Genius Hour

After hearing what Genius Hour was, Mrs. Smeby and I thought we would combine our classes and do this together. We didn't know what to expect, but now with a little practice we're excited to do it again!

We decided that our kiddos needed 'some' direction in what to do instead of just letting them go at it! Here is our outline of introducing Genius Hour:

1.  Planning: We told them that it needed to be about an animal.  We let them decide which animal they wanted to investigate on.  While letting them choose- we told them to:

•  pick an animal that BOTH buddies have an interest on
•  be specific with an animal (instead of just "monkey" choose a specific                                           type of monkey)
•  make sure there is plenty of information on the animal you choose

2.  Investigating:  We gave them several different types of websites and apps to do research on.  Mrs. Smeby created a planning sheet to help guide the kids' research.

3. Presentation:  This is where we let them go on their own.  "You'll have to present your information to us somehow, we don't care how!" The kids were excited about this part!  For the majority, kids chose Keynote to present their information, however, we had several use Explain Everything, too.
We told the students that they had until Christmas to work on their work.  The week before break, we had students Airplay their presentation to the class.

We're excited to try this again!!!