Jump Into The 'Shark Tank' With Fourth Grade UWS Entrepreneurs
UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — “Hi, sharks!”
Upper West Side’s future entrepreneurs at BASIS Independent School Manhattan presented their inventions to a panel of judges last week as part of the school’s unique annual competition based on “Shark Tank” — the award-winning TV show where entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to a panel of tough investors.
Among the top inventions included a pencil case with games and music by Megan, a watch by Ella that glows and vibrates when the wearer has forgotten something, and a GPS tracker by Ryder that is inexpensive and can work anywhere in the world, a spokesperson for BASIS said.
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“Once we identified their most innovative designs, the class collaborated to create working prototypes they were excited to pitch to the Sharks,” Elizabeth Delaney, BASIS engineering teacher, said.
The friendly competition combined multiple school disciplines: English, engineering and drama, BASIS teachers said.
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First, students brainstormed inventions using the same design process as a professional engineer and teamed up to create a working prototype.
Then, when it came time to make the theatrical business pitches that the show is known for, the students wrote persuasive, engaging essays and practiced their public speaking skills in drama class, a spokesperson for BASIS said.
“To prepare for their presentations, we worked on public speaking skills like projection, posture, eye contact, and enunciation,” Elizabeth Boscolo, the BASIS drama teacher, said.
“These skills not only enhance public speaking, performing, and presenting, but they also boost individual self-confidence.”
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