This lesson is for : Grade 9:
Summary
A relatively new phenomenon in education is “Genius Hour”, in which students are given complete freedom to pick a project and have one hour a week to work on it for a large part of the school year. Genius Week is a condensed take on Genius Hour. The emphasis is as much on the students’ freedom of choice when it comes to topic and final product selection as it is on the research process. Giving students more freedom in their learning helps excite enduring passion and curiosity. Students pick a topic and presentation modality of their choice and drive their own learning by finding out what they most want to know about their selected topic. This unit targets ninth graders early in the school year, as most of them still struggle with the basics of research, and reinforces skills essential for their success as high school students.
TIPC Ratings
Research & Information Fluency
Rating: Ideal – Explanation:
- Students choose their own topics and sources.
- Students synthesize the information they find on their topic into a final project of their choice.
- Students use EasyBib to keep track of their research and share their EasyBib projects with the teacher and librarian.
- The teacher and librarian check EasyBib progress regularly for formative assessment purposes and provide guidance and feedback.
Communication & Collaboration
Rating: Not observed – Explanation:
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Rating: Approaching – Explanation:
- Students formulate their own research questions and pursue the questions about their topic that they wish to find out about.
- The research project is open-ended and requires critical thinking processes in research and synthesizing the information they find.
Creativity & Innovation
Rating: Approaching – Explanation:
- Students have freedom to showcase their project in whichever format they wish to use. Prezi, eMaze, Piktochart, HaikuDeck were some of the platforms selected.
- Task is authentic and meaningful.
Student Artifact
Lesson Materials
