Genius Hour is a time given during the school day to allow students to follow their passions and learn about topics that interest them. My gifted 3rd-5th graders participate in this project, and present their learning when they are ready. This page is devoted to sharing some of the resources I’ve collected over the past two years with anyone else who is interested in starting a classroom Genius Hour.
*You can download all of my current Genius Hour resources (except for the free digital ones below) in a bundle on Teachers Pay Teachers for $5. Or, you can still download them separately (for free) by clicking on the links below.
My most recent Genius Hour post (March, 2017): What to Do When Genius Hour Sucks
My posts on Genius Hour so far (in chronological order from earliest to most recent):
Genius Hour – Don’t Forget to Reflect!
Genius Hour – Show What You Know!
Some Genius Tweaks to Our Genius Hour
Interactive Genius Hour Presentations
5 Genius Hour Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
What to Do When Genius Hour Sucks
Resources You May Want to Download:
Suggested Genius Hour Mission Sequence
Genius Hour Challenge Cards (Levels 3-5, including QR codes)
Genius Hour Challenge Cards (Levels 1&2, including QR codes)
Genius Hour Villains Poster (This poster is for free. For a $2 packet of 6 (Not) Wanted posters of Genius Hour Villains, visit my TPT store!)
Genius Hour Bookmarks (with QR codes leading to sites for ideas for projects) – updated on 1/1/14 due to problems with previous set!
Genius Hour Flyer (with Aurasma link to the Trailer)
Genius Hour Trailer (video to get students excited)
What Are My S.K.I.L.L.Z.?(for students to volunteer their expertise)
Genius Hour Planning Sheet (traditional – see Genius Hour Mission Planner above for new version)
Genius Hour Reflection (traditional – see Genius Hour Mission Log above for new version)
Websites Your Students May Want to Use for Finding Projects:
Academy of Achievement: Academy Careers
Academy of Achievement: My Role Model
Other Blogs/Resources:
Your Top Genius Hour Questions Answered*
Daniel Pink, “The Genius Hour: How 60 minutes a week can electrify your job”
Dare to Care (search for “Genius Hour”, and you will find many posts)
Designing 20% Time in Education*
Embrace Change in the New Year with Genius Hour*
How Google’s 20% Time Fosters Innovation
Passion Project Examples from Paul Solarz
*good for “newbies” to Genius Hour
WOW! Amazing resources. I’m just about to try out Genius hour here in Ireland with a class of 11 – 12 year olds and have been researching how it works in other classrooms. This page is really helpful and the videos you have included are very inspirational. Thank you for sharing so much
Máire
You are welcome! I’m sure you’re class will be thrilled! Let me know if you have any questions or want to share any success stories!
I love Ireland, and I’m doing it here and it’s great!
Hi Terri,
I would like to contact you about presenting for the Reform Symposium online conference from Oct. 11th to 13th. We invite over 75000 teachers in 188 countries to attend for free. We personally invite each presenter. I ran into your blog a month ago and love your work. You can email me at ShellyTerrell at gmail, Twitter: @ShellTerrell, or Facebook.com/ShellyTerrell, or Gplus.to/ShellyTerrell
There is such a treasure chest of ideas here. Thank you for sharing.
You are welcome. Let me know if you have any questions! (engagetheirminds@gmail.com)
Wow, this is really a hidden treasure for me! A big thanks to you Terri for sharing your ideas. I will try with my grade 2 class.
Thnaks for all this information. Our school has been trying to improve our studets engaement in a range of different things over the past couple of years. Our principal discussed genius hour with us and I have struggled to have a starting point and more of an understanding till now. I have a year 4 class who are amazing students that I can not wait to see what they discover. Thanks for all this information it is fantastic.
Thank you! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me any time at engagetheirminds@gmail.com!
best website ever
Thanks so much for these amazing resources! I almost can’t wait to get started refining Genius Hour in my classroom next year. Almost. I’m OK with enjoying summer vacation first. 😉
I am excited, too! Thanks for reading!
So amazing
I have a split year 2/3 class would the genius hour project be ok?
Thank you!
By year 2/3, do you mean 8-9 year olds?
There are so many great resources here. Thanks so much. Not only that, but u have also shared so much valuable and practical advice on how to actually start genius hour in the classroom. My team and I are about to embark on our genius journey in year 6 classrooms (11/12 year olds) in Australia. Thanks for ur insight.
thx its great!
You’re welcome!