Introducing your students to Genius Hour is a very important part of the process. This is likely the first time that your students have ever been told that they can work on anything they want within the walls of the school. Build up the suspense and try using one of the following methods to introduce Genius Hour to your class!
1. There are many great videos online that you could show the students. Here are a few examples that I find to be very inspiring:
2. Start a Class Wonder Wall! 
Start making a Wonder Wall to build a bank of ideas for potential Genius Hour projects. Encourage students to write down their wonders whenever they pop into their head and have them post these thoughts on the Wonder Wall. Make connections and link ideas posted on the Wonder Wall as a group.
3. Use quotes to get students thinking about what it means to be creative and what their connection to creativity is. Here are a few examples of quotes you could use to get students talking:
“You are a genius and the world expects your contribution.”
– Angela Maiers
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
– Anne Frank
Genius, Latin definition: “to bring into being, create, produce.”
4. Have students start by brainstorming things they love to do, things they are good at and things that they wonder. Work with students to narrow down and focus their ideas to choose a question that they could explore further during Genius Hour.
5. Do a Read-Aloud with students and talk about their connections to the story. A great book encouraging perseverance in creativity is The Most Magnificent Thing By Ashley Spires.
The most critical component of Genius Hour is ensuring that students formulate good, thought provoking questions. It is important not to rush this process. Spend time discussing what Genius Hour is and also what a good question is. Challenge students to think and rethink their questions. This will ensure that they not only value the time they have to work on their passions, but also help them to produce a project that they are truly proud of.