Feel like the same kids are participating all the time? Here are some ideas to make sure everyone stays accountable.
1. Participation cards
Cut a bunch of notecards in half and ask each student to write his/her name on one. Pull from the top envelope to select a student. After that students participates, move her card to the bottom envelope. Once every card has been moved to the bottom, I move the whole stack back to the top. This way I know I have called on everyone to participate.
2. Ball toss
Buy 3 or 4 squishy balls from the dollar bin at Target. Anytime kids are unwilling to participate or low on energy, make them catch the ball before they can answer a question. I’m not sure why it works, but it can turn a totally silent class into the most engaged group of kids you’ve ever seen in no time flat! Other times, I make the whole class stand and after each person has caught the ball and participated, s/he gets to sit down. We know how important physical activity is for students to learn, so any time you can get them moving, the better!
3. Wheel Decide
A co-worker showed me this one. (Thanks, Heather!) The free website is called Wheel Decide and it can be used in a lot of different ways.
Currently, my students sit in tables of 4 and each desk has a number, so I created a wheel with the numbers 1-4 in it. We use the wheel to decide which person will start an activity at the table, which person will collect materials for the group, or which person will be the group spokesperson after an activity.
The wheels are so easy to edit, that you could create and use them for a lot of different activities, but if participation accountability is something you’re working on, try making a wheel with everyone’s name in it. Next week, we are beginning a unit on music and dance and I made a wheel with the different latin styles (Reggaeton, Norteño, Salsa, Merengue, etc.). I plan to have each group spin the wheel to find out which style it will research and present!
Using Wheel Decide as a sub
Update: Since I first wrote this post, I moved and did some subbing. The district would give me a temporary login each day to take attendance. I use the online roster to copy and paste the student names into a wheel decide and use it to call on students throughout the period. It gives me instant credibility with the students as “not just another sub” and it keeps the kids engaged!
How to make a Wheel Decide with student names
1. Go to Wheeldecide.com
2. Click “modify wheel”
3. Click “paste list.”
4. Click “apply wheel changes” to save!
The wheel sometimes repeats. If you want to avoid repeats, click on “advanced options” and check the box “remove choice after it is landed on.”
You can also change the length of the time the wheel spins if you are impatient or want to increase the suspense!
Good ideas . Thank you.