Geniuses at Work: Here is a list of our inquiry questions for 2019-2020

Genius Hour Questions 2019-2020

·      What impact does a healthy free lunch program (nutrition) and schools being built closer to students’ homes ( location) have on how well students do in school? -Veronica Barbisan

·      What do I need to know and what do I need to learn to do in order to I make a Tesla coil to turn on a lightbulb?- Taizo Shigematsu

·     How can I inspire my town of  Chateauneuf to protect flora and fauna like the City of Vancouver, BC does? -Alice Salla

·      Can I design a guitar out of recycled materials- starting with a kit, moving on to a prototype, and then building my own that will be made out garbage?- Carter Toth

·      How can I create a fashion collection out of sustainable and recycled materials?- Teresa Deruchie

·      How can I use Blender to make a video that educates people about alternatives to gas cars and how they work? -Zachary Lukan

·      How can I create a time capsule that will be memorable to students now and a historical keepsake to students in 50 years?- Noah Lewis

·       How can I make a podcast worth listening to while spreading information about current events for youth?- Milo Shireff and Andres Torres-Cook

·       How can I create a lecture that makes death less scary for people by educating them on death practices and misconceptions? – Oscar Lee

·       How can I help people with anxiety through music? – Marin Gilmour

·      How can I educate humans about animal lives through building a blog site?- Gemma Frandsen

·      In what ways has dance evolved over the years and what has remained the same? How can I show this to others and experience this myself?- Vahla Reinhardt and Norah Basha

·      How can I upcycle donated clothing from the thrift store into new outfits while focusing on sustainability and how to budget?- Medina Khan

·      Can I learn enough about stocks in order to invest in one and come out ahead?- Selina Chang

·       How can painting murals and inspirational messages in the girls washrooms help girls feel more comfortable and confident about themselves? Kalina Kostic

·       What is the process for making and testing hydrophobic spray? Can a tween learn to do this one their own? Through this process, how can I understand chemical reactions and scientific experiments better?- Emma King

·       How would birds from Singapore need to adapt in order to live here on the West Coast in this colder climate?- Arrian Saini

·      How has tennis changed my life and what life lessons can it teach me?

- Masa Ando

·      Can I teach myself the skills needed to learn a series of magic tricks that I can perform for my peers look good and the class likes? – Nolan Pamer

·       If humanity built a planetary transportation system how would it look and how would that change the lives of people on earth?- Ewan Sichello

·       How can I educate people about the Vancouver Grizzlies and persuade them that the Grizzlies should come back to play in Vancouver?- Beckett Pamer

Some Advice for Genius Hour

Are you wondering how your topic could be turned into a Genius Hour project?

Click this link to see some more ideas:
http://stmarks56.global2.vic.edu.au/2016/11/29/our-genius-hour-projects-term-4-2016/

Remember- find something you love, something you care about, some way to make an impact to others and the world. 

Then, scroll through this blog and finetune your idea and get started!

Here is some inspiration from Kid President: 

What Inspired Us for Genius Hour?

The concept originated with "Moonshot Thinking".

We were also inspired by Caine's Arcade:

How Do I Write an Inquiry Question?

Inquiry Questions for Genius Hour- How to Start or Refine Your Pitch

Wondering how to formulate your questions for your Genius Hour project?
This video will help:

Still not sure? Check out this graphic from Powtoon that explains how to formulate your question. Remember, it can't be a question that can be answered on Google!

Welcome To Genius Hour: An Overview

Genius Hour Update: January

Students have been working hard to determine their topics and to begin drafting their inquiry question and pitch. This will be a video pitch loaded onto Fresh Grade. The deadline is January 24th. 

An Introduction to Genius Hour and How Parents Can Help
Last month, we introduced Genius Hour, an inquiry based project that we will work on for an hour each week on Friday afternoons ( Thursdays on short weeks) all year. Each student will learn about a topic that they are passionate or curious about. Each project idea is thought of and designed by the student, approved by the teacher, and must be based upon their individual research. Students, it's a chance to shape your own curriculum, for you to "be the change that you wish to see in the world" (Mahatma Ghandi) and to feed your curiosity for.. whatever it is that you wonder about!

Where We Begin:  Creating Inquiry Questions 

It all begins with a question that guides the inquiry. We are just beginning to work on this phase. Students are brainstorming this week.

They will be asking themselves: 

What do I want to learn?  

What are my passions?

How will my learning help others?

How could I change the world, even in a small way?

Where am I now? 
Where do I want to be? 
How can I get there and what do I need to know or have in place to do this?

The Focus is Process, Not Product

All students will be doing a pitch to the class by the end of next week. At that time, we will hear each proposal and be able to ask questions about their passions. It’s a way for students and teachers to make sure the passion project is deep enough and well though out enough so it can be sustained over the next five months. Once students get the green light, we monitor the projects and check in with students weekly and they evaluate their use of class time with our rubric.

Please note that this project is oriented on the documentation of the student's progress, not the final product! In some cases, students won't actually be able to accomplish their final goals by the end, but should be able to document their learning along the way. 

Parents Can Help by Asking Questions and Documenting the Process
Several students will be building projects (creating board games, stop-motion animation props, robots, etc.), whereas others will be creating theirs digitally (making websites, filming stop-motion animation, learning to code, etc.). 
Please discuss the steps of this project with your child and what they would like to accomplish by the end of the year. 

Chances are that no matter which tools your child ends up selecting, there will need a lot of photo documentation of their project, so please take lots of photos if they are working on this at home!

Genius Hour Open House- June 2020

Students will have opportunities to present their findings from their topics and central questions for their peers and parents this year.  They will present a TED Talk ( oral presentation)  and share their visuals, slides, objects, and creations.

The Hero's Journey- Wrapping Up Our Unit on Short Stories

Slides explaining the Hero's Journey

The "Hero's Journey" is a story archetype.
How many movies and books do you know that follow this framework?

Here is a TED Talk that explains it well.

What story will you analyze with the Hero's Journey in mind?

Blackbird by Emma Stevens

Listen to hear Emma Stevens sing "Blackbird" by the Beatles in Mi'qmaq.
We are singing this for this year's holiday concert to bring awareness to the language which is in danger of extinction.

2019 is the UN International Year of Indigenous Languages.

There are less than10,000 people left in the world who speak the Mi'kmaq language. Sixteen-year-old music student Emma Stevens from Allison Bernard Memorial High School on East Cape Breton Island performs the Beatles classic Blackbird in the Mi'kmaq language in order to raise awareness that the language will soon be lost.

Simbi: Read for Good Challenge

 Global Citizenship In Action

Join our group as we record our voices to bring books to life for readers in Bidibidi, Uganda.

Here is our class code:https://read.simbi.io/a3RZQTFLc3N3VQ--

Here is a look at Bidibidi, Uganda where the ratio of teachers to students is 1:240.

And here is how the UNHCR and Walking Schoolbus are using shipping containers to create a "Bright Box" where communities have an energy hub and classroom in which kids can listen, read, and learn.

Here are some other inspiring young people who are using their voices to change the world:                                       

Emma Stevens, Singer, Miq'maq Language Activist

"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"

Autumn Pelletier, Indigenous Water Advocate

Greta Thunberg, #FridaysforFuture

  Simon Jackson, Animal Activist for the Spirit Bear 

The Danger of A Single Story: TED Talk/ Talk Back

What is the danger of a single story? How can it lead to stereotypes? 

How can reading and writing different stories broaden our perspectives about humankind?

           Think about your own perspectives on Africa and storytelling.
    What are your connections to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk?

Is this the Holy Grail of renewable energy?

          Xyleco's Marshall Medoff: The unlikely, eccentric inventor


Step 1: Watch the video clip from a CBS 60 Minutes Episode #51  Dec. 30th 2018

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marshall-medoff-the-unlikely-eccentric-inventor-turning-inedible-plant-life-into-fuel-60-minutes/

* Note: If the hyper link doesn't work copy and paste into your search engine.


Step 2: Take notes using the Spider template
Step 3: Respond to the question.

??? What are the implications of this renewable energy source if it is adopted into real world applications?

Note-Taking Stations: Which Templates Work Best?

We are learning all about note-taking in order to research for Genius Hour, Science, and Social Studies. There are so many ways to take notes and it really depends on the sources you are using and on your own style of learning.

Today you will travel in small groups from station to station in order to try different approaches to taking notes.

Here are the links you'll need. Other print resources will be available at the stations.

1) Try Cluster Notes Template when you access this site:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/vancouver%27s_greenest_city_action_plan#goals

2. Try Event Spider Template for this one:

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/5-reasons-why-hub/5-reasons-brain-is-mind-blowing/

3. Try Roundtable Notes for this one:

www.malala.org/girls-education

4. Try the Video Notes Template to learn about Anne Frank:

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/anne-frank-1

5. Try the Timeline Template to learn about Ben Franklin:
https://www.biography.com/people/benjamin-franklin-9301234