Welcome to Genius Hour!
**Due to new health and safety guidelines and time/space constraints at school Genius Hour is currently on hold for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. If you would like information/resources on how your child can work on a 'Passion Project' at home please let me know!**
During Genius Hour time each week students will have the chance to pursue passion projects and learn more about topics that they choose and are truly interested in. The basic format of Genius Hour comes from digital giant Google, where they have found that employees who spend 20% of their time pursuing personal interests are far more productive. |
What will Genius Hour look like?
Students will work on 'Genius Hour' projects that they are passionate about each Friday for 30-45 minutes, as well as at other points throughout the week when they have free time. Each student will select a topic that he or she is passionate about and develop a guiding question to research. Our class will use heart maps, interest surveys, and our everyday experiences to seek out topics of interest or problems begging to be solved. We will use the weekly 'Genius Hour' time and resources to gather information to answer these questions. After completing the research portion of the project students will develop a final product to present their learning to the class.
How does Genius Hour fit with the Grade 3 Curriculum?
The great thing about Genius Hour is, not only do students get to pick something they are passionate about to work on, the work they do on the project and the presentation of their work also naturally ties in with a number of curriculum objectives and expectations! Our 'geniuses' have the opportunity to put their research, informative reading, writing, and speaking skills to work in truly motivating ways.
How can parents support Genius Hour?
As students decide what they want to do, they will need help expanding their ideas and finding resources. Discussing your child’s ideas and helping with where to find some great resources will be very helpful. As well, while I will provide some basic resources and technology, students may need more specific items that I may not be able to provide. Within reason, helping your child bring together the materials they need may help your child be more successful with their project and increase their excitement. While it is by no means a requirement, some families may also wish to take mini 'field trips' as an opportunity for their child to further immerse themselves in learning. For example, a child studying paleontology and fossils may find exciting the useful information at the Peabody Museum or Dinosaur State Park here in CT. Family members or friends may also be able to serve as 'expert' sources if they have specialized knowledge that corresponds to a student's project.
However, while family support is valuable and appreciated, the purpose of Genius Hour is for the projects, from topic selection, to research, to presentation of knowledge, to be driven by our students and their passion for the topic. Genius Hour projects and final products are not traditionally 'graded' as other assignments may be. When measuring whether a student has successfully completed their Genius Hour project the process, effort, and perseverance to gain new knowledge are at the forefront. As we embark on this new learning adventure please support and encourage your child, but also be prepared to allow him or her to work independently, face setbacks, and learn how to overcome them.
However, while family support is valuable and appreciated, the purpose of Genius Hour is for the projects, from topic selection, to research, to presentation of knowledge, to be driven by our students and their passion for the topic. Genius Hour projects and final products are not traditionally 'graded' as other assignments may be. When measuring whether a student has successfully completed their Genius Hour project the process, effort, and perseverance to gain new knowledge are at the forefront. As we embark on this new learning adventure please support and encourage your child, but also be prepared to allow him or her to work independently, face setbacks, and learn how to overcome them.
Past Genius Hour Guiding Questions/Topics
- Passion = The Loch Ness Monster: How can I design a trap to PROVE if the Loch Ness Monster exists?
- Passion = Robots: How can I learn to design/program a robot to perform simple tasks?
- Passion = Kittens: How can I teach others how to properly care for a kitten?
- Passion = Stop Motion Animation: How can I create my own video using stop motion animation?