On this page
- How the wheel works
- Wheel vs name picker: which to use
- Six wheel setups for class
- Fair calling: no-repeat routines
- When not to use it
- Accessibility and privacy
- FAQ
How the wheel works
The Wheel widget is a coloured circle with a pointer. When you press Spin, it turns for about three seconds and then shows the chosen item under the wheel. Students can see every slice, which is the whole point: the choice is public.
How to set it up
- Open the free board and add Wheel from the widget menu.
- Press the pencil button. The edit box says "One name per line".
- Paste your list: student names, jobs, prompts or rewards. You need at least two items.
- Press Save. Empty lines are ignored.
- Resize the wheel so students at the back can read the labels, then press Spin.
What happens when you spin
- The wheel spins for about 2.8 seconds and then stops on one slice.
- Spin is blocked while a spin is already running, so you cannot start two at once.
- The chosen item stays under the wheel until you spin again or edit the list.
- Editing the list and pressing Save clears the previous choice.
There is no sound on Spin, and no remove-after-pick button. If you want each person to appear only once, use the routines in the fair calling section.
Wheel vs name picker: which to use
MyClassScreen has both a Wheel and a Random Name picker. They both choose one item from a list at random, but they feel different in the room.
| Wheel | Random Name picker | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Coloured circle with a pointer | Name that appears after a short shuffle |
| Best when | The process itself is part of the fun | You need a quick, quiet pick |
| Typical uses | Jobs, rewards, prompts, brain-break choices | Cold calling, share-outs, reading turns |
| Minimum items | Two | One |
| Remove after pick | No | No |
Pick the wheel when the class benefits from watching the spin: drawing a reward, choosing a brain-break move or picking a discussion prompt.
Pick the name picker when you want speed and less theatre: calling on students during a lesson, choosing a reader or selecting a lab helper without a long pause.
You can put both on the same board. A common pairing is the name picker for academic cold calling and the wheel for Friday's privilege draw. The Would You Rather template already pairs a poll with a debate-leader picker; you can swap that picker for a Wheel if you prefer the spin.
Ways to use the wheel in class
Each setup is a list you paste into the wheel. Change the items to match your room.
1. Classroom jobs for the week
Slices: Line leader · Door holder · Paper passer · Board cleaner · Tech helper · Librarian.
Spin once on Monday, write the name next to each job on a Text widget, and leave the board up all week. If a student is absent, spin again for that job only.
2. Privilege and reward draws
Slices: Choose your seat today · Extra two minutes of break · Teacher's stool for the period · Music during independent work · Skip one homework question · Pick the next brain break.
Use this after the class has earned it, not as a bribe mid-lesson. Keep privileges free or cheap so every draw feels fair.
3. Brain-break selector
Slices: Desk push-ups · Shoulder rolls · Silent breathing for one minute · Free-choice stretch · Partner rock-paper-scissors · Walk the square of the room.
Spin once, start a 2-minute Timer, and stop when it ends. Seated versions of each move keep students who cannot stand fully included. Offering options like these is a Universal Design for Learning idea [1]. For October, a wheel of silly monster moves is one of 12 Halloween classroom activities that run from one screen. Seasonal idea: spin for Thanksgiving activities and brain breaks.
4. Discussion prompt stems
Slices: What surprised you? · What would you change? · How does this connect to yesterday? · What evidence supports that? · What question do you still have? · Explain it to a ten-year-old.
Announce the text or problem first, give thirty seconds of think time, then spin for the stem. The whole class answers the same stem with a partner before anyone shares out.
5. Station or centre chooser
Slices: Reading · Writing · Math games · Science table · Teacher table · Quiet work.
Spin for each group at the start of stations, or spin once for the order of rotations. Pair the wheel with the Station Rotation template so the timer and group list are already on the board.
6. Subject drills
Slices for math: Add · Subtract · Multiply · Make a fraction · Compare the two · Explain your method. Pair with the Dice widget so the numbers come from a roll.
Slices for writing: Character · Setting · Problem · Ending twist · Dialogue only · No adjectives. Pair with a 10-minute Timer. Load a fall writing prompt wheel for a quick writing warm-up.
Example. A fifth-grade teacher might use the jobs wheel every Monday, the brain-break wheel after lunch and the prompt-stem wheel during shared reading, all from one saved board with three screens. Try a kindness challenge wheel for World Kindness Day.
Fair calling: no-repeat routines
The wheel can pick the same item twice in a row. That keeps the draw unpredictable, but it can feel unfair during academic calling. Use one of these routines when you care about coverage:
- Shorten the list after each pick. When a student has answered, open the edit box, delete their name, press Save and spin again. When the list is empty, paste the full list back.
- Keep a "already called" Text widget. Leave the wheel list alone, and write each chosen name on a Text widget. Cross them off as they go. Students can see the coverage.
- Use table teams instead of names. Put tables or groups on the wheel so no individual is on the wall, then ask a volunteer from the chosen table.
- Offer an out. If a student freezes, allow them to ask a neighbour for help or to pass once. A random tool should never trap anyone.
Announce think time before you spin for academic questions. That way every student prepares an answer, not only the person the wheel lands on. Edutopia's guidance on classroom transitions also stresses clear cues and predictable routines, which make tools like a wheel feel calm rather than chaotic [2].
Settings and features
The list is the setting. One name per line, then Spin.
| Control | What it does | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| One name per line | The entries on the wheel. | You change who or what can be picked. |
| Spin | Runs the wheel once. | The class is watching. |
Ready-made boards
No saved template contains this widget. Build it in 30 seconds:
- Open the free board.
- Add the Wheel. Type one name per line.
- Press Spin, then Save Board.
When not to use it
- For punishment. Never spin for chores, detention or who gets the hard question. The wheel should feel safe.
- When speed matters more than spectacle. Cold calling during a fast review is usually better with the name picker.
- In quiet exam rooms. A spinning wheel draws eyes away from the paper. Use a plain Timer instead.
- With very long lists. Labels get hard to read when the wheel holds dozens of names. Split by table or period.
- When students cannot see the board. If part of the class sits behind a pillar or a trolley, move the wheel or move seats before you spin.
Accessibility and privacy
Accessibility. Read the chosen item aloud every time, so students who cannot see the board still know the result. Make the wheel large. Colour alone marks the slices, so WCAG's advice against relying only on colour still applies [3]: pairing the result with spoken and written text covers everyone. For brain-break wheels, include seated options.
Privacy. The wheel runs on the projected board. Students never sign in or open a device. Lists you type stay on the board and save with it in your browser's local storage. If you share the board with Copy link, the link carries the list, so use first names or table labels.