Designers regularly have to pitch their ideas to clients and team members. Presenting is an important part of student learning. It is a vital life skill and should be encouraged on a regular basis so that students feel confident in public speaking situations. This resource promotes Oracy in a whacky way that students love!

The ‘Pencil of Power’ is a GIANT 40cm long pencil that can be purchased online for around £2. It would be used in a design ideas lesson and encourages students to be proud of their ‘Powerful’ ideas, promoting the regular use of oracy within the classroom.

Starter: Introduce pitching tips to students and give them a clear understanding of the things that make a great pitch, such as: Confidence, a clear voice, the use of high level vocabulary.

Task: Ask students to think of a creative design idea and sketch it onto a mini whiteboard. Also give them a couple of minutes to plan their pitch. Once everyone has their ideas ready, ask a couple of students to pitch their design to the class. The student that has the ‘Most Powerful Idea’ (voted by the students or teacher) gets to use the ‘Pencil of Power’ to complete their design ideas page in their book – while the rest of the class use their normal, boring, regular sized equipment!

Resources: I created a cardboard POS stand for the giant pencil to sit on. I keep this at the front of the room and hang the giant pencil at the top using looped cord.

Editable Photoshop File: DOWNLOAD