Genius Hour
The Components
This is a major project-based-learning assignment that spans 18 weeks and encourages students to pursue a creative interest they might otherwise not experience in a regular classroom.
The Genius Hour project consists of two main components:
The Project Itself
There are two types of Genius Hour Projects:
A. Research project.
These Genius Hour projects focus on a one specific topic and result in an extended piece of writing.
These pieces should have a very clear purpose. The text created should be referenced, but present the information from a clear and novel perspective; your voice should be evident throughout the work. You should:
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Decide on your topic
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Have a clear purpose for your writing (to inform, educate, entertain, persuade, instruct, investigate etc)
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Determine who your audience will be (this will shape your language)
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Decide on an appropriate form (this will give your writing a purposeful structure)
Think of this as an “I always wanted to learn about _____, and now I have an excuse to do it.”
B. Product Project
These genius Hour projects involve creating something, and result in a product or event.
This option allows you to use your creative talents to build, design or make something. This type of project requires extensive research and has a clear aim to solve an identified problem, developing or improving a specific skill or investigating a career.
The Process Journal or Blog
This is the living history of your Genius Hour project, from idea to completion.
Write/videotape/talk about your work, what you learned, what challenges you are facing and how you propose to solve them. Pictures of the process are encouraged.
You will need to update this often (about every two weeks) and share this with your teacher, classmates, parents and mentors. The idea is that any time a stakeholder is interested to know where you are on your project, he/she can access your journal or blog and see exactly where you are at.