The Innovator's Challenge

Most student conclusions fall into one of three tired moves:

• The summary swipe: "Let me restate everything I already said..."
• The mic-drop mirage: "For all these reasons, the solution is simply to..."
• The grand (empty) finale: "We need to come together as a society."

These conclusions are forgettable because students think their job is to end the essay. But strong conclusions don't end arguments—they extend them.

The Innovator’s Challenge tackles one of the most common breakdowns in student writing: shallow, oversimplified conclusions. Instead of summarizing what they’ve already said, students learn how to extend their thinking through solution-building, evaluation, and future-oriented judgment.

In this real-world challenge, students investigate a problem that matters, explore multiple possible responses, weigh trade-offs, anticipate consequences, and defend a proposed path forward—while acknowledging uncertainty.

What this teaches:

• How to move from "the solution is simply to..." to genuine, defensible proposals
• How to consider implications, consequences, and future-oriented thinking
• How to write conclusions that feel relevant and alive (not like polite exits)

What's included:

• Full teaching guide with scaffolded steps
• Student-facing project materials and rubrics
• Real-world examples and sentence frames

This isn’t about knowing all the answers.
It’s about learning how to think responsibly when answers aren’t simple.