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If you haven’t heard of Genius Hour yet, it is time!

Genius Hour is a time set aside each day in a classroom for students to spend time learning about something that they are passionate about. It can be as little as fifteen minutes or as long as an hour or more. The key is to allow students to spend time learning about something that they are passionate about.

We have some key observations that we would like to share with you after implementing it in our classrooms.

Students are excited to come to school.

Yes, you heard us correctly. After introducing Genius Hour to our classes, we couldn’t believe the excitement that they had each day when they knew that they would have time to work on their projects. It was usually the first thing that students would ask us when walking in to the classroom in the morning.

Behaviors will start to change.

We all have those tough students each year. There is no getting around that. But what we found when implementing it is that these “tough” students now had something to look forward to each day. Their behaviors started to change and all of the negative ways that they were seeking attention mostly were gone because they knew they had a time during the day reserved for what they wanted to do.

Student confidence and self-esteem will rise.

When given dedicated time to learn about their passions, students will take more pride and ownership of their work. It is great to see the shy students, or the students who are unsure of themselves get this twinkle in their eyes when they hear it is Genius Hour time.

Genius Hour is intrinsically motivating.

Since students get to pick their passion projects, students are invested in their learning. They can’t wait to dig in each day! There are no bells and whistles to get students to work.

It encourages collaboration.

As students work on their projects, they are talking and sharing ideas with others in the classroom. Students will want to share their work with others. It is great to see how they all work together and share ideas.

There are some great resources on the internet that are ready to use right away in your classroom. Here a few listed below.

Genius Hour
This is the #1 seller on Teachers Pay Teachers! It has everything you need to get started in your classroom.

Genius Hour Math
This is perfect for upper elementary, middle school and even high school. The focus is to give time for a project during math class or a resource/study hall period.

Genius Hour Reading
This resource is for reading classes in elementary and middle school. It provides ideas for both literature and informational text. Your students will not only still do standards work, continue to practice reading strategies and comprehension. But they will also be engaged in their learning!