Day 12: Writing a Plan & Organization Tips
Your class WILL be split in two.Group 1: Group 2:
No matter what camp your students are in, the first time they write out a plan, it will look something like this:
- research dogs
- interview aunt
- write notes
- make project
- present
Wait a minute...What dogs? How are you going to interview your aunt without writing out questions or setting up a time to interview her? How are you going to "take notes" - photographs? Record a video? Jot down ideas from a website? What are you going to do to share what you learned? Do you need to gather resources? If so, what?
So...let's take some steps back.
We write the following on chart paper and post this in our room. After students write their plans, we have them go back to this chart and make sure that they have everything.
Let's say that you were trying to figure out which dog was the best fit for your family. After talking with family members and friends, you narrow it down to golden retrievers and french bulldogs. Your plan may look something like this:
Question: Which dog is the best fit for my family and why? How can I help others figure out the best dog for them?
- Create chart with golden retrievers and french bulldogs
Golden Retrievers French Bulldogs
Temperament
Ease of Training
Size
Care
Other
- Research: golden retrievers temperament, golden retrievers care, golden retrievers training, & golden retrievers size
- Write notes in chart
- Research: french bulldog temperament, french bulldog care, french bulldog training, & french bulldog size
- Write notes in chart
- Ask aunt and friend if they would answer a few questions about their dogs (golden retriever & french bulldog)
- Write interview questions
- Set up interview times
- Interview aunt & friend
- Write down my family's daily schedule/needs (Are there allergies? How often is my family home to take care of the dog?)
- Look at information and decide which is the best dog for my family and WHY
- Share information with family
- Create brochure to help others figure out how which dog is best for them
- Practice presentation
- Present
Five steps went to 14....and at this point, you're probably exhausted from wracking your brain of all of the different steps needed to complete your project.
- It helps them plan ahead.
- As students work through projects, we model that it's okay to go back and add a step or take a step. Everything is not going to go as planned.
- It keep them on track. They know the next step.
- Helps them break down a big project into more manageable pieces. This is an incredibly important life skill!
YOU CAN DO IT! But wait....now you have 20-30 different projects going on.
Google Sites! Keep all plans, research, reflections, and projects in one place using our bundle. Using this template on our Google site helps us keep track of all Genius Hour work. Classroom management during this time is another challenge.
Green, yellow, and red cups to the rescue! We give each student 3 cups and explain what each means.
How do we stay organized?!
Google Sites! Keep all plans, research, reflections, and projects in one place using our bundle. Using this template on our Google site helps us keep track of all Genius Hour work. Classroom management during this time is another challenge.
Green, yellow, and red cups to the rescue! We give each student 3 cups and explain what each means.
It's just like a stoplight!
Green on top = Good to go
Yellow on top = Need some help, but can keep working for now
Red on top = Stuck - can't go on without help
By using these cups, it provides a quick way of glancing around the room and seeing who needs help. At first, you'll probably notice that your students will go right to the red cup. AH! The website isn't loading. I don't know what to do next. I don't know what this word means.
This will take some time. You need to help your students realize when they can keep working and when they need help immediately.
Try it! It works!
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