Students invent a product people wish existed, design a persuasive advertisement, and deliver a one-minute sales pitch that makes their classmates want to buy it. The ideas can be ridiculous. The thinking has to be real. This fits naturally into units on Chinese inventions, the Renaissance, or the Islamic Golden Age, and runs just as well as a stand-alone persuasive writing activity. In 2–3 class periods, small groups turn a simple everyday annoyance into a full product pitch. Planning pag