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What is genius hour?
FAQs
Q; Why do a Genius Hour in 7th Grade Science?
A: There are many skills that will aid students in their future careers that are not explicitly taught - including research skills, writing a proposal, and how to present. A Genius Hour project will allow students to hone those skills through one or a series of projects, with a high interest level. In addition, the actual project allows students to learn about new topics and practice new skills with support from teachers and parents and with dedicated time to explore.
Q: Will this impact Science content time?
A: No. Content time will continue at a pace that allows for both time to process and interact with new information, and to finish well in time for the end of the school year. Should a content topic require more time than expected, the Genius Hour time will be put on hold for that week in order to insure student understanding and success with 7th Grade Science. In addition, Genius Hour time offers a chance for the teacher to meet with students one-on-one about both the Genius projects and about the content area for remediation or to go deeper.
Q: Will Genius Hour be for a grade?
A: No. This project, while it will have benchmarks of completion, will not be for a grade. The skills learned are valuable no matter a numeric grade.
Q: How will I be held accountable for class time spent on Genius Hour?
A: Every student's progress on his or her individual project will be tracked weekly. Students whose pace stalls will receive teacher support. If a student chooses not to progress on a project of their choosing, the teacher will give them a project that is content-related instead.
Q: Will Genius Hour really happen every week for 20% of the class time?
A: Yes and No. Most weeks will include a Genius Hour day - one class period is 20% of class time for the week. However, on 4-day weeks and on test weeks, more time may be needed with Science content, and Genius Hour will be rescheduled for another week or for later in the semester when content is finished.
Q: How will I present to the class twice this semester?
A: Each topic will fit into one of four categories - Drawing, Writing, Building, Learning -and students will present to their category groups once in 3rd Quarter, and once in 4th Quarter. Students will show their progress or their final product, with an emphasis on constructive criticism and detailed uplifting for the process and products of fellow students.
Q: Am I limited to three weeks for a Genius Hour project?
A: No. Projects MUST take at least 3 weeks because of the three components - Proposal, Research, Final Product. However, if a student finishes a project in three weeks, they will immediately start a new project with a new topic. If a student chooses a project that takes much longer than 3 weeks, they will continue that project throughout the semester, as long as progress is being made. Ms. King would greatly like to see the final products of all projects, but should a final product be an artists' portfolio, a large craft, or even a novel, then the final product may take beyond the scope of the 2019-2020 school year.
A: There are many skills that will aid students in their future careers that are not explicitly taught - including research skills, writing a proposal, and how to present. A Genius Hour project will allow students to hone those skills through one or a series of projects, with a high interest level. In addition, the actual project allows students to learn about new topics and practice new skills with support from teachers and parents and with dedicated time to explore.
Q: Will this impact Science content time?
A: No. Content time will continue at a pace that allows for both time to process and interact with new information, and to finish well in time for the end of the school year. Should a content topic require more time than expected, the Genius Hour time will be put on hold for that week in order to insure student understanding and success with 7th Grade Science. In addition, Genius Hour time offers a chance for the teacher to meet with students one-on-one about both the Genius projects and about the content area for remediation or to go deeper.
Q: Will Genius Hour be for a grade?
A: No. This project, while it will have benchmarks of completion, will not be for a grade. The skills learned are valuable no matter a numeric grade.
Q: How will I be held accountable for class time spent on Genius Hour?
A: Every student's progress on his or her individual project will be tracked weekly. Students whose pace stalls will receive teacher support. If a student chooses not to progress on a project of their choosing, the teacher will give them a project that is content-related instead.
Q: Will Genius Hour really happen every week for 20% of the class time?
A: Yes and No. Most weeks will include a Genius Hour day - one class period is 20% of class time for the week. However, on 4-day weeks and on test weeks, more time may be needed with Science content, and Genius Hour will be rescheduled for another week or for later in the semester when content is finished.
Q: How will I present to the class twice this semester?
A: Each topic will fit into one of four categories - Drawing, Writing, Building, Learning -and students will present to their category groups once in 3rd Quarter, and once in 4th Quarter. Students will show their progress or their final product, with an emphasis on constructive criticism and detailed uplifting for the process and products of fellow students.
Q: Am I limited to three weeks for a Genius Hour project?
A: No. Projects MUST take at least 3 weeks because of the three components - Proposal, Research, Final Product. However, if a student finishes a project in three weeks, they will immediately start a new project with a new topic. If a student chooses a project that takes much longer than 3 weeks, they will continue that project throughout the semester, as long as progress is being made. Ms. King would greatly like to see the final products of all projects, but should a final product be an artists' portfolio, a large craft, or even a novel, then the final product may take beyond the scope of the 2019-2020 school year.