Genius Hour Topics

I'm one of those people who have many interests and project ideas. From investigating natural pesticides, to learning more about pilates, to figuring out why I can't find a comfortable bike seat, I have more ideas that I have time! Unfortunately, I find that many of my students are at a loss when asked to come up with their own ideas, including topics for personal narratives, persuasive/argument essays, or informational writing subjects. When I embark on my Genius Hour initiative, I expect that I will have a few students who will be overwhelmed by the idea of working on a passion project of their choice. Here is how I plan to help them.

You are Your First Source for Ideas:

1. Choose an interest you have that you want to learn more about. (hobbies, sports, geographical locations, crafts, skills, etc.)
2. Pick a topic or issue that directly affects you or someone close to you in a positive way. (recycling, conservation efforts, dog parks, clean beaches, etc.)
3. Think about a topic or issue that directly affects you or someone close to you in a negative way. (illness, disorder, health issue, dirty beaches, lack of parks, etc.)
4. Think of your average day from the moment you wake until the moment you sleep. Walk your life in your mind from the beginning of the day (eating breakfast, brushing teeth) to the end (coming home from a sports activity, completing homework) What topics come to mind? Jot all ideas down. See if that brings up topics or issues that interest you.

Other Great Sources for Genius Hour Topic Ideas:

1. Instructables - http://www.instructables.com/ 
2. National Geographic Magazine - hardcopies or http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/. For kids - http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
3. Newsela - https://www.newsela.com/
4. DOGO News - http://www.dogonews.com/
5. Science News For Students - https://student.societyforscience.org/sciencenews-students
6. Scholatic News - http://magazines.scholastic.com/
7. Time for Kids - http://www.timeforkids.com/news
8. This Blendspace Creation by Amy Clancy - http://linkis.com/blnds.co/gh4KO

After a possible topic is picked, the following questions need to be asked in order to be considered a Genius Hour Topic:

I went back and forth on whether I should require that the topic directly affect the student or someone close to the student. I think that kids usually relate everything to themselves anyway, so this question is important. I came to the conclusion that students should think about a topic that affects them, but it doesn't have to be a pre-requisite in choosing their topic. 

Literature Circles, Apps, and Edmodo

I have always used literature circles in my class, and my students have greatly benefited from the deep thinking they use as they are reading. My challenge for the past couple of years was how to incorporate iPads and technology into a system that already worked for me. 

Edmodo was the platform for what I planned. For those who aren't already familiar with Edmodo, it is a FREE website for educators to share resources, collaborate, form groups within the classroom, create online assignments, give quizzes or polls, and more! For me, this was a no-brainer. All I had to do now was to look closely at student roles, which have always been a way for me to introduce literature circles. I needed to bring technology into the picture. 

Students hard at work creating products to share.

I wanted to find apps that really produced something significant and meaningful for my class. Another big challenge was to use apps that weren't just cool and fun, but that actually accomplished what I wanted using the depth and complexity that was needed. Oh, and by the way, the products that students created and shared with their groups could only take 15 minutes to create. The rest of the time was spent reading and discussing. It took a few weeks to get there, but we did it.

These were the basic management rules I used:

This presentation gives an overall picture of how Lit Circles look in my class:

Apps I Have Used:
(but there are so many more I still plan to use!)

Edmodo - Post assignments directly into Edmodo.

Camera - Use for almost anything!

Pages - Create a document and add a photo.

Keynote - Create a short slideshow on Keynote. 

Croak.it   - Record an audio response on Croak.it.
WordHippo.com - Find definitions for Word Wizard role.

Educreations - Create a screencast.

Haikudeck.com - Create a haiku PowerPoint.

Simple Mind - Create a mind map.

Over- Select a photo and label it.

PicStitch - Create a photo collage.

ImageChef - Create a photo collage for theme/mood.

Word Clouds - Create a word cloud of vocabulary.

Notability - Highlight and annotate text.

Creative Commons - Free-use images.

I hope that this list inspires you to think outside the box as you create meaningful literature circles in your own class!