Day 2

On our first day, I tried to set the stage for Genius Hour.  Here are the steps we took:

1.  I introduced the ideas of Genius Hour, 20% time, and student-driven projects and explained that we would be spending some time pursuing projects of their interest.  Students should understand that they will have to present their ideas in some way.  To this end, we watched the short video that shows clips of students' end of project presentation.  That video can be found at the bottom of SEJH's Genius Hour Student Resources page:  http://www.edline.net/pages/Southeast_Jr_HS/Library/Genius_Hour/Student_Resources

2.  We then looked at levels of questions.  This image is also found on the Student Resources page.

3.  I then asked students to brainstorm 10 things in 10 minutes that would respond to the questions
What breaks your heart?
What's something that really bothers you?
What do you wonder about?
What is a problem you'd like to have solved?

I did this with them and it made me sad.  What I generated was a list of things I actually care about, some global and some deeply personal, that I am doing nothing about.  It was at this moment that I began to be more deeply interested in this project.

I then asked them to pick one or two to write on the SmartBoard when they felt like it.  Students starting coming up.  Their answers ran the gamut.  One student wrote "my name".  Another wrote "Native American Poverty".  Another wrote "how people treat each other".  I collected their lists.