortoise Parts

Parents and Offspring

Whose Lunch Is This?

Spikes, Spines, and Shells

Unit print materialsExample activity materials

8 ¬Science

In their role as light and sound engineers, students investigate cause and effect relationships to learn about the nature of light and sound transmission. They apply what they learn to design shadow scenery and sound effects for a puppet show.


Light and Sound


2 envelopes, 9” x 12” (or baskets or boxes) ∆

8 forks, metal ∆

18 glue sticks ∆

1 hole punch, single ∆

3 index cards, 4” x 6” ∆

1 marker, black, wide tip ∆

18 paper clips ∆

4 paper towels, sheets* ∆

1 paper, chart, pad* ∆

1 paper, white, sheet (8.5” x 11”)* ∆

37 pencils ∆

1 pocket chart (or whiteboard) ∆

1 pushpin ∆

1 scissors ∆

36 scissors, safety ∆

22–40 sentence strips* ∆

1 stapler ∆

324 sticky notes* ∆

3 tape, clear, rolls* ∆

2 tape, masking, rolls* ∆

19 trays, plastic ∆




100 acetate, sheets (representing clear plastic)*

1 batteries, AA, pack (24 batteries/pack)

22 cardstock, blue, sheets (representing cardboard)*

19 cardstock, white, sheets

2 clips, binder, large, box of 12

4 clips, binder, medium, box of 12

1 containers, plastic, rectangular, pack (5 conatiners/pack)

4 crayons, black, box of 12

4 crayons, gray, box of 12

4 crayons, silver, box of 12



100 envelopes, large*

112 envelopes, small*

2 flashlights, large

19 flashlights, small

22 foam, yellow, sheets*

1 foil, roll*

4 lighting filter, sheets (representing tinted plastic)*

5 rings, binder, metal, packs of 8

1 rubber band, super size

1 rubber bands, bag

100 sticks, wooden (tongue depressors)

1 string, roll

1 wax paper, roll*

1 box ∆

1 cup or bowl, small ∆

10 ¬Science

Example activityInvestigating Materials That Do Not Block

In Lesson 3.1 of Light and Sound, students have now figured out that not all materials block light to create a dark area on a surface. They revisit these non-blocking materials (clear plastic, tinted plastic, and wax paper) and test each one in comparison to cardboard, a known blocking material. The teacher compiles students’ findings on the Results: Testing Materials chart, and students talk to one another about what may cause variation in the brightness of the areas created on a surface.


• 1 tray

• 1 Investigation Mat

• 1 surface (folded, with 2 medium binder clips as a base)

• 1 envelope of Sample Materials (6.15” x 1.5” squares of materials: cardboard, foam, foil, clear plastic, tinted plastic, wax paper)

• 1 large binder clip

• 1 plastic cup

• 1 flashlight

For the class


• Materials chart


• 2 pencils ∆


• Light and Sound Investigation Notebook (page 16)




• Key Concepts

• Vocabulary

• Unit Questions


Let’s Test!

What Vibrates?

Can You See in the Dark?

What Made This Shadow?

Engineering with Light and Sound


12 ¬Science

As emerging space scientists, students figure out how to explain why it is never the same time of day for a grandson in the United States and a grandmother in Asia. Students record, organize, and analyze observations of the Sun and other sky objects as they look for patterns and make sense of the cycle of daytime and nighttime.


Spinning Earth


1 hole punch, single ∆

13 index cards (3" × 5")* ∆

5 index cards, large (5” × 8")* ∆

1 marker, black ∆

1 masking tape, roll* ∆

18 paper clips* ∆

14 paper, chart, sheets* ∆

1 paper, construction, sheet, black (8.5" × 11")* ∆

1 paper, construction, sheet, yellow (8.5" × 11")* ∆

21 paper, sheets, white (8½" × 11")* ∆

36 pencils ∆

5 rulers (12-inch) ∆

10 scissors. safety ∆

16 sentence strips (24-inch)* ∆

5 trays, plastic ∆




1 baking cup, paper, white, pack of 12*

1 globes, inflatable, pack of 19

1 magnets, ring, pack of 2

1 paper, black, sheet (36" × 24")*, pack of 2

1 paper, light blue, sheets (3' × 5'), pack of 2*

1 pump, hand

5 rings, binder, metal, boxes of 8 each

1 stickers, round, black (¾-inch, removable), pack of 200*

1 stickers, round, green (1-inch, removable), pack of 50*

1 stickers, round, light blue (¾-inch, removable), pack of 200*

1 stickers, round, orange (1-inch, removable), pack of 50*

1 stickers, round, pink (1-inch, removable), pack of 50*

1 stickers, round, purple (1-inch, removable), pack of 50*

1 stickers, round, red (1-inch, removable), pack of 50*

1 stickers, round, yellow (1-inch, removable), pack of 50*

1 stickers, round, yellow (½-inch, non-removable), pack of 60*

1 stress ball, globe

1 chart, pocket (or whiteboard)

36 clipboards (or other writing surface) ∆

– crayons or colored pencils, several for each group ∆

18 glue sticks ∆

14 ¬Science

Example activityReorganizing Webcam Data

In Lesson 2.1 of Spinning Earth, students make observations of Earth as they begin a new investigation of why it is daytime in some places on Earth when it is nighttime in other places. Students are introduced to a new Chapter Question about why it was daytime for Sai when it was nighttime for his grandma. The teacher rereads the second half of the informational text After Sunset and students use the illustrations in the book to make observations of what Earth looks like from space. Students continue to gather evidence of what Earth looks like by watching a series of videos and then discussing their observations of Earth from the videos. Partners look at live webcams on different parts of the Earth and label these locations on a globe as “daytime” or “nighttime.” The lesson concludes with an introduction of a new key concept, “Earth is round like a ball”, to consolidate students’ learning throughout the lesson.


• Chapter 2 Question: Why was it daytime for Sai when it was nighttime for his grandma?

• The Sky from Different Places table

• What Scientists Do chart


• After Sunset big book

• 1-inch removable dot stickers: yellow, green, purple, orange, pink, red

• ¾-inch dot stickers: light blue, black

• inflatable globes

For the class

• 1 globe, inflated, with locations from The Sky from Different Places table marked

• 3 light blue dot stickers (¾-inch)

• 3 black dot stickers (¾-inch)




• Key Concepts

• Vocabulary

• Unit Questions


After Sunset

What Spins?

Nighttime Investigation

Patterns of Earth and Space

A Walk Through the Seasons


AMP-SS-1-HOAP

Go to amplify.com/sciencek5 for a list of all materials in each kit.

Grade 1 Hands-on activitiess3.amazonaws.com/.../science/NYC/AmplifyScience_HandsOnActivities_1.pdf · Grade 1 | Hands-on activities 11 • 1 tray • 1 Investigation Mat • 1 surface

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