The Spinning Wheel 2018

Spinning Wheels can be used with a variety of different classroom activities. They are random, fair and fun.

Last year, I created the first version of the PowerPoint spinning wheel and it proved to be very successful. The article was read 38,231 times and the template was downloaded 11, 562 times (to date). Since then, I have received several comments, requests and questions asking about adapting the spinning wheel to have a different number of segments.

With this new version, I have made the following changes.

• The background has been redesigned.
• Spinning wheels from 3 to 20 have been included.

The spinning wheel can be used with:

• Student Names
• Questions
• Vocabulary Review
• Grammar Review
• Conversation Topics
• Conversation Prompts
• Role-play Scenarios

 

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Download the Spinning Wheel 2018 template.

The template contains 14 slides – a title slide and a selection of spinning wheels divided into various sections. These include: 3 segments, 4 segments, 5 segments, 6 segments, 7 segments, 8 segments, 9 segments, 10 segments, 12 segments, 14 segments, 16 segments, 18 segments, and 20 segments

You can also copy one of the spinning wheels into your own presentation but check that the animations have remained unchanged.

• Right-click on the slide and click on copy
• Change the window to your new template by clicking on the file open on the taskbar
• Right-click in the slide view pane on the left-hand side of your current presentation and click on paste (keep source formatting).

When you have chosen and personalized your wheel, click on the spin button to spin the wheel. Click on the spin button to stop the wheel.

Preparing the Template

Simply download the template and add your own text.

Copy your chosen spinning wheel into your own presentation if required.

Using the Template

How you use the template depends on what kind of spinning wheel you create.

If you create a spinning wheel with points or prizes, then it will probably accompany a game or activity you have already prepared. The wheel will then be spun intermittently throughout that activity.

Example Activity: Vocabulary Review

• Prepare your spinning wheel by writing a vocabulary item on each segment.
• Divide your students into pairs or groups.
• Click on the spin button to spin the wheel.
• Nominate a student to say when to stop the wheel.
• Click on the spin button to stop the wheel.
• Introduce the word. Allow the pairs/groups to buzz in.
• Ask one of the students from the pair/team to use the word in a sentence.
• If the student uses the word correctly, spin the wheel again.
• If the student uses the word incorrectly, provide them with a second chance or allow another pair/group to answer.
• Once the word has been reviewed, spin the wheel again.
• Repeat as many times as necessary.

Example Activity: Role-play Scenario

• Prepare your spinning wheel by a writing role-play scenario on each segment.
• Divide your students into groups.
• Click on the spin button to spin the wheel.
• Ask a student from one of the groups to say when to stop the wheel.
• Click on the spin button to stop the wheel.
• Introduce the scenario for that group.
• Spin the wheel again to choose a role-play scenario for the next group.
• Repeat for all groups.
• Once all the groups have a scenario, allow them some preparation time to decide on what they are going to say.
• Give the groups some additional time to practice their role-play, so they are not reading directly from their notes.
• The groups can perform their role-play to the class, to another group or all the groups can perform simultaneously.

Adjusting the template

If you feel that the spinning wheel is too fast or too slow, you can easily adjust the speed of the rotation. This is done by adjusting the timing of the animation. Follow these steps:

1. Go to the animations ribbon.
2. Click on animation pane – the animation pane will appear on the right-hand side of the screen.
3. Open the timing dialog – click on the down arrow next to the animation and choose timing.
4. Adjust the duration of the animation – choose a time from the drop-down list or enter in your own custom duration.
5. Click OK.
6. The spinning wheel will now rotate at your selected speed.

Note: For further information on adjusting or creating your own spinning wheel, please refer to the article from last year.

I hope you will enjoy using this version of the template.

Do you have any suggestions regarding the Spinning Wheel?

Please leave a comment if you have any ideas you would like to share or if you have any questions about the template. They help to develop future templates.

Alternatively you can send me a message on my Facebook page or on Twitter.

Thanks for reading and take care!

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You may also like to read:

Spinning wheels are a great way of introducing an element of randomness into the classroom.

There are some advantages to a PowerPoint spinning wheel. They can be inserted into any presentation by copying and pasting the slide and they don’t require an internet connection.

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The Spinning Wheel was designed with Microsoft PowerPoint 2016. Animations may differ when opened in other presentation software.

Microsoft® Office® is a copyrighted product of the Microsoft® corporation. 

The template and images in this post are free to download but they are intended for educational purposes only.