As a lead co-author of the K-12 Next Generation Science Standards being adopted by more than three-quarters of U.S. schools, Michael Wysession, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has long been criss-crossing the country, helping school districts adapt to a new way of teaching that focuses on students performing the practices of science. Now, he also gets to present an innovative “Elevate Science” instructional program for elementary- and middle-school learners that he co-authored, published in October through Pearson Education.
The program, combining both print workbooks and interactive digital activities, attempts to stimulate critical thinking and group collaboration while at the same time enhancing interest in science. The program is designed to align with the Next Generation Science Standards by weaving together the practices, core ideas and broad, crosscutting concepts of science around phenomenon-based problem-solving storylines.
Wysession has co-authored more than 30 science textbooks in his career.