Alternative Energies Sales Pitch:

Real Communication to Change the World

Context and data on environmental issues can guide our communication toward purposeful,
sustainable progress.

As the culmination of our interdisciplinary study of renewable energy, you will synthesize your
research from Sciences and your communication skills from Language & Literature into a sales
pitch. You will analyze1 data, evaluate2 effective approaches to communication, synthesize3 your
knowledge of data and approaches to communication to create4 a marketing campaign with the
purpose to convince real audiences to commit to change. Finally, you will reflect5 on how
communicating your learning to others promotes positive change.

Your goal is to use personal communication to influence independent or institutional decision-

making with regards to energy.

Your role is that of a member of a Marketing Team for Renewable Energy.

Your audience may be peers, community members and school and corporate leaders who have
the ability to influence decision-making about energy actions and policies.

Your situation is that, recognizing the need for progress towards renewable energies, you are
given the opportunity to communicate with real audiences in a way that promotes or prompts
change. The situation requires you to use your knowledge of science, text types and
communication skills to create the desire for change in your audience.

You will produce:

● Research into forms of renewable energy
● A text to be used as part of your marketing plan. Your text will be either a Public Service
Announcement (PSA), an advertisement, or a social media post.
● A group pitch, where each member of the team speaks to share 1) research, 2)your texts
and 3)pathways to change.

Your standards for success will reflect both your disciplinary (Science and English) and
Interdisciplinary learning: Sciences (Criteria A & D), English Language & Literature (Criteria B, C &
D) and Interdisciplinary Learning (Criteria A, B & C). These standards are discussed in more detail
below.

1 Analyze: To identify parts and relationships and interpret information to reach conclusions
2 Evaluate: Make an appraisal by weighing up strengths and weaknesses.
3 Synthesise: Combine different ideas in order to create new understanding.
4 Create: to evolve from one’s own thought and imagination
5 Reflect: to think about deeply, to consider.
THE PITCH: MAY 23_Intedisciplinary Learning

Objectives:
● Create a 9-10 minute pitch.
● Communicate compelling data from your research.
● Share the PSA, Advertisement and Social Media Post made by each member of your team
● Suggest how your audience might make real, purposeful and powerful change through
renewable energy.
● Collaborate so that each member of your team speaks and shares their text while
working together to promote pathways to promote renewable energy.

Conditions:
● Time during x-blocks to work together to create and practice your pitch
● Time in Science classes to conduct and refine your research into a form of renewable
energy
● Time in English classes to produce the Public Service Announcement, Advertisement and
Social Media Post that will be included in your pitch.

Interdisciplinary Criteria For Assessment:

Criterion A: Evaluating
In order to address real-world and contextual issues and ideas, students will be able to:

IB Criterion What this means To earn the What this means for How is this
for you. highest marks you. reported on
you must: veracross?

i. analyse Have you • fully analyse by Does your PSA, ISP Science
disciplinary selected explaining advertisement or Standard
knowledge relevant and disciplinary social media post
compelling data knowledge make an argument
from your • fully evaluate that combines the
research? by explaining the conventions of text
strengths and types and excellent
Have you limitations of research to identify a
chosen verbal interdisciplinary pathway to change?
and visual perspectives.
communication Does your pitch
techniques that acknowledge
are effective? possible limitations of
your research and
does the style and
delivery of your pitch
overcome these?
Criterion B: Synthesizing
In order to address real-world and contextual issues and ideas, students will be able to: •

IB Criterion What this means To earn the What this means How is this
for you. highest marks for you. reported on
you must: veracross?

i. create a Have you create a product Does your ISP English

product that created a pitch that synthesizes marketing plan Standard 1:
communicates a that is factual disciplinary and pitch
purposeful and well- knowledge to demonstrate that Apply listening,
interdisciplinary researched? communicate you thoroughly speaking, viewing
understanding effectively understand the and presenting
Do your PSA, purposeful science? skills and
strategies to
Advertisement interdisciplinary
communicate
and Social Media understanding Are you able to effectively
Posts convey communicate
your research in persuasively
a way that is using the
persuasive? conventions of
your text types?
Does your
audience want to As a whole, do
change because your research
your work is and your
data-driven and communication
compellingly of ideas work
communicated? together to
promote
change?
THE REFLECTION: MAY 26_ Interdisciplinary Learning

Objective:
● Record a two to three minute audio reflection

Conditions:
● Each individual member of the team completes a reflection
● Uploaded to toddle

Criterion C: Reflecting
In order to address real-world and contextual issues and ideas, students will be able to:

IB Criterion What this means To earn the What this means How are these
for you. highest marks for you. reported on
you must: veracross?

• discuss how Does your discuss how new What did you ISP English
new reflection answer interdisciplinary learn about Standard 3:
interdisciplinary this question: understanding science and Use writing skills
understanding How did using enables action. about text-types? and strategies for
enables action. the different
communication How does purposes and
audiences
skills you learned knowing more
in English help about both make
you talk about you a better,
your science more
research in a sophisticated
way that might communicator?
help your
audience commit How might your
to change? communication
create change in
others?
THE TEXT for your MARKETING PLAN: May 12- 13 _Disciplinary Learning

Objective:
● Create a PSA, Advertisement or Social Media Post that uses your data and research from
science on a form of renewable energy to convince an audience to change.
● Use conventions of the text type purposefully and effectively.
● Communicate the need for change

Conditions:
● Class time for research.
● Class time for the development of the text.
● Peer review and feedback on the text
● Annotations of text types to develop an understanding of the conventions of each text
type.

Criterion B: Organizing

IB Criterion What this means To earn the What this means How are these
for you: highest marks for you: reported on
you must: veracross?

Have you effectively Do you use ISP English

ii. organize selected your organize written, visual, Standard 3:
opinions and data opinions and and design
ideas in a thoughtfully? ideas in a language to Use writing skills
sustained, and strategies for
sustained, draw out
coherent and different
Have you coherent and connections purposes and
logical manner organized your logical manner between your audiences
data in a way with ideas points?
that follows the building on each
conventions for other in a Does your
your text type? sophisticated argument make
way. logical sense?

Is it coherent?
Criterion C: Producing Text

IB Criterion What this means To earn the What this means How are these
for you: highest marks for you: reported on
you must: veracross?

Do you design makes Do the written, ISP English

ii. make stylistic your text in a perceptive visual and Standard 3:
choices in terms way that will stylistic choices design language
of linguistic, appeal to and in terms of work together to Use writing skills
literary and and strategies for
affect your linguistic, literary show the
visual devices, different
audience? and visual connection purposes and
demonstrating devices, between
awareness of audiences
Does your demonstrating understanding
impact on an
design show that good awareness the benefits of
audience
you understand of impact on an renewable
how your text audience energy and
type is used to committing to
persuade change?
others?

Criterion D: Language

IB Criterion What this means To earn the What this means How are these
for you: highest marks for you: reported on
you must: veracross?

Does the effectively use a Are you using ISP English

i. use language you range of language that Standard 3:
appropriate and use reflect the appropriate creates a
varied conventions of vocabulary, persuasive Use writing skills
vocabulary, and strategies for
the text types? sentence tone?
sentence different
structures and purposes and
structures and Does the forms of Are you using
forms of audiences
language you expression language that
expression
use reflect your reveals your
knowledge of attitude?
your renewable
energy? Are you using
language that
invites your
audience to
commit to
change?
With the end goal of the unit in mind, what does this unit look like in English class?

Learn the Learn the Learn the

conventio conventions conventions of
ns of of Social Media
PSAs Advertiseme Posts
nts

Analyze Analyze Analyze and

and and annotate
annotate annotate practice
practice practice Public
PSAs Advertisem Service
ents
Design and Create a Learn the Announceme Ma
text type using your conventionsntsand ke
structures of you
research from
effective pitches r
science.
pitc
h.

Reflect on your
learning