The Pitch: Fifth Graders Put Communication to Work
The sharks were ready. The pitches were polished. And the lemonade was flowing.
Corbin Elementary fifth graders recently put their economics knowledge—and their communication skills—to the test as they transformed their classroom into a Shark Tank-style competition.
As part of their social studies unit on economics, students have been learning about concepts such as interdependence, opportunity cost, and incentives. To put those ideas into action, students worked in teams to develop a lemonade stand concept and create a pitch designed to convince the “sharks” that their business deserved a chance to serve lemonade at recess.
And these fifth graders came prepared.
Teams delivered their pitches with catchy jingles, samples of their lemonade, coordinated outfits, creative presentations, and plenty of enthusiasm. They weren’t simply explaining their ideas—they were thinking carefully about how to present those ideas in a way that would capture their audience’s attention and accomplish their purpose.
That is exactly what it means to demonstrate awareness of audience and purpose, one of the communication indicators in The Redhound Way.
Students quickly discovered that knowing what you want to say is only part of effective communication. They also had to consider: Who are we talking to? What do we want them to think or do? What will make our pitch memorable?
The entire fifth grade participated in the experience with teachers Mrs. Cloud, Mrs. Lawson, and Mr. Siler, and the students were completely invested in making their pitches stand out.
Now, the competition has one more step: one lucky team will be selected to bring its idea to life and serve lemonade during recess.
What started as an economics lesson became something much bigger—a chance for students to practice communicating with a real audience, for a real purpose, in a way that felt authentic and fun.
That’s the Redhound Way: learning the skill, putting it to work, and finding a reason to make it matter.
