This weird yet wonderful resource focuses on student presentation. It has been very popular with KS3 students and has had a positive effect on both the presentation of work and attitudes of students within the classroom.

Cacti are on trend at the minute and these weird little pens from China have been the talking point of my classroom for the past two months! I found them on Ebay for around 50p each. I ordered 20… called them ‘limited edition’… they took 3 weeks to arrive, but when they did, every student wanted one!

I told students that pens would only be awarded for work that was ‘on-point’ or ‘looking sharp’, particularly focusing on neat presentation. Students would find a cactus pen prize sticker in their books if they had won. Their work would also be photocopied and displayed on the ‘Can’t Touch This’ wall of fame for everyone else to see.

Despite all of the cheesiness and puns, students Years 7-9 really engaged with this theory. I was constantly being asked if work was cactus pen material and at parents evening, students bragged to their parents about winning a cactus pen. The quality of work produced by students is now excellent and they are really focusing on neat presentation in everything they do. I guess sometimes, weird works!

I am definitely going to trial awarding more strange stationary as an alternative to sweets next half term. The ‘limited edition’ label and fact that the pens came all the way from China really encouraged students to compete for them.

Cactus stickers and display images can be downloaded for free below… (cactus pens not included!)

Free Resource: DOWNLOAD