Genius Hour is such a hot topic in the education world right now! It is all over Pinterest, Instagram, and the best education podcasts. When I first heard about it at a district PD, I fell in love with the idea. Passion projects and environments that foster student led learning are great ways to motivate and engage students. When I started learning about genius hour, I knew it would be a great way to pull in some of those elements while still following my curriculum. I left the PD energized and ready to start it right away... but then my teacher brain started churning: How am I going to introduce this? Are my firsties too young to understand passion projects? How will I organize what each child is working on? How often can I realistically do this without falling behind on my pacing guide? If genius hour has peaked your interest as well, hopefully the resources and information below will help you get started in your primary classroom.
For those of you who are just now hearing of genius hour, check out this video to learn the basics. Trust me, once you hear about it for the first time it will be one of those educational phrases that keep popping up!
Pacing/Timing
One of the biggest questions on my mind as I decided to venture into the world of project based learning and genius hour was how I was going to "fit it all in". Especially as a newer teacher, I did not want to stray away from my district provided curriculum and I did not want others questioning whether I was teaching what I needed to or not. Luckily, we have a bit of flexibility with our first grade science and social studies curriculum, so I used one Friday a week (from about January until the end of the year) to do a genius hour block. This was just about 45 minutes or so towards the end of our day on Friday. I initially mirrored an introduction or reading or math centers when first setting up Genius Hour. If you don't have the flexibility to use science or social studies time, a literacy center time may also work for you. This could replace any type of "fun friday" or reward/incentive day you have. Even if you can only start with just one day a month, it's something! If you're on the other end and think you have the freedom to spend ALL DAY or one period per day on a genius hour type model, even better! This model can be used no matter how often it is taught.
Remember, just because students are taking ownership of their learning and are leading their own discoveries does NOT mean that you are not allowing them to hit the necessary standards for your grade level. This is something you can point out if your administration or other team members are questioning your choice to start Genius Hour. Using a student tracking sheet to monitor student progress and track which individual standards are met is a great way to have "proof" of student learning. (I have one included in my Genius Hour bundle- you can grab it here!)
One of the biggest questions on my mind as I decided to venture into the world of project based learning and genius hour was how I was going to "fit it all in". Especially as a newer teacher, I did not want to stray away from my district provided curriculum and I did not want others questioning whether I was teaching what I needed to or not. Luckily, we have a bit of flexibility with our first grade science and social studies curriculum, so I used one Friday a week (from about January until the end of the year) to do a genius hour block. This was just about 45 minutes or so towards the end of our day on Friday. I initially mirrored an introduction or reading or math centers when first setting up Genius Hour. If you don't have the flexibility to use science or social studies time, a literacy center time may also work for you. This could replace any type of "fun friday" or reward/incentive day you have. Even if you can only start with just one day a month, it's something! If you're on the other end and think you have the freedom to spend ALL DAY or one period per day on a genius hour type model, even better! This model can be used no matter how often it is taught.
Remember, just because students are taking ownership of their learning and are leading their own discoveries does NOT mean that you are not allowing them to hit the necessary standards for your grade level. This is something you can point out if your administration or other team members are questioning your choice to start Genius Hour. Using a student tracking sheet to monitor student progress and track which individual standards are met is a great way to have "proof" of student learning. (I have one included in my Genius Hour bundle- you can grab it here!)
Introducing Genius Hour
As primary grade teachers, we all know that allowing students time to build stamina before giving them any type of prolonged independent task is ESSENTIAL. Genius Hour is no different. I usually start the beginning of the year with just blocking off this time for "choice time", where I can help students get used to making their own decisions and working on something without teacher support. This is also great for building connections with students and fostering positive relationships among peers. The choice options that I give my students reflect similar activities they would be doing during my genius hour model: art/creative station, STEAM bins, library exploration, computers/iPads, and sensory station. Below are some options I usually provide at each station, with an explanation of how it can be used as work time during genius hour.
Art/Creative Station
At the beginning of the year, I start off super simple with just some blank copy paper and crayons/colored pencils. I then slowly work in glue sticks, scissors, construction paper, etc. I occasionally provide some painting options or some other materials to build with like paper towel rolls, old boxes, or empty plastic bottles (pretty much anything clean that can be recycled). A lot of what I provide here depends on what student projects are going on and what materials I feel would be most useful to them. (Of course, they choose the materials themselves, but a little push in a specific direction never hurts at the primary level ;)) During Genius Hour, this station can be used to recreate models, plan out ideas, or create visuals for presentations.
STEAM bins
If you aren't familiar with STEM Bins, RUN over to Teach Outside the Box (Brooke Brown's TpT store) and grab them now- they're amazing! She provides two options for the name- STEM or STEAM. I chose to go with steam because I wanted to incorporate the arts within these. My students LOVE steam bins. They are a great and engaging early finisher activity that not only involves the science/technology/engineering/math side, but also incorporates literacy. To give you a general overview, students choose from a ring of cards that have picture examples of things they can build. They grab one "bin" filled with common classroom materials (uni-fix cubes, cups, base ten blocks, etc.) and try to build the structure they chose with only those materials. From there, they can use prompting cards to try to improve their creation, and they can also write about it.
For those of you who aren't quite ready to jump right into prepping STEAM bins, you can still meet your students' Genius Hour STEM needs by allowing them to use some of the same common classroom items such as blocks, math manipulatives, legos, etc. Once you begin Genius Hour, these types of building materials are great to create models of inventions or just for allowing student time to explore a specific interest of theirs such as creating or designing.
Library Exploration
You may want to change around this center a bit depending on how protective you are over your library, because you may think I'm crazy for what I'm about to tell you. During library exploration, I allow students FULL ACCESS to all of the books in my library. Now, during a typical day, I am VERY protective over certain books and I have some books that I don't let students touch at all in there. My students have book bins where they keep all of their silent reading books, and there is always an adult in my library when they are choosing their books for the week to keep in their book bins. So, when I allow them to look through ANY bin in the library, they are beyond excited.
I usually only have a kiddo or two at a time who uses the library for genius hour, so it isn't too hard to manage. I allow them to pick any book in my library because it allows them to choose specific books that they need in order to learn more about their passion or topic. Genre specific or themed bins are perfect for Genius Hour exploration. For example, if a student's project is to learn more about penguins, they could go into your library and search through all of the penguins books. From there, they may use another station such as iPads or Creation Station to display some of the information they've learned.
Computers/iPads
I am very fortunate to have 4 computers, 2 laptops, and 16 iPads (on their way) in my classroom this year. I know that many classrooms do not have this luxury, so this may look different in your classroom. Instead of allowing it as an option, you may take your whole class to a computer lab to explore some ways to present through technology. This past year, I did a mix of the two. I only had 6 devices for my students, so I did allow them to use it as a center, but I used the computer lab to teach some things whole group as well.
At the beginning of the year, I start off by just allowing students to explore fun learning websites and apps. Again, this is just during the choice time they are given before I introduce Genius Hour. Eventually, I show them some programs and apps they may want to use to present their information. This can be your typical office suite programs such as PowerPoint or Word, or it can be apps like ShowMe, ClassKick, or a collage app. During Genius Hour, students can use technology both to learn more about their passions and present about what they've learned.
Sensory Station
For sensory station, I usually set up a table that has play dough, kinetic sand, and a couple of other rotating materials depending on what my students are interested in learning about. Originally, I just used this as an option during choice time because...what first grader doesn't love playing with sand or play dough?! I included it within my Genius Hour choices because it is another way students can model creations or try out models before they create them with something else. It is also a great thing to have students to if they are struggling to come up with ideas and they are conferencing with you. For those kiddos that need fidgets or to move around while they're thinking, they can keep their hands busy which can free up some brain space for thinking of ideas or working out a problem on their own.
Once Genius Hour has begun, I have students do rotations just so they can see what each station would look like if they are working towards a specific learning goal. We also have conversations about only choosing activities they need in order to learn more about their topic or create for their passion. They know that while Genius Hour can be fun, it is not ALL just play time. That being said, some of my mature students realize that they don't always need to choose a specific station in order to work on their project. I always encourage that students use whatever resources they have available to them within our classroom, even if it isn't a specific "station". With Kinder and firsties especially, this is going to take some training and coaching. Probably only a handful of your students will really utilize this option, and that is OKAY. Don't be discouraged if some of your students are using this as "play" time. It is totally developmentally appropriate, and if your stations are set up correctly, they will still be meeting some learning standards. Just like during reading or writing conferencing, these are the kiddos that you may need to meet with more often. Use your conferencing meetings to provide some more scaffolding in their self directed learning.
I know this "setting up" section has a lot of information all at once, so I wanted to give you just a quick step-by-step guide of what this looks like in my classroom. Please feel free to comment down below or shoot me an email if you have any questions or want more information about these steps. My Genius Hour TpT resource also has some more information about these steps.
1. Give students choice time with "stations" for about the first six weeks of school.
2. Use anchor charts and signs to slowly start introducing the purpose of Genius Hour to your students.
3. Model the Genius Hour process together (exploring passions, asking questions, brainstorming, presenting)
4. Give students some type of resource to track their learning (I use student notebooks).
5. Let them free and begin student conferencing!
Keeping Track of Student's Projects
I've alluded to it above, but the easiest way for me to coach students and keep track of their projects is by student conferencing. Conferencing is so natural for both me and my students since I use a workshop model for both reading and writing, so I decided that I would continue this process for genius hour. This year, I am completing all of my conferencing notes for all subjects using OneNote. I love how easy it is to write with a pen on my surface without needing to worry about logging in to a specific sight or making sure to save everything. If OneNote is something that interests you, check out OneNote for Teachers- it is full of great resources and ideas for educators. I am also happy to answer any questions about OneNote for you in the comments down below or through email!
For those of you who would rather have something paper/pencil to keep track of student conferencing, my Genius Hour TpT resource bundle has a section just for student conferencing and tracking. This could also just be something super simple like some lined paper with notes stored in student data binders or file folders.
Finally, I like to have some type of checklist or sheet that keeps track of where students are throughout the room, what they told me they're working on, and how often they're going there. This sheet would include all student names and all of the stations I am offering throughout the day. It is helpful when dismissing students to do independent work because I limit the amount of people at each station, so I can easily reference the sheet to know how many people to allow at each spot.
I hope this post leaves you with less questions and more confidence about introducing Genius Hour in a primary classroom. If you are interested in jumping right in and giving this a try, now is the time! My Genius Hour for the Primary Classroom GROWING BUNDLE that goes along with each of the above steps that are on sale NOW for the next 4 days. This is a great opportunity to snag it while it is a bit cheaper and give it a try. I only want to sell products to fellow teachers that are truly going to benefit their instruction and teaching; so, if you download my product and realize that it is just not for you, I will refund all of your money back to you! Just mention this blog post and I can credit everything back. I hope to provide updates and resources as I venture into year two with Genius Hour this year!
