Can+of+Doom

=This whole popsicle sticks to pick who will respond randomly strategy is rather common, however, I wanted to share some tricks and tips to make it more effective perhaps. I use tongue depressors (large and in charge). Have students decorate them with their names if I'm doing a set for each class period or just number them if I'm doing a generic set to use in any class that I've "numbered off". Here's the trick though, once a number has been chosen, sometimes teachers don't put the stick back in the can so as to "reach" everybody before they start all over. This lets the students relax and think they don't have to be alert until their name is back in play...WRONG! Not in my class. After the sticks are decorated, I paint one end of them with clear nail polish. This way, one end feels smooth and the other still rough. Put all sticks in the can the first time with all smooth ends up or vice versa, then as you select a student, put the stick back in the can the other direction. Then, even without looking you can feel for a new stick and not repeat names but the students see that their name is back in the can so at least they are still alert and participating. You can also put colored dots on the sticks with a pen after collecting the sticks that give you the teacher a clue about the students. Of course, you still need to make a key for yourself as to what the colored dots mean. In our district we have colors based on the INOVA system which tells us whether kids are low/high in social and or content needs that we, by knowing their color and number, can react to in the moment while questioning.=