My students need books, The Dreadful, Smelly Colonies The Disgusting Details About Life in Colonial America, Face to Face with Penguins, and others to research topics during Research Workshop and Genius Hour.
Imagine smiling and laughing everyday...Well, that is one thing that makes this group of fourth graders so special! They are constantly bringing a smile to my face. They have a sweet, inquisitive nature, as most 11 year olds do, but it never gets old.
They are a very inquisitive group that loves to explore all kinds of questions.
They seem to find questions in everything and love the process of inquiry to find the answers to those questions. It is a true joy to watch their minds at work!
My Project
Children are curious by nature, and their "wonders" never cease to amaze me, even after 20+ years! My project is to implement Genius hour in my classroom. "Genius Hour" allows students to explore their own interests, and encourages creativity in the classroom. It allows students to become experts in a research topic of their choice during a set period of class time each week. In order to become experts in different topics, students need plenty of nonfiction texts to incorporate into their research. Students do have access to the internet, but still need the ability to research using print text. Unfortunately without outside help the purchase of these extra books just isn't possible.
Genius Hour is based on Google's 20% time projects it implements with its' employees.
The idea makes so much sense, by allowing people to work on something they are passionate about, productivity in all areas go up. Gmail is just one of those successful projects developed during a 20% time project! With all the wonders and creativity floating around my fourth grade classroom, it is fun to wonder what the next BIG DISCOVERY will be???
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Shuckhart and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
