Genius Hour Directions

Welcome to Genius Hour!  Hopefully by now you've thought of some good questions relating to Spanish-speaking culture that you're curious to discover the answers to.  Genius Hour allows you to do just that: become a genius about any topic you're interested in that relates to Spanish-speaking culture!  We will typically be having a "Genius Hour" class once per week.  During this time, you will be researching the answers to the questions you've come up with and then sharing the things you learned about on your class's Genius Hour blog.

What is my assignment?

By the end of first semester, you will need to create a minimum of 15 research blog posts.  We have separated "culture" into ten different categories, listed as separate pages on this blog.  You will need to have at least one post in each category.  Cross-posting is allowed!  That means that you may post the same question in different categories if it has to do with both categories.  Of course, after you have done at least one post in each category, you will still have some posts left over that you may choose to do in whatever category you'd like.

Ready to get started?  Let's go!

1. Identify an essential question that you would like to research.  (If you have any culture categories that you haven't created a post for, try to come up with a question that will fit in that category.)  Try to focus on one specific topic that is research-able.  For example, "What foods do they eat?" is good start, but it's a very broad question that will lead you in a lot of directions and be difficult to research.  "What foods do Mexicans eat?" is better, but still very broad.  "What is a typical Mexican dinner like?" is a specific question that you can research and find a information on.
2. Research your question.  You may use a search engine, books, magazines, etc. to find the answer to your question.  You may read/listen to/watch a few different resources.  A good resource comes from a reputable resource with accurate and valuable information.  These may (or may not) include websites, videos (including Youtube videos), songs, etc.  Be sure that this is a resource someone can actually LEARN something from and that answers your question.  Wikipedia is NOT an ideal resource, but it is a good place to get started to give you some ideas about your topic and find other resources.  Usually, there are links at the bottom of the page that lead you to resources used to get the information Wikipedia presents.  As you research, your question may change and evolve, and that's OK!
3. Take notes in your Interactive Notebook.  Write down the resources you find so that you could find them again if needed and take notes on the most important, surprising, interesting, etc. facts that you find from those resources.
4. Select one resource to share.  While you may research and learn from a few different resources, I want you to pick ONE to focus on that answers your essential question (it may not be the essential question you started with, though!).  This will be the resource you share in your Genius Hour blog post.
5. Create your Genius Hour blog post highlighting your resource.  Details for how to create your post and how it will be graded are outlined on Posting Directions.

First Post

Please create your first post so I know you've successfully logged in as an author!

• Click "New Post" at the top of this page.
• Where it says "Post Title", title your post with your name.
• In the large "body" box, write "I wonder..." and create 10 "I wonder..." statements about culture in Spanish-speaking countries.  You may wish to use the "Introduction to culture" post to help you think of some (Don't copy, just use it to get a feel for the things you can wonder and make up your own statements!).
• Click the button on the right-hand side where it says "Labels" and type in your first initial and last name.  For example, since my name is Jillane Baros, I would create the label "jbaros" and tag my post with it. You will tag ALL of your posts this way so you get credit!
• Add a second label that says "I wonder" - when you begin typing, labels will pop up, including the "I wonder" label, and you can just click it.  This way, your entire class's "I wonder" statements will pop up when you click the "I wonder" page.

Finally, hit the orange "Publish" button at the top of the page.  Double check that it actually published and that you can find it by viewing the blog and clicking the "I wonder" page button.  You're done!

For an example "I wonder" post, CLICK HERE.

Profa Baros

I wonder...

1) How to dance the Tango?
2) What animals live in the Cloud Forests in Costa Rica?
3) How many people speak Spanish compared to the rest of the world?
4) If people in Spanish-speaking countries play video games like we do?
5) If aliens really visited the ancient people of South and Central America?
6) How to make tamales?
7) How much it would cost to live in a Spanish-Speaking country for a month?
8) What a typical day is like for a high-schooler in a Spanish-speaking country?
9) How people travel to different places in Spanish-speaking countries?
10) How dangerous or safe each of the countries are to visit?