It’s another Fun Friday, and I’m not sure this post is going to have its desired effect. The animated gif is working as I edit the post, but is static when I preview it. Either way, you can hop on over to “Head Like an Orange” to view some animated gifs that are actually animated. I found about this site from “It’s Okay to Be Smart“, one of my favorite geeky blogs (although I wouldn’t necessarily send an elementary student to that site, as sometimes the topics are somewhat “mature”.) I’m sure a gifted child can find lots of ways to entertain themselves with these fun animations! Maybe they are more clever than me, and can find a way to insert them into a Powerpoint or video 🙂
Category: 3-12
Genius Hour 2013 Part II
Yesterday, I gave a partial update of how Genius Hour has been working in my classroom this school year. (I also included links to my other Genius Hours posts yesterday.) Some of you may not have heard of Genius Hour before. I assure you that I did not originate this idea. It was inspired by Google’s “20% Time”, and other educators who have pioneered this, including Denise Krebs and AJ Juliani.
At this point of the year, our Genius Hour usually begins with any students who are ready to present their finished projects. (You can view an example of one student’s “Glog” on our class blog.) After each presentation, we do a quick class critique of what we liked about the presentation and what could be improved. Then, the students who presented get new planning sheets, and begin looking for their next topics. The rest of the students continue working on their own projects.
It can be pretty chaotic. I have 16 students, so I can certainly see how a regular classroom of 22 or more might need a bit more structure than my GT classroom. However, I often remind myself that chaos is not necessarily a bad thing. Despite the noise and constant troubleshooting (my computer won’t load, my website is blocked, etc…) the students are all completely engaged. I rarely (and I mean like once every two months) have a discipline issue.
At the end of our hour, if time permits, the students complete reflection sheets, and I have some of them share their responses. Then they let me know if they are ready to present the next week (we only meet once a week), and our day continues.
I know that this model would not work for every classroom, but I ask you to think about a couple of variations on this:
Could you modify this to allow students who have already mastered your curriculum to work on this type of project?
Could you set aside 20 minutes each day to allow a small group of students to work on a project, and rotate the groups so all can participate?
Could you get a volunteer to help you with “crowd control”?
Could you narrow the parameters, and maybe ask students to create Genius Projects stemming from your curriculum?
You might feel completely worn out after the 60 minutes are up, but the rewards are great.
Genius Hour 2013 Part I
Last year, I posted a few times about the concept of Genius Hour, and how I was implementing it with my 5th grade gifted class. As is usually the case when I try something new, I always find places where adjustments need to be made. Sometimes, I end up realizing that even some adjustments aren’t going to help, and I abandon the project for the following year. Fortunately, the latter was not the case with my Genius Hour experience.
One of my major goals for this year’s Genius Hour was to start at the beginning of the year instead of later. This allows the students to work at their own pace. They can present when they finish a project, and begin another project. So, there is really no deadline for completing a project – though I do have one student who has been working on his first one for 5 months, and probably needs to move on.
One of the hardest parts about Genius Hour seems to be getting started. When you ask 5th graders what they are interested in, they will often reply, “I don’t know.” When you ask them, “Well, what are you curious about?” you will usually get the same answer – or possibly a wisecrack, depending on the student. Give them permission to study whatever they would like seems to be more daunting than freeing. I came up with a couple of sites to guide my students to so that they can jumpstart their ideas: Wonderopolis and DIY.org seem to be very popular with them.
Here is the planning sheet that they use, and must get approved by me before they begin. Although these projects are not for grades, I do want them to learn something new, and to be able to share that with the rest of the class. Last year, one of my goals was to spice this planning sheet up a bit so it would inspire the kids to be more creative. I haven’t done that (other than change the font), so I guess that is something I will make a top goal next year.
Some of their projects this year, so far, have been: Gamestar Mechanic (the most popular topic, by far), The Best Type of Shelter, The Oak Island Money Pit, and The Wind-Up Car.
Tomorrow, I will showcase some of their finished projects, their reflection sheets, and talk about what I plan to keep and throw away for next year’s Genius Hour.
Here are the links to my previous Genius Hour posts (please read :
100 Minutes of Genius (this will explain where the idea of Genius Hour originated)
Crossword Puzzle Maker
For many years, I have been using Discovery Education’s Puzzlemaker.com to create different types of puzzles, such as Fallen Phrases and Cryptograms. I recently found another site that generates puzzles, “Crossword Puzzle Maker.” I tested it out this weekend by making this puzzle to accompany the book, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, which my 5th graders are currently reading. I was pleased with how easy the site is to use, as well as the variety of ways to share the resulting puzzle (printable html, printable pdf, etc…) and the answer key. This would be a great site to share with students so they can create their own puzzles to show what they have learned.
Hello Kitty Goes to Space
For our Fun Friday post this week, I am sharing with you two videos recommended to me by some of my colleagues. The first video was created by a 7th grader for a Science Fair project in which she sent a rocket equipped with cameras (and a “Hello Kitty” doll who just happened to “fit perfectly”) very high. The second video, which you can visit here, is an interview with the young lady from ABC news. Quite honestly, I thought the first video was a fake until I saw the interview. This 7th grader is very mature, and I think your students might find her pretty inspiring. Here is a quietube link to the first video in case you would like to show it without all of the YouTube distractions.
2013 Google Science Fair
The 2013 Google Science Fair is open for entries, and its theme is, “It’s Your Turn to Change the World.” Before you get too excited, please be aware that you must be between the ages of 13-18 in order to enter. According to the Google Science Fair site, “This is a great opportunity for teenagers to explore ideas they’re passionate about, learn about science, and maybe produce a world-changing idea.”
Don’t despair, though, if your child/student does not meet the age requirements. Visiting the site to see the past winners and their projects can be very inspiring. One part of the site exhibits “Science Heroes”, such as Alexander Graham Bell and Ada Lovelace. I think it’s great to see a good representation of women on the page. In addition, there are downloadable posters for the Science Heroes. I also love the video featured on the main page of the Google Science Fair site. This video is very uplifting and motivational, and I have embedded it below.