Thrively.com - In my experience, Genius Hour works the best the BETTER I know my students and the better I'm able to help them know themselves. Using tools like Thrively's pathways for learning strengths, interests, and aspirations makes the process a lot more efficient.

Edutopia: Standards Aligned Genius Hour and Genius Hour: Critical Inquiry and Differentiation

Research is at the heart of most of what I do, so articles like these helped me ground what I needed to accomplish out of Genius Hour. To constitute so many instructional minutes, I had to make myself VERY aware of how my standards could be infused in such a way that students internalized them and saw impact without them being the focal point of Genius Hour. The perspectives offered in these to readings helped.

The Community- As times go on, I continue to build as many relationships as I can with anyone I meet in the community. I let them know about the work we're doing in class, and keep them in mind. Chambers of Commerce, Non-profits, business owners, etc. are all VERY eager to support schools. Genius Hour is an excellent way to invite them in. Even if I don't have an idea for how to engage person or business immediately, my wheels are always turning on how I can later, and this has helped me become a much better conduit for my students' needs as their projects take shape.