Sunday, August 10, 2014

Picture Books 10 for 10: Genius Hour

I can't believe it is already time for #pb10for10!  Thanks to Cathy (@cathymere) at Reflect and Refine and Mandy (@mandyrobek) at Enjoy and Embrace Learning for creating this great day of learning and books.  It always turns out to be expensive for me as I always discover so many great books that  didn't know about.  It's one of my favorite blog holidays:-)

I decided this year that I'd share 10 books I'll use to kick off Genius Hour.  I want my kids to understand what Genius Hour can be and each of these books give a message I want them to carry into Genius Hour.  I doubt I'll really get through all of these books early in the year but these ten will start conversations that will help us have a vision for what Genius Hour can be. Whether you do Genius Hour or not, they all have a great message about learning.



The Most Magnificent Thing- I reviewed this one here in May.   It's a fabulous story of a girl with perseverance and grit. She works through her obstacles to create something magnificent.


Going Places by Peter Reynolds is a great story about thinking outside of the box and how thinking together is often better than thinking alone! I like the collaboration theme in this one.


Someday by Eileen Spinelli is a great book that invites conversation around working toward goals, trying new things, etc.


The OK Book is a simple book that reminds us that it is okay to not be great at everything--to try things and to just have fun with giving things a try, learning, and having fun.


Rosie Revere, Engineer is a fun book about mistakes, not quitting and finding joy in the journey of discovery.


Bella & Bean is one of my favorites. I love that it is the story of two friends and that one has a passion for poetry. Letting friends explore their passions and celebrating those with them is something I hope this book invites conversation around.


Beautiful Oops! is a fun colorful picture book that reminds us that some of our best ideas come from mistakes!


Imagine a Day (Byron Preiss Book) will invite conversations about imagining a perfect day at school. What would that mean for you?  I want them to know they have ownership of their learning time.


In Rupert Can Dance, Rupert keeps his love of dancing a secret for a while.  We'll use this to talk about those things you always wanted to learn about or try.


Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (Awards)) will remind us that it's okay to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.




22 comments:

  1. I think it's a really bad sign that I have read three posts, yours, Mary Lee's, and Mandy's and I already have a list of 20 books I NEED to buy! What important books for the beginning of the school year!

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  2. Anonymous8:25 AM

    What a great organizing theme! Some of these are new to me and I can't wait to read them!

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  3. They all look sooooooooooo good!

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  4. I can't wait to start the projects again this year. These are great tittles to help set up the mood. Thanks.

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  5. Love, love, love the theme of Genius Hour! My students are obsessively passionate about Genius Hour and incorporating read alouds around GH will just be icing on the cake! Thank you!

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  6. It's a great idea to share books about ideas, and how they can grow if you only let them, Franki. I love The Most Magnificent Thing and Beautiful Oops-now to look for all the others!

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  7. Great focus and great book list! Will definitely be checking out the ones that are new to me - especially "Going Places," as I always start the year with a collaborative geography game that is all about teamwork. Thanks!

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  8. Love the theme and the books. Rosie Revere is one we need to check out. Thanks

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  9. Anonymous11:47 AM

    Great idea using books to introduce the concept of Genius Hour.

    For those teachers like myself, who could take a full hour per week, I modified it into Genius Time, using 20 minute segments each day.
    www.commonsenseeducator.blogspot.com

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  10. These all look so good! Thanks for sharing, I will be purchasing these for my own collection.

    Allie
    http://thepositiveteacher.blogspot.com

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  11. Great list to promote Genius Hour! Someday is an all time favorite of mine. Need to check out Bella & Bean! Thanks for sharing!

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  12. This afternoon I gutted my teacher desk to have a Maker space for the kiddos in my classroom. Thanks for the recommendations as I make this shift!

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  13. I found quite a few new to me books here. Love when that happens. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Franki,
    This idea is - well - genius! You have so many great titles here for getting kids comfortable with trying new things and taking risks. There are a few here that are new to me. I'm off to request them from the library.

    Cathy

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  15. Great idea for a list! I have Beautiful Oops and The Most Magnificent Thing on mine. I'm putting Going Places on my TBR list.

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  16. Love books that remind us that we don't have to be perfect at things and that it is okay to make mistakes.

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  17. Thanks for joining us again this year! I love the theme of your list and need to check out about half of them. Someday is a favorite of mine.

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  18. What is Genius Hour? Do you have a post where I could learn more?

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  19. I have just one more to add to your awesome list..."What Do You Do with An Idea?"

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  20. I love that you put Someday on this list. I think this title is an ideal book to share in the classroom. Wonderful collection of titles.

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  21. I am so thankful for this list... great ideas! Can't wait to use some for my 6th graders as they experience Genius Hour!

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  22. This is such a great list of books for Genius Hour. So many kids will find themselves in these books. There are many that I will add to my library requests.

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