Tag: Sonya Terborg

Education, K-12, Motivation, Teaching Tools, Videos

The 3 Questions That Could Define Your Genius Hour

Terri Eichholz

I had just finished writing a rough draft of this post when I got the latest update from one of my favorite bloggers, Sonya Terborg.  She said everything so much more eloquently in her post than I did.  So, basically my post is like an appetizer and hers is definitely the entree.  If you like my bite-size summary, head on over to her blog to read more about what this new Kid President video could mean for your classroom – along with excellent examples.

3 Questions that Could Change the World from Kid President
3 Questions that Could Change the World from Kid President

The most recent video from Kid President would be a PERFECT lead in to Genius Hour in your classroom.  If, like me,  you are planning for your students to look for their “heartbreaks” to find meaningful topics, then you might want to do a heartbreak map as I mentioned in a previous post.  And then show your students this Kid President video, Three Questions that Could Change the World.  Answering those questions thoroughly could be the foundation of any Genius Hour project.  Kid President is a great role model for following your passion and taking responsibility to make the world a better place, particularly with the Socktober campaign he sponsors every year.

Want more inspirational videos?  Check out my Pinterest Board. Interested in Genius Hour?  Here is my page of resources.

Creative Thinking, Education, K-12, Language Arts, Motivation, Philosophy, Student Products, Teaching Tools, Writing

Rules of Storytelling

Terri Eichholz
photo credit: World Bank Photo Collection via photopin cc
photo credit: World Bank Photo Collection via photopin cc

I recently saw this article on Boing Boing that shares a tweet from Emma Coates, Pixar’s Story Artist, in which she relates the 22 Rules of Storytelling.  I am regularly trying to encourage my students to do #12:  “Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.”  That rule could apply to many enterprises, not just storytelling.  Perhaps if my students see that it is advice from the studio that produced Up, they will find it more trustworthy!

One of my favorite bloggers, Sonya Terborg, also posted about this list.  The following day, she produced her own, modified, version, called “16 Rules for Sharing Your Story”.  She made an excellent graphic to accompany it.  You can download the PDF here.    I think it would be an excellent poster to put in your classroom, or to print for students to use as a binder or notebook cover.

Education, Independent Study, K-12, Research, Teaching Tools

Inquiry Cycle

Terri Eichholz
image from: Sonya Terborg

One of my favorite new blogs to follow is Sonya Terborg’s.  Every time I read a new post from her, I feel like we are kindred spirits.  Recently, she wrote an article called, “Teaching Without a Plan…What???” in which she addressed how we, as teachers, can approach being “the guide on the side”.  I think that her Inquiry Cycle poster, which you can download as a PDF from her site, will be a perfect resource for me as I guide my gifted students through Genius Hour this year.  I highly recommend reading her entire article, and to visit some of the other posts on Sonya’s site.