Fourth graders participated in an authentic learning experience and connected with our Reston community for their ‘Shark Tank Simulation’ on Friday, March 6^th! Over the last month, students have been learning about persuasive writing as well as reading and interpreting media messages. They were then tasked with developing a new product or invention to solve a problem in their own lives. Students then wrote a persuasive pitch and created an advertisement they presented to a panel of “sharks” made up of local business employees.

The pitch included a product description, who the target audience is, and reasons why the “sharks” should invest in their pitch. Students also designed an advertisement for their invention using Google Draw. The advertisement could include a slogan, price, image of what the product would look like, where it could be purchased, and/or testimonials. A sampling of our product inventions include the Laundry Folder, The Crayon Machine, The Dorito Gun, Hair Vacuum, and the Party Cannon!  

The fourth grade team made of Joanne Fleming, Kim McLeod, and Allison Wittman have been doing this project for the past 5 years. They reach out to a variety of local businesses in the Reston area asking for volunteers to come in and pose as the “sharks” for students’ presentations. Sharks are asked to give constructive feedback to students, ask clarifying questions about their products, and offer suggestions for improvement. This year, Armstrong was lucky enough to have volunteers visiting us from Glory Days Grill, Trader Joes, Chick-Fil-A, and iDirect Government. Check out some of the great student work and our wonderful “sharks” below!