Future Problem Solving aligns with a wide variety of education standards, and teachers can easily tailor our content to meet their specific education system and local requirements as needed. Educators around the world use our program to support the acquisition of advanced literacy skills.
The Common Core anchor standards for English Language Arts and Literary require that students learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in order to prepare students for college and careers. Educators use these standards to prepare students for life outside the classroom. A goal of these standards is to encourage students to be literate and prepared for success in the 21st century. A fact sheet summarizing how the standards align with each Future Problem Solving program is attached below.
Alignment with Common Core Standards
Future Problem Solving requires students develop skills in all of the areas of the Common Core literacy standards. Educators easily adapt competition materials to deepen student understanding of research, writing, reading, and synthesis.
Speaking and Listening
The speaking and listening standards measure: comprehension and collaboration, and presentation of knowledge and ideas.
- Students engage in conversation with, and present information to, diverse audiences and community partners.
- Students plan, produce, and perform for different audiences and in different contexts.
Reading
The four reading standards are: key ideas and details, craft and structure, integration of knowledge and ideas, and range of reading and level of text complexity.
- Students engage in close reading of research and futuristic scenarios based on real-world issues.
- Students learn to read complex narratives which include domain-specific vocabulary as they prepare to employ the 6-step problem-solving process during competition.
- Students use diverse media to learn about interdisciplinary global issues.
- Students read above grade-level texts before and during competition.
Language
The three language standards include: conventions of standard English, knowledge of language, and vocabulary acquisition and use.
- Students demonstrate command of high-level vocabulary and the conventions of English grammar and usage in their competitive writing, multimedia presentations, and performances.
Writing
The four writing standards encompass: text types and purposes, production and distribution of writing, research to build and present knowledge, and range of writing.
- Students write for different audiences and purposes, including narrative fiction, informative nonfiction, and persuasive presentations.
- Students produce and distribute writing for competition, classroom activities, and their communities.
- Students conduct research to support their community projects, knowledge of global issues, and to inform their creative fiction writing.
- Writing is the core of our programs. Students engage in writing at all levels to develop their problem-solving skills.
Program Connections
Future Problem Solving engages students in activities and programs designed to increase their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through competitive writing about real-world issues, community projects, and creative fiction writing and performance.
Global Issues
Students conduct research in diverse media sources, learn domain-specific vocabulary, and write in structured formats as they use the 6-step problem-solving process to address real-world problems set in an imagined future, up to five times in a year.
Community Projects
Students write over five-thousand words for competition documentation, which includes references to research, and skillful use of text features, as they share their project accomplishments.
Creative Writing & Storytelling
Students write fictional stories based on current events, research, and trends related to topics of global importance. These students draft, publish, and perform their created narratives for diverse audiences.
