Genius Hour
Sharon Murchie, Bath High School
Through Genius Hour I can:
1. Give students choice and freedom 2. Teach many of the research, research writing, and informational text standards 3. Have thoughtful discussions with the entire class about bias and source reliability 4. Conference with every student individually, every week 5. Make the assignments 100% relevant to the students' lives and interests 6. Have them publish what they create for an authentic audience (the world!) |
In Genius Hour, students can:
1. Research whatever they are interested in 2. Show mastery of many of the standards related to research, research writing, and informational text 3. Think critically about source bias and source reliability 4. Talk with me every week about what they are researching and what they hope to learn 5. See the value of these skills in their everyday lives 6. Join the conversation online about their passions and interests |
Step 1: Students research 1 day a week on whatever interests them.
Step 2: Students fill out weekly form and submit to me through google classroom. I read it, leave comments, and return the form to students so they can extend it the following week.
Weekly Form
Name: __________________________
WEEK # _________
Date submitted: __________________
WEEK # _________
Date submitted: __________________
- Today, I researched:
- I read these articles (link them):
- I read these because:
- I learned:
- This information supported/changed/pushed/contradicted my thinking in this way:
- After reading these articles, I want to know more about:
- I am thinking about focusing my research project on… because… I want to figure out….
|
Step 3: students begin to narrow their focus in their research and determine what they want to create.
"What did you want to find when you started researching this topic? Create that thing that you wished you'd found."
step 4: students determine the mmaps of what they want to create, and start working on their project for publication.
step 5: students create a source document for their research.
Source Document
(foundation assignment for Annotated Bibliography)
Genius Hour -- Source Document Name: _______________________
Source #1
paste APA citation below:
What is the mode (genre) of this source?
Short summary of info found at this webpage:
How might you use this information in your project?
What bias is present in this source? What is the ideology?
Source #2
paste APA citation below:
What is the mode (genre) of this source?
Short summary of info found at this webpage:
How might you use this information in your project?
What bias is present in this source? What is the ideology?
(foundation assignment for Annotated Bibliography)
Genius Hour -- Source Document Name: _______________________
Source #1
paste APA citation below:
What is the mode (genre) of this source?
Short summary of info found at this webpage:
How might you use this information in your project?
What bias is present in this source? What is the ideology?
Source #2
paste APA citation below:
What is the mode (genre) of this source?
Short summary of info found at this webpage:
How might you use this information in your project?
What bias is present in this source? What is the ideology?
step 6: students publish what they have created.
Student Publications
Step 7: sharing and assessment of student publications
PDFs of Assignments and Final Rubric
genius-hour-weekly-form.pdf | |
File Size: | 50 kb |
File Type: |
geniushour--sourcedocument.pdf | |
File Size: | 8 kb |
File Type: |
genius_hour_rubric.pdf | |
File Size: | 289 kb |
File Type: |
Standards Taught during Genius Hour
11-12.RI.5 Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
11-12.RI.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
11-12.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
11-12.W.2a Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
11-12.W.2b Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
11-12.W.2c Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
11-12.W.2e Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
11-12.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
11-12.W.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 11-12.)
11-12.W.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
11-12.W.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
11-12.W.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
11-12.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
11-12.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Related Unit on Research and Source Analysis