• Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
• Imagination is more important than knowledge.
• Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
• I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.

Did Albert Einstein say all those things? Brainy Quotes says he did.

I have been curious about Albert Einstein lately. I know he was incredibly intelligent and must have written some really complicated papers and reports. However, there are so many pithy little sayings attributed to him, like those above, that it makes me want to research and find out when and where he said those quotes. I don’t necessarily want to read his theory of relativity, but I would like to read the context of these and other sayings attributed to Einstein. Maybe I’ll find out he didn’t really say all those meaty quotes.

I also have had lots of questions since the 2012 Election Day. I am interested in how the electoral college works. What happens when there is a tie? Has it happened before? What would happen if the electoral votes were distributed proportionally? What is the best way to run the presidential election? And more.

A third interest is stop motion animation. I had never even tried stop motion animation, but when we needed a map for our electoral college results, 8th graders and I tried making this stop motion. (Students had the idea of drawing the states in order of admission to the Union.)

My Genius Hour proposal is based on those three seemingly unrelated interests I have lately–Einstein, Electors and Stop Motion Animation. How can I learn about these things and somehow tie them all together? That will be what I’ll be busy with during genius hour in the upcoming weeks.

Hmmm…I’m not sure if I can, but it will be fun and educational to try!

Einstein clipart from Iowa iClipart subscription service.
Read more quotes by Albert Einstein at Brainy Quote