20% Time/ Genius Hour

20% Time is a way to allow students to focus on something that interests them. Genius Hour Blueprint

Time Frame: either give 20% time each day (10-20minutes/day), once a week, or chunk it into its own unit

Clear Expectations/parameters: the first project should be very structured (see Genius Hour Blueprint above)

Track Progress

1. Project Selection - Students select a topic and direction for their project.
2. Brainstorm & Questions - Students brainstorm questions they want to answer about their topic.
3. Research - Students research the questions about their topic using multiple resources.
4. Learning Product Creation and/or Presentation - Students display their knowledge about their topic and if possible present their findings to a larger audience.ack Progress

Group vs Solo: Solo is best, allows students to focus. If time allows for another project, small groups are okay

Brainstorm using Mind Mapping 

MindMup  or Google Keep allows students to save the online resources they come across

Use Google Calendar to plan what will be done on which days

Ways to present

• Google Slides presentation - great for presenting to a large audience. Powerful and Influential Presentations
• Infographic - easily readable, engaging and shareable. Check out Canva as an infographic creator.
• Narrated or Animated video - helpful for verbally explaining a topic with motion.
• Flowchart - great graphic to display a sequential relationship for a topic.
• Blogger - journal your progress, interactive function (commenting)
• Google Sites - more informational 

To see more possible learning products for 20% time projects check out: Using Visual Tools to Showcase Student Knowledge

20% Presentation (getting started)

(source: Google Educator Training Advanced, unit 10)