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South Saint Paul middle school teachers say new Amplify science, Arts & Letters ELA increased student engagement
Summary
Middle-school staff and students described classroom rollout of the Amplify science curriculum and Arts & Letters English language arts materials, reporting more hands-on phenomenon-based science, frequent writing and talk-based strategies, and improved student participation. Teachers said the change followed a year-long curriculum review and included vendor coaching and planning time.
South Saint Paul Middle School teachers and students presented the district's new middle-school curricula to the school board on Jan. 26, describing a shift toward phenomenon-based science instruction (Amplify) and a structured English language arts program (Arts & Letters) that emphasizes reading, annotation and daily writing.
"Amplify is a phenomenon-based learning program," said Janine Leonard, a seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher, describing unit framing that asks students to explore a real problem (for example, which heating system best heats the school) and then investigate and test solutions. She said the approach encourages students "to really think like scientists, think like engineers" and noted increased hands-on activities and structured talk protocols.
Lindsay Lowther, the school's equity and instructional coach, said the curriculum review involved departmental work and cross-district vendor coaching. "Teachers have had planning release days and coaching support from the vendor and other district staff," she said, adding that teams meet weekly in professional learning communities to unpack the materials and instructional shifts.
Tine Griefy, who teaches sixth-grade ELA, said the Arts & Letters program emphasizes annotation, discussion and daily writing. "Our students are reading and writing and talking to each other just like they are in science all the time," she said, describing think-pair-share and Socratic seminar strategies that have increased student voice and confidence.
Students who appeared in brief videos described learning about moon phases, writing narrative stories and doing evidence-based discussions. Principal Leah Borg told the board she and staff were proud of the work and noted the district will host tours for incoming fifth graders in the spring so families can see middle-school offerings.
Board members asked how the middle-school pedagogy aligns with high-school instruction. Teachers said the curriculum review included K–12 alignment work and invited high-school colleagues to observe seminars this spring to strengthen continuity.
The presentation closed with board members praising staff and students for their engagement and the district for supporting teacher professional learning during the curriculum transition.
