Creating Passion Projects (Genius Hour)

To see all of my Passion Time/Genius Hour resources, click here: http://psolarz.weebly.com/2013-2014-passion-projects.html

So excited to write a blog post about Passion Time in our class!  Using Google's idea that their employees are allowed 20% of their work time to dedicate to their own reasons.  We have at least an hour each week to dedicate to projects that students are passionate about.  I have been doing this for a few months, but only recently have I gotten it to the point where I am satisfied with the results.  Here is how I've done it:
(1) I introduced a sample idea to my students about how some of my former students used this time to research how farming became a common practice.  I explained how they researched the topic, expanded it as new interests came about, and presented their findings.
(2) I had my students create this organizer on a piece of paper:

Credit: http://langwitches.org/blog/2011/07/21/upgrade-your-kwl-chart-to-the-21st-century/

(3) I had my students brainstorm "fat" questions, write them down, and have me approve them.  They did this on index cards.  If their topic was too specific, I helped them write a more general topic.  Once approved, I put a star next to it.  Some kids had similar topic choices, so I let them work together (no larger than groups of 2).  Some had trouble finding a true passion, so they decided to join with someone else's passion.

(4) I had my students fill out their first three sections of the KWHLAQ Chart (the KWH parts). The other three sections would be filled out as they learned.   (If any children want to switch topics, they need to complete a new KWHLAQ Chart, so this is a slight deterrent to switching!)

(5) As they researched, students added details to their KWHLAQ Chart (in the "L" Section).  If they had any trouble finding what they wanted to know, they filled out the "A" Section with ideas for how to find the information out, and any new questions that they came up with while they researched were written into the "Q" Section.

(6) We just finished Day 2 of this round of Passion Time, so there is not a ton to report on, but our goal is to learn a ton about our passions and then share that passion with others with various projects.  Some people are making websites, others are making presentations.  Some are going to build something, while others are planning on writing something.  Personal choice rules here!  I will update more as I discover it!

Here is the list of our projects this round:

• What do the various Native American symbols mean? 
• How has football changed since it started?
• Can I build the Eiffel tower out of supplies in the classroom?
  
• Who decided that there should be 12 months in a year, and why???
• How do female bullfrogs choose males and how does the breeding cycle work?
• How did Isaac Newton study and make his inventions?
• Who invented the internet and for what reason?
  
• How did the Ice Age start and what happened to the people and the animals?
• When were the first books made, what were they about, and at last which culture made them first?
  
• How do hurricanes gain power and how do they get so destructive?
• What are the classifications of planets (gassy, rocky, dwarf, etc.) and how does it work?
• Can I make a website about famous artists, and re-draw their most famous pieces?
• How does gravity work and how come open space has no gravity?
• How are Solar Systems formed and what is the purpose of them?  What other ones exist?
  
• How were cars invented, improved, and made to go so fast?
• How did different cultures get their gods? For example, Greeks, Aztecs, Native Americans, Egyptians.
  
• With help from writing techniques, could a fifth grader learn more about writing to make a book?

Some pictures of our Passion Time in its early days (Lots of self-selected reading, writing, and research:

Update: Uh oh. Could Google's 20% Time be over?