Have you ever had a student in class who just doesn’t want to participate? Or perhaps you’d like a fun new way to host a spelling bee. A random name picker can help with both of these and more.

Every teacher has struggled getting volunteers to go first in class, answer a question, or be a line leader. Using a tool such as a random name picker is a convenient way to keep things fair and have a little fun along the way. First we will cover a few of the tools available to use as a random name picker, then we will give you some fun ideas on how to use them in your classroom.

Fun Ways to Use a Random Name Picker in Class

1.) Spelling Bee: Instead of entering student names, you could enter a list of keywords. Have the student turn their back to the screen and another student can randomly generate a word for the first student to spell.

2.) Vocabulary Contests: Similar to the above, you could enter vocabulary words into the random name picker and when a student is called on, they randomly select a word and define it in front of the class.

3.) Picking Groups: Ever worry about picking fair groups for students? Have them use the random name picker tools and create their own groups.

4.) Speech Order: Some students will never want to go first – or last – for a presentation or speech. Use a random name picker to select the order of your speeches in class.

5.) Line Leader: Just another fun way to select the line leader for the day.

6.) Writing Topics: Use the random name picker to support students with picking topics for writing.

7.) WL Teacher Example: As a French and Spanish teacher, I have my students tell the local weather every day. At the beginning of the year, they describe yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s weather. At about the time they become proficient in this skill, it starts to be the same every day (usually cold, snowy, etc.). So we start focusing on the weather in countries that speak the target language. I create one wheel for each class, with the country names, and one of the students responsible for the weather that day spins the wheel. Then we go to weather.com to find the weather, and we look at the map, find the capital, what the local currency is, who the leader is, etc. It’s a great way to look at each target country during the school year.

With the variety of tools to use as a random name picker, and the great ideas above, hopefully you have something new, fun, and different to use in your classroom.