Many of my 4th graders embarked on the “Presentation Planning” stage of their Genius Hour projects this week. I require their presentations include an interactive portion for the audience. When they saw “game show” as one of the choices, that became an instant favorite. The problem with this is that the default game show format … Read more
UPDATE 1/6/2021 – Skype in the Classroom sent out e-mails late last year to people who were registered that it is being discontinued. Here is part of the body of that e-mail. I am sorry to see it go, and hope that the other suggestions given in the e-mail will be just as robust, if … Read more
As my students begin to do research for their Genius Hour projects, I find it important to help them learn how to find good information online. Over the years I’ve used various lessons and videos, but I recently found this one by Jillianne Jastren that succinctly details what to look for in a reliable website. … Read more
Earlier this year, I mentioned a school in Texas that does a school-wide Genius Hour and has student-led EdCamps. As an elementary teacher of gifted and talented students, I’ve done Genius Hour with my own small classes, but was intrigued by the idea of doing something school-wide. With some creative scheduling spear-headed by our principal, … Read more
One of the Gurus of Genius Hour, Joy Kirr (@JoyKirr), shared a document of “Videos for Genius Hour” on Twitter recently. There are many videos on there that I haven’t seen, so I truly felt like I came across treasure of immense proportions when I opened the link to Joy’s document. Whether it’s because it’s the … Read more
Andrea Beaty and David Roberts have outdone themselves with their latest book, Ada Twist, Scientist. Beaty (author) and Roberts (illustrator) made their mark in children’s literature with their two previous books, Iggy Peck, Architect, and Rosie Revere, Engineer. Demonstrating the sometimes exasperating, but always creative, personalities of inquisitive and innovative children, these books have become favorites … Read more